THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

May 29, 2000

Justin Leonard

JUSTIN LEONARD: You know, it's a great week. I told myself yesterday, no matter how I played today that I was going to take some positives from this week. And how I played, and then to go out and play well again today, I mean, this is the first time I even came close to putting four rounds together. So, you know, obviously it was much needed in my case, and, you know, I may be -- I'm probably as happy as that guy out there on 18 green right now.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It's not too much A mechanical feeling. I was talking to Peter Costas yesterday, and when you're playing well you basically see one thing, an area where you want to start the ball and an area where you want it to end up, and that includes off the tee, irons into the green, chip shots, things like that. When you're not playing well, you go from this kind of focus, and it gets wider and wider and you start seeing things where you -- gee, I don't want to hit it here. Those are the kind of things. And, you know, this week, I just started off with a really solid round on Thursday and kind of set the tone for things. And from then on, I was able to play pretty aggressively, and it was really nice to be able to put four good rounds together.

JUSTIN LEONARD: I turned -- at 13, and, you know, I thought if I could go out and birdie three or four holes in a row there early, like Ernie said, get to it 17(-under) or somewhere in there to where at least you got within two or three or four shots, and, you know at least make him think about it a little bit. So I would say I went out with the same kind of attitude.

JUSTIN LEONARD: I'm using an old putter. I just went back to it this week. I went back to the archives in my closet on Monday night before coming here, and it's Ping Anser that I actually used to win the Amateur here in '92.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It's been collecting dust for about five years.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, it's got a good chance of staying in the bag for a while.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Well, putters I've actually used in tournaments, I mean, since I turned professional I might have used seven or eight, but probably had 40, just because you get backups and you get people with different mechs and things like that. So lots of putters that never made it past the practice green. But it took a little while -- actually pretty easy to find because it's the only one where the grip is so worn.

JUSTIN LEONARD: No. I needed to make a change. Something away from what I've been doing. You know, something that I knew that was familiar to me, and so it just, you know kind of dawned on me on Monday while I as at home. So I started digging through the closet and brought that one and another one up here, and it certainly made the grade this week.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It does, yeah. You know, I don't know if chasing Tiger is different from chasing anybody else. I mean we all can make mistakes and obviously Tiger hasn't made many, but, you know, you still feel like when you're playing well that, you know, that you can beat him. You know, if you don't, then you're already starting a couple shots back. So, you know didn't happen this week, but you know I think everybody out here is beatable. Just have to have the right kind of day and the right week. And this week wasn't it, but, you know, for me I've got too many positive things to carry away than to think about that.

JUSTIN LEONARD: No. 5, par 5, hit a solid drive. Laid up with a 4-iron to -- I think I had 81 yards and used a 60-degree wedge, and I hit about four feet short left of the hole and it kind of jumped out -- it was spinning left. It went in pretty fast. It might have been two, three, or four feet the other side of the hole.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, exactly. I mean, that's where some of that uncertainty creeps in, having the day off, not being able to kind of continue, even though it was -- you know the difference between the third round and what was going to be the final round, there's a lot of time there, but, you know to throw a day in, it does make today's round even that much better for me. Like I say, I'm almost glad I shot 68 today, rather than yesterday, for that very reason.