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FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

May 29, 2005

Justin Leonard

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Justin Leonard to the interview room. Justin, congratulations on the win. Can you just talk about the day and your feelings as you walked through 18 holes.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It started out pretty easy and pretty comfortable. I was hitting the ball in the right spots. I made some nice 23 footers and just kind of cruising along. Obviously made a bogey at 7. Came back and hit a really good shot at 8, just didn't hold the green. Probably the best chip I hit all week. I saved par. Then I just continued to hit some good shots. Had a couple nice chances at 11 or 12. Didn't make either of those putts. Then all of a sudden on 14 or 15 I saw that D.T. had made an eagle. I played 15 a little sloppily. Unable to birdie 16. So then it got pretty tight. I kind of chopped it around on 17 a little bit. Hit a really nice shot, made the best putt I made all week right there. That gave me a cushion.

I knew my ball was not going to get within 30 yards of water. I thought my third shot might but again, it was one of those days where I got it done. D.T., what a great round of golf that was. This golf course was very difficult today in this kind of wind.

Q. Did you feel it at some point starting to slip?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I felt walking up after I bogeyed 15, I think at that point it a 2 shot lead. I felt "that is fine. We'll birdie 16 and hit a good bunker shot," and I pulled my putt and so at 17, you know, to go from eight shots to two with those two holes left even though they are playing downwind, yeah, I would say I hit a poor tee shot at 17 and I was just fortunate to hit a great pitch shot and make a good putt there.

Q. How difficult is it to go from sort of that feeling of just trying to stay in cruise control and not make mistakes to all of a sudden saying "I have got to close the deal here"? Is that as big in golf as it seemed to us as we were making the adjustment ourselves?

JUSTIN LEONARD: There was a definite shift from the way I felt on playing 14 to the way I felt on 17. And because of missing those putts at 15 and 16, the tournament got tighter than I hoped and I didn't really approach the day as needing to do anything differently than I have been.

I hit some good, smart shots. I played it safe pretty much the whole day, the way I needed to when I had a chance. I felt good at 11. I had a nice feeling of how far I needed to hit that wedge. I hit a good shot but didn't make the putt. 12, I felt like I made an aggressive play. I was between clubs, 7 and 8 iron. I went ahead and hit the 8 iron hard. I hit it in there ten feet. Once against I just missed the putt. I had some great chip shots and a couple great bunker shots. It is a good thing I had an 8 shot cushion. I was able to stay out just enough in front to have a great round.

Q. That collapse there at the end, your flop to the ground; how would you characterize that?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Just relief. You know, again, being able to make the putt at 17 and then I really didn't think I had my first putt on 18. Standing over a three and half footer, the first thought that was in my mind was if I miss the putt I am going to the playoff and what is that going to feel like. I pretty quickly pushed that out of my mind. I went back to the things I had done all week on the greens. You know, I was able to make it right in the middle. That felt good.

I think that that is what I am going to pull from this week. Not the first three days, although there were a lot of good things in there. At the end, you know, gutting it up and making the putt at 17 and making the putt at 18.

Q. Is there a way in which obviously you would assume to win by six strokes. Was there a feeling that you had to make the putt on 17 or 18?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I think so. I have always learned more from the disappointments and little lessons. Although the ultimate outcome was not a disappointment, I had to I was under the gun those last two holes. I was able to come through and again, the putt at 17 was so critical. I had the cushion to play 18 the way I did. Those two putts are I am more proud of that than the 62 on Thursday or anything else I have done this week.

Q. What did you say when you were up against the stands on 18?

JUSTIN LEONARD: It was a pretty easy shot. I miss hit it a little bit. It was just a matter of playing the ball on the green. I had plenty of green to work with. I miss hit the shot a little bit.

