Q. Tough finish on 18, coming off a bogey there at the end.

RICKY BARNES: Yeah, I hit two good shots. Everyone was chanting where it was, but I actually thought I was a little bit better than where I was. You know, sour taste to a good round. Shot even par. You know, Saturday is even par at a U.S. Open; I can't complain too much.

Q. When you have a lead in the U.S. Open, is it better to just go out and play? Would you rather do that than sleep on it for a night?

RICKY BARNES: I'm prepared to play more holes. We came into today hoping that we were going to play, whether it was 18 or 24 holes, so you know, I'm ready. I'll get a couple more hours rest, hit a few shots and get back out there.

Q. On 10 and 11 off the tee, getting a little loose, what did you do to correct that?

RICKY BARNES: I've got to get my legs moving with my arms. We all know that those go together.

Q. Are you proud of the way your nerves held up?

RICKY BARNES: It was good. I came back pretty good, after those two bad tee shots, I think I hit my next three out of four fairways and I actually thought I hit a better drive on 15. I kind of quick‑picked my tee ball and you know, wish I could have drew a better lie. But went on, parred 16, birdied 17.

Q. Final round of a U.S. Open as a leader, is it sort of a feeling of mixed emotions, or are you just thinking this is okay?

RICKY BARNES: I'm in good position. You know, I shot even par. Going into today, I knew it was going to be wet and tough and I knew my nerves would be tested. You know, I wouldn't have liked to bogey the last hole and end it that way, but I've got to go back, take my shoes off and think, hey, I shot even par on Saturday with the lead.

So you know, if I go out, do the same thing, someone is going to have to really come back low from behind, or even 1‑under to catch me.

Q. Did you feel that your game was at that point? If someone told you you were going to be the final round leader, what would you have thought?

RICKY BARNES: I don't think you come in saying, I'm going to win this week. I wanted to compete this week. I definitely thought that I could compete.

You know, and I'll take it. I'll take a lead after 54 holes in any event, let alone the U.S. Open. So I'd like to go in and I'll get a little rest, I'll definitely cherish the good things I did. I got off to a really good start and obviously hope to do that later tonight if we get back out. And I'm swinging good. I put two good swings on the last hole, so I'm not dwelling on that.

Q. How key was the third shot from the tall rescue, your recovery shot on that hole?

RICKY BARNES: 10 was big. I didn't hit a great tee shot on 11 but I made par. It was a tough shot. I kept on questioning my brother, I don't know how this is going to come out, and if it did, I thought it would come out a little hotter. To get away with bogey was pretty huge. That probably settled me of most things, because I've been driving it really well and I didn't hit a good drive there so that kind of rattled me a little bit.

I got back on track pretty quick and I feel good now. I put a lot of good swings coming in.

Q. Can you talk about your game plan for the next round?

RICKY BARNES: I had a game plan when I came in here, I talked about it before, where I would go after pins where I know I can with my scoring clubs and I'll play away from them. Goes to show on the last hole, played away from it with a 7‑iron and caught a squirter with the mud and got unlucky. I hit two good shots, so I just have to keep doing what I'm doing. I have to hit fairways and I know I can control it out of there, and I'll be all right if I keep doing that.

Q. What were you thinking of the eagle on 4; were you thinking you were going to run away?

RICKY BARNES: Not run away. I was just hitting good shots. It wasn't like I was chipping in and doing all this kind of stuff. I hit just a little push on 3, got up‑and‑down after two really good, solid opening holes and kind of got back to where I was.

Q. Were you watching the scoreboard?

RICKY BARNES: Just a little bit. Everything is kind of in the background when you are looking around. I knew where I was at and I knew where my competitor was at. After I made eagle and he made birdie, I didn't figure anyone else was chasing us right away. We were only four holes into 18 holes.

Q. Will you watch it in the final round?

RICKY BARNES: Vaguely. I'm pretty focused out there.

Q. How helpful is it having your brother on the bag this week?

RICKY BARNES: He knows my game really well. There's a lot to be said by having someone on the bag that knows your yardages, knows the way you think, knows what you like to hit, and then if you're feeling anything, you probably go for the more aggressive club.

Q. Was there any situation where he helped you today?

RICKY BARNES: Just the whole round, committing to every shot and getting out of 10 with a bogey was huge.

Q. Nerves being tested today, how much more difficult will it be in the final round?

RICKY BARNES: I think today's atmosphere kind of felt like it. I know tomorrow or even later tonight, we are going to probably get some more holes in tonight. So I'll just keep it going. You get these crowds out here, and it feels like ‑‑ it felt like Sunday today. I got some nerves going and stuff like that. But that's golf. I think if you don't have a little bit of nerves when you're in the heat of competition and especially in the last group, you know, you're not human.

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