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QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA DAY

March 23, 2009

LEE PATTERSON: We want to welcome everybody today. We've got some special guests with us here for the Quail Hollow Championship media day. Debbie is here with us, one of our wonderful TV personalities, and she's in charge of the weather today. So we're proud of her for that operation. But we want to just thank everybody for your support, what y'all have meant to the Quail Hollow Championship through the years, and we're just glad we can have a day that is media day, so we want you to enjoy that. And for those of you playing golf, enjoy that, as well.
I want to first introduce our general chairman, Mr. Mac Everett, who will have a few comments, and then we'll move on down the line.
MAC EVERETT: Thank you, Lee. It's a real pleasure to sit before you as the very first general chairman of the Quail Hollow Championship, of the first Quail Hollow Championship. But you will notice the new mark, the new logo, and we have a lot of people to thank for that but particularly Steve at LGA and his associates who did a wonderful job of designing this new logo in a very short period of time. So Steve, thank you for your work and the work of your associates at LGA.
Certainly I think Quail Hollow has become a name on the PGA TOUR that is viewed as one of the great golf courses in our country, and certainly the experience that the players have had during the first six years of our tournament bring something to this name. So we are very proud of this name and know it will go forward and work well in the future.
When we started this golf tournament, when we started planning this golf tournament seven years ago, we really didn't imagine the positive impact that it could have in the community of bringing people together, and that's never been more important than it is this year. We also didn't imagine that Charlotte could be facing the challenging economic times that we are facing today, but I want to tell you, this golf tournament is solid for several reasons. One is we have a number of hospitality sponsors, over 50 hospitality sponsors, many of whom have been with us since day one, since the very first year. They have committed to certain venues on the golf course for long periods of time, for four years at a time. So we are not in the position of going out to sell something every year, and I think that's very solid for us, particularly in these economic times.
Secondly, many of our major vendors who have become partners for us, again, they're vendors who have been with us since the very first year, many of them have agreed to hold their prices, their costs at 2008 levels, so that certainly has been a benefit and shows the partnership that we have there with them.
And then thirdly, it's the golf course. It's players like Anthony Kim who come back here every year to be a part of this event. We think that those three things will hold us in good stead, certainly for this year's tournament and moving forward, and we're very appreciative of that.
Now, the PGA TOUR is all about raising dollars for charity, and the Quail Hollow Championship certainly is a part of that. Teach For America has been our primary beneficiary for the first six years of our golf tournament and will be again this year, but we've given dollars to local charities and Teach For America, over $9 million in our first six years, and we're very proud of that. That was one of our goals at the very beginning of this golf tournament.
Another goal was to make this golf tournament accessible and affordable to anyone in this community who wanted to come out and see the greatest players in the world play at Quail Hollow, and we've been able to do that. Ticket prices have remained pretty constant since day one. We have come up with practice packs to allow people to come out for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for $25, so we're doing everything we can. Children under 12 with a paid adult are free, we've done everything we can to make this tournament accessible and make it a community event, and frankly the community has responded and embraced this golf tournament as a community event, and again, I will tell you that I don't think there's been a more important time in our history to have a positive event like this, to have something that will give people of this community a week to come out, hopefully in good weather, and enjoy themselves and put some of the challenges that they face day-to-day right now behind them for a short period of time.
You might notice that one of the three amigos is not up here this morning. Johnny Harris is in New York with his son and daughter-in-law. His son and daughter-in-law had their first child yesterday. It's Johnny's third grandchild, and we now have a John Harris IV, which is maybe a little dangerous for the rest of us in this world, but congratulations to them.
I do want to say a couple things about the golf course because I know Johnny would do that if he were here. If you look out at this golf course, and those of you that play today will see I don't think it's ever been in finer condition. The greens are recovering from some work we have done. They were punched a number of weeks ago, but they're recovering nicely. The wall-to-wall rough in fairways, they've never been better. We put 450 pounds of rye seed per acre out in the fall. That has come up nicely. The rye seed has germinated, there's been some new rye seed put out, so I think we'll have a golf course that will be as good as any we've had in the first six years.
The rough will play at sort of a short level, two inches to two and a half inches. If we have rain, it grows quickly during the week and we don't cut it during the week. But the fairways will be narrowed to 28 yards, 30 yards in most cases, so it will be a tight, hopefully firm and fast golf course, but with just enough rough to penalize you and maybe not allow you to spin the ball like you want to but not cause you to hurt yourself trying to get the ball back into play. So the golf course will be fantastic.
I've found, and some of you have probably seen this, but I do want to give it to you if you haven't, we looked back at the last six years, and if you go back to 2003, first year of this golf tournament, we're looking at the last three holes, 16, 17 and 18, the Green Mile, versus par, what the players have played those holes in versus par over the last six years. In 2003, and this is including the major championships each year.
In 2003, those three holes played third toughest among the last three holes on any golf course on the PGA TOUR. In 2004, they played second hardest. In 2005, they were the toughest three finishing holes on the PGA TOUR. And then in '06, '07 and '08, again, they played the second toughest finishing three holes on the PGA TOUR. So the last three holes of the Quail Hollow Championship are in the Top 5 in all six of those years, and no one else appears in the top six for those three years.
We think we'll have a really fine golf course, in great condition. A very challenging golf course, great finishing holes, and once again, we believe that this golf course and this time of year produces one of the great champions on the PGA TOUR each year, and if you just look at the list of the past champions, including our defending champion sitting here this morning, you see that they are the finest players on the PGA TOUR.
I want to turn this over it Kym Hougham right now, but I want to say again that the idea of a PGA TOUR event is to raise money for charity, and we do that. But you can't raise money for charity unless you run a good event. We have the finest executive director on the PGA TOUR in Kym Hougham, and he is supported beautifully by his staff, all of whom have been with him since the very beginning. So we're blessed to have that group here running the golf tournament and running it successfully so that in turn we can give money back through these charitable organizations.
Kym, thank you, and it's all yours.
KYM HOUGHAM: Thank you. Welcome, everyone. It's always exciting to have a media day. It's always exciting to have a defending champion come back. I'm going to touch basically on just a couple things. First of all, in your packet is the commitment list that we're just releasing. As you'll notice there are 10 of the top 20 in the world currently on there. We're very excited about that being five weeks out. We know that that's going to fill in considerably more as we go on. But to be at that point right now kind of shows the strength of what this golf course does and just to get these guys to commit quite so early.
Also starting tomorrow there's a press release that starting tomorrow we're going to do something new this year, we're going to have tickets for sale at a kiosk at South Park Mall. The press release is in there. It's near center court near the escalators, something we've never done before, but this is a time in the economy where we're just trying to make it easier for all of our customers to be able to get those tickets.
Finally, as we move forward, I've had a lot of questions on the rebranding and how it's going, and it's going exceptionally well. We're right on track. Obviously this is a busy time of the year for us anyway, but when you put the rebranding of the golf tournament on top, it's been considerably more. A lot of long hours, but my staff has done an amazing job. Our vendors have been really, really good to work with. Some of them are pretty surprised when you call up six weeks out and say we've got to redo everything, but that's kind of the way.
We've worked with the same vendors year after year after year and have a wonderful working relationship with them. I think people are going to be pretty surprised when they get out here how seamless it is going to look. I'll be available afterwards for questions, but we're excited to be back, and now I'm going to pass it over to our defending champion, who again, we're very appreciative of Anthony coming in. This is not the norm anymore for the defending champions to return for media day. So we thank you for doing that, Anthony, and I'm sure that we'll open it up for questions in a minute.
LEE PATTERSON: Just a few comments about the tournament if you don't mind.
ANTHONY KIM: I'm very excited to be back. This is a very special place for me because obviously I got my first win here, and that's something as a kid I know there's a couple in here right now, but you dream about every day, and that's why you practice. That's why you stay out until 6:00, 7:00 o'clock when it's dark and you're the last one there, because of that dream that one day you'll be able to win a PGA TOUR event. So this is a very special place for me.
I've felt ever since I've been here my first year and finished fifth that the fans and the sponsors have been behind me. So it's a great feeling to be back.
Q. Mac, in the three reasons you mentioned the tournament was solid, you said hospitality, sponsors, vendors and the golf course but no mention of the title sponsor. Do you have any indication about the brand that we see now, how many years that might stay on the tournament?
MAC EVERETT: Well, this is the Quail Hollow Championship, and we anticipate it will be the Quail Hollow Championship going forward. We have a title sponsor committed to its financial obligations under the contract.

