What they said: Jeff Overton

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THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome Jeff Overton into the interview room for a couple of minutes after a 7-under 65 that puts you in the lead in the clubhouse right now. Talk about your day.

JEFF OVERTON: I hit a lot of fairways to start off. I put myself in excellent shape, especially the first few holes and knocked it in fairly close on a couple of them with a few wedges.

I hit the ball great all day, pretty much cleaned up all my putts inside 10 feet. I hit a lot of really good shots that wound up from the 12, 15, 18 foot range that I rolled over the edge. But whenever you are making all of your putts inside 10, 12 feet for the round, especially the last hole you are going to play well.

I am hitting the ball great. I don't know how many greens I hit. I think I only missed one green. That was the hole I missed the fairway on 2. In fact, if I could have made a couple of longer putts it would have really been good. It's great to make birdies the way we did.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. You were the first one out?

JEFF OVERTON: The greens are just perfect. They are probably soft as they're going to be the whole day, probably the whole tournament. 5, there is a par 4 down the hill, that pin on the back of the green there, I hit a lob wedge in there, just hit a little chip lob wedge with a lot of spin on it, and it landed 20 feet short of the pin and rolled all the way back to the hole for me.

This afternoon, that green will be hard as a rock. It's great to hit it in there 4, 5, 6 feet several holes in a row and clean it up early.

Q. Can you talk about your season in general, how you've been playing coming into this event?

JEFF OVERTON: I was struggling early in the year. I hadn't taken any time off in probably like four years, ever since junior year in college. I took about a month and a half off in the winter and completely didn't touch the club or anything.

I came back out and I feel like I lost pretty much my whole game it seemed like. It took me probably a good two or three months to get it back.

Probably about a month ago, I tried qualifying for the British Open, it really kind of came together for the first time, since Disney, the last tournament of the year.

I started putting the ball in the fairway. I've been hitting my irons fairly well and putting. But putting the ball in the fairway allowed me to get the ball closer, especially on the par 5s.

When you hit the ball closer you can make a few five-, six-footers for birdie, you can get some confidence with your putter.

But if you're never hitting it real close, it's sometimes hard to get confidence with the putter blade. So the end of the last six or seven weeks, we've been playing pretty well.

Q. Jeff, I was going to look and I didn't, what kind of history do you have here in this tournament?

JEFF OVERTON: I remember it was windy as could be. This golf course is extremely difficult. I remember last year. I am looking for the wind to pick up here and the greens getting firm again and hopefully we don't fold like we did last year.

Q. Speaking of which, assuming things go well throughout the rest of the week, you're going to be playing a lot more afternoons, do you think how you might be changing your strategy?

JEFF OVERTON: Not at all. The key is, once again, getting the ball in the fairway out here. If you hit the fairways, especially on the par 5s, you can (score) I think I birdied all four of the par 5s, which is huge. Just getting it in the fairway, even hitting 3-wood on the fourth hole or something, just get it in the fairway and have a shot at the green. You give yourself so many opportunities from the middle of the fairway; your hitting hybrids, 3-irons, 4-irons and stuff and you are going to make a couple birdies anyway.

Q. Jeff, British Open, was that your first major and what was that like?

JEFF OVERTON: It was great. The fans over there, they are very knowledgeable of the game. The wind blew like 40 miles an hour so I had a hard time standing up on the putting green. It was fun. It was great. I had a bad last round there otherwise I would have had a good tournament. It's hard to putt sometimes when the wind blows 40. That was the toughest part about that tournament, I thought.

(Scorecard.)

THE MODERATOR: Jeff, thanks for coming in.