Saturday, June 02, 2007

Sean O'Hair 2nd round interview


After a second round 70, Sean O'Hair is three shots off Adam Scott's lead of 12-under.


Here's his post-round interview after Friday's round.


Q. How was it out there today?


SEAN O'HAIR: My game or the golf course?


Q. Both.


SEAN O'HAIR: The golf course was great. You know, I think, like I said yesterday, I don't think the course isn't quite playing as fast as they'd like it. It's in phenomenal shape. The greens are the best on TOUR in my opinion. But the game was a little rough today, kind of all over the yard. I wasn't really consistent with my ball-striking. I was missing it right and left and just wasn't taking out one side of the golf course. I kind of just was -- I didn't really know where the ball was going. I hit a few good shots out there, but I feel like I'm putting well and I think my putting saved me today. You know, I'll figure it out today on the range, and hopefully play better tomorrow.


Q. The good news is you're still right there, still in the hunt, and you maybe feel like you left a few out there?


SEAN O'HAIR: Yeah, you know, I was really happy being 3-under with where I was playing through 14, and I was figuring hit a good drive on 15. I'm hitting my 5-wood really well and my irons fairly well. I can get somewhere on the green and make a good up-and-down. That's about how I've been the last few days, and you just can't -- that hole is pretty difficult if you're not in the fairway. It's kind of a difficult lay-up and it's a hard yardage, and the green is elevated. Hopefully tomorrow I can find a way to get it in the fairway and birdie that hole.


Q. You said you'll work on it or figure it out. Do you know what to work on?


SEAN O'HAIR: Yeah, it's not real technical, it's just my club just -- I try and get it more in front of me and I overdo it and pull it left because the club is too far in front of me. And then I try and get it a little more in sync and push it because it's behind me. Maybe get my tempo a little bit better. But I think the swing is there. It's just one of those days where I was hitting it sideways and the time is just off a little bit.


Q. How good is a 62 on a day like this?


SEAN O'HAIR: Yeah, it's out there. He's a great ball striker and a great putter. It doesn't surprise me at all on this course. It's kind of like it was yesterday. It's right out there, and if you're hitting the ball well and putting the ball where it's supposed to be on the green, he's a great putter and the greens are great. I wasn't surprised that he shot that score.


Q. A lot of the conditions are supposed to be pretty much the same tomorrow with a real good chance of rain on Sunday. Going into Saturday, do you have something in mind as far as the number?


SEAN O'HAIR: You know, I try and stay away from that. I kind of get in trouble when I force stuff, if I try and start shooting a score. Obviously I'm just going to try and pick my targets like I have been the last couple days and hopefully just execute a little bit better tomorrow. I did a good job yesterday and was a little bit off today, and then hopefully we're right there again at the end of tomorrow.


Q. But you think somebody is going to have to go pretty low to win this thing?


SEAN O'HAIR: You know, I don't think you have to go real low as long as you hang in with the leaders. Tomorrow I'm not going to watch the leaderboard too much, but obviously at the end of the day you kind of want to be somewhere around the leaders. So if you shoot a good round Sunday, you know, you have a good chance of winning. The tough thing is these guys are so good and the field is so good and the course is in such great condition, you're not going to see the scores skyrocket. If you have a bad score out there, you've just got to keep pace with the leaders.


Q. I guess a lot of us are surprised to see it 12-under. We thought it might be playing a little tougher.


SEAN O'HAIR: It's not that it's playing easy, I just think guys are just playing well. Like I said, it's not like -- if you're hitting the fairways it's not like the ball is running into the rough. If you're hitting the fairways, you're staying in the fairway. If you're hitting it sideways, it's a struggle. You're going to shoot over par on this golf course. The greens are receptive, and some shots are a little bit firmer and obviously out of the rough you're not going to hold the greens. But if you can just hit good golf shots, then it's a very scorable golf course.


Q. What did you do on 15, the par 5?


SEAN O'HAIR: I hit it way left, and I had just a chip-out or I could hook it trying to get down there. I thought, just play smart and the ball came out of the rough a lot easier than I thought it would. I kind of gave it a little too much effort and it ran through the fairway. I actually had a decent lie, but it's just thick stuff and you don't want to be hitting a 6-iron into that green out of the rough. You know, I hit a good shot, it just kind of squirted a little bit on me and I short-sided myself and that's dead over there. It just was a difficult hole if you're not hitting the fairway.


Q. How long was your birdie putt on 18 there?


SEAN O'HAIR: It was a bit difficult. I think that over the years the pins seem to be in the same locations. You get to know that putt. I had that putt last year and I missed it low. I played it a little more in, and I missed it low again. Underneath the hole, it looks like it's going to go right, but it's like, play it just outside left lip, and that's what I did. You've got to hit it so soft down that hill because it's so fast, it's almost like you can never get the ball straight on the right line. It's almost like you always start it right because you've got to hit it so soft.


Q. What did you have, four feet coming back?


SEAN O'HAIR: Yeah, it wasn't the kind of putt I wanted coming back.


Q. Where were you aiming on that? Were you aiming where you hit it?


SEAN O'HAIR: On what, the iron shot?


Q. Yeah.


SEAN O'HAIR: Yeah, I was just right of the pin and tried to aim and hit a great shot. I hit a terrible drive. I don't know if you guys saw that, but I was fortunate. I was just glad to make par.


Q. TPC Deere Run, you played well, and you played well a couple weeks ago, and now you're playing well this week. It seems like it's been longer than you like when you can put two good tournaments back-to-back. Are you starting to get back to where you think you ought to be?


SEAN O'HAIR: Yeah.


Q. Was there any kind of turning point for you along the way?


SEAN O'HAIR: I changed back to my old coach, and that was a big thing for me.


Q. Who was that?


SEAN O'HAIR: That was -- I used him for the first time in Houston, Steve Dahlby. We started working together, and it kind of was like -- it wasn't that I was working with the wrong people before, just I didn't quite feel comfortable, and I just felt like it was better for me to go back to Steve, and it's worked out well for me.


Q. Who were you working with before that?


SEAN O'HAIR: Gary Gilchrist.


Q. How long were you with Gary?


SEAN O'HAIR: Steve is my original. I was with Gary for a couple years.

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