Q. Can you just talk about what winning here last year did for you, and you followed it up at AT&T and the Ryder Cup? Did it transform you or take you to a different level?
ANTHONY KIM: It did. I know when I came out on TOUR I expected to win all the time and not have to work very hard. But I did put in quite a bit of work early last year, and to see the benefit of all the hard work was tremendous for me growing as a player, and I think that's the reason I won a couple weeks later and had a pretty good Ryder Cup, and I would say it was a pretty good year overall. But it did give me that confidence boost that I needed to keep playing well and keep believing that I belong out here and I am one of the top players in the world.
It's easy to think, but if you don't win, you never really get there.
Q. Kym mentioned that a lot of guys don't come back anymore when they're defending champs. Why was it important for you to come back and be here today?
ANTHONY KIM: This is a very special place for me. Even though this is somewhere I've won before, I enjoy coming back to this event. I remember when I was a rookie on TOUR, I was just so happy to get into this field, and I knew Tiger had won the event, I knew he was going to be here, I knew the best players in the world were going to be here. So when I step out on that first practice tee and see the guys that I've been watching and following my whole life and being on the range with them and having an opportunity to compete against them was very special.
There's not too many events where the top -- most of the top guys in the World Rankings are there. I thought it was very special, and it helped me grow to where I am now. So to be able to come back, it feels like home.
Q. Either Kym or Mac, you mentioned the kiosk at South Park. Can you kind of give us an update on where tickets are and where you think you'll end up by the time this tournament is here?
KYM HOUGHAM: Yeah, obviously the economy has affected us somewhat. We're seeing a change in the buying patterns this year from our people. We started our aggressive advertising about three weeks ago, and we've noticed a real uptick in the number of ticket sales. But we also felt that we needed to do something different, too, in these times. You know, if people want to go to South Park Mall and pick up their tickets, they can save the $10 from the shipping and handling.
We're trying to make it easy for them and do whatever we can. Different times causes us to do different things, and we're not going to put our heads in the sand and say everything is just fine, because we're being affected like everybody else. By the time the tournament comes around, I think we'll all be pleasantly happy with the way things come out.

