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RENO-TAHOE OPEN

August 6, 2011

Scott Piercy

RENO, NEVADA

THE MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Scott Piercy here in the interview room. New course record, 61. Really had things going today; i know 8 consecutive birdies.
Just some thoughts about a really incredible third round today.
SCOTT PIERCY: Thanks. It was fun to see the ball go in the hole. First two days was kind of a little frustrating because I hit it well and didn't see a whole lot go in.
I told my caddie yesterday, I said, if I can keep hitting it well and get a few balls to go in the hole, we might do something special. I didn't think this, but I'll take it when I can get it, you know.
THE MODERATOR: Obviously you had things going there on the front side, 28, and then the one hiccup on 17 but came back nicely with the eagle on 18.
Do you mind just going through your card?
SCOTT PIERCY: No. 2, driver, 4-iron; chipped it to about three, four feet and made it.
No. 3, I had a 9-iron about 12 feet above the hole; made it. I did a lot making on the front nine. (Laughter.)
No.4, I hit a 4-iron and a lob wedge; made a pretty good putt there of about 20 feet.
No. 5, I hit 3-wood, sand wedge - yeah, sand wedge - just short and I chipped it in.
6, I hit driver, pitching wedge, and made about a 12-footer.
7, par-3, I hit a pitching wedge there to about 30 feet, pin high right, and made that.
No. 8, the par-5, I hit driver, 3-wood on the green and two-putted from the front left, which is a pretty good two-putt there.
No. 9, I hit driver, lob wedge to about six feet and made that.
Lipped it out on 10 for nine in a row. I knew that was a PGA TOUR record, so I was kind of wanting that one.
But parred 10 -- yeah, parred 10, 11, 12.
13, the par-5, I felt like I should have made birdie there. I had 6-iron in and ended up making par.
The next hole I hit 3-wood just on the front edge of the green and two-putted.
What's that, 15? 15, I hit 3-wood, sand wedge to like a foot.
Then on 17, I just was pulled my 2-iron left off the tee and kind of judged the wind wrong. I thought it was blowing left to right and it was blowing right to left a little. So I hit it in the water, took a drop, hit it on the green, and two-putted.
Then 18, I hit driver, 4-iron to what was it, about eight feet maybe, and I made that. So there was a lot making, which I like.
THE MODERATOR: Before we open it up, just talk a little bit about your year to date. I know you had a top 10 tie for 6th, I believe, in Canada a couple weeks ago. Maybe just a couple thoughts on your year to this point.
SCOTT PIERCY: Early on, even this week, I think this is my 14th week maybe, so I haven't played a lot. My game has felt pretty good. Just haven't gotten into the flow of playing a lot. I've been striking the ball well and I'm just kind of waiting for the scores.
Today it kind of showed its head. I'm hoping for more like that.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Did you have any idea you were that close to a course record?
SCOTT PIERCY: I knew if I kept making birdies it would be probably past it. But there at 10, 11, 12, 13, I kind of sputtered, so to say.
But I figured it would ne 9 or 10 was my guess, so... I wasn't thinking 59. If I would have made the birdie on 13 I might have thought of it a little more.

Q. Have you ever had eight birdies in a row in a competitive round?
SCOTT PIERCY: Not in a competitive round, I don't think. I think that's the most I've ever had really, even just playing with some buddies, so...
I think that's the first time I ever shot 28, though.

Q. And you knew that the nine in a row was the record. Was there a point you even started thinking about that? Did you guys talk, or is that just you keep your head down and play?
SCOTT PIERCY: I felt comfortable with my swing, where I was hitting the ball, what I was doing with it, and I just kept trying to hit good shot after good shot.
Felt like I was seeing the ball good on the green where the ball should be rolling, and my speed was a little better today than the last couple days. So I felt like I could make it. I felt good the whole day.

