89th PGA – DAY THREE QUOTES

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Full reaction from the leading contenders after the third round of the USPGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Tiger Woods (69-203): “Well, I accomplished my goal today. My goal was to shoot under par and increase my lead. And I was able to do that today. So positive day all around. Only made one bogey today, which was good. And really kept myself out of trouble most of the day. Just try to keep hitting fairways and put the ball in the center of the greens and lag putt well. Try not to leave myself a second putt. The greens aren’t very smooth out there. So never really tried to take a run at any putts to try to lag them up there and hopefully tap them in.”

Stephen Ames (69-206): “Good day overall. Definitely was set up very tough with the pins being so close to the edges, just over the bunkers and stuff so there’s a lot of pins you really couldn’t go at. 20, 25 feet was a good shot. And basically what I did all day was hit a lot of greens. Middle of the greens and when the putts dropped, which a couple did on the back nine, then I made the birdies. But overall it was a steady round.”

Woody Austin (69-207): “The chipping was definitely key today. I drove it really bad. I drove it in the rough. I proved you can’t drive the ball in the rough and play this game, except unless your sand wedge is pretty good.”

John Senden (69-208): “Yeah, I felt good, you know, going into today after the last couple of rounds. You know, I just tried to really stick to my plan of, you know, playing the golf course smart because there’s a lot of slope on the greens and you know, I just really felt that I just had to really do what I had to do best rather than worry about what everyone else is doing out there. I know Tiger Woods has got a nice lead but anything can happen tomorrow as well. So, you know, feeling good for tomorrow and you know, I felt that, you know, from my previous two days, that led into another good day today. I didn’t feel much different today. I felt like a little bit nervous down the first couple of holes and once I played those first couple of holes well, I settled in nicely and did a good job all day.”

Ernie Els (69-209): “I didn’t get off to a great start. I was looking for a pretty solid start this afternoon to try and shoot a really good number. I made a double on No.4 That definitely didn’t help the course. And I finished the front nine in two-over. Missing short putts on eight and nine; one for par, one for birdie. But on the back nine I got a couple of things going. Three birdies out of the first four out of the back nine. Kind of salvaged my round a little bit. But I was actually looking for a nice low round today to try and get myself back into it. But I gotta be satisfied with the way I finished. I was well out of it. Nice to get it back into red numbers.”

Scott Verplank (74-210): “I guess I slept wrong. I don’t know, I got a little quick. Just same stuff that I always do when I don’t play like I feel like I should. You know, got a little quick, got a couple of really bad lies, which I know everybody does. But I guess since I haven’t been in the rough very much the first two days, I didn’t know it was that bad. But just I really just didn’t play any good honestly. I mean, there was really no two ways about it.”

Adam Scott (70-210): “I’m so close to playing really well. It’s starting to get a bit frustrating out there. Just a few yards here or there with a drive. And then a couple of putts, you know, got rattled a little bit with the four-putt on six, so that wasn’t very nice. But, you know, I hung in there which is what I needed to do because I felt like at any time I could string a few together and make up some ground, but it didn’t happen. I gave myself a lot of chances. Tomorrow have to do the same stuff, give myself chances.”

Boo Weekley (65-210): “What I’d like to say is par isn’t a bad score. It’s not a birdie fest at every golf course. I’ve learned in the majors that’s how it’s starting to pan out. You have to keep it around par, you’re keeping yourself in the game. And here and there you make a couple birdies, you shoot 2- or 3-under one day and get yourself in contention. And that’s what I’m trying to do as I’m playing. I’m learning more about how to accept just making pars. Pars ain’t bad for you, even making a bogey ain’t bad for you sometimes.”

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