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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 17, 2004

Ted Purdy

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Ted, thanks for joining us. You followed up a 61 yesterday with a 1-under 69 today and you're in great position going into the weekend, just one shot off the lead. Start with some opening comments about the day. A little up-and-down day, but it's where you finish, not where you started, so you're in good shape.

TED PURDY: Yeah. I mean, it was a complete reversal from yesterday. Today I had a lot of adversity and yesterday I had none. I made four bogeys and five birdies. I kept firing at the pins thinking I was hitting it perfect, and I kept hitting it over greens and getting myself in trouble by being too aggressive.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Just talk about your plans going into the weekend, one shot off the lead. You're still in good position, though.

TED PURDY: Yeah, the scores are good, though, so I've got to play well. I just want to be in the hunt come Sunday afternoon, so whatever it takes to get in the hunt Sunday afternoon.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: And then last question before we take some questions here, you've been in contention at least twice this year and had a good chance to win a couple times. What have you learned from that?

TED PURDY: Well, the last couple times it was hard for me to sleep at night when I was in contention, and last night I slept fine, so I guess just getting in position more often, it does get easier.

Q. Yesterday you went out early, right, and today you had to play in the big-time heat today, the 97-degree heat. Did that make any difference at all to your stamina?

TED PURDY: More so the heat. Because it was so hot, the ball was flying further, and I misjudged some iron shots into greens and hit them over the greens. More so it was the wind. There was definitely more wind in the afternoon. Yesterday morning there was pretty much no wind. The biggest factor was the wind, I think, more than anything. It was kind of swirling, and you're on the hills and it's hard to determine where it's coming from.

Q. Overall the scores are a little higher than yesterday. Was the wind the biggest factor today?

TED PURDY: Yeah, the wind. After I shot 61 they might have changed the pin locations a little bit. The greens in the afternoon, just because of all the traffic and they've grown all day, were difficult to putt in the afternoon just because there was so much grain in the greens. This grass loves 97-degree heat, and it grows fast.

That back nine it was hard to read the putts and get them to go in the hole. It was definitely easier in the morning with smoother greens and less wind.

Q. Tomorrow you're going to be probably playing late again.

TED PURDY: Yeah, that's fine. That's good.

Q. Well, it is what it is, right?

TED PURDY: They're horseshoeing the field, so the field is going to be pretty much -- there's not going to be too much disadvantage or advantage.

Q. The first group is going out about 9:45-ish.

TED PURDY: Yeah, they're horseshoeing the field so nobody has really got an advantage. Sometimes if you have a 7:00 o'clock tee time and the leaders have a 2:00 o'clock tee time, there could be a big advantage or disadvantage, but because of the size of the field making the cut, there won't be too much difference between the tee times I don't think.

Q. But in terms of what you saw out there and what you experienced out there today playing under those tougher afternoon conditions, that will help you tomorrow?

TED PURDY: Yeah. I mean, you just get used to it. It's warm, so the ball is flying further. It's just hard to determine how far the ball is flying sometimes, especially with the elevation changes on the course. There's a lot of elevation changes. Club selection is probably the most difficult factor on this golf course, and yeah, playing it one more day today is going to help me tomorrow, there's no question. Just like the 17th hole, I hit 5-iron yesterday in the middle of the green, pin high, and today I hit 5-iron over the green behind some trees. I was lucky to make bogey there. You know, the same club a day later was not the right club.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's go through your round. You said you had four bogeys?

TED PURDY: Right. No. 2, par 4, I hit a -- I was a little anxious today. I wanted to get out there, especially after shooting 61 and feeling like I was playing really well. I was really anxious to get out there. My caddie kept telling me, "slow down, slow down." I was so pumped to try to shoot another 61. 2, I just hit a 3-wood and an 8-iron to about seven feet, something like that, made the putt, hit it right in the middle of the hole.

After I made that putt, I was like, "Ooh, this is going to be a fun day again." I hadn't really missed a green all week.

Then I missed the green on 3, got up-and-down, made a good par putt there.

Then on 4, I hit a beautiful drive right down the middle, and the wind was swirling and we got a gust in our face, and my caddie -- I was over the shot, and my caddie pulled me off, and I kind of didn't regroup when I went back to the shot, and I missed the green left and made a bogey there. That was just a poor mental mistake.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: What did you hit there?

TED PURDY: 8-iron. I pulled it in the sand trap and didn't get up-and-down.

6, par 3, I misclubbed there, hit a 7-iron over the green into the hazard, and I made a tremendous bogey there. I hit from the hazard -- I dropped and then I hit from the hazard to about 20 feet, made the putt for bogey from about 20 feet.

Then I birdied -- had a 4-iron off the tee on 7 and a sand wedge to about three feet there.

Then 8, I hit a sand wedge to about four feet, made it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You said you three-putted 9.

TED PURDY: Then I three-putted 9. I'm just staying aggressive and I keep running putts by the hole, and that was one of them I unfortunately missed coming back.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Then you came back with birdies on 11 and 14.

TED PURDY: 11, I hit a nice 3-wood down the middle of the fairway and a wedge to 15 feet, made the putt, which was a nice birdie.

Then the par 5, 14, I hit a driver, and it ended up on the cart path on the right side of the fairway, and I took a drop and then hit my next shot over the green and played a nice chip and got up-and-down for birdie, a chip and putt from over the green on 14.

17, I hit -- yesterday I hit a 5-iron right in the middle of the green perfect, and today I hit 5-iron over the green under a tree. I was really fortunate to make bogey on 17, as well.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: I've got to ask a question. How hard is it to follow up when you shoot a 61 not to get ahead of yourself and expect to go out and shoot another 61? It's hard enough to do once, but how hard is it to stay in the moment and just try to shoot the best score you can possibly shoot that day?

TED PURDY: Well, I haven't shot too many 61s. I can't say from experience.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Or a good round, 63, 64?

TED PURDY: Well, today the guys are so good, you just know that you've got to keep playing, shooting low, or they're going to catch you, and that's what Dean did, he caught me. He played two solid rounds and I played a great round and an average round, I think. He caught me, passed me.

I really wasn't thinking about following it up, just trying to shoot as low as I could.

Q. Did you ever stop -- you were talking about going out and playing aggressive and shooting for the pin. At any point in the round did you throttle back a little bit and say maybe this is --

TED PURDY: Well, no (laughter). I mean, I just kept going.

Q. So shooting a great round kind of buys you a little bit of room to do that?

TED PURDY: I mean, that's how I shot the good round. I went at all the pins. That's how I made four bogeys today. I went at the pins, and I wasn't as sharp and there was a little more wind and I didn't judge properly a couple times. I mean, it's just more fun going at the pins and trying to make a birdie.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks, Ted.

End of FastScripts.

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