MORE INTERVIEWS: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial transcript archive
MARK WILLIAMS: Steve, thanks for coming in. Obviously you're disappointed not to win, but best finish on the PGA TOUR. It just seemed like today you got a good start but not much happened after that.
STEVE MARINO: Yes, I mean, I felt like I played pretty well all day. I just, you know, I came so close on making some putts and they just weren't going in for me. I'm disappointed, but I feel like I played pretty well and looking forward to next week.
Q. Even though you had a good finish did you feel for Tim what he was going through the last few holes?
STEVE MARINO: Yes, I could. He has been playing out here so long, and he is such a great player, and he has never won a tournament. I thought if I couldn't make a couple of birdies coming in, I thought he was going to win. He seemed like he was rock solid. He hit a bad tee shot on 18. He gave himself a putt at it. I feel bad for Tim. Tim is a good guy. He is a hell of a player. He is definitely going to win out here soon.
Q. Your putt coming down on 18, did you think that was going in?
STEVE MARINO: The playoff? I thought I made it on the playoff. It quit breaking at the very end and just went right over the edge.
Q. Steve, were nerves noticeable there during the playoffs? Did you feel like getting it getting tight out there?
STEVE MARINO: Not actually, I felt pretty good. I dealt with going the whole day being tied for a lead or a couple behind. It was just a continuation of what was going on the whole day.
Q. We, of course, heard that your mom is an old Pascual grad, and I guess you had a big group out there, do you feel some Fort Worth connections, then?
STEVE MARINO: Absolutely. Yes, my mom was out there with a bunch of friends with her that she went to high school with back in the day. It was nice to have them out there. It was nice to play well in front of them.
Q. Steve, could you talk a little bit about what your lie was like after your drive at 17? I know in the playoff, what did you hit off the tee there. What was the view from the other side of the fairway bunker there?
STEVE MARINO: I hit a 3-iron, and I was blocked by the trees, and I would have probably have had a wedge. But I had to try to keep it under the trees. It was kind of a dicey shot. I mean, I hit it pretty good. It just caught the bottom of one of the branches on the tree and just killed all of the momentum it had on it and it came up short. Then I figured, you know, I could see the Jumbotron like through the trees through the right on 18, so I watched their shots where they ended up. I saw Stricker was in there tight, and I knew he was going to make that putt. When I didn't chip-in, I felt like it was pretty much over.
MARK WILLIAMS: Was there a point on the back 9, a particular shot that you thought might have been the one for you?
STEVE MARINO: You know, I really felt like I hit a bad wedge into 15. And I had like a 60-foot putt. And I thought I made it. I think it just barely missed, but I thought that I made that putt when I was watching it roll and it just missed. I couldn't really seem to hit a great shot at the right time on the back 9. I was hitting good shots but not great shots. I couldn't seem to make a putt. It was a grind. I made a nice four or five foot par on 17 which was huge. I made a nice recovery on 18 in regulation and almost made that putt. Overall, you know, I feel good about it.
Q. How much harder did the course play? A little bit more wind today, did it play a lot tougher do you think?
STEVE MARINO: Not a lot tougher, definitely tougher. Sundays are different out here. I couldn't really tell you why. Most of the time out every Sunday the scores are a little bit higher no matter what. The pins are tougher. We did have more some wind today. The course did play more difficult than it did the first three days but not a whole lot.
MARK WILLIAMS: You got in contention a couple of times in the last month, with a T-5 in Zurich in New Orleans, what will you take away from it?
STEVE MARINO: I will takeaway from it the fact I'm playing pretty good. Obviously, it's disappointing. I wanted to win. But I'm playing well right now, and I'm excited abut playing golf, and I feel good about my game. I'm just really looking forward to playing the next couple of weeks.
Q. When you saw Steve's shot go in there on 17, I guess you were watching on the Jumbotron, could you tell how tight he was or did you gauge off the cheers?
STEVE MARINO: Yes, I saw it. It looked like it was about that far which in reality it was probably about that far. So it's not much difference.
MARK WILLIAMS: Steve, we appreciate you coming down.
STEVE MARINO: Thanks.