BELLSOUTH CLASSIC MEDIA DAY

January 20, 2003

Retief Goosen

RETIEF GOOSEN: I really enjoy the course. It's a wonderful golf course and I think it's great preparation for the Masters. It's a similar sort of run-off areas around the greens and bump-and-run shots you have to play. It was a bit of a disappointing start last year. I know from going ahead to going behind in two holes. So it was a bit of a shock for the system, but I knew I was playing well and I was putting really well and I think the chip-in I made on the 4th hole, the par 5, from over the back of the green, that really got me going again, it got me in front. From thereon, I played very nicely and steadily, and in a way lucky Phil didn't play so well from there on. It was really nice to walk up the last hole with a comfortable lead.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, definitely. I know I can come back from disappointments on the golf course. I have learned to think that it's not only one hole and you still got holes ahead. Yeah, the U.S. Open really helped my confidence a lot and I have been playing quite nicely since then. And even before the U.S. Open I played pretty good in Europe. It's nice that it's all now falling together and I am becoming a lot more consistent and steady player. Obviously last week in the Sony Open was a bit disappointing in the last two rounds that I just couldn't get anything going. But it's a very okay start for the season and I am looking forward to what is lying ahead.

DAVE KAPLAN: As the Tournament Director I can tell you we have 69 1/2 half more days to go before the tournament starts. We start building out there on February 24th. A couple of comments about last year - the charitable contributions from last year's tournament is $835,000; $717,000 for children's health care. Retief, we got a little competition for you coming. At the beginning of the year if you look at the world's Top-10, I feel fairly confident that as of right now we have five of the world's Top-10 that are going to play in the tournament. I feel very confident Phil Mickelson is going to play Retief. Of course, David Toms has already committed. Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie will receive exemptions. So that's a pretty good start. I know Rich Beem and Jose Olazabal are already committed and quite a few others - I don't have the commitment sheet in front of me. But I would say we'll have a very good field as we did last year and in all the years we played the week before the Masters. The golf course is going to be in really good shape for the overseed. It's been pretty wet recently, but that just makes that rye grass grow more and grow thicker, and it should be in great shape for the golf tournament. I am very confident and optimistic about this year. Our sales are about where they were last year at this time. So I feel pretty good about the golf tournament.

RETIEF GOOSEN: That sounds great. It is nice to see that the guys are playing before the Masters. Like I said, the course is -- a lot of the shots you have to plan a play -- it's very similar to what you have to play on at Augusta so it is great preparation.

RETIEF GOOSEN: It's definitely, you know, people recognize me a lot more, obviously, since the U.S. Open, and now over the last two years. Before when I came over here, you know, nobody really knew me. But it's nice to have that feeling that people recognize you and they appreciate you playing in tournaments and give you support. It's a great feeling. I don't think I am probably as well recognized in Europe as I am in America now. I think maybe England and those places, yeah, people do recognize me, but in general, the reception I get at golf tournaments now has been great.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I just feel playing too many practice rounds when I am on the golf course, on a major golf course, for me, it just doesn't benefit. I feel I might be too mentally tired by the time Thursday arrives. For me, I feel like -- I am somebody that must have the form before the major arrives instead of trying to find some form during the major tournament. I like to play the week before and getting a feel of my swing.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, went into Augusta with a lot of confidence and you know you were playing well and putting well, and that's what you need around Augusta; especially on the putting side. And it helped me into the Masters.

RETIEF GOOSEN: No, obviously winning the U.S. Open added a lot to my career. It's great getting the recognition around the course and mentally-wise it has improved my game and hopefully that's what will help me into the future, into more majors, and when I get into situations I have been in or I was at the U.S. Open, I will be able to handle it a little bit better from the experience I have picked up.

