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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 9, 2005

Hank Kuehne

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay, Hank, you birdied four of your last six holes for 67 and squarely in contention heading into tomorrow's final round. A couple thoughts on how you played today.

HANK KUEHNE: You know, I played really solid golf today and gave myself a lot of opportunities to make a lot of birdies. Unfortunately I had a couple three putts, or else things could have been a lot better. But I felt like I could have rolled it better and it would have been pretty scary.

Things were good. I hit the ball solid and obviously gave myself a lot of opportunities.

Q. Can you just take us through your round and tell us about your birdies and those three putts?

HANK KUEHNE: I hit it like 20 feet on the first hole and three putted. You know, I hit a pretty decent first putt. The greens were a little quicker than the putting green, so I knocked it by and happened to miss the next one.

Then 2, I hit it down the fairway and then hit a terrible second shot, actually right of the green, had a really, really tough chip just to get on the green, and I chipped it 20 feet maybe, and I was able to make that. So I got off to a pretty decent start there.

Then 5, I hit it down the middle of the fairway and then I almost I hit it maybe eight feet or so and was able to make that one.

6, I hit it down the fairway again, hit a good shot in there about ten feet and made that one.

Q. Clubs at 5 and 6?

HANK KUEHNE: 5 I hit a wedge and 6 I hit a sand wedge.

Then 7, I hit a fat 4 iron in the bunker, chunked a lob wedge out of the bunker to about 20 feet, missed that for bogey.

Then 10, I actually hit it on the green, 25 feet for eagle, three putted. So that was not so good. I knocked it on with a 3 iron there.

11, I hit it down the middle of the fairway and kind of pulled my second shot just left of the green, left my chip about 12 feet short or so and missed there.

13, I hit driver and then a 54 degree sand wedge to about 12 feet and made that.

14, I hit a driver off the tee to about ten feet and two putted for birdie.

16, I hit a 7 iron to 15 feet past the hole and was able to make that.

Then 17, I hit a driver off the tee, actually hit had a mud ball and kind of tried to do too much with it, chunked a 6 iron down there just short of the green, pitched it about five feet by and was able to make that.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: I noticed this has not been a very good year for you, but have you found anything lately that improved your play this week.

HANK KUEHNE: Well, I've been really close to playing well for the last couple months, just haven't been able to really get it in the hole all that well. You know, I've worked really hard with Butch and the guys out there on my golf swing. You know, I changed driver, irons, ball this year, so it's been a little bit of a kind of getting to know one another for the year thus far, and things just haven't gone quite as I planned them to go. But golf is a very fickle game and I haven't really done anything really different this week than I've done in weeks past, I've just been able to hit a lot of quality golf shots and made a few birdies.

Q. What specifically was clicking for you today? What got your round going? What part of the game was

HANK KUEHNE: I mean, I've hit it well all week. I only missed two fairways all day. I was able to really hang in there. I don't know how many greens I hit.

Q. Were you just converting your opportunities better?

HANK KUEHNE: Not really. I didn't hole any putts to be honest with you. For all the putts that I made, I missed a lot of short putts, as well, for birdie and a couple to save par. I holed a couple putts that I had some tough putts from 10 or 12 feet because the pins were a lot tougher today than they were the first two rounds, and there was a little bit of wind, so there was a lot of little subtle breaks and I was able to hole a couple of those putts from 10 to 15 feet that you need in order to make some birdies and move forward.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: I thought you had the one at 18, too.

HANK KUEHNE: Boy, I thought I made that one. I can't believe it went over the green. I thought that one was going to finish about a foot.

Q. When you think about that, does that give you encouragement? If I didn't putt well and I got a 67, does that encourage you or is it disappointing?

HANK KUEHNE: No, I mean, that's golf. It just is. If it's not one thing, it's another. I've found in the 23 years or whatever I've been playing golf that there's very few weeks a year that you do everything well. You know, maybe, five, six, seven weeks a year you're firing on all cylinders and that might be in the off season. It's a tough game.

You know, I'm really encouraged with my ball striking and giving myself a lot of opportunities, and who knows, you make a few putts early, you kind of get going, it's one of those things that the hole starts to look like a bucket, and then if you continue to hit it well and make putts, you can shoot really low scores.

Q. Did you work on your driver yesterday? I see you hit 7 of 14 yesterday.

HANK KUEHNE: No, I think a lot of that is fairway stats in a lot of ways are misleading because I had a lot of shots where I hit it first cut or trying to knock it on 14, drive it just in the bunker, hit it where I'm trying to hit it, it just didn't stay in the fairway. I still hit it hit my driver just as well yesterday as I did today and even the first round, it just for whatever reason, I was running through some fairways or just kind of catching some first cuts or whatever.

There's a couple fairways out here that are pretty tough for me to hit. You know, 9 for whatever reason, I don't think I've hit that fairway in the four times I've played here. You know, that's a tough hole. I didn't really go work on my driver, I didn't try to change anything, I continued to think of the same swing thoughts and do the same things, and I just feel pretty much in control of my golf ball right now.

