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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

August 29, 2007

Brett Quigley

NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS

STEWART MOORE: Brett Quigley, thanks for spending a few moments with us here at the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second event in the Playoffs for the FedExCup. You come into this week, you're 115th on the points list. This is usually kind of a home game, kind of a nice homecoming, but there might be a little more pressure from the advanced mentality.
BRETT QUIGLEY: Well, I guess, because I've already been informed, five or six people already called me on Monday to let me know I needed to finish third or better to get to Chicago. I already know what I need to do.
It's good knowing now because I think last week a lot of us didn't really have a clue what the points were going to be during each event, and now that we've kind of got a handle on it, I think I know I've got to play great this week.
STEWART MOORE: Does that add a little more stress to the week as opposed to this being more of an enjoyable week for you, enjoyable being back home, but does that add pressure that you've got to play some great golf to advance?
BRETT QUIGLEY: No, I think for me it's going to free me up. That sounds weird, but I just know I've got to play great and I'm going to have that mentality or mindset that I've got to go out and win this golf tournament. I actually think it's going to be better for me that I won't have -- I mean, I can get rid of the other distractions and focus on my golf.

Q. The way this is set up now, you're the only Rhode Islander here. Normally we see Billy, Brad, yourself. As a native Rhode Islander, do you think about that at all because it's such a New England atmosphere and now it's a little different because of the way they have it set up?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Absolutely. We were talking about it last week in the locker room, with Brad not being there with the surgery and Billy being there, we both knew we had to play well to make it to this week. Certainly it's changed -- just changed the whole feel of the summertime, and certainly this was a great week for all of us. I imagine it's going to light a candle under Brad and Billy just to kind of get them going again. I think it'll be good.

Q. You touched on what you have to do here obviously. Even maybe a little bit more pressure now because you are a New England native and most of the New England fans out here are going to be staring at Quigs?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Actually I felt the most pressure on Saturday and Sunday last week. You talked about lighting a candle under Billy and Brad. For me it was great motivation because I knew I needed to play well, and literally on the scoreboard with two holes to go, I was outside -- according to the computer I was outside the line and I knew I needed to birdie the last two to have a chance. I said to Ferguson, that was the most pressure I've felt probably in my career, knowing what I needed to do; I had to birdie the last two holes just to get to play here. So that was -- I felt a lot of heat there.

Q. What kind of year have you had?
BRETT QUIGLEY: (Laughing) well, to be honest, my knee has been hurting since February, and I just found out during Greensboro that I've got a complex tear in my right knee. My medial meniscus, so I'll either -- if I finish third or better, I'll play Chicago, and if I don't, I'll have surgery that next week.
I think I've been in a little bit of denial where it's been hurting for a while and I haven't really done anything about it. I don't know if I didn't want to find out or didn't want to know what was wrong, but it's just been really bothering me and it's been affected -- the strange thing is doesn't affect my golf swing, only affects my walking and reading putts because I can't really bend down to read putts like I normally do.
And then Thursday of Greensboro it really flared up, felt like my knee was going to explode. I had an MRI, went to an orthopædic clinic there in Greensboro and had it done, and the guy there read it, and I've seen Paul Fadale here in Rhode Island, and he's going to do the surgery.

Q. What are they saying is the time for it?
BRETT QUIGLEY: They say it's different for everybody, four to six weeks. They say for general, but they just don't know with athletes what kind of mobility you're going to have or what kind of pain you're going to be able to take or what the recovery time is. I think with mine being the way it is, like I said, I'm not a doctor, I don't know the whole thing, but you can go in and clean it all out instead of repairing this. The way mine's torn, it's a complex tear, meaning there's a spider tear in the meniscus, and they'll go and just remove it.

Q. Do you have any idea how it happened?
BRETT QUIGLEY: I don't. There wasn't some thing that led to it. It just all of a sudden started hurting when -- about Phoenix this year, just bending down to read a putt, and I had this clicking and popping in my knee, and it wasn't -- it was basically only when I read a putt and it wasn't too bad, and then as the year has progressed it's gotten worse.
But the strange thing is doesn't affect my golf as far as hitting shots, so I guess that's the good news.

Q. In theory if you miss it, you're not a lock yet for the Top 125, so could it affect it?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Absolutely, and that's another thing I was thinking about last week, too, so I knew I needed to play well last week. It's funny, no one knows what the number is going to be, but I felt like if I could get over $700,000 I'd probably be okay, and I think I'm $715,000 or $720,000. Certainly a great week here would take care of that, too. That was added pressure from last week.

Q. So if you have the surgery, you still -- there's still a window that you might be able to come back and play?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Might be able to come back, depending on obviously how I feel, and then -- yes, there's a chance. It's just going to be how it feels and how I feel.

Q. What's your take on how this playoff system is working?
BRETT QUIGLEY: After a week I think good. Going into it, no one really knew what was going on, and certainly they're trying to create some excitement. I was against shortening the fields in the beginning, but certainly they accomplished some excitement or some pressure for us because I know all of us were kind of in that group, and they pair everybody by number, so I played with J.P. Hayes and Harrison Frazar, and we all knew we needed to play well last week, and it's tough to be fighting against guys that you're friends with.
It's different in other sports where Playoffs, Yankees, Red Sox, it's a rivalry, but when you're competing to advance to the next week with your buddies, it's a pretty tough thing.

Q. How does that make this tournament different than past years, being a Playoff?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Well, certainly there will be the buzz trying to get around 70, and also it's a great field this week. You've got Phil playing, you've got Vijay and Tiger, so it's -- I think that they've accomplished getting a lot of the top guys, Top 10 guys, together to play. You know, it's certainly exciting, like I said, for those guys around that number because they're feeling a lot of heat.

Q. How has life on tour been with the little one?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Amazing, unbelievable. She just wakes up with a smile. It's the most amazing thing. It doesn't matter if she wakes up from a nap or the night, to see a smile on her face is just amazing.

Q. Daddy's little girl?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Definitely.

Q. Have you seen this place much yet with the changes?
BRETT QUIGLEY: I have. About two weeks ago I came out, and it's great. To me the bunkers look like they've been there for 50 years. I mean, the changes that they did make the golf course so much better. Visually and playing the golf course, it's a lot better for the players.

Q. Do you see anyone even trying to drive the green on 4?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Absolutely. I think everybody will. I think they're going to play it at 300 or 298. That's the goal. I mean, that's the unique part of that hole is it's just a short hole but it's a small green. I think that's going to be a fun hole to watch guys hit driver and see where they drive it. I think you'll see a lot of bogeys there.

Q. Do you think they'll just -- part of the game plan is you just get in the bunker and get up-and-down?
BRETT QUIGLEY: Try to, but that green runs away pretty good and it's narrow; it's probably 12 yards wide at most, so it's not going to be automatic. And if you hit it right, there's a bunch of mounding over there. It'll be a difficult shot. I'm looking forward to it. You kind of need to go right to get an angle to the pin, but if you hit it right side it's pretty tough.

Q. Would it be easier just to lay up or go for it?
BRETT QUIGLEY: I've never even thought about laying up. I'm going to hit driver there, so you know my game plan.
STEWART MOORE: Brett, thanks for coming in. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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