	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

MISSISSIPPI GULF RESORT CLASSIC

April 2, 2011

Tom Lehman

BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

DAVE SENKO: Tom thanks for joining us. 64 today, which is a new course record by two. A terrific back nine, 7-under including birdies on every hole but 11 and 17. Maybe just talk about the day.
TOM LEHMAN: Well, it was obviously a fun day and special to be playing with Slu and with Frosty, because they are both playing so well. Slu got off to a fast start, and you know, Frosty was playing really well. I kind of got off to a slow start and kind of got into a situation where they were playing great and I kind of needed to kind of make something happen.
The back nine, I played really well. I hit a whole bunch of really good shots. Hits it close a lot, hit the par 5s in two, and kind of -- you know only really made one long putt. I made about a 35-footer on 12. Other than that, it was a lot of short birdie putts.
DAVE SENKO: Going over your card, starting on No. 2, you had a bogey.
TOM LEHMAN: Yeah, I drove it in the woods and made a bogey on 2. But then made a really nice birdie on 3, hit to six feet right behind the hole to get back to even par for the day.
Made a bunch of pars until the par 5. I hit a good drive and good rescue on the green 20 feet from the hole and hit a beautiful putt that missed.
Then parred to the 10th, and then I hit a wedge to two feet, maybe three feet, 116-yard shot.
12, hit a great drive and a terrible sand wedge to about 35 feet but made the putt.
13, the par 5, really good drive. Beautiful rescue just on the right fringe just right of the hole about 20 feet away and made a birdie.
The next hole, the par 3, a 9-iron to about 12 feet and made that.
The next par 5, 15, a good drive and a 3-wood on the front part of the green and a good 2-putt from about 80 or 90 feet probably. It was a really good 2-putt.
And the next hole a beautiful drive and a perfect yardage for a pitching wedge and hit it to six inches. A great-looking shot and never left the flag.
Up-and-down for par and on 18 drove it to the right, had to punch underneath the limb hanging over in the tree and ran it down the hill into the bunker. Had a perfect lie in the bunker and all kinds of green to work with, kind of down the hill to the hole. It was one of the easier bunker shots you're ever going to get, and it went in.
DAVE SENKO: How far was that, would you say?
TOM LEHMAN: The bunker shot? Oh, it was probably 40 feet, 45 feet.

Q. When you hit the 35-foot putt on No. 12, did you feel like you were hitting well enough to catch fire like that, or did it almost sneak up on you, too?
TOM LEHMAN: Good scores always sneak up on you. You kind of just get in that groove or you're just playing golf and trying to make birdies.
That putt, I was really ticked off at the wedge and I felt like I was going to make the putt. Just kind of was angry at myself for hitting such a good tee shot and such a terrible sand wedge. I holed my caddie, I had not made a long putt all week; I think I'll make that one. Hit a beautiful putt and went right in the hole and that really got the round going and just crushed the next tee shot the par 5 and reached that in two. It went on from there.
I think the big thing, though, I think playing with the guys that I played with, I think it helped all of us. I think we all hit it well. We get along very well. It was a very enjoyable round. It was a nice it day.

Q. You and Slu were back and forth a lot during the day, but when you caught fire on the back nine, what did that feel like for you? When you know it's going that way, how does that feel in competitive golf?
TOM LEHMAN: Well, it's just fun. It was fun to play well and just feel -- I just felt like I was finding a way to save shots all day long. I say save shots; you can reach a par 5 in two, you put it up there on or near the green where you can make a birdie. You don't throw away shots. That's the way I felt. I felt like I was just playing golf and getting the job done and making birdies and he was making birdies.
It was fun. I mean, golf is supposed to be fun and that was a fun day.

Q. That was quite a flourish on 18 to set the course record to take the lead. What does that do for you going into tomorrow?
TOM LEHMAN: Whether I was leading or tied or down by one, I knew I was going to have a really good chance tomorrow. It really doesn't change anything. Just to have a one-shot lead, it's better than being one behind.

Q. When Slu almost knocked in for double-eagle on No. 1, was that kind of like, this is how it's going to be today, you'd better shot a low number?
TOM LEHMAN: Yeah, he definitely came ready to play. He played beautifully all day long. From start to finish, he swung great, hit the ball incredibly solid and rolled the ball quite beautifully and -- to only shoot 6-under, the way he played, he looked like he hit some putts that weren't going to miss and they did. I actually feel like if you want to just be really technical about it, I feel like he played better than I did. But I may be made a few more putts.
Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297