Q. Your reputation is that of a big hitter. Are you trying to change that as somebody who has a more well rounded game?

HANK KUEHNE: No, I just try to play golf. If that means I'm going to hit it 330, I'll hit it 330. If that means I'm going to hit it 270, I'll hit it 270. I think a lot of it depends on the golf course and what the golf course will give you. I think I have the ability to hit it a long way, kind of where I want to when I need to, but that's really not the best way to play golf all the time. I'm just trying to work my way around the golf course and give myself the best opportunities to succeed rather than the shortest.

Q. Would you say it's are you trying to make a transition from being a power player to a more course management type of guy, or did you always try and do that? Are we misinterpreting what you were?

HANK KUEHNE: I think y'all are misinterpreting. Like I said, I'll never play I'll always be a power player, it's just the way I play golf. I've been that way since I was six years old.

Q. Does power mean aggression or just power?

HANK KUEHNE: Well, I have the ability to hit shots that other guys can't hit on the golf course. I can knock it over things that guys can't fly it over. I can do things that some guys can't do. But I think it's just the way that I play golf. You know, I'm never going to be Fred Funk. That's just not going to happen.

Quite honestly, if I played golf that way, I don't know if I would know how to play golf because I've never done it before. So I've always felt like I've managed my game well, considering the options that I have out there. I mean, what a lot of guys say are dumb plays, it's dumb for them because they can't hit those shots. They can't fly certain bunkers, they can't fly certain things that is a normal golf shot for me, so their opinion is it's bad course management.

I don't know of anyone on Tour or anyone that can play at this high of a level that doesn't manage their game well.

Q. How does your game when you're playing the way you want to match up with this course? By the way, how do you like this course?

HANK KUEHNE: I like this golf course. I think when you play well, it doesn't your game can fit any golf course. You know, I think this golf course for me, as far as if I had to pick one that suited my game, I wouldn't necessarily say that this is the best golf course for me because everybody in the field can get to all the par 5s, 75, 80 percent of the guys can knock it on the drivable par 4, so there's really nowhere that I have a clear cut advantage over the field. So I feel like a couple of those holes, the way they dog leg, I actually have to take a more challenging line, and my fairway is smaller than theirs is for the line that they have to go.

You know, it just is what it is. I enjoy the golf course. I think it's a good layout, I think it's fun to play. I don't like walking the first six holes, I feel a little tired after that, but other than that, the golf course is good. I feel like my game is where it needs to be right now.

Q. Mindset for tomorrow?

HANK KUEHNE: Stick it in the ground and go find it. I mean, just go out and play golf and continue to do the same things that I've done the past three days and all year for that matter. Try to hit a bunch of greens and hole a bunch of putts and shoot a low number.

Q. You won't be pressing looking for that elusive win?

HANK KUEHNE: No, I'm here to play golf, and if the opportunity presents itself, hopefully I'll be able to close the deal.

Q. After missing the last couple cuts, at what point this week did you really get the feel that you were going to play well?

HANK KUEHNE: You know, I mean, what's funny is I felt like I was going to play well in Westchester, which is probably one of the worst golf courses for me to play, but I felt pleased with the way I struck the ball around the golf course. I gave myself a lot of chances, I just didn't get it in the hole.

You know, for whatever reason, the Western, up there, that golf course fits my game but I've never played well there. You know, I felt like I hit a lot of good shots there and I felt like I should have made the cut and played better there, but I still felt good about what I was doing and came here and continued to do the same thing and was able to actually keep building on those things that I'd been working on, and everything just pretty much felt normal.

I hit a lot of shots really close this week. That's about all I can say about it.

Q. You're the first guy that this question I know of that's been asked this today and maybe the only guy that will be, but with a sister on the LPGA Tour, how do you feel about Michelle Wie playing in men's events?

HANK KUEHNE: No comment. You know, I think she played extremely well. I think she put up a good showing, but there again, with everyone saying she can win golf tournaments or do whatever else, I mean, I watched her play and I felt like she got a lot out of her round. She hit a lot of great golf swings and played really well and I was pulling for her down the stretch to make the cut because I felt like she played well enough to do that. But I think it just goes to show you how good the guys out here really are, too. She's playing really well and getting a lot out of her round, and she was right there to make the cut, you know, which was ten shots behind the leader.

You know, I think Michelle is a very special player. I've played with her several times. I think she's great for the game of golf. She's been great for this golf tournament, and I'm glad she played. I think it was good for her. I think it was good for the golf tournament and actually in turn good for the Tour. You know, I don't know that I feel like at some point if she matures, she'll probably be able to make some cuts out here, but there again, I think she's a long way from winning out here. Maybe I'm nuts, but I'm not taking anything not saying one negative word about her. I think she's an amazing, amazing golfer. You've also got to I've got to remember she's a 15 year old girl and she's out here playing against the guys, and she's done some amazing things, even on the LPGA Tour, finishing 2nd in a major and doing some of those things. But I think as she matures, maybe five years from now, maybe she will be able to play out here. But only time will tell that.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Thanks, Hank. Good luck tomorrow.

HANK KUEHNE: Appreciate it.

End of FastScripts.

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