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December 12, 2009
Courtesy of ASAPSports
MARK WILLIAMS: Kenny Perry J.B. Holmes, 10-under 62 today in the better ball format. Quite the move. Currently leading. Just talk about your day. 29 on the back nine obviously got things going. Just talk a little bit about it.
KENNY PERRY: I just was watching him go. He played beautifully today, so made it really easy for me. We've struggled for two days putting, but he made a nice putt on the 12th hole to kind of right the ship.
He dominates the par-5s, so he birdied both the par-5s on the front nine. I snuck in a couple for him, and then he makes a beautiful eagle on 17. Driver, 7-iron on 17. That's amazing. Then we shoot 10-under.
So our goal -- I was just thinking to myself, I didn't say anything to him about it -- but I just wanted us to get within two of the lead. If I could get within two of the lead, I felt like we had a great chance tomorrow during the scramble format.
MARK WILLIAMS: Well, you're certainly in good shape now moving from ninth position overnight into probably maybe the lead, or share of the lead, or just out of it. J.B., what about your thoughts on the day?
J.B. HOLMES: Like he said, I thought we did well. We didn't birdie too many of the same holes. If I had a bad hole, he would pick me up, and if he had a bad hole I was picking him up. So we did a good job of that.
Just kind for about I guess it was about 28 holes, we just kept hitting -- we didn't make any putts yesterday. We were leaving 'em short in the center, and started off that way today. It was getting a little frustrating.
Finally, like I said, we didn't make a ton of putts, but we finally made a putt over three feet. After that, we started making a few 8-footers and we started hitting well enough that we put in some good scores.
Q. What was it about the putt on 12, and did you have the same feeling after you made it that, Okay, here we go?
J.B. HOLMES: Yeah, it felt good. I stuck my arms up in the air. Felt like I won the tournament. The way we been hitting some putts, all of them were just running over the edge. So, yeah, it was just nice.
Seen the scores, too, that nobody was really taken off. We were getting on a stretch of the golf course where we could make some scores. To grab one on that par-3, a tough hole, I felt good.
Then we both hit some good shots on the next hole, made some birdies. And then the par-5 we hit some good shots, and then Kenny hit one close and just kind of kept it going.
We didn't have to make any long putts, but we started hitting the ball a little bit closer. Getting a good under your belt was just nice for the team.
KENNY PERRY: We just needed a little momentum. It's the kind of tournament we needed momentum, and we hadn't it had it until -- once we got on 12, we birdied 12, 13, 14, and 15.
We finally put a string together and had a little momentum on our side. It was nice. It was finally nice to see it go our way a little bit.
Q. We talked to Zach Johnson and Nick as they came off the course, and they spoke about momentum as well and how important that was out there. Was there a turning point out there?
KENNY PERRY: Oh, definitely. I mean, his putt on 12 was huge. We were still -- I think we were 4-under through 10 or something, and they were all gimmes. He hit 1 and 2 and two-putted, and then the other par-5; I hit it close on one hole for a tap-in, and on 10 I two-putted it. I drove it right in front of the green.
When he rolled it in on 12, it just seemed the gates started opening a little bit more us.
J.B. HOLMES: Kenny had just hit two brilliant putts and I still don't know how they don't go in. We both were getting a little bit frustrated, so it was nice to see one go in.
Q. People were talking about course conditions, and it was a little soft and playing a little bit longer. Did you guys find that out there over the last couple days?
J.B. HOLMES: Definitely. I thought it played -- I'm so used to coming in here and this golf course playing fast and firm. There's tight lies around the greens. It's so easy to hit a fat chip shot. It's hard to chip around these greens. It's a very difficult test.
We played a southerly wind in the Pro-Ams on Wednesday/Thursday, and the wind completely switched. We played northeasterly here these last two days, more from the east.
It just sucked all the moisture right out of the greens and sped 'em up. I like I was at Augusta, how they can change them in Thursday to the opening round, and all of a sudden we were all shellshocked a little bit.
Q. Will you take that into consideration tomorrow when you get on the course?
J.B. HOLMES: Well, I mean, we're kind of used to it now. We've had two days under it. If the wind stays the same, you've kind of got three days under the same conditions and you've kind of got a feel for it a little bit.
Tomorrow is just go low. We gotta figure out a way to shoot really low. That scramble deal is amazing. It's fun to play. It's gonna be a lot of fun to get out there and get after them a little bit.
Q. Can you take us through the eagle and the hole?
KENNY PERRY: Well, I hit a pretty good drive. I thought it was borderline getting in the bunker there, and it hit the back and kind of went down there.
Then I had 188 to the hole, and I had a 7-iron. I was just thinking, you know, try to start it at the flag. You know, cut it just right of the flag and make sure we get our birdie.
Flushed it. Started a little left of the flag, and just kind held flying. It looked good the whole way. And then I guess it get pretty close to going in from where the ball mark was.
Didn't look like it was that close from back where we were, but ended up being up there about two feet. That was nice. We needed that right there. We both hit good putts on the previous hole and thought we were gonna birdie that one and ran 'em over the edge. It was nice to get one back there.
Q. J.B., Kenny talked the other day about using new equipment and testing it out. Are you doing the same this week?
J.B. HOLMES: No, not this -- well, I been playing the V-groove irons for the last, two, three years, so my irons aren't that big of a deal.
Wedges, I got some at home I been working with a little bit. I'm gonna use what I been playing with the last couple years until we can't. I figured I'd bring 'em out this tournament. This will be the last tournament, and I'll go home and put the other wedges in play and get them ready for next year.
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