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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 13, 2011

Steve Stricker

JOHNS CREEK, GEORGIA

Q. You kept yourself hanging around today; I guess that's the good news, right?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, that is the good news. Maybe be four back heading into tomorrow, but you know, it's a tough course. You get out of position off the tee or into the green, and it makes it very difficult to get it up-and-down, to make pars, any of that kind of stuff. But it was a grind out there. I held it together. I was patient, and I'm just glad I was able to salvage a par on that last hole.

Q. What do you think it's going to take tomorrow?
STEVE STRICKER: I don't know. It's hard to put a number on it. I don't like to do that anyways, but you're going to have to play good golf. I mean, there's guys that can come from behind that have nothing to lose, and then there's, like I said, a lot of first timers up at the top that -- I don't know how far back you've got to go to find a major champion winner there.

Q. Furyk behind you.
STEVE STRICKER: Oh, yeah, and he's 3, 4?

Q. 2, I think he just put one in the water.
STEVE STRICKER: So everybody is going to be dealing with their nerves and the pressure of trying to win. I think it's who can keep it together the best and be patient and play some good golf.

Q. Tell us about your reaction to saving par at 18 and what that tells us about that hole.
STEVE STRICKER: My reaction to --

Q. To saving par there.
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah. I wanted to make par in the worst way. You know, I didn't want to give one back on the last hole. That just leaves a bad taste in your mouth at the end of the day. I really wanted to make that putt and get it up-and-down. I don't mind playing that hole that way, the way David Toms played to win back in 2001. You know, it kind of takes a big number out of play.
But it's a very difficult hole to make a birdie on. It's very easy to make bogey or higher on. Like I say, I don't mind. I feel comfortable hitting a wedge up there and trying to make a putt, and fortunately I did today.

Q. You talked about everybody trying to deal with their nerves. How much is that magnified down the stretch here?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, toughest four-hole stretch that we play all year probably. You've got two long par-3s in there with water; 18 is water all the way down the whole hole, and it's just a difficult finish. You're going to have to play some great shots coming in to win this thing. Hopefully you can get in a good position prior to those four holes and play some smart shots down the stretch.

Q. Do you expect the tees to be all the way back at 15 and 18?
STEVE STRICKER: You know, it really doesn't matter. 15 it matters. Yeah, I imagine we'll be back on 15. 18 it really doesn't matter, it really doesn't. It actually makes it just as difficult when they move it up like they do today because it squeezes you in even more. And there's nowhere to go with the hole. There's nowhere to hit it, so it doesn't matter if they move it back or move it up even more. There's just nowhere to hit it up there. But I imagine 15 will be back.

Q. A lot of the top 10 players are Americans but there's not a lot of experience. Is this going to be the week to break the American drought?
STEVE STRICKER: I hope so. Yeah, I hope it is.

Q. Do you feel like the headliner out there?
STEVE STRICKER: No, I don't feel like a headliner out there.

Q. What's your approach the last two rounds after your first round when you know that score is out there for you?
STEVE STRICKER: You know, it's a good feeling knowing that I'm capable of shooting that score. You know, but you've got to do everything really well. You've got to get it in the fairway, you've got to make some putts. Obviously you've got to hit some great iron shots, too, and scramble. You're going to be out of position on a few holes no matter what, and you've got to get it up-and-down. But it's comforting knowing that I shot that round. It would be nice to put another one up tomorrow, but I imagine it's going to be difficult. But it's nice knowing that I was able to do it.

Q. Will you watch the scoreboard tomorrow?
STEVE STRICKER: I watch the scoreboard, yeah, I enjoy watching what guys are doing, where you stand, see who does what, how many holes guys have left or whatever. Yeah, I enjoy watching it.

Q. Because it's Sunday?
STEVE STRICKER: I do it every day anyway. I look at it all the way around every day.

Q. 18 is eating up so many guys. What's so difficult about it, and then how important is it to master that to win this tournament?
STEVE STRICKER: What's difficult about it? Well, there's nowhere to hit it off the tee for one. The bunkers are really unplayable. It's a half-shot penalty when you hit it in a bunker around here. If you hit it in the bunker off 18 you've got virtually no chance of trying to go for it. If you're lucky to find the fairway, you're left with -- for me a utility club probably into the green. I've had like 230 to the green every day to the hole. And then there's water all the way down the left-hand side. And if you try to drive it -- I've seen guys trying to drive it there, and I've seen guys hit it in the water, hit it in the bunkers, and there's just nowhere to hit it. It's a better par-5 than a par-4. It's just too tight. It's a difficult hole.
And I play it like that. I don't mind laying it up and taking my chances. But it's just -- it's a tough hole.

Q. Can you win this tournament without parring 18?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I think if you play the prior 17 real well and play for a 5 down the last, I think you can do it, but that's a tough task to play the first 17 well enough to have a really good lead, but you could do it.

Q. It wasn't a 63, but was it almost as satisfying considering it's a Saturday and the way you saved this round?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, you know, it was very satisfying. I came out today excited about today. I still felt like I was in a good position. I was only two shots back. How I got there wasn't really very desirable, you know, 63-74. But I was still in a good position, and that's what I kept telling myself going into today. You know, shooting a 69, making a great save on the last leaves a good taste in my mouth heading into tomorrow.

Q. Somebody shot a good score every day. Do you feel like you can't be guarded tomorrow, that you do have to go out and put a score up because somebody probably will?
STEVE STRICKER: Somebody can, there's no doubt about it, and like you said, somebody has done it every day, and you don't know who that person is going to be. I don't know what Brendan ended up shooting today, but he was 5-under going down the last. So it's out there, but you have to play some really good shots and some really great golf. That's why I like to keep watching to see what guys are doing, and that kind of determines what you're going to have to do, too.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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