DORAL-RYDER OPEN

March 4, 2000

Jim Furyk

JIM FURYK: Little tougher round today with the wind blowing, seemed like it changed direction a little bit out there, but wasn't blowing too hard that you couldn't go out and shoot a good score. Someone shot 7; was it Damron that shot -- that is a heck of a round today. I guess you saw the scores probably go up a little bit today. So I was happy. I thought the 4-under I shot was solid. Missed a few putts on the way in on 16 and 18 and one where I hit a decent putt, one where I hit a poor putt on 18. But still I have myself in position, I am not sure how Franklin finished up, but go out in the lead group tomorrow, get to see him play and get to see where the lead is.

JIM FURYK: Well, I have played with him quite a bit and from back in 1993. Both played on the Nike Tour. Played with him out here quite a bit. I know his game a little bit. He likes to hit the ball right-to-left, I think. Good solid player.

JIM FURYK: Well, I don't know. He is probably going to have a three or four shot lead, so maybe -- if we were going out there, heading out there even then maybe you'd have to go with experience but then again everyone has to win his first one. He is playing well right now; he is the guy to catch. I always like when I have had a lead or 3-shot lead going into Sunday, I always felt a heck of a lot more comfortable. I feel you have to shoot that much less to go out and win the golf tournament. Rest of us will be out there chasing him tomorrow. Have to see what he does.

JIM FURYK: I don't care either way actually.

JIM FURYK: I think if the weather is real good like it was on Thursday and Friday where you see some low scores then that is all going to depend on what Franklin shoots and/or how low he goes to see, but with guys shooting 61 and 62 then they can come from pretty far back. If the wind blows, might not be, you are not going to see any 61s or 62s with the wind blowing out here, so that might not go as far back but then again depends on what the leader does. The score Robert shot today he posted early. If someone did that and it was windy, it would be a tough score to catch out there.

JIM FURYK: I don't know if it really matters as far as -- I mean, eventually, during the day, one of us is going to have to go out there and put some heat on him if we want to win the golf tournament. He is playing great. Whatever 18, 19, 20-under par through three rounds which is super out here, so I don't think any of us have any reason to believe that he is going to play a bad round tomorrow. And when you -- if you let a guy just keep hitting it down the middle of the fairway knocking on the green and 2-putting, winning a golf tournament is tough. You have got to go out make some birdies, put some pressure on him. One of us is going to have to put some heat on him - hopefully it is me - and make some birdies.

JIM FURYK: I would say there are other courses throughout the Tour that I feel more comfortable on that I feel like really suit my game and I feel like I would definitely like to win an event there some day or that I would have the opportunity. I have played good rounds here. I think it is nice to go back to a place where you made a lot of birdies and shot a low number. It is better than going to a place where you keep missing the cut year after year, you quit going to those places because you have a bad thought right when you get on The First Tee. I like the layout here; always liked the design of the course. It is kind of not a -- it is very flat, but it is not real typical of a Florida golf course with -- still kind of has a little bit of an older feel and you think of more -- most of the golf courses in Florida now are younger, '70s, '80s, '90s courses, this kind of gives you a little bit more feel with the greens, a lot of them sloping from back to front; it gives you more of a feel of courses that I grew up on.

JIM FURYK: I think it depends all on the individuals. If you are a high-strung guy then it might, yeah, might eat at you a little bit. If you are a real calm, laid back, relaxed guy, I don't think it -- I don't think it is such a big deal. I know that one of my favorite things to do is sleep at times, so I have never had a problem sleeping, but of course, I definitely get -- I have been uptight, I have been nervous the night before and for me rather than -- I normally don't talk very much - Tabatha will probably say - if I am tired or nervous I probably don't speak that much. I am real quiet and reserved, to myself, and things are running through my mind about what I want to do the next day.

JIM FURYK: I was -- every time I have won Vegas I was leading going into the last round.

JIM FURYK: Hawaii I might have been one or two back. I played in the leader group, I was maybe one or two back with Faxon and Stricker is who I played with. I want to say I was one or two back at the time.

JIM FURYK: It is all relative. To make it more of an accomplishment, I would say, no. I don't think it makes it any less of an accomplishment, either. It is still relative to what the rest of the field is shooting. If you shoot 20-under and the rest of the field shoots 10 it's a heck of an accomplishment. If everyone is right there with you, a win is a win, I don't care if it's 30-under or even par. Still have to beat everyone else.