Q. How is that 16th hole on the weekend? It seems pretty loud.
JONATHAN KAYE: It's a lot louder than getting there at about 9:00 in the morning. It was fun. Luckily I had the tee there, so the fans are pretty pro-Phil. They like to chant his name a lot. I just luckily had the tee and put it on the green there, and he hit a great shot and they went crazy and I was glad I didn't have to hit after him.
Q. Was there something that happened with a fan on the green on 16?
JONATHAN KAYE: I was getting ready to putt and someone started laughing really loud, so I backed off it and they booed me. I waited it out and hit my putt up there. They should have been booing him, not me. I'm on their team.
Q. You know, Jonathan, I know you're well aware of the '96 playoff with Leonard and Mickelson. They came down pretty hard on Justin. Tomorrow, even though you're a local guy and everything, Phil still seems to carry a large legion around here. You and DiMarco are going to be the guys -- the victims.
JONATHAN KAYE: If you write a good article about me, though, I won't be in that position.
Q. Can I quote you on that?
JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah.
Q. Do you think that's going to change anything?
JONATHAN KAYE: I don't know. It's got to change a few. Everybody reads what you write, don't they?
Q. You're putting me on the spot. The interview is supposed to be your interview.
You had a lot of people out there today.
JONATHAN KAYE: I've got some friends here. They're just kind of more reserved and quiet.
Q. 16 is going to be the 70th hole of the tournament. Tomorrow the tournament might ride on what happens there. Is that kind of a frightening thought, given the fact that there could be some dude belching in your back swing?
JONATHAN KAYE: No, it doesn't bother me. Once I'm committed to hitting it, I'm in.
Q. Do you thrive on that kind of thing?
JONATHAN KAYE: It's fun. It's nice. There's only maybe one other hole -- two other holes that I can think of that we play on Tour that have as much energy as that hole. Maybe Warwick hole No. 17, and TPC at Four Seasons in Dallas, No. 17. Those are probably the three wildest holes that I've seen on Tour.
Q. Sawgrass maybe?
JONATHAN KAYE: Sawgrass 17, yeah. It's always 17 or 16, though, isn't it?
Q. Looking at all the birdies that the guys on the leaderboard were putting up down the last few holes, is this the kind of course where there could really be some fireworks down the stretch?
JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah, obviously with two reachable par 5s and a drivable par 4 in the last six holes, there's a lot of things that can happen there, and I think that's what makes this tournament so exciting.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Let's go through your five birdies.
JONATHAN KAYE: 11, chipped in for birdie from just short of the pin on the right side. I don't know, maybe 15 yards.
Knocked it on 13 in two and had a long putt, cozied it up there about two feet, made that for birdie.
Hit a 9-iron on 14 to four feet, made that for birdie.
Hit a good drive on 15, a solid 4-iron pin high, maybe 25 feet right and two-putted for birdie.
Made a par on 16.
17, had it right on the front edge of the green and hit a poor chip but made a nice putt to salvage it, then got it up-and-down on 18.
Q. How long was the putt on 17?
JONATHAN KAYE: Ten feet.
Q. Did you hear anything clever on 16 or was it just loud?
JONATHAN KAYE: 16 is over. I don't even remember it. I just got up there and got my yardage before it got too loud and whispered back and forth to my caddie and let it fly.
Q. You're pretty relaxed it seems. Are you looking forward to tomorrow with a win under your belt, whole different story on a Sunday?
JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah, I'll be relaxed. It's just golf, man. It's not that big a deal. It's not life or death.
Q. That's true.
Did you watch the Vikes last night?
JONATHAN KAYE: I didn't, but they handled them, 63 to 48, I think. High school basketball.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jonathan.
End of FastScripts.
