FBR OPEN

February 3, 2006

J.B. Holmes

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, J. B., for joining us for a few minutes. Great round today, 64. Good position going into the weekend. 64 is your best round in your career here, which has been pretty short, but you've actually played very well at the start of the year. Just talk about coming out here to Phoenix and playing for the first time.

J.B. HOLMES: It's been a blast so far. It's completely different from anything else I've ever played in because of all the people. We had like 54,000 for the Pro Am or something, which is ridiculous. I've had a lot of fun so far, making putts, playing pretty good, and sitting in good position, giving myself a chance to win for the weekend, so that's all you can ask for.

Q. How is the atmosphere compared to those quiet rounds in the SEC and has it been an adjustment?

J.B. HOLMES: You just kind of have to roll with it. Even from SEC Championship, having maybe 100 people on the last hole in the last group, to 20,000 a hole (laughing), so it's not real quiet. You just have to go with it. It's something you've just got to focus more.

Q. You got here through the Q school. I know a lot of people say it's the toughest way to do it. Could you describe that experience?

J.B. HOLMES: Yeah. I mean, it sucked (laughter). I mean, the tournament is real stressful. I made it easy on myself. I played good in every stage and had about an eight to ten shot cushion going into the last round and made it a lot easier on myself, but it's still just not fun. It's a different type of pressure. It's kind of like if you don't play good, you're done.

It's almost like a real deep pressure that almost hurts inside, and from when you tee it up to when you finish, you're just like, "Man, I just want this thing to be over with, see what happens."

Q. You're not huge or anything, but how do you explain your driving prowess? How can you describe it?

J.B. HOLMES: God given ability. I picked up a club when I was 14 months old and my dad said my swing hasn't changed very much since then. I've swung like this my whole life.

Q. Could you hit it a long ways then?

J.B. HOLMES: For a third grader when I was playing, yeah. I started out playing high school golf in third grade, so everybody was older than me and hit it further than me, so I swung as hard as I could every time, which kind of carried up. Then I learned to back off and hit it a little bit straighter.

Yeah, I mean, I've got a picture when I was 13, and both my feet are about this far (indicating six inches) off the ground. When I got to be 14, 15, I was hitting it 300 and just kept hitting it further.

Q. High school golf when you were in third grade? What was that like?

J.B. HOLMES: It was different. I mean, a third grader playing with high schoolers. They made fun of me until I was about in fifth grade, until I started beating them, then they started being quiet.

Q. This is your kind of course, though?

J.B. HOLMES: It's perfect. I like it a lot. If I make putts, then I'll shoot low scores. I was hitting my driver good, had a lot of wedges in my hand. It makes courses easier when you've got a lot of wedges in your hand.

Q. What happened with the eagle?

J.B. HOLMES: That wasn't a wedge. I hit a good 4 iron up there, a little bit left of the pin, and got a good kick and rolled up there about two feet.

Q. The other par 5 you two putted for birdie?

J.B. HOLMES: I two putted the other two.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: You started on 1, and you birdied No. 2.

J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, hit a good drive down there, had about maybe like 60, 70 yards or something, tough pin to get to so I hit it a little left and had about a 15 footer and made it.

3, hit a real good drive, hit 4 iron up on the green and two putted for birdie.

5, I hit it a mile and a half left in the hazard and chunked it out of there and hit a pretty good shot to about 25 feet and two putted.

Birdie on 6, actually hit my drive left, caught a break, hit a wedge up there to about 15, 20 feet and made a birdie putt.

Birdie on 9, hit a good drive down the middle, good wedge to about ten feet and made it.

11, hit a 3 wood off the tee down the middle, 9 iron to about 30 feet and made it.

12, driver, 7 iron, middle of the green, two putted for birdie.

Birdie on 14, good drive, hit a thin wedge kind of short left middle of the green, made about a 30 footer.

We already talked about the eagle on 15.

Bogey on 17, I hooked it in the water and hit a great pitch shot to about four feet and missed it.

Q. How far was that 7 iron on 13?

J.B. HOLMES: I had 183 to the pin. I should have hit 8. I hit it like past the hole.

Q. Was that drive you hit on 18, the last, they said it was somewhere around 380 yards or something like that.

J.B. HOLMES: Probably.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: It was 345.

J.B. HOLMES: I think I hit one 380 or 390 on that par 5, 13.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: 365.

Q. What is your longest drive of all time?

J.B. HOLMES: I don't know, 4 something. I went over to Ireland and the fairways get real firm and I was hitting it in the bunkers on holes that were 420 and stuff.

Q. In conditions like this, it's warm and the ball is going to how does that play even more to your strengths?

J.B. HOLMES: It helps me because I carry the ball a little bit, so there's bunkers out there 310, 320, and if I hit it good I can get over them. It messes a little bit with your iron play because those go further, too, so you have to adjust. Everybody has got to adjust because everybody is hitting it a little further.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thanks, J.B., nice playing.

End of FastScripts.