RETIEF GOOSEN: With Josh? We have been taking a bit of a break. We haven't really worked together now for the last sort of five, six months. We felt like it was just time for a bit of a break. He's really helped me out of the hole I was in. That's what I hired him for, to help me with the problem that I had with the mental side on the course and he's really helped me out of that situation now. And we felt it was time for a little break. But we are planning to see each other again this year, but just sort of on a once-a-month or once-every-two-month-basis.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I just found that my golf swing was always there, but I was just not thinking really properly around the course; getting a bit ahead of myself, wandering around too long on bad shots instead of forgetting it immediately and getting on with what is lying ahead. He's really helped me in that way to really keep focusing on what is lying ahead.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, at the end of the day I think it all comes down to the prize money. If we were playing for this sort of money in Europe, they would be travelling to Europe. So we are coming over here, we are all trying to make a living. We have to travel over here to do that and play for the biggest prize money. So I think, like I said, if it was in Europe, they would definitely be travelling there. But I think we have done it for so long now, we sort of know how to get over the jet-lag pretty quick and get into your swing pretty quick after a six- or seven-hour jet-lag. So we have learned how to cope with that and in a way I think that has probably made a lot of us a little bit stronger players. But a lot of the guys now are really trying to base themselves a little bit more, longer periods of time in the U.S. to make travelling a bit easier. I know I am cutting back on my schedule a little bit this year to try and make my travelling a little bit easier. It's been very busy for me the last four years travelling -wise.

RETIEF GOOSEN: The greens are very tricky so I think your iron-play to the greens has to be very good, to place yourself on the right side of the hole, to leave yourself the best putts. Driving on the front 9, especially, the driving on the front nine has to be very good. There's a lot of holes that you can get into a lot of trouble very quickly - the 9th hole; 4 and 5 are pretty tough driving holes. The back nine seems to be a little bit more open and a little bit more forgiving off the tee. But second shots into the greens have to be precise to leave yourself birdie putts.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, definitely. It's not a course that you hit any irons off the tee really, so it is a course that you have to pull the driver out and drive the ball well. It's definitely very demanding on driving and sometimes you know, during that time of the year, the weather can still be a little bit on the cool side so the course plays very long.

RETIEF GOOSEN: I would definitely hope so.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I was about 17, 16, we were playing golf with a friend of mine and there was a thunderstorm and we stopped play and we sort of went in a hiding area and then we sort of really felt like that the lightning had passed because everybody started playing again. We went back on the course and we teed off on the 7th hole it was, and while I was walking to my tee shot at that -- I was walking past this area where they had a bit of trees, and one last lightning bolt hit this tree that I was just walking past, and blew me out of my shoes. The next time I woke up I was in the hospital. Luckily it was nothing serious on the burn side. I had some skin burns, but that recovered pretty quick, and I did have a crack in my heart beat, but through exercising and working out in the gym, that's all recovered now.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah.

RETIEF GOOSEN: I try and approach them the same. Obviously courses I haven't played I try and get two or maybe even three practices rounds in. But like Augusta, I will probably only play one practice round. I feel you have seen the course enough; you know where to go. But I try and prepare just the same as I would for any golf tournament. It doesn't matter what tournament I tee it up in, I try and do my best and try and win the event. I don't play the BellSouth before the Masters just to try and warm up for the Masters. I play the BellSouth to try and win it to get myself in the best shape for the Masters. Every event I play in is important.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I try and stay pretty fit all year-round. I try and work out in the gym quite regularly. I am not somebody that's going to work out in a gym before a round of golf. I always try and work out after the round. I do lots of stretching and things like that, so -- I think 80% of the players on Tour now is in some sort of fitness routine. Yeah, I try and work with Josh whenever I feel it's necessary to work with him. Otherwise, I just approach it the same as I would for any other tournament - I try and play a practice round early on Tuesday and then Pro-Am on Wednesday and then off you go.

RETIEF GOOSEN: My practice round --

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I don't focus too much on the golf swing side in practice rounds. I am not always too concerned about how I hit the ball in a practice round. My main focus is when I walk around the course is just to work out areas around the course; what's the best side to go down on the fairway, or which side; try and sort of mentally visualize the green, so when I play the tournament and which side of the flag is the better side to be on. My practice rounds are more just sort of trying to get a good sort of feel and try and visualize the course.

RETIEF GOOSEN: I would say the 4th hole is a very tricky par 5. That's a hole that you've got to be very careful on because you can make a 7 very quickly now since they have changed it with those new bunkers on the right. The 9th hole I think is another hole that's extremely tough, second shot with the creek down the right, and very difficult to get close to the flag. And then the 18th I think is a great finishing hole. It's a hole that gives you a lot of options and like last year, I was well ahead walking down it and I just felt like there is no need for me to take any chances and then just hit an iron off the tee, laid up so I knew I was just going to try and get my third on the green and go. I was not even thinking going in two. It's a great finishing hole and a lot can happen on it.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Thank you.