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BOB HOPE CLASSIC

January 22, 2011

Gary Woodland

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

MARK STEVENS: Welcome back, Gary. Got it to 24-under, heading into the final round. Just talk about kind of a new position for you, your thoughts going into tomorrow's round. Looks like you'll probably hold at least a share of the lead at the end of today, and then we'll take some questions.
GARY WOODLAND: Obviously, I'm excited. I'm playing well and I didn't hit it as well as I would like to today, but I made some putts coming in, which gave me some confidence rolling into tomorrow.
So looking forward to tomorrow. That's all can I say.

Q. Can you talk about the putts you're most happy with today, where were they and which one in particular?
GARY WOODLAND: I made a 6-footer for par on the first hole. That really got me going. Hit some bad shots going in there. I had six feet for par and I've been working with Brad Faxon and he told me that every day, he wishes he could have a 6-footer for par on first hole and make it, get him going all day and that's what I kept telling myself when I had it and I rolled it in, and that really got me going all day.

Q. If you miss that putt, what does that do to a round?
GARY WOODLAND: Good question. I didn't think about that. All I was thinking about was making it. But fortunately, I rolled it in. I made a huge putt on the second hole for par. I made about a 10-footer for par on the par-5, which I made par, which gave -- for me is giving away a shot, making par anyway. But if I would have made bogey, it would have been two shots given a way.
So that was a huge putt to give me the last six, seven holes, I made some more coming in.

Q. So you don't remember any birdie putts, only those par putts?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, I made big eagle putt, but the big ones were the one on 1 and the one on 2 for sure.

Q. Did you think about this much overnight? That's one of the keys is just to sort of ignore it, but, Hey, I'm leading the PGA TOUR tournament and you got up today was there any affect?
GARY WOODLAND: No. My deal today was to try to make as many birdies as I can. This deal is still long from over. It's going to be a shoot-out tomorrow. The conditions will be perfect again, the greens are perfect. So you're going to have to get the ball on the greens and make some putts.
So it will be no different tomorrow. You're going to have to go low, and fortunately I get that putter hot tomorrow.

Q. Would you rather have a three-shot lead at Torrey Pines or the Hope?
GARY WOODLAND: Bob Hope, because this is the week. I hope I have another one next week. But I'll take a three-shot lead any time I can get it. I'm looking forward to going out there tomorrow and playing.

Q. When is your last win?
GARY WOODLAND: Last win would probably be, I won the High Plains. As a pro, I won the High Plains pro-am, which is small tournament out in Kansas.
But I won four times in college my senior year, that was probably it.

Q. So the High Plains, when was that?
GARY WOODLAND: That was the end of 2008, I believe.

Q. Right before you went to Q-School?
GARY WOODLAND: Correct. It was in August of 2008, I believe.

Q. And what kind of pros were in that?
GARY WOODLAND: A bunch of mini TOUR guys. It's pretty much a mini TOUR event. It's a pretty big one for the Midwest section. But yeah, I would say that was the last time I won, sure.

Q. And you won four times senior year?
GARY WOODLAND: Correct.

Q. So that was a big year. I think you got to four total in college?
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah.

Q. Were you a closer? Were you a guy who came back from behind?
GARY WOODLAND: I won four times in college, and I led all four going into the final round.

Q. That's a good track record?
GARY WOODLAND: It is. It is.

Q. The other question is, did you walk on to the golf team at Kansas?
GARY WOODLAND: I did. I was -- Kansas was the only school that recruited me out of college to play golf. I had a lot of schools for basketball, but Kansas, when I told the coach I was going to play basketball, he followed me. I was going to change my mind, and he would have a scholarship for me, and I played one year of basketball and called him and he had a scholarship for me.

Q. Did you get a scholarship at Washburn.
GARY WOODLAND: I was on a full ride to play basketball.

Q. But you had that golfing scholarship standing there?
GARY WOODLAND: Waiting for me if I ever needed it, yeah. And I took him up on it. Thank goodness I did.

Q. After you went to Kansas, did you go out and work out with the basketball team at all?
GARY WOODLAND: I didn't. I knew a couple of the guys. I had class with a lot of them, but when I was at Washburn, we played against Kansas, so I got to know them a little bit then. But I didn't hang around them much.

Q. Do you have a number in mind that you think is going for birdies needed to win tomorrow when you consider the conditions?
GARY WOODLAND: No, I'm just going to go try to make as many birdies as I can. That's my goal tomorrow. Keep the ball in play and try to roll it in the hole.

Q. In college, when you were on that streak, winning four tournaments in one year, was there anything you sort of learned about what it required to close? Was there something at the end of the year where you said, Boy, I really picked up on something that you might be able to use tomorrow?
GARY WOODLAND: I think that through sports my whole life. You got to stay in the moment. That's the main deal. Even if you have a six-shot lead, these guys out here on this golf course, that's nothing. You can make six shots up in four or five holes.
So stay in the moment, one shot at a time. Try and get the ball in the fairway is the key for me, because if I get in the fairway, I can attack pins. So that's my goal tomorrow is just to drive it well and roll some putts in.

Q. How many drivers did you used to?
GARY WOODLAND: Not very many again. I would say four. I think I hit three yesterday, I think I hit four today. There's just not -- I hit a lot more 3-woods today than yesterday. Yesterday, I hit a lot of irons off the tee, but it was mostly 3-woods for me today.

Q. So would you expect to do the same thing tomorrow?
GARY WOODLAND: It will be the same game plan tomorrow. The weather will be the same, if it blows, that's great for me. I grew up in Kansas. I hope it blows 50 miles an hour.

Q. Should have been here two years ago?
GARY WOODLAND: That's what I heard. I was here two years ago. But, no, I would imagine the game plan will be the same.
Just the way the course sets up with the bunker and everything, driver runs out a lot out here for me and I just don't have room to hit it.

Q. You were not a golfer then, but Duval shot 59 here in '99. Did you know about that? And when you play this golf course, does anybody think about a guy that shot 59 here?
GARY WOODLAND: You can see how it can be done for sure. I think I saw Bill Haas, he's made 10 birdies and he's on the last par-5, and he's in the middle of the fairway. So it's definitely out there.
The pins will probably be a little tougher tomorrow, you're going to have to play well. But with the conditions, how they are, it's perfect outside. The greens are absolutely perfect. You can make putts if you get hot. They make that hole look as big as it can.

Q. Did you say it was Brad Faxon that was giving you advice or you were working with? How did that relationship come about?
GARY WOODLAND: We just got together, my caddie last year was friends with his caddie, Dean. We played a practice round together at Greenbrier and kind of hit it off. And then I asked him to -- he volunteered actually to help me out with putting. The next week we worked at Turning Stone on the putting green, and I really clicked.
After Turning Stone, I went to the Nationwide Tour, and I putted it really well, all the way through Q-School. I called him, worked with him a little bit this offseason, and he's been wonders for me more on the mental side of putting than on the physical side.

Q. You're going to be back on the Palmer Course tomorrow, anything out there today you saw that you plan to correct or change?
GARY WOODLAND: I plan to hit it better. I didn't hit it as well as would I like to today. I made some putts coming in, to get to where I was, but probably get the ball in play a little bit better than I did today.
MARK STEVENS: I know you got a basketball game you got to go watch, so good luck tomorrow.
GARY WOODLAND: Yeah, thank you.

End of FastScripts

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