Q. Anthony, you talked about the confidence boost that you got breaking through to win on the PGA TOUR. Can you talk about how much more of a boost you got winning against this field here as opposed to maybe winning an event that doesn't have such a stellar field?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, like you said, it was a great field. Obviously Tiger wasn't here, but other than that, most all the good players were here. It did give me a boost knowing that Tiger had won the year before. Growing up in Southern California, I put my name on some of the same trophies he has. He obviously has quite a few more, but I did experience that, and to do that at my first TOUR event and then win at his event as my second TOUR win was huge.
I think it does make you feel like you belong when you do win against a good field instead of maybe an opposite event. Not saying that's not a good field, but when you do play against the top-ranked players and get a W, it is very special.

Q. Anthony, everybody has been talking about the economy. Fellows like yourself out there every week, what are some of the things you're seeing that are different this year from years past that you can relate directly to wherever the economy is?
ANTHONY KIM: I'm not that smart, so I just let my business people take care of whatever business needs to be taken care of. I know that at one of the tournaments this year we didn't have courtesy cars, and I'm sure that will be the case, because from what I hear from people a lot smarter than me, the car industry is really having a tough time right now.
I've only played four events on the PGA TOUR this year, and I haven't seen too many things change.

Q. Anthony, there's some children here today from some different media outlets, and I think you've talked to them already, but if not, what kinds of things do you share with the young people about your experience of golf and what it might mean in their lives?
ANTHONY KIM: Well, it's tough, because the thing about when I was little, my experience might not be the same for somebody sitting over here. I don't know exactly what I could say, but you have to follow your dream, and that sounds really corny, but when people used to tell me, and I'm eight, nine, ten, eleven years old to follow your dream, I never would have thought that I would be sitting here in front of you guys and have won a couple PGA TOUR events and be living my dream.
I just try to emphasize that if you have a goal, if you keep working towards it, one day you'll get there if you work hard enough. I don't know what else I can say because we all come from so many different parts of the world and so many different situations and experiences that there's only one thing that my mom taught me, and it was just to keep following your dream. Luckily I got there, and hopefully some of the other kids will have the same success I had.

