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FRYS.COM OPEN

October 8, 2011

Briny Baird

SAN MARTIN, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: 7-under, 64 today. Obviously you had a long day, had to finish up your second round this morning. If you could just talk a little bit about the day as a whole and then we'll go to questions from there.
BRINY BAIRD: I played a lot today like I did the other day. I played very solid. From a distance it probably looked good and has felt good. I felt very surprisingly in control of my golf game. When I say that, I just haven't really been playing all that well the last -- for quite a stretch. I felt very good today.
I felt good with my game. You are going to get nervous. I don't think anybody pretends that they don't, at least the people that I talk to. And a major obstacle that I've been trying to overcome is not feeling that way. But it's feeling more comfortable with my golf game so you can avoid feeling as uptight as you're going to feel. It's only Saturday, but you still get yourself in positions where you feel a little bit out of your element. I haven't played well the last couple of years, so I'm definitely a little out of my element up near the lead of a gold tournament.
I felt good with my swing. When you feel good with your swing, it doesn't really matter who you are feeling as far as nervous or anything like that.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BRINY BAIRD: Well, right now I'm thinking about 18 and wishing that I had hit the fairway and hit it up there to five feet like I had all day and made my putt. I felt good. I guess to answer my question I'm probably thinking more about the other 17, which is different for me. Normally I dwell on what just happened. Even if it was on 17 or 16 I did a little bit of a hiccup, I'd probably think more about that. But maybe I'm doing a little bit better not beating myself up so much.

Q. What line did you have on 17?
BRINY BAIRD: 17, the par 4? The drivable one? There was something that was, you know, there was a bunker -- I can't remember my exact target, but it was in between that bunker and maybe the edge of the grandstands or something that was up there, maybe 25 feet left of the pin.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BRINY BAIRD: Yeah, I just felt like there was more room left than there was room right. It's not a game of perfect so you play -- at least I play percentages. My percentage said if I was a little bit farther left of the pin, it gave me a bigger area to make three. I think that's what everybody, when they stand up there, if they said I'll give you three right now, I think all of us would take three and go right to AT&T.

Q. That 348 number --
BRINY BAIRD: Somebody brought it up to me. I'm not completely psycho. 349 now.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BRINY BAIRD: I don't know. Have I ever had the lead on Sunday? At Disney I remember teeing off. I remember I played with Tom Lehman and I remember I just played, you know, kind of so-so. And unless you have an eight-shot lead that so-so is not going to cut it. I know how I felt today. If I can feel tomorrow like I did today, I'm probably going to be a very, very hard guy to beat. This is coming from a guy who's never won on the PGA Tour. But if I play like I did today tomorrow, but if I -- if I knew how to do that, I'd be somebody else.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BRINY BAIRD: I can't say specifically that I remember watching him win that tournament and take inspiration. I have seen other guys win. I don't look at it like if he can do it, I can do it. I don't know what they are thinking and what's going on with them. There's been guys that have played out here for a while that suddenly win a golf tournament. It's going to be -- my world is not going to come to an end if I play well tomorrow and win the golf tournament. I think I will probably give it a little first pump inside. I think it's more of a bucket list type thing. I used to say whatever it's not going to bother me. But I think looking back on it, I think it probably would about that much would bother me if I never did win on the PGA Tour. Feeling like you win on the PGA Tour and winning on this PGA are as different as black-and-white; that I do know.

Q. Does it matter at all -- you could be playing with Ernie and guys who have been there a lot. How does that factor into the equation?
BRINY BAIRD: It's got to be good. I'll ask them what they're thinking on every hole. I'd get some really good answers and it would probably drive them insane. I've played with Ernie before. I have played with Paul before. Who I'm paired with tomorrow is the least of my concerns.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BRINY BAIRD: I would trade it at all. The way I look at is winning a golf tournament, I know if I'm fortunate enough to win the golf tournament tomorrow, that would be fantastic. I would be happy for a very small amount of time. That I can promise you. I think that's everybody out here. I think the mentality of most athletes is what have you done for me lately, just like the fans are. I guess back to your question is I've walked away from -- I've played, you know, marginally well for, you know, ten or 12 years. So I've walked a way from a lot of golf tournaments feeling like it was a good week. You travel on Monday and people kind of go hey, good playing last week. I wouldn't trade that because I've been happy probably more times than the guy who won one time and was happy just that one time. That's about as honestly as I can answer that question.

Q. Going into tomorrow with possibly a two shot lead, how much is that going to factor into your style of play? Are you going to try to make a bunch of birdies or are you going to keep an eye on what your competitors are doing?
BRINY BAIRD: I don't think there is any -- people say that at times and I don't -- it doesn't really ring real true with me. If you're playing well, you're going to make birdies. I don't think you ever try not to make birdies. And just because you try to be aggressive doesn't mean you are going to make birdies. I didn't play aggressively today and shot 65. I played with what I was dealt today. Hopefully I'm dealt that again tomorrow.

Q. (Inaudible.)
BRINY BAIRD: Never heard that. Sounds like a lot.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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