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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

June 3, 2006

Zach Johnson

DUBLIN, OHIO

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thanks, Zach, for coming over here for a few minutes, interrupting your workout regimen.

ZACH JOHNSON: No problem.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Another delay. I don't know where you've been in all these delays, but just talk about it all.

ZACH JOHNSON: Kind of coming into this tournament you just kind of know something is going to happen. I mean the veterans were saying I don't consider myself a veteran quite yet some of the other guys were saying that they can't recall a year when you didn't have a delay of some sort. So it's just the weather system at this time of year in Ohio, unfortunately. So the mindset is just to remain patient and hopefully you get the right end of it. I don't know if there is an advantage to either way, because you both have to come out early.

Q. How many holes did you have to play today.

ZACH JOHNSON: I got finished yesterday, but the previous day I had to come out, I had a putt on 18, the previous morning.

Q. You had a couple of bogeys early, but then got a string of birdies. What got you going today?

ZACH JOHNSON: Well, you know, I felt good about things the entire day. Well, 2 of my 3 bogeys were just poor shots from the middle of the fairway, which was frustrating, because I hit good drives. But I managed to figure it out and hit some better iron shots. You know, you can be aggressive, because the greens are holding and the fairways obviously are moist, too. You've got to remain patient and just make the putts when you have to, getting it close obviously helps.

Q. Were you watching the leaderboard at all?

ZACH JOHNSON: A little bit here and there, not too much. I don't want to get caught up in it, especially when you I was 2 over at one time for the day, back down to 4 under, I believe. So at that point, you've just got to try to get something going. And I really didn't look at the board a whole lot after that. But you kind of figure as to what's going to happen. You know it's going so many shots I'm not saying you can plan on it, but at the same time, you kind of know where the lead is going to be, just because everybody is so good and the course is so receptive.

If this course was firm and fast right now, I don't know what the low number would be. It wouldn't be 10 or 11 under, whatever the leader is at.

Q. What do you think it would be by the end of tomorrow?

ZACH JOHNSON: Depends on how much rain we get, or how much it dries up, depends on pin placements.

Q. As you prepare for tomorrow and you see you're going to be one of the top guys on the leaderboard, do you plan on handling nerves or getting to a stage in a tournament like this where you're going to be one of those top guys, do you prepare yourself mentally?

ZACH JOHNSON: You have to a little bit. You have to treat it like another round, but at the same time, kind of not.

With that being said, I think it's, like I said, patience is the biggest thing and trusting in what you've got. I've got my things that I kind of hold on to that keep me on even keel, keep the perspective. I've got some stuff in my yardage book. But it's a matter for me realizing that regardless of if I make this four footer, or regardless if I hit this green in regulation, it's not the end I'll try my hardest, but it's not going to make or break it.

Q. Woody is in the same situation you were in Friday morning. He's on the very back edge, has like a 12, 13 foot putt, whatever it is. So he's going to have to come back at 7, be in position at 7. Then he's going to be in the last group or next to the last group. How hard is that, do you imagine, when you're going to have that type of delay again before you go out and play for a title?

ZACH JOHNSON: I'm not sure I understand your question.

Q. I'm not sure I do, either (laughter).

How do you deal with that? Or does it tick you off?

ZACH JOHNSON: Well, yeah, especially if you're on 18. Because you're so close to being done. I've got two holes yet. Yeah, I'm close, but it's still a little bit different than the guys that are on 18. But it still stinks that you've got to come out the next morning, regardless of where you're at. I'm playing well, or I played well today so far. Obviously I have rhythm, I wanted to keep playing, but at the same time if I was playing poorly, like maybe some of the guys are, I don't know who, you want to get done and get out of here. That's the most frustrating. I've been in that position a ton.

Q. Does it make a difference at all to you when you happen to see a leaderboard if, say, Mickelson's name is near the top of the leaders?

ZACH JOHNSON: No, not really. Well, no. I've seen his good stuff firsthand, and it's really, really good. That was in Atlanta, I played with him on the last day in Atlanta. But you take anybody in the field, and it doesn't matter. They're all worthy of winning not worthy of winning, they can win. Their games are beyond good. Everybody is good. Anybody can win at any point in time. So it doesn't matter what the name is.

Q. It seems that the scores on the front nine, nobody really made much of a loop on the front, is it really playing that much different?

ZACH JOHNSON: That's a good question. I think I've played better on the back. I'm not positive on that, but probably I think I have.

Yeah, it probably is. Some of the pin placements on the front are a little more difficult, for sure. I think the holes like 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, you miss the shot a little bit and you're making a par is a good score. I don't know, you can say that on the back, as well. I don't know. For whatever reason the back you know, 11 is a three shot hole for me. I know, going into it, I'm not trying to get to it in two. So it's a matter of getting to a good number on my third shot. And 15, that's a legitimate birdie hole. That's a short one. That's two holes right there. A lot of wedges on the back, too. Well, that's not true take that one back. I don't know, that's a good question.

Q. So you get up at whenever, you come out and play your two holes, do you go back to the bus and go back to sleep?

ZACH JOHNSON: I don't know if we're playing threesomes or twosomes.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: We're playing twosomes at 8:20, leaders will probably go out at 1.

ZACH JOHNSON: I will go back home to my bus.

Q. Your bus is just down the street?

ZACH JOHNSON: I can't tell you that, sir. I'm just kidding. It's just down in a parking lot. I'll just go back and relax, and I don't know what I'll do. Take a nap. Watch the European Tour. I'll probably take a nap, though.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Bogey on the first hole.

ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, hit a great drive on 1, hit a 7 iron left of the bunker, and that was pretty much I short sighted myself, it was terrible, especially on the first hole. I hit a great sand shot about 8 feet and missed it for par. Bogey there up.

3, hit a 3 wood on 3 and then a little dinky 9 iron from about 137 or so, and hit that one to probably about 15 feet.

5, I made bogey, I hit a terrible shot into the trees and had to pitch out. I hit a good fourth shot to about 8 feet and missed it for par.

And I hit it right down the middle of the fairway again on 6. I hit a 6 iron left and long, which was terrible. I had 25, 30 feet for par.

7, I hit driver, 5 iron and then a lob wedge to about a foot, foot and a half, probably.

7 iron on 8 to, I would say, 12 feet. I thought I missed it, but I made it.

12, I hit an 8 iron to about 20 feet and hit a good putt there, and it went through the spike marks, but went in.

13, I hit a driver in the middle of the fairway and a 7 iron to about five feet.

14, I hit a 2 iron and then sand wedge to about five, six feet and made that.

15, I hit a good drive and then a second shot that was okay. Pin high left in the rough and flopped it down to about a foot.

Q. Make any pars?

ZACH JOHNSON: Yeah, there was a couple of.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thanks, Zach.

End of FastScripts.

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