Q. Anthony, everyone is talking about the name change and everything to the tournament. Does it matter to you guys or is it the course that gets you guys here?
ANTHONY KIM: The name really doesn't make a difference. It's still at Quail Hollow, one of the best golf courses we play all year. I think that's one of the main reasons people come back. Obviously it's a well-run event. Kym and his staff do an amazing job of making us feel comfortable and doing everything they can to run a great event. But at the same time, the golf course is always in the best condition. The greens are fast. It has a major championship feel to it. Even though I've only played in six or seven majors, I have that same feeling when I putt these greens, when I chip to these greens. And I think that's the reason the final three holes are so tough, because it doesn't give you anything. Until you're done, you sign your card and you have a bottle of water after, then you realize that you've played a very tough golf course. It doesn't give you anything. You have to earn everything, and I think that's why the top players always come back.

Q. You talked about having a little shoulder issue this year and getting past that and I guess sort of working harder at it right now. Can you sort of update your year and where you are with that?
ANTHONY KIM: It's been very tough. I'm trying -- my goal this year was to be more patient than I was last year, and my goal my sophomore season was to be more patient than I was my freshman, my rookie year out here. I'm trying to stay patient. It's hard when you don't see the results, and I had a couple little injuries that have come from -- when do you ever think that you're going to cut your foot surfing? Little things like that have caught up to me. But I'm finally healthy, and I haven't been 100 percent in a long time.
I hired a full-time trainer this year, have a great team, and I'm looking forward to having some better results. Obviously I feel like I'm working harder than I have in a long time because I'm able to stay out there and practice and not feel like my shoulder is hurting or I have to put a new Band-Aid on my foot, anything like that. I'm getting back into the shape I want to be in to work hard and see some better results.
LEE PATTERSON: And today marks the longest stretch on the road for you.
ANTHONY KIM: It does. I just got done saying that I'm using this tournament last year as an example, and hopefully I can follow through on it. But this was my third event on the schedule last year as far as in a row, and I'm going to use this week at Bay Hill as my first event, play the Houston Open and play the Masters as my third one, so hopefully I'll have the same kind of luck.
Q. I see a number here that says that you are the leading scorer on this golf course. You average 69. What's interesting is Tiger Woods is 69.95, right behind you, second. My question to you is do you think the same thing could happen one day in the World Ranking?
ANTHONY KIM: That's a loaded question (laughter). Is this on the record? I'll tell you, I didn't know that. I'm very surprised. Tiger has done so much for the game, and I don't want to give you the same spiel as everybody else. Everybody knows how good he is, and he's obviously had quite a bit of success here, and I've only played here two years. My goal is to see how good I can be. If one day that means that I get to the top of the World Rankings, that's what it means. But to me once I start practicing as hard as I can and giving everything I can and dedicating myself fully to this game, I really don't worry about the results. It's going to happen.
I'm not saying the World Ranking is going to say "one" next to my name, but good results will happen, and I can live with that.
Q. If you could, could you give us a little bit of a breakdown of your practice versus play versus just pure talent? When you reach the level that you've reached, obviously there's a lot of practice involved in this, but how would you break down where pure talent comes in versus the time you spend practicing? Is it pure talent 50 percent, practicing 50 percent? Or where as far as your ability and your level of play go, where would you put that?
ANTHONY KIM: I don't know how much talent I really have. But that's a very tough question, because when I was growing up, my parents always told me it was 10 percent talent and 90 percent hard work. I don't know if I fully believe that now, but I think you have to be able to dedicate yourself to the game, no matter how much talent you have. I'm sure there's guys that didn't even make their high school team that are playing on the PGA TOUR right now and doing well. I don't know what I would say it is for me, but as far as a practice schedule is concerned, I think when I'm playing in tournaments, when I get there on a Monday, I'm practicing as hard as I can until the tournament comes up, and from then on I have a little warm-up routine and just play the event, because at that point there's not too much you can change. It's kind of like cramming for a test. I know quite a bit about that (laughter). I'm telling you it doesn't work; it's just something that I've gotten used to.
There's guys who practice 50 weeks a year. That's just not me. When I'm home, I like to be with my friends. I like to enjoy being 23 years old, and I do work hard out here, and I think everyone on the PGA TOUR does. But I like to definitely spend time with my dogs and be 23 and feel like I have a normal home life. So when I go home I put the sticks away, and I think that's pretty rare, but it works for me.
I have enough confidence in my game that when I show up to an event and I practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I'll be ready to tee it up on Thursday.
LEE PATTERSON: Thank you so much for coming. Thank you for being with us.

End of FastScripts

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