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WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 1, 2004

Todd Hamilton

KILKENNY, IRELAND

JAMES CRAMER: We have Todd Hamilton joining us this afternoon with a 3-under par 69 today for a 9-under, 135 total.

Todd, we talked a little bit coming in about the different conditions we saw out there today. Perhaps you could get us started by talking a little bit about that.

TODD HAMILTON: Yeah, I've seen everything except snow today. The first probably six or seven holes was quite difficult. It looked like it was going to be nice starting off, although when we teed off it started pouring off the 1st hole. I took my rain suit off and probably two holes later it started raining again. It seemed like it was going to be that kind of a day at least for the first six or seven holes.

After that it turned out great. The wind died down pretty much until the very last hole, so it actually turned out to be quite nice.

Q. You said yesterday how much fun you're having playing in these big money events. Obviously with the conditions today, how much fun did you have out there?

TODD HAMILTON: Well, it's never fun to play golf in the rain and the wind unless you're doing well. I didn't really feel like I played that great today, but I hung in there and scored well, and I think that's what you need to do if you're going to win an event of this size with the players that are involved in it. You've got to make your rounds where you don't feel like you've hit the ball very well, you've got to make those even par, 2-under, 1-under.

I will say, the course, being as soft as it is, is going to lend itself to low scores, even if the wind picks up. The greens are putting awfully well. Because the course is soft, it's going to yield some low scores.

Q. Did you think a 64 out there today was odd?

TODD HAMILTON: That was very nice. That was pretty good. Anybody that gets their putter hot, you know, you're probably going to hit some good shots in there, whether it be a second shot on a par 5 and make a two-putt or hit some shots for tap-in birdies, if you get two or three of those -- when I say only, you have to get five more birdies, which that's quite conceivable for a guy like Ernie. Is that what he got, 8-under? That's right, he started at 3.

Q. Would you have liked to play with him tomorrow?

TODD HAMILTON: Would I have liked to have? It doesn't matter.

Q. You're not thinking about that at all?

TODD HAMILTON: No, he's probably got it in for me (laughter). He owes me one. I'm sure he'll be there at the end, so hopefully day after tomorrow we can be paired together in the final group.

Q. Ernie was saying that he's played on the European Tour for 13 years and is used to our weather. Would you like to get used to our weather?

TODD HAMILTON: Not really, no (laughter). Actually where I live, I live in north Texas, and the weather we saw here today is very similar to our weather in March and April, maybe a little bit warmer in April, but March is a very good month to see the weather that we saw here today. When it rains where I live, it doesn't stop for a while. Very rarely does it rain for five minutes, stop, rain again. If it rains, it'll rain for quite a while.

But I grew up in Illinois, so I don't mind the cooler temperatures. As I said, in Texas, it's very similar to the weather that we saw today, gets quite cold, especially January, February is awfully cold. But I wouldn't want to do it for 12 months out of the year, no.

Q. Is the weather a problem today or more of a nuisance?

TODD HAMILTON: I think more of a nuisance. It seemed like the first six, seven holes we were taking off jackets, putting on jackets, had the umbrella out, taking rain pants off, putting them back on, so it was more of a nuisance, plus we got told we were behind, and that makes you maybe speed up a little more than you'd want to.

Q. What hole was the warning?

TODD HAMILTON: I think he told us on 8.

Q. Did you tell him it's only one o'clock back in the States? What's the problem?

TODD HAMILTON: I told him we had to undress so many times. I know what it's like to be a woman.

I will say I've got more respect for you guys. I had to do some media stuff in New York and then I flew out to California a couple days after the Open Championship and they had me in the makeup room, so I've got a lot of respect for you girls now. That is not fun. And you've got to do it all on your own. I had people doing it for me.

Q. Was it a one-time thing?

TODD HAMILTON: I hope so. I hope it is.

JAMES CRAMER: Why don't we quickly go over your three birdies if we could.

TODD HAMILTON: I birdied No. 2. I hit a good drive down there, driver off the tee, punched an 8-iron. It was pretty windy when we played that hole. I hit an 8-iron to about seven or eight feet, made the putt for birdie.

8, I hit a very good drive there, second shot laid up with a 5-iron, hit pitching wedge, hit a terrible shot to about probably 35 feet, made probably the longest putt I've made in about a month, about a 35-footer there.

Then the other birdie was 10. Hit a good drive on 10, second shot was about 15 yards short of the green, pitched it up to about probably six feet, made that for birdie.

I had a lot of key up-and-downs early on in the round, about No. 6 and 7, and then I had a good up-and-down on 15 to keep my round going. I was buried in the bunker on 15, really didn't have much of a shot at the pin, so I played out to the left and got a nice kick through the rough and rolled down toward the hole and made the putt for par.

Q. How long was it?

TODD HAMILTON: Probably five, six feet.

Q. A pretty good feat today to go without a bogey?

TODD HAMILTON: I think so. Again, the course is playing soft, you can get away with hitting some stray drives because it's probably going to stay in the fairway. You get to tee the ball up in the fairway, which, as good a condition as the course is in, doesn't make that much difference on your full shots, but if you're short of the green in the fairway and you're chipping, that's where it really comes into play. That helps you out quite a bit.

Q. What's your -- relationship is probably too strong a word, but with Justin? Is he going out to Vaquero?

TODD HAMILTON: My house is going to be done in about two weeks. I think he's due December or January for moving in, and we're probably a par 5 and a par 3 away from each other. For Daly just a par 5.

Q. I have not been out there, but the little irony that you both are there, and two, the last two Open champions at Troon. I'm sure that's come up.

TODD HAMILTON: It would have been nice. If he could have won the PGA. We could have had two major championships all at the same club. As it is right now, we have the same trophy at the same club. Hopefully it'll happen again.

Q. Do you spend much time with him? Is he in a different age group?

TODD HAMILTON: We went to completely opposite schools. He went to Texas, I went to Oklahoma, but I don't hold that against him. As a first-year player I don't really hang around him much. I actually haven't seen him. He hasn't played as much as I have this year, and because he hasn't moved out there yet, I don't see him much when I'm at home. I imagine once we all get moved in out there, our paths will cross much more.

End of FastScripts.

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