home

jobs

	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

FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

May 28, 2005

Justin Leonard

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: First of all, Justin, thank you for joining us. You are the 54 hole winner this week. Justin is this week's Crestor Charity Challenge winner. In your name, a donation of $50,000 will be given to the health care charity of your choice. In addition to that, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive $50,000 from the FedEx St. Jude Classic and Crestor.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Thank you very much. This is wonderful. This week Tuesday and Wednesday they kept flashing Kenny Perry's name up there. This is the first time I have won. It is amazing what Crestor is doing. I am proud of it. Thank you.

Q. On to the tournament. You once again had a great round today, no bogeys. Obviously in a great position to go into Sunday.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It is nice of have the lead, certainly a lead this big.

Today I just I wanted to go out and play solid. I was able to do that and avoid making mistakes. I made a couple of putts a long the way, not as many as I would have liked.

Q. That shot on 11, did you know it was all over it when you hit it?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah. You know, the wind is so light that it kind of changes a little bit here and there. When I hit it the wind was into me a little bit. It was a smooth 9 iron and you know, I was fortunate to hit a great shot, not sure how it missed. I will certainly take a 2 on there.

Q. Does it feel like it is easy, 32 straight holes without a bogey and one bogey the whole tournament?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I don't know if I would say "easy." I certainly am in a nice rhythm right now and playing with confidence. Those two things on a golf course like this are it certainly makes it easier. I managed my game really well. I hit the ball well on top of that. When you are doing those two things it makes it a lot easier to avoid mistakes.

Q. A lot of guys have been coming off the course saying "I don't know what course he is playing, it is not the one I am playing." Is there anything about your game that suits the conditions you are finding out there?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I think there is. I mean, I enjoy the strategy of the different shots that you have to play. Playing away from some pins, 14 obviously, 17 and trying to work a ball and use some of the contours to get the ball in the right areas. That is something I have done well this week.

You know, maybe it goes back to growing up and not hitting the ball as far as the other guys and having to bounce the ball in the greens. That was 20 years ago but some holes kind of remind me of that.

Q. Have you ever had a lead like this in any tournament, amateur, junior, kid?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Not that I can remember, no. I may have had a lead at the Southern Amateur one year. I remember playing well. I can't recall certainly how much.

Q. This is the biggest cushion of the year but it is a third week in a row that somebody has had this huge a lead. Any theory as to why that has happened?

JUSTIN LEONARD: No, not at all. I will try to follow in Kenny Perry's footsteps and play solid tomorrow and have fun with it. There is another round to be played. I need to go out there and get it done.

Q. Be a little more conservative tomorrow you think?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I was pretty conservative today. I hit 3 wood on 17, 18. 9 and 10 I hit 3 wood. I felt pretty conservative today.

Again, I'm not shooting at a whole lot of flags, I think 14 is a great example there. If I hit that ball ten feet right of the fringe it was a mistake as far as I was concerned. So I just plan to continue to do that. If I get a short iron in my hand and it is a good yardage I might hit at the flag. I haven't been hitting at every hole all week, that is for sure. Just try to continue to play smart and solid.

Q. Let me ask you about two different holes. 16, kind of what George said, you knew that was going in, the putt?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah. I hit a good second shot and it was tough because I had a perfect lie but it was uphill. The green went away from me. So I tried to take a little less of a swing and get it to release. I didn't hit a great bunker shot there. The putt was outside, outside, finally it curled around. Fortunately it had good speed because the line went right. I almost made myself dizzy with the U turn on the green.

Q. On 7 you made a couple of long what were you, five or six feet today?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, six or seven feet. I hit a great shot in there and just overplayed the putt.

Q. Do you change anything tonight when you go back to be with your family or try to stick with the same routine?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Same routine. Nothing different. Go eat dinner, get everybody bathed and to bed and then enjoy a quiet time with Amanda.

Q. Last year you kind of got going, you obviously played extremely well. You took a lot of time off. Was there anything that you discovered that carried over into this year?

JUSTIN LEONARD: That was about my third week I guess working with Gio, who I mentioned yesterday. We were doing some new things at that point. It certainly paid off. I feel like our relationship has progressed as he has gotten to know my game better. As I got to know him better, if anything, we communicate a little easier.

This week he immediately picked up on my putting. And he said I needed to move the ball back in a little bit. I think it is little things like that that as time goes on because our communication is better that it is probably easier for the two of us to work together.

Q. What is Gio's last name?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Valiante.

Q. He works with DiMarco, right?

JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, among others.

Q. Why did you go to him?

JUSTIN LEONARD: I was pretty lost at this time last year. I missed the cut at the US Open and the following week at the Booze Allen. I had seen Gio out a lot. I talked with him. You know, just not in a working relationship but just I thought he was a good young guy who was very smart. I am kind of in a valley right now, so I said let's see what he can do. The first thing he said was "You need to get away from the game." I said that was perfect, that is what I want to do. We hit it off right there.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Can we go through your four birdies real quick.

JUSTIN LEONARD: Third hole I hit a 4 wood just over the green. Second shot, clipped to four feet. The eighth hole I hit an 8 iron about 20 feet. 11, I hit a 9 iron about three inches. And 16, I hit a 4 wood in the green side bunker and blasted it out to 15 feet.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Justin for joining us.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297