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ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

March 27, 2008

Jay Williamson

AVONDALE, LOUISIANA

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jay, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Great start to the week, 4-under par, no bogeys today, four birdies. Talk a little bit about you teed off fairly early this morning. Any change in the weather, and maybe what you did well out there today.
JAY WILLIAMSON: Well, I wish this was Sunday. It was actually perfect this morning. The golf course, I think, the people here have done a fabulous job. I played here really the first year of the tournament and had a nice finish. I know it was a Top 10. I don't remember exactly what it was. And I think people were overall pretty impressed. There have been some nice changes.
Like I said, the overseed, it's a perfect touch of enough overseed and not being too soft, and I think it's -- you know, it's just a fabulous golf tournament. Obviously Zurich is a great sponsor here, and they're hanging in. It just is gratifying to see everything in such good shape here.

Q. It seemed like you had a pretty consistent day, 2-under on the back nine?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I birdied the first hole. I hit a nice 3-wood and a sand wedge to about six feet. It's a nice way to start your day. And I made the putt.
And I seem to play better when I can get on top of a golf course like that, when I can make a birdie before I make a bogey. I just hung in there. I made some adjustments. I went to Puerto Rico last week, made the cut, didn't play well on Sunday.
I've been very frustrated with putting four rounds together. I haven't been able to really do that this year. I've made a lot of cuts but haven't put four rounds together.
I've been making a few adjustments and it really worked today. I drove it great. I hit a lot of wedges -- to be honest with you I was a little disappointed with only 4-under. I three-putted No. 7 for par. It was a good, solid round, but it wasn't something that I was totally shocked by. I just played solid golf.
And I'm sure that wind is going to blow a little bit more this afternoon. 4-under, I don't think it's going to be leading by the end of the day, but it's a nice start for me.

Q. Because you struggled on Sunday, is that why you said you wished it was Sunday?
JAY WILLIAMSON: Well, it's always nice to come in the media room, but it's really nice to come in on Sunday (laughter). I like to see Joan on Sunday. I always like to see Joan, but I'd rather see her on Sunday.

Q. As soon as you get near April like we are --
JAY WILLIAMSON: Are we in April already?

Q. Almost, we're a couple days. The fans, the media, a lot of the top players, I mean, we all become obsessed with the Masters. What's it like when people talk about this tournament, you've got to win it to get in the Masters? For the majority of players on TOUR that's not really a consideration. Talk about being part of that group. You're just trying to play well, and The Masters is kind of a bonus if it happens?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I'd almost have to disagree with you respectfully. I think most of the players out here look forward to playing in the Masters and think they can actually win this week. In fact, that's one of the reasons that I'm here. I've never played there, and I'm not getting any younger, unfortunately, and I was about 11 feet last year at the Travelers from getting in, and I couldn't make the putt.
That's definitely in the back of my mind, and I think -- I would say the majority of the guys here teeing it up today feel like they have a chance.

Q. Does that make it a little extra tough to bring it home on Sunday do you think, the back of your mind, because you know what else comes with winning?
JAY WILLIAMSON: You know, I think it's just exciting. I think that if you can get your game to a certain level you can be excited by it. I'd certainly rather make a putt to go to the Masters and make a putt to make the cut or something like that. I think it would be a great experience to have that opportunity.

Q. What do you do Masters week? What did you do last year during Masters week? Do you watch or do something else?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I don't even remember to be quite honest with you. Unfortunately it's a week that I've had off too many times, so I'd like to go see what it's all about.

Q. Have you ever been invited to play there?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I've been to the golf course but I've never played.

Q. When you were standing over that 11-foot putt last year, was that going through your mind?
JAY WILLIAMSON: You know, quite honestly I wasn't thinking about it. I didn't realize. There were so many other things that were kind of on the agenda that week that I didn't even realize that, and I didn't realize if I had made that putt I'd be in until the next day when I was reading an article about it in the paper after I had gotten home. That was a real kick in the gut because I felt like I did everything I needed to do there to win.
You know what, I'm back out here, and it's nice to have the opportunity to play out here every week because this is a great place to play.

Q. Trying to get in the Masters, does it put more pressure on you this week knowing that this is one of the last weeks you can get in this year?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I wouldn't say that that's pressure for me. I would love to play. I'd love the opportunity. You know, a guy in my position, it would definitely be a dream come true, put it that way. But we've got a long way to go before we start thinking that.

Q. What odds would you put on yourself?
JAY WILLIAMSON: Odds of me winning?

Q. Winning this week.
JAY WILLIAMSON: Gosh, you know what, I don't even know. Probably not real good to be honest with you. If I can keep hitting the ball in the fairway and keep making a few putts, who knows. The odds of me losing in a playoff in Hartford last year weren't very good, either. I keep persevering and hopefully one of these days they'll let me go down there.

Q. You know the history of first-time winners in this tournament. It produces a lot.
JAY WILLIAMSON: There have been a few. I am aware of that, and it's the kind of golf course that if you get -- if you can get off to a good start like I did, it certainly makes it a little bit easier to have the chance to win. So in that case I'm happy. I'm happy where I am.

Q. I apologize if I missed this earlier. The greens, how are they to your liking?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I just remember hitting a couple putts early in the dark this morning at about 7:00 o'clock, thinking, these greens are absolutely perfect, and I really mean that. I don't think we as golfers say that very often, but I really think they're perfect.
The last couple days they got a little bit firm and they started turning that purple color, which probably isn't good. But I think they put just the right amount of water on. I think the playing conditions are great.
I think Kelly Gibson has done a really nice job down here getting everything streamlined. Obviously Pete Dye and Elk did a great job with the golf course.
There's a lot of strategy with this golf course. You have to be aggressive in certain areas off the tee, and I think the more you play it, the more you appreciate it.

Q. Did Dye and Elkington help Kelly?
JAY WILLIAMSON: That's what I understand (laughter).

Q. How far were your birdie puts?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I had about a five-footer on No. 10.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: 14?
JAY WILLIAMSON: I had about a three-footer on 14. It's a really tough pin there. There won't be many birdies there.
No. 2, I had about a six-footer, hit a good wedge in there.
5, I hit about a 15-footer on 5.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Any big putts or turning points that would have held your round together?
JAY WILLIAMSON: It's all about momentum. I think on 16 -- no, 15 is a really good hole. I hit -- the pin is kind of front left and I didn't hit a very good 5-iron there, and I was down in the swale, hit a nice shot to about six feet and made it for par. That's kind of the area where if you can make a par there when you probably don't deserve one you can keep things going.
Like I said, 4-under is a good score, but I don't think it was the best score that I could have shot today.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jay, for joining us.

End of FastScripts

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