Q. What does the week do for you with the Open coming up in a couple of weeks?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Just confidence. That is important going into a golf course like Pinehurst. You know, I am looking forward to being at home next week and then playing Congressional. That is a wonderful golf course. The styles aren't quite the same. It is a good hard golf course. You have to drive the ball well. I think it will be a good tune up for Pinehurst.

Q. The decision to donate the $50,000 to St. Jude, how did you arrive at that?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Amanda and I talked about it at dinner last night. You know, we just thought it was natural, being here in Memphis and we know how important that St. Jude is to this area and the country, we just felt it was natural. It was really a pretty easy decision.

Q. This now gets you ten career victories. Right now it is your best year money wise in your career. How do you try to feed off of this through the rest of this year? What can this do for you with the changes you have been making over the last year or so?

JUSTIN LEONARD: You know, I think the equipment change that I made is starting to show. I haven't had a real consistent year thus far. I will take two victories and whatever 12 events that I have played. I can't say enough about Nike, playing the golf ball the Nike 1 Platinum. Freddie Jacobson yesterday was like "you are hitting the ball a lot farther."

I have changed my workout routine a little bit. It is also a matter of getting the right equipment in your hands. You know, this is only going to give me more confidence in what they are doing and I got to tell you, this Platinum ball is pretty awesome.

Q. When did you switch to the Nike equipment and the ball?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Beginning of the year, the Platinum three weeks ago.

Q. You mentioned on 18 just for a moment there you let it slip in your mind if you miss it, you will be in the playoff. What kept you in your mind as you were going to the 18th tee?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Happy that I made that putt to where I didn't feel like I had to put the ball in the fairway. Then I could play safe. I mean, I feel like if I miss the putt at 17 that I could hit in the fairway and 2 putt, no problem. I didn't want to do that if I didn't have to. I didn't have any of those thoughts on the 18th tee. I think I wanted to play the hole as safely as I could. Obviously I would have loved to have made par, but at that point after an eight shot lead is diminished to two, let's just get it in the house. It wasn't going to be a pretty win no matter what I did on 18. At that point, I didn't care. I just wanted to get it in.

Q. You said on the 18th green these are the best changes you have ever seen at the golf course; is that really true and is that the prevailing sense you got from other players this week?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I saw the Tour staff that deals with the TPCs and the ground staff on Wednesday and I told them "this is the best redo I have seen." From the way you used to play this golf course and playing the ball to the hole and not needing a lot of creativity or imagination to the way it is now having to bump the ball to the greens. You are given the option to do that with the way everything is done around the greens, you have got to really hit some different kind of shots out there. I just think that this golf course now is more about the strategy and angles than it is about how far you drive it and can you control the spin or your 9 iron or pitching wedge. You have to play safe in some areas. With the wind today, this golf course was very difficult.

Q. What did you think when you saw Reese there? Were you surprised to see her?

JUSTIN LEONARD: No. No. I knew that was the plan. It looked like that plan night have to change there for a little while. That was fun. You know, it is special to have my family here because it is a big team effort. Certainly not just me. And thankfully it is not just me. It is fun. It is great to have them out, for her to come out there on the 18th green. Had Avery not been asleep and so young we would have had her out there, too. Hopefully there will be plenty of time for that.

Q. Just wondering what will you tell Gio?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I probably got a title for my own book called "Winning Ugly."

Q. Justin, when guys on the Tour, come out and see you the next couple of weeks and tell you "good win in Memphis," will you talk to them about the golf course and tell them maybe they ought to play there?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yes, I will. I will tell the guys I think it will make a difference too. I can think of some guys on Tour that I am glad weren't here this week, they would have been tough to beat on this golf course.

Q. Like who?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I am not going to name any names. Some friends of mine I will certainly talk to some guys and tell them what is going on here and hopefully get a few more to come. You know, there is not a weak field on the PGA Tour. Some fields are stronger than others but no such thing as the weak field anymore.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Justin, congratulations.

JUSTIN LEONARD: We can't go over birdies, can we? Good.

End of FastScripts.

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