Press conference - Ed Fryatt

JULIUS MASON: Good afternoon, once again, ladies and gentlemen. Edward Fryatt participating in his first PGA Championship, in at a 3-under, 69.

Ed, if you wouldn't mind giving us some of your thoughts on your round today.

EDWARD FRYATT: Starting the round, I was obviously a little nervous, playing with Hal Sutton and Bob Tway. And I just wanted to continue to do what I had been doing the last few days, and that is really have some good swings and positive thoughts out there. And I had some really good practice session last yesterday, and I was really looking forward to today.

JULIUS MASON: Thank you, very much. Questions, folks.

Fryatt tees off on the 18th. Allsport.

Q. You still consider yourself real English stock, do you?

EDWARD FRYATT: I was born in England and I have grown up all my life for the most part in Las Vegas, Nevada. I grew up in English heritage with my parents and the food and the thoughts of being English.

I am in a difficult situation because my heart is definitely with England, even though I haven't been there much of my life. But my golf game is definitely American.

So, I am in a difficult situation where I feel British, but I know that I owe everything that I am with golf to the United States, and Las Vegas, in particular.

Q. When did you know you were in the Championship? Was it a bit of a rush getting here?

EDWARD FRYATT: No. I got here Monday -- actually, got here Saturday and played a practice round Sunday, like I was going to be in the tournament. Everybody I talked to -- obviously, I was anxious when I knew I wasn't in the field after The INTERNATIONAL, but I talked to several guys that have been out here for a lot more years than I have, and everybody seemed to agree that I was going to get in the tournament.

So when I missed the cut last week, I am just -- got down here as soon as possible and got some practice rounds in and found out Monday afternoon.

Q. We have a reader who keeps asking us if you are related to some cricketer.

EDWARD FRYATT: No. My dad -- my dad was a professional soccer player in the early 60s, all through the 60s, and that is where the supporting comes from.

Q. No uncle who is a cricketer?

EDWARD FRYATT: Not that I know of. Unless he is rich.

Q. I saw your dad play which is immaterial, shows how old I am. When you become an alternate did you think of John Daly and things like that?

EDWARD FRYATT: I think everybody does when they get in -- who was last one -- I think Craig Stadler would be more thinking that route than I would be. I think anybody who is an alternate that gets in the field, obviously, can play. They are just barely on the cuff of getting in, so, you know, all the players that were on the alternate list are great players.

And not to say I am a great player, but I feel like I played really well this year, and had to play catch-up because it was a running Money List from PGA to PGA, and I have had a pretty decent year, up-and-down year. I have played well enough to just miss getting in naturally.

So, I thought that I deserved an opportunity to play if it came around, and luckily I have taken advantage of it so far.

Q. You talked about having a game plan going into this event. What did you do specifically and what is your game plan?

EDWARD FRYATT: Most of the greens out here slope from the left side, as well as the right side, into the center of the greens, and you kind have had to get out of the mentality of shooting right at the pins like we usually do out on the PGA TOUR and take advantage of your good drivers and put them in the center of the green and give yourself opportunities of birdies; and don't shortside yourself. Just little nuances of the golf course.

Like on 11, the par 3, when the pin is back there, sometimes you don't need to shoot it all the way back there, and you can settle to just get it on the front and be happy with a 2-putt par; and that is not really going to hurt you when you walk to the next tee.

And you know, just little things like that, and don't have to be so aggressive to keep yourself in play all the time and try and play it at a low stress level out there.

Q. It is not unusual for an unknown player to be on the leaderboard in the first day at a major. Make your best argument for being on this leaderboard on Sunday.

EDWARD FRYATT: Well, I mean, all the tournaments that I have played good in, I have played really good. I have had Top-10s, and all the tournaments that I have played pretty poor in, I have either missed the cut or finished right down at the bottom. So, I have gotten off to a good start. That has usually been my Achilles heel. And if you look the -- the stats don't lie my first round/second round average is not that great, and when I have played well in the first and second round, I have always had a pretty good tournament.

So if there is any reasoning behind that, then I should be here at the end. But there is a long way between here and Sunday afternoon, but I have gotten off to a great start, and there is no reason to not carry it through 'til tomorrow, if not 'til Saturday as well.

I look forward to tomorrow afternoon's round, and just go try get good practice session and get some good vibes going into tomorrow.

Q. On No. 7, you tried both fairways at some point with the alternate fairway with -- back in the right-hand fairway. Describe what happened there?

EDWARD FRYATT: I just, you know, I think most of the field is going to go down the left when the conditions are right. And today when the conditions were right with the wind just a touch behind us, or with no wind, I just didn't release the driver and let it happen and I pushed it a little right. I had a good lie, and I thought with the pin on the left where it was, if I would have pitched it back to the fairway initially, I was going for, I had a longer shot, as well as not a bad angle at that pin. So the best I probably could have done there is get it to about 40, 50 feet, if that.

So when we were walking up the ball, I was hoping for a decent lie and we had one. We thought it through about what we could hit to the other side because that is going to create the better angle back to the pin, and like I said, fortunately, we had a good lie and was able to pitch it to the right and had 8-iron in right, rather than a 4- or 5-iron.

Q. What did you hit your 8 --

EDWARD FRYATT: Driver, 9-iron then 8-iron.

Q. How much have you worked with Butch and what --

EDWARD FRYATT: I just started with him the week after the U.S. Open and at Hartford I went and had a talk to him there. So his time is obviously saturated with work with Tiger; so any time I can get a chance for him to have a look at me, it is a bonus. And me being -- me living in Las Vegas and with him teaching there, it is a great opportunity for me to listen to what he has to say.

JULIUS MASON: Would you mind going through your card.

EDWARD FRYATT: I hit a drive -- made good par to start off. Kind of settled me down. I hit a drive left which I usually don't hook the ball, and I think little bit of nerves got there and turned one over, then missed the green left, pitched up to about twelve feet made my putt for par.

So, kept me in good frame of mind going to No. 2. Hit a great drive down 2; 3-iron right at it. Came up short on the front bunker by -- was where we thought that would be the best place to miss at this time if we are going to. Chipped it out; got out of the bunker about twelve feet; made that for birdie.

Made some pars. Had some good chances. Lipped out on 4 and 5 for par -- for birdie, but made my pars.

Then on 6, hit 3-wood down the middle and was in a divot and came up short in the front bunker there. And Hal hit before me, hit a good bunker shot out of there. Kind of showed me the way, and I hit a good bunker shot it went in.

I know you say, well, you holed out bunker shots and everything, but if you look back on 4 and 5, I had great chances that lipped out on both of them I thought both were in. Could have missed that, but had the putts go in.

Ended up going 2-under ended up making good pars. 7, 8, 9, 10 -- just parred the whole back side.

Great par on 16. Hit it right there, and chipped it out from the hazard. Wasn't in the water, but just chipped it out back in the fairway. Got it up-and-down from about 120 yards.

And then 18 hit a drive down the right side in the first cut and 5-iron in the front bunker; and that actually wasn't the spot we wanted to miss it in. We wanted to miss it a touch long. I just caught it a touch heavy. I was in the front bunker was, just trying to settle for a 20-footer. To hopefully have a chance of make it. If we did, it would be great. Got out -- I'd hit a bunker shot on to about 20 feet, made the putt coming back.

So, we finished the round on a good note.

JULIUS MASON: Questions? Edward Fryatt, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much.

EDWARD FRYATT: Hopefully will talk to you tomorrow.

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