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BELLSOUTH CLASSIC

April 3, 2005

Billy Mayfair

DULUTH, GEORGIA

JOHN BUSH: We welcome Billy Mayfair, a 1-under 71, why don't we get some comments about your round today.

BILLY MAYFAIR: Got off to kind of a slow start. I was even par on the front side and I birdied 1 and 12 and kind of jump-started my round, but you know I didn't birdie any of the par 5s this afternoon and that was disappointing. I birdied three of the four of them yesterday, so that was probably the difference between shooting 1-under and shooting 4-under for me. I'm driving the ball well. Seem to be hitting a lot of good putts. I missed one coming in on 8, my 17th hole, but overall, I seem to be playing really good and solid and like what my position is.

JOHN BUSH: Can you take us through your card?

BILLY MAYFAIR: 13, I hit a real good drive off the tee and only had 35 yards to the hole and just flew a 60-degree wedge up in the air three feet from the hole and made that for birdie.

I bogeyed 16, which I also did this morning. Hit it left of the green and chipped up maybe about ten feet past the hole and missed it coming back. I'm going to get that hole tomorrow, I promise you that; that hole owes me one there.

1, I hit 7-iron and made that for birdie.

2, I hit 7-iron from about 160 yards, I think it was about five feet above the hole and made that for birdie.

And my only other bogey coming in was just off the edge of the green about 30 feet and left it about six feet short and missed a 6-footer for bogey.

Overall, I like the way I'm hitting it. It's best I've ever hit it with the way the wind has been blowing and all that. I feel like I have a lot of control over my golf shots now, my putting and all that. So I've just got to be patient tomorrow and hopefully get some putts to drop early, and who knows.

JOHN BUSH: It looks like it's going to be a fun finish tomorrow.

BILLY MAYFAIR: It should be a fun finish. It be interesting to see if they play lift, clean and place. They should, I hope they do, because I think it would be unfair to have a huge hunk of mud and all that. I think that will be a TOUR decision tomorrow. Any time you get a lot of big names up there -- and Phil is up there, too, it should be a lot of fun.

Q. A little better out there today because it was a little warmer, but the wind is still --

BILLY MAYFAIR: When we teed off on No. 1, I thought the wind was blowing just as hard as it was yesterday. Obviously No. 1 and by the range, it blows and all that but the difference is it was sunny and a lot warmer than yesterday; it was cold yesterday and last night. It will get cold for these guys tonight when they finish.

Q. This is supposed to be a long hitter's course, you're not supposed to be contending, what are you doing right, or is the course coming to you or what?

BILLY MAYFAIR: I'm hitting the driver very well. For me I'm bombing it and bombing it awfully straight, but just keeping the ball in the short grass where I can obviously get my hand on it and have a good lie and hit a lot of good iron shots and putting pretty well. I may not be bombing it but I'm driving the ball well.

Q. (Inaudible.)

BILLY MAYFAIR: You know, look at last week at TPC, that's a long bomber's course, especially with as wet as it was, somebody like Fred Funk goes out and winds. You have to hit it a long way and hit it good out here, but it comes down to whoever putts the best usually wins.

Q. Last week it was not the case -- inaudible.

BILLY MAYFAIR: It was just to the fairway, and I think the rough, the way the rough is out here, I don't know what type of grass it is, I don't want to say the wrong grass, it's just real muddy and all that. If you hit it in there, it's either going to plug or your ball is going to be caked with mud. It's probably the best. I haven't seen them do this since obviously Pebble Beach I think five or six years ago, '98. So it's not something we normally do, but I think it's the fairest thing.

Q. You're going to finish this week?

BILLY MAYFAIR: We're going to finish this week.

Q. What's the deal with your putting? I've heard how you're not giving that outside loop before, is it more of a straight back?

BILLY MAYFAIR: Yeah, when I went to the belly putter pretty much having it just above my belly button and almost in my sternum a little bit, by having it anchored in there now, I can't take it outside and cut across it.

When I started doing that, my instructor, Rick Smith, and I started doing that last year at Greensboro. The hardest thing for me was not so much taking my stroke from not having a cut, so much was having it lined up. I used to line it up right of my target, cut it to the left and get my ball rolling back on my line that way; and now I'm hitting right down my line, so I've had to really work hard over the off-season of getting my eyes and my line going down the right line.

Q. Have you had any trouble this week, I know when you go with the long putter, you're more exposed to the wind because you're more upright.

BILLY MAYFAIR: I played in Korea during the off-season, and yesterday was calm compared to what it was in Korea. And actually I putted better with the long putter in the wind with long putts, which I thought would be a problem. I actually putted better. I don't know why, but it probably is because I hit it a little more solid. I haven't had a problem, no.

You know, Bruce Lietzke was the one who talked about it, but he had it pretty high up there, if you could ever get it up here by the chin, I could see how that could move it in the wind and all that. I thought I would have a problem, I thought I would, but I haven't.

JOHN BUSH: Should be fun tomorrow, play well.

End of FastScripts.

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