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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC


July 15, 2012


Steve Stricker


SILVIS, ILLINOIS

THE MODERATOR:  Steve Stricker, thank you for taking the time to come in.  Didn't get to your goal this week of four consecutive but still had a great week.  Exciting tournament.  Talk a little bit about the week.
STEVE STRICKER:  Yeah, it was a lot of fun.  A little disappointing on the back nine, but I put myself in the position on the front and was striking the ball nicely.  Really struck it nicely all day except for those three drives at 14, 15, and 17.
But other than that, my iron play was good and really couple little miss‑putts there.  Missed a little putt at 10 for birdie.
But all in all it was a good week.  A lot of fun.  It was fun trying to do it.  I gave it a rip and came up a few short, but it was fun trying.

Q.  Coming down the stretch how were you feeling physically and emotionally?
STEVE STRICKER:  Yeah, it was different.  It was weird.  I was trying to get‑‑ I don't know if I was tired or what.  Wasn't that I wasn't focused and into it, I just didn't feel that like something good was going to happen, you know.
I always felt like I was just‑‑ I don't know.  It was a weird feeling.  Yeah, tried to hang in there.  Hit some really good iron shots, but, yeah, just never really got any momentum seemed like.
I would hit some good irons and then run a putt over the edge, stuff like that.  Never really felt like I got a lot of momentum today.

Q.  Were you trying too hard?
STEVE STRICKER:  Maybe I was trying too hard.  I don't know.  I don't know really what it was.  I was trying to win the golf tournament.  I wasn't worried about four in a row, I was just trying to win.
Yeah, it was fun, but I think it's the putter.  I really don't have a ton of confidence with that putter.  I wasn't feeling very good about it.  That's the thing that you need to have working well to win.
This week it was hot and cold.  It was good at times and then not good some other times.  But it's getting better.  I can see some improvement, but I still don't feel very good over it.

Q.  (Question regarding putting slump.)
STEVE STRICKER:  Yeah, I've had a year here or there where I didn't putt very well.  You can go back and look in the stats.
Yeah, I've had slumps like that that last pretty much all year.  I don't know if it's a focus thing because it was definitely better last two weeks for sure, and better this week than last week.
So I think it's just paying a little bit more attention to what I'm doing and getting into the putt a little bit more.  You know, focusing a little bit more and going from there.

Q.  Talk about the three drives that got away from you on the back nine.  Did it drain your energy to scramble and recover?
STEVE STRICKER:  Yeah, it did.  The one on 14, I've done that before there too over the years.  I think it was just maybe last year or the year before.  I pulled it left over there, but it was lush and the ball stopped.  This year it's so‑‑ you hit it in the rough now and it's so hard and thin the ball just takes off.  I've done that there before and I did it now again this year.
Yeah, that one really I could have gotten out of there.  I had a five‑ or six‑footer for par.  If I made that, I think it could be a little bit different.
But that deflated me a little bit.  If I could have 2‑putted on the next hole, you know, I would have been all right.  I still figured we had some birdie holes coming up with 16, 17, and sometimes 18 you can make a birdie.
But those couple holes there really kind of took a lot of steam out of me, 14, 15.

Q.  (Question regarding missed putts.)
STEVE STRICKER:  You know, I don't know.  I thought the one at 10 I had a spike mark about three or four inches in front of my ball that was going to probably kick it to the left; that's what happened.
The one at 17 I pulled.
The one at 15, you know, I pushed.
So there is just no consistency there.  But when you have to make 'em, you know, I was in a position where I had to make every one of 'em coming down the stretch there, and that's not a good position to be in.

Q.  You said earlier in the week you're not used to all the attention with so much at stake.  How much have you grown from this week?
STEVE STRICKER:  Yeah, it was good.  I really enjoyed it.  I felt comfortable with it.  Even today when it was kind of slipping a way towards the end, I still hung in and hit some really good quality shots at 16 and two really nice shots at 18.
It was easy to kind of just feel drained; and I did feel drained.  I'm kind of glad it's over in some regards, because it's been a little bit of a tiring week.  You know, a lot of expectations, a lot of things going on here‑ all good things, don't get me wrong ‑ but it takes a lot out of you, too.
Although I wish I could have been out there in a playoff or tried to have won again, yeah, I'm kind of glad it's over.  Hopefully come back next year and start another one.
THE MODERATOR:  Thanks a lot, Steve.  Good luck next week.
STEVE STRICKER:  All right.  Thanks a lot.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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