Q. And now you're in a spot -- depending on this afternoon with the wind and all, you're not in a bad spot going into tomorrow. You could win this thing.
SCOTT PIERCY: That's the goal every week. That's my goal, is to win. So depending on what the wind does today -- and usually the wind blows in the afternoon, so I've got to deal with the wind tomorrow probably.
Just play solid and see if I can make a few birdies and keep the bogeys off the card, and hopefully come off with a W tomorrow.

Q. Just wondering if you could talk about pin placement today. Was it easier at all today or just basically you?
SCOTT PIERCY: It seemed easy. (Laughter.) You know, there were some pins that were tucked, and when you're striking the ball well and you know where the ball is essentially going to go, you can kind of play around tough pins and then the easy pins are easy to get at.
So like No. 2 is a par-5 up the hill. If you go right at the flag, it's only four on from the right. But I played it to the left and I had an easy chip and got it up-and-down.
So if you play angles to the tough pins, makes 'em seem a little easier. Nice to know you can play it to the left when there's crap to the left and play it up to the -- you know what I'm saying?
There was a lot of front pins today for whatever reason, so whether that was easier -- I had a lot of good yardages, too. It was a perfect sand wedge, it was a perfect 9-iron, it was a perfect pitching wedge.
Sometimes you'll get in between clubs and you're kind of hitting, Oh, there's just a little on there, or it's a big one. So I had a lot of perfect numbers, too, which you need that to shoot that low.

Q. I know here on the weekends in the past sometimes they've gone threesomes off both 1 and 10; this they're doing twosomes off No1. Today, probably again tomorrow because of TV. Does that help someone like you catch up and even take the lead? You were tied for 45th.
SCOTT PIERCY: Well, I think the biggest factor here is the wind in the afternoon. I mean, it's going to start blowing; it has the last two days or whatever day it is. So a lot of it depends on the wind.
I didn't play in any wind. Maybe, say, 11 it started to pick up a little bit, and usually continues to pick up until early evening.
So we'll see what the wind does.

Q. And then I noticed Gronberg had a nice run there, too, kind of middle of the round. Did you feed off each other and talk much with each other about the rounds you were having?
SCOTT PIERCY: There's probably definite feeding off. I'm kind of off on my own just making all those birdies, and I kind of cool off and he starts making birdies.
So I'm sure that him seeing me go, and forcing him to make birdies. So it's a feeding factor. As far as talking about it, you know, there's lots of, Good shots going on. Good shot, good shot, good shot, good birdie, good putt.

Q. I happen to notice you played some soccer at Bonanza, was it, in Vegas?
SCOTT PIERCY: Uh-huh.

Q. I think a lot people here that follow golf think golf is a lot of silver spoon thing. But Bonanza, if my memory strikes me right, isn't necessarily the highest end of social status down in Vegas. Talk about your history there.
SCOTT PIERCY: Bonanza has definitely gotten worse over the last 10 years. It wasn't that bad when I was there, but over the last probably 10 years it's probably gone down a little bit.
As far as soccer goes, you know, I've played year-round soccer from the time I was probably seven or eight until I finished high school. Won two state championships in high school. I love soccer.

Q. Did you win any of 'em up here?
SCOTT PIERCY: One of 'em, yeah. I forget who we beat, but we beat them like 5-nothing.

Q. Do remember what year?
SCOTT PIERCY: '96.

Q. Did you play golf in high school?
SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah.

Q. When did you pick it up and get serious about it?
SCOTT PIERCY: I started playing golf when I was eight. We won one state title in high school, so...

Q. Does anything from those soccer-playing days translate to your golf game at all?
SCOTT PIERCY: You know, they're so different. When I was actually in good shape playing soccer, that helped me in golf probably.
But soccer is such a team sport. You can play great and -- you know, my last game that I played on a club team, I had like the greatest game ever and scored the only goal the whole thing, and we got beat like 5-nothing every time.
You know, I have control of what's going on out on the golf course, whereas with a team sport you don't.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Scott, thanks for your time. Play well tomorrow.
SCOTT PIERCY: Appreciate it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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