What they said: Jason Bohn

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MORE INTERVIEWS: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial transcript archive

JOHN BUSH: Jason Bohn joins us here in the media center at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial after 7 under par 63. Eight birdies on the card and just one bogey. Jason, great start to the tournament

JASON BOHN: Thanks, John, I appreciate it very much.

JOHN BUSH: Some comments on your round, please.

JASON BOHN: Well, first, if I get any questions I can't hear in my left ear so I will kind of start with that. I woke up this morning about 1:00 in the morning just with sharp shooting pains. I didn't know what it was. I put a little Q tip in there, had a little blood kind of on it, and I have had some congestion, so my left ear is completely gone.

I'm anxious to kind of see a doctor about it. But it didn't affect my play too much, so I'm not really complaining.

As far as my round goes, I played very nice, got off to a good start, made a couple of nice 15, 20 foot putts for birdie to kind of get my round rolling. And then I hit a couple of close is shots and was able to capitalize. I just putted very well. I drove my golf ball extremely well; put it in good position to attack flag sticks.

Q. You have taken a couple of weeks off, Jason, but talk a little bit about what the win at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, what that did for your season and how much confidence it gave you?

JASON BOHN: Unreal. I still get a little choked up thinking about it to be honest. It's a slight career changer for me for sure, no question. You know, the confidence is major. I mean, I feel like I can win a golf tournament because I just did it so it's pretty close in my head. It's not five years in between. It's amazing what it does when you play well. Like at the Zurich I lead wire to wire, so that was great.

Q. First of all, have you had any issues with that before with your left ear congestion, and stuff like you had, or is this something different and new?

JASON BOHN: Yes, it's really new to me. Both of my boys got ear infections last week when we were home, and they started right on an antibiotic. I kind of came down with a cold last week, and I had a lot of drainage and that, and then I flew over here, and I came in early Friday, I guess, to try to prepare for the event.

And then yesterday I saw a doctor on site here, and he prescribed an antibiotic. Then it was last night that I just felt this real sharp shooting pain.

Everybody I've talked to said it's kind of a good thing, you kind of want it maybe the ear drum to bust open and allow it to get some drainage out of there, I don't know. I will be anxious to see what the doctors got to say this afternoon.

Q. As far as the end of your round, talk about 17, you got the birdie, you get to 8, and then what happened at 18. I didn't get to see 18.

JASON BOHN: 18, I hit a great drive right in the middle of the fairway. And I had 150 yards to the back left hole location, and you kind of know one yard over that green is in the water left.

So I was playing a fairly aggressive shot. I was trying to hit it about 15 feet just right of the hole. I really kind of misjudged the wind. The ball was going a long way out there today with all of the heat. I tried to hit a little 8 iron in there and it flew over the back of the green, and I didn't hit a very good pitch.

But I would like to be standing back in that fairway right now, I think I would hit a better shot.

Q. You parred No. 4. Can you talk about that hole, do you like it, dislike it?

JASON BOHN: A great golf hole. Today it was set up very favorous. I think it was playing like 218 to the hole. We played the back of the forward box. It's a great par 3. It's kind of a middle of the shot, make your 3's and go.

There is a few holes out here at Colonial, that horrible horseshoe, you are just trying to fire it in the middle of the green, make your pars and keep going and not make mistakes on those holes because you are going to get some attackable birdie holes out here.

Q. Is it usually back?

JASON BOHN: Yes, typically, we will play it one day back which will probably play close to 235, 240. We got a little breather this morning, which was kind of nice. The hole location is front right. It's a difficult hole location, even if you hit it in the middle of the green, it's a pretty quick putt that's running away from you.

I don't know if you will see that many 2's there. You got to hit it right of the hole and there is only four or five paces of green over there to have a good look at it.

Q. Last week at the Byron Nelson Jason Day had symptoms similar to yours and thought about withdrawing before the tournament, went ahead and played and won the thing. A, any thoughts today with the ear that was bad enough to withdraw. And B, do you like that as a good omen going forward for you this week?

JASON BOHN: Yes, that would be one heck of a coincidence if that happened 2 Jasons and 2 illnesses.

This morning I was a little concerned how I was going to feel because I really slept very poorly. Maybe only got a couple of hours, 2, two and a half, 3 hours of good sleep last night. I was concerned.

I worked with my trainer this morning, went through all of my exercises. My body seemed to be holding up really well.

My biggest concern was when I was getting up and down off the floor really quickly, my balance was a little awkward. So I really paid attention when I was putting how fast I came up. How fast I walked around the green when my head is moving all over the place. That's what they told me this morning, just watch that you don't move the fluids around too much and try to keep your head still when you are going up and down getting your ball out of the hole.

Q. No thought of withdrawing?

JASON BOHN: Not at this point. I felt like if I could go when I got to the range and hit balls, I knew I was striking my golf ball well enough to get in a round. I just knew I was not going to hear anybody talk. And everything out there sounded like, what is it Charley Brown's mother, that (making noise), smile and wave.

JOHN BUSH: Birdie on No. 1, Jason.

JASON BOHN: I hit a tree, and my second shot was a 3 wood trying to get it on the green and it came up about 40 yards short in the rough and I pitched it to 12, 15 feet and made it.

Birdie on 3, drove it perfect right in the middle of the fairway, hit a 7 iron maybe 15 feet right underneath the hole and made it.

6, I hit a sand wedge, just behind the hole 10 or 12 feet and made that.

No. 7 was a great putt. I hit a 9 iron in, probably 18 feet underneath the hole. My playing partner Sean O'Hair was 2 inches outside my mark. I saw a perfect line. He missed it a little low, but I saw how much the putt breaked and that was really helpful.

No, 9, I hit another 9 iron maybe six feet straight underneath the hole. And actually Sean O'Hair had a putt for par. That was about 2 inches outside of my ball. His ball broke left. That was pretty helpful. I probably would have played the putt very straight, and I played it just on the right edge watching his putt.

11, I hit a lob wedge into about maybe five feet right underneath the hole.

13, I hit 7 iron another probably 15 footer breaking right to left, I had a great putt there.

17, I hit a 9 iron to five feet right straight up the hill, just long and left of the hole.

JOHN BUSH: And for these guys, the million dollars that you won back in college for the hole in one, when do the payments for that end?

JASON BOHN: The payments come every October 1st, and they end 2012, so I have 3 checks left if my math is right.

JOHN BUSH: And winning the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, are those questions slowly gone down a little bit?

JASON BOHN: I hope I'm '85 years old and people are asking me about that million dollar shot. It's the whole reason why I sit here. There is no question, a big career changer. I love talking about it. I never will get sick and tired of talking about it.

Q. How would you compare that to No. 4, that hole in one to No. 4, that shot?

JASON BOHN: To the fourth hole out here?

Q. Yes.

JASON BOHN: And the hole in one? There is no really comparison. It was 135 yards. It was about half the distance. That was a life changer. If I made an ace on No. 4, it probably will not be a life changer, but I will still take it, trust me.

Transcript courtesy of ASAP Sports.