ADVIL WESTERN OPEN

July 3, 2002

Justin Leonard

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Justin, for joining us. You had a chance to play the course today, and why don't you just start by making a couple comments about the conditions and we'll go into some questions.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It's hot, which is kind of a continuation from last week in Memphis, but the golf course is in great shape. You know, a couple really subtle changes, I guess No. 7 they added a little bit of space on the green but, you know, as always, this golf course is in great shape.

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Questions?

Q. Justin, is it playing longer now? Apparently, they're planning to move the tees back if they haven't already from previous years. Has that helped or hurt you?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah. I remember last year using some tees we hadn't used in the past, really starting at No. 6, the par 3, using the back tee there, I think 7 we used the back tee every day, which we used to not use that tee. 13, we're using that tee, so the golf course, they've lengthened it in the last couple of years as far as where we played it from but I think, you know, the way the bunkering is here, it sets up for the that length.

Q. Do you guys use that very back tee or --

JUSTIN LEONARD: No. It's 480 something from back there. I hope there's not another tee. I didn't see one.

Q. Justin, could you talk about your game this year, kind of the year you've had and how it's progressed for you?

JUSTIN LEONARD: This year has been pretty consistent. I've played pretty solid most of the time, especially the last, say, 3 months. You know, I think I've been in the top 20 most weeks, couple top 10s and, you know, had a couple chances of winning tournaments, and that's exciting. The only disappointing heart part is I've only won one of them, but it's a good place to be. And I think my game after the changes from a year-and-a-half ago now, this is where I wanted to see my game progressing to, but I'm not done yet. I definitely feel like I can play better and keep improving.

Q. On the 13th green there's some places that are impossible, but by and large, the tournament, does that green play any harder or is it one of the harder greens? I mean, it could be if they wanted it to be, but do they make it hard?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, 13 is --

Q. I'm sorry, the 14th, the par 3, the par 3.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Okay. 13 is hard as well, but 14 as far as an iron shot, that's probably the most difficult shot on the golf course because of the green, you just can't afford to get it on the wrong side of the hole. You know, if the pin is down front, if you hit it past the hole, good luck 2-putting. And when they stick the pin up on the right, you know, it's hard to get the ball to stay up there, and from the left it's a difficult putt. So, you know, that green gets pretty firm late in the day, so it's certainly one of the more difficult shot if not the most difficult iron shot on the course.

Q. Justin, how many tournaments have you played in this year and how many tournaments do you have to play on the Tour to stay sharp, or does that matter?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I think this is my 17th event. As far as staying sharp, I think it varies for different players. For me, you know, I don't like to take -- well, I wouldn't say I don't like to. For me, in a perfect world I'll play two weeks in a row and take one off. There's a couple stretches I would take two weeks off at a time. This time of year I want to stay sharp, so I won't take more than one week off because of tournaments like this that I'm going to play in no matter what and with the Majors, for me I like to stay sharp, and for me I need to play golf tournaments.

Q. As far as a Major, Davis Love talked about sometimes you leave part or your game over here. Do you find it difficult as well heading over to the British?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I'm really looking forward to it. I've played over there on two occasions. I was able to win one of those and lost in a play-off in the other. Maybe I've left parts of my game here. You know, I look forward to it. It's a great place to play golf and it's a wonderful championship, and it tests different parts of your game, a lot different than what we see here week in and week out. The flight of your ball is probably the most important thing, so it's challenging. I really look forward to that.

Q. What's your opinion of the set up on courses these days? Particularly in the majors it seems each one is trying to outdo the last one, longest par 4 ever, I think a 636-yard par 5. Is that the right way to go about challenging you guys or -- ?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I think certainly the golf course getting a little longer is well justified. I think some of it though is to extremes. When you have, you know, the best professionals in the world as well as well as, you know, some of the best amateurs in the world not able to reach a fairway on a par 4, you know, it may not quite -- I don't think that's what we're looking for.

Q. Do you think I mean, obviously Bethpage, you know, was an example, but also if you look at (inaudible), do you think the rough is the equalizer or do you think it should be?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I think it is. You know, putting another tee box in does not require much creativity. I think that some of that is very necessary, but I think another way to make golf courses more difficult are to tighten the fairways up, bring the rough in and try to get golf courses firm, you know, where a ball would roll into rough. I think that's what you saw some of that at the U.S. Open and that's the reason why I think you had a good mix of some very long hitters and some more accuracy guys near the top of the leader board.

Q. Obviously, there's been a lot of talk about Tiger not being here. Can you talk about the depth of the field, how a lot of trends focus on Tiger and maybe the depth of the talent that's out there now?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, the general public is going to be, you know, they're going to be upset that Tiger is not here, but I think that all in all, it's a wonderful field. It always is. And that's because the golf course, the area, the job that the Western Golf Association does. The fans that come out just to watch Tiger, they're going to miss him, but there's a lot of great players out here, and I think, you know, it will still be a great week whether Tiger certify here or not.

Q. What's the atmosphere like with a tournament he plays it as opposed to one he doesn't?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, you usually have a mob at one point during the day on the golf course and it just follows his group. You know, it is a little different atmosphere, but again, this is Chicago so everybody kind of gets into it here and, you know, I don't think it will be -- him not being here will detract too much from the crowds. I hope not.

Q. Will the rough -- it's thicker and a little longer. Is it going to preclude you, the pros -- does it preclude you from reaching the green or is it just that much more difficult to stay on the green?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, from time to time, you'll catch a lie where you can try to hit it on the green, but, you know, for the most part as deep and thick as it is, if you're trying to run a ball up to the green, some of these holes you can, but a lot you can't. The alleyways into the greens are very narrow. So it certainly makes it a little more difficult but, again, a lot of it just depends on a little bit of luck that you might catch a lie.

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Couple more questions.

Q. How is your career as a marathoner doing? Are you doing that?

JUSTIN LEONARD: It's over, it's done.

Q. What are you doing to stay in shape?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Nothing.

Q. Not running anymore?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I'm not running much anymore, but I'm working out a lot and doing some other things for cardio. But I ran enough last year for me to last a couple years, so I'm going to take some time off.

Q. How difficult was it to go through those changes that you talked about? How much patience did it require?

JUSTIN LEONARD: A lot of patience. I knew going in that really I kind of chalked most of last year up to being a rebuilding year, whatever you want to call it. It really took a good six or seven months before I started to feel comfortable with things during than entire week. I'd have days and stretches, maybe a round, where everything felt great, the next day it if he want a little funny. But it really took most of the year last year to feel comfortable, and I played a little better in the second half. But I knew that going in so it wasn't too difficult to take.

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you.

JUSTIN LEONARD: All right. Thank you.

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