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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC


November 14, 2009


Justin Leonard


LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay, Justin. 1-under par, 71 today. You're in a four-way tie for the lead after 54 holes. Just a few general comments about your round today and go through your birdies.
JUSTIN LEONARD: I'm happy with the way I hit the ball today. I didn't have my best day on the greens. Hit some good putts that didn't go in, including one at the last hole, but in general, just didn't putt as well today as I have the previous two days.
But I'm in great position, tied for the lead heading into the last day, and giving myself a good chance to win the tournament.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay. Do you just want to run through the card, if you could.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Sure. 2, hit a 7-iron to 12 feet. 4, hit a pitching wedge to three feet. 6, hit it in the green side bunker and blasted out to 10 feet and missed the putt. 10, pitched my third shot to about 10 feet. 11, drove it in the hazard, took a drop, hit it on the green and two-putted. 13, pitched my second shot to about 12 feet; and then 17 three-putted from about 20 feet, missed a two-and-a-half-footer.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay. We'll just go quickly to questions.

Q. Got any way to kind of anticipate what to expect tomorrow? We've had years when 61 on the last day has won it, and seems like this week the scores have been a little bit higher, and even today when the weather was seemingly advantageous.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Don't really know what to expect. You know, I think with it bunched up as it is, it's going to take a good round. And you know, those guys that are three or four shots back, you know, there's an opportunity to shoot 63 or 4 out there and kind of catch everyone by surprise.
But you know, I'll watch the leader boards a little bit, but really just try and go out and play the way I play the game and get a few putts to go in and see if it's enough.

Q. Why did you put this on your schedule? I mean obviously is it just because you didn't want a long layoff before you started next year in Hawaii or you love the golf course?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No. I've played here the last four years. Last year I came here but wasn't able to play.
But you know, I enjoy the golf course. I enjoy the feel of the tournament. You know, my kids love the parks, so you know, it's pretty natural for us to come down here and play. There's quite a few reasons.

Q. I don't know that I ever heard your explanation of the toe thing last year. Could you sort of give us the play by play of that, and is it as embarrassing as it sounds?
JUSTIN LEONARD: No. I don't know if you actually want to hear this, or you can tell me when I get done.
I was -- got in from the airport, loaded the three car seats and the luggage in the Suburban, came over here and had to change cars. So like my last trip out of the back seat loading in a car seat, the car I was loading it in from had like a running board, and the one I was loading it into did not. And I didn't realize that, so I was feeling, wearing flip flops feeling with my foot, thought I was on the running board, and I put all my weight on it, and I was right on the edge of the door frame, and it just ripped the toenail off.
I told you. I tried to spare you. So it's -- I mean it's not embarrassing. It's just, you know, it's an accident.

Q. We thought you tripped over Mickey Mouse or something.
JUSTIN LEONARD: No, no. It was much more dramatic than that.

Q. As a group you guys had a wild day. Is that even a factor for you when you guys making eagles, couple guys make bogeys, water balls? It was a weird day.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah. I mean the last two holes, especially, but you know, George was -- he played great for 16 holes, and you know, 17 he hit a drive and it just went a little bit too far left, and then 18 he didn't make a good swing, but he played great today. I mean making those two putts at 10 and 14 for eagles. You know, when you can make those putts -- when you have two good shots on a par-5 and you can make the 30, 40-footer, you're going to jump a bunch of guys, and to do that twice in a span of five holes, you know, he kind of jumped the field there and then came back to us a little bit.
But he played great. Just a couple slightly loose tee shots on the last two holes. Otherwise he'd be leading us by two or three shots. So -- but you know, it is what it is. There's three or four, five, eight of us tied.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Four.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Four of us tied. And you know, a bunch of guys have a chance. So tomorrow should be a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to being right in the middle of it.

Q. Was the course playing tougher today?
JUSTIN LEONARD: Oh, yeah. Your fairway goes from being -- well, I'm sure guys were hitting it over the trees and stuff the last two days, and now all of a sudden your fairway goes to being about 20 or 30 yards wide and you got trouble on both sides, and you know you gotta hit a good one because it's such a long hole. So yeah, that hole plays dramatically different from the back tee.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Justin, thank you. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts




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