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SHELL HOUSTON OPEN


March 29, 2012


Jeff Maggert


HUMBLE, TEXAS

Q.  Jeff, good round, 12 of 14 fairways, 16 of 18 greens.  Longest putt you made at 18.  Bogey-free.  Tell us about it.
JEFF MAGGERT:  It was a very nice round.  It's been kind of a really strange year.  I was playing really well at the beginning of the year and my game just disappeared on me.  I was hoping to get things back on track this week being at home and really just making a few putts and having some confidence coming down the stretch helped a lot today.

Q.  You've been out here awhile and, you know, a wily veteran, you got a wily veteran on your bag.  What do you keep striving to do every time you play?
JEFF MAGGERT:  I've been lucky.  This is 22 years on the Tour for me.  To be out here every year and to compete and have a chance to play well has just been a blessing for me.  It's changed a lot.  I have a lot of things that I do obviously off the golf course with my family.  So, I probably don't work as hard as I did 15, 20 years ago, but I'm having a lot of fun still, and it's just nice to be able to compete at 48 years old and, you know, come out here and still do it.

Q.  Being a Houstonian, what would it be to play well and actually go out in the first round and play well here?
JEFF MAGGERT:  Well, I had a lot of close calls when we played over at TPC Woodlands years ago.  Since we moved over here to Redstone, I haven't really had a chance to really make a scare of anything.  Who knows.  Twenty-two times is a charm maybe.

Q.  You mentioned earlier you started off the year well.  What were you struggling with and what have you been able to find?
JEFF MAGGERT:  Just a little of everything.  The ball striking was a little off.  The putter was really bad for a few weeks and, you know, I think coming here the golf course is in I mean absolutely perfect shape, and the greens are so good it was like, all right, there's no excuses this week.  You know, if you can't make putts on these greens, then you got some problems.

Q.  Well played today.  Thanks for your time.  Good luck the rest of the way.
JEFF MAGGERT:  Thank you, appreciate it.

Q.  Thanks so much.
Jeff Maggert here after a bogey-free opening round.  You missed the last five cuts coming into this week.  What did you find out there today?
JEFF MAGGERT:  You know, after playing this game so many years, I realize that's still a mystery.  I have no idea.  I started out the year playing really well, had some great rounds and just struggled the last two months and just couldn't put a finger on anything.
Ball striking was a little off, putting was lousy, short game wasn't very good, and, you know, I just tried to come in here with a kind of a fresh attitude.  The greens are just fabulous this week, and I've tried to simplify things a little bit.  You know, try not to think so much on the greens and see the putts and try to put them in the hole.

Q.  How good were the conditions?
JEFF MAGGERT:  They were very good.  You know, we had a little rain spitting every now and then, but the wind stayed down, the course is soft, the greens are soft.  So, you know, if you're hitting the ball well, you can shoot a good score.
The course is playing a little longer than I'm used so because the fairways are soft and a little more moisture in the ground, but other than that, the golf course is super.

Q.  You have a home game for you this week.
JEFF MAGGERT:  It's nice.  It's a bit of a haul over here.  I guess this was my fourth round-trip from the Woodlands.  You know, it's not like playing at home, used to play up at TPC Woodlands and I was five minutes from the golf course and really had some great tournaments when we played over here.  Kind of struggled a little bit since we moved to Redstone, but hopefully this week I can turn it around.

Q.  Lot of fun out there?
JEFF MAGGERT:  It was a fun day.  I was a little apprehensive the way I've been playing last two months, but I felt pretty good in my practice rounds and I felt the -- the greens are fantastic.  I felt some confidence on the greens today, and I made a few putts early and kind of carried over for the rest of the day.  Made a nice little putt from behind the green on 16 and nice one on 18 to kind of cap off a nice day.

Q.  Jeff, you always like to come back home.
JEFF MAGGERT:  I've had a lot of good weeks here in Houston over the years.  I played really well up at the TPC Woodlands for a few years, and I haven't really, you know, got the confidence on this golf course, but, you know, who knows?  This week, this might be my 25th Shell Houston Open.  Maybe 25 times is the right number.

Q.  What would that mean?
JEFF MAGGERT:  I've always said any win out here is great.  The young guys are so competitive now, and at 48 years old, I'm just lucky to be out here still being able the play against them.
We've got a fantastic field this week, lot of great worldwide players are here.  So nice to come out and show these young guys that an old guy can still do it.

Q.  Jeff, how healthy are you now?
JEFF MAGGERT:  I'm healthy.  I had shoulder surgery last June and was out for five months.  I was a little apprehensive coming back.  The surgery was fantastic, and my shoulder hasn't felt this good since I injured it two years ago.  So I'm really feeling good about this year.  My health is good and started the year great, you know, playing some good golf, and so it's kind of put some more fun back in my step.

Q.  You feel like 38 again?
JEFF MAGGERT:  Yeah, maybe.  I'm feeling like I'm 38.  I don't know if I'm playing like I'm 38, but least I'm feeling good.

Q.  You expect scores to continue to be low if the weather stays like this?
JEFF MAGGERT:  I think the scores will be good today.  The little bit of moisture we've had overnight, the greens are soft and, you know, doesn't look like we're going to get those 15-to-20-mile-an-hour winds.  I think the scores are going to stay low even this afternoon and maybe get some wind later in the week, the scores of course will definitely play a little tougher.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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