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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

October 5, 2007

Richard S. Johnson

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Thank you for joining us for a few minutes here in the Media Center at the Valero Texas Open.
Another solid round and interesting day out there. Jesper keeps making birdies but you guys are hanging on and great position going into the weekend.
RICHARD JOHNSON: Yeah. He started off quick again which was -- got mine and Daniel's attention a little bit I think but, you know, it's that kind of course where, you know, you're going to hit a lot greens, got a lot of wedges.
You got to try to keep your patience because the chances will come. Hopefully more than one will fall.
JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Questions, please?

Q. Have you played quite a bit here?
RICHARD JOHNSON: This is my fifth year here. I finished 5th or 6th one year.

Q. Seems like this course fits your eye pretty well. What is it about the course that --
RICHARD JOHNSON: Well, bermuda is like that. It doesn't necessarily have to be really long. If you keep the ball in play, stay in the fairway and hit the greens, you're going to have a lot of chances and I'm hitting it really good this week.
I mean I think I missed two fairways for the week and maybe three, four greens. So it's just a matter of just got to, hopefully, make some putts.

Q. Joke about the Swedish dominance at the top of the leaderboard. You guys have a chance to talk much? Any kind of competition within the competition going on?
RICHARD JOHNSON: I talked to Jesper a little bit this morning because we had breakfast together but I mean we'll probably -- me and Freddie is going to the gym this afternoon. Trying to kill the swing a little.
No, we hang out a lot. We probably have dinner together, all the three of us, and it's great. They're my best friends out here on Tour and I mean we spend a lot of time together.

Q. Have you ever had a tournament where this has happened?
RICHARD JOHNSON: I've been with Freddie quite a few times.

Q. Top of the leaderboard, all three of you?
RICHARD JOHNSON: No. Hopefully it will happen a little more.

Q. Jesper's history, it's got to be somewhere in your mind that his game is on, possibly run away with this?
RICHARD JOHNSON: I said to my caddie this morning, when he putts well, he putts really well and I mean he always going to hit it good. It's just a matter of, you know, don't mess up really for him because I mean he's going to shoot 4, 5-under everyday if the weather is going to continue being like this.
Up to me and Freddie and the rest of the field to try to go out and make something spectacular happen.

Q. You know he has the game. He always has the experience. He's the one that's probably not apt to make a lot of mistakes. He knows how to win.
RICHARD JOHNSON: Absolutely. He's probably a great frontrunner. I've never chased him down in a competition. I've chased him in wintertime quite a bit. We'll see what happens.
It's going to be great. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I think Freddie is in the final group with him but we'll see if the threesomes -- I think somebody is going to shoot 10, 11 this afternoon.
We'll all be right there. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Q. When you're trailing someone who is ahead on a course like this, does it change the game plan at all or do you say you're going to shoot low if you do exactly what you're doing, hit fairways?
RICHARD JOHNSON: You can't get too defensive because the bermuda, if you have a long pin downgrain you need to stop it. First of all, you got to hit the fairway. You can't be standing with 6 and 7 irons when everybody else has a wedge.
JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Talk about the course a little bit. Has it dried out a little bit and maybe the conditions when you finished up today?
RICHARD JOHNSON: It's getting there. The fairways are not super-dry but it's not giving you mud balls like last week, which is great. I mean the greens are still pretty receptive as long as you don't hit it downhill, downgrain spot which can be a little firm.
The course is playing great. The setup I think -- it's just bermuda is a lot of fun when it's dry. If you hit it in the rough, you have no idea.

Q. Jesper broke a toe and he broke a finger this year. I know Frederick talked about his wrist surgery.
Are you the only healthy one?
RICHARD JOHNSON: I pulled a hip muscle early in the year. I was stupid enough to try to play through it. Jesper did with his broken finger and foot as well. Freddie is the only smart one in the group.

Q. He walked away.
JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Anything else? Thank you for joining us.
RICHARD JOHNSON: Thanks.

End of FastScripts

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