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WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2004

Todd Hamilton

KILKENNY, IRELAND

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Todd Hamilton, thank you for joining us for a couple minutes here. Great round today, first round 66, currently the leader in the clubhouse. If we could start with some opening comments on your day.

TODD HAMILTON: I played quite well on the front nine, drove the ball well. Of course we're playing the ball up, so it was nice to drive it in the fairway so you could wipe the mud off and place it in a nice lie. The putter felt good the whole day, putted quite well. If you can't putt on these greens, you can't putt, because the greens are spectacular.

The back nine, even though I scored well I didn't drive it as well as I would have liked to, although with the greens being soft, you can miss the fairways and still control the ball quite nicely. You may not be able to hit it close to the hole but it's going to stay on the green. As I said, I putted well the whole day.

Q. You said yesterday you were feeling a little bit tired. Have things improved today?

TODD HAMILTON: I got a nice night's rest last night. Actually with the late tee time, I slept pretty much well into the morning, so it was very needed, very nice to be able to do that. I've got a question for you guys. Who's leading the press putting tournament? Any leaders in here?

Q. Did you keep a score when you played it yesterday?

TODD HAMILTON: We just did a match play. I would have been horrible. I don't know what I did. My caddie says you'll probably putt one into the bunker or into the water. I said, You've got to be kidding me. You must not be very good of a putter. It's pretty easy to do that, and it wasn't very fast, either. Very tricky little course.

Q. Despite having fun out there, is it difficult to go from those greens onto those greens?

TODD HAMILTON: No, not really. That was more a fun -- I didn't take too much out of it. I actually got mad doing it over there, so I just erased that out of my mind. I like to play miniature golf or putt-putt when they've got orange boards on the side of the greens so it bounces back. That's a little tougher for me.

Q. Will you go through your birdies, please?

TODD HAMILTON: You know, I'm not sure.

2, I hit a good drive in the fairway, pitching wedge, not a very good shot, but I got lucky, carried the bunker, made about a 20-foot putt.

3 was an 8-iron. I hit quite nicely to about 12 feet just behind the hole, made a good putt there.

8, I hit a good tee shot in the fairway, laid up right at the end of the fairway, probably had 75, 80 yards, hit a lob wedge to about six or seven feet, made the putt for birdie.

14 was a par 3. I hit a good 6-iron to about 10 or 12 feet, made a putt there for birdie.

15, short par 4, hit a good shot I thought was in the fairway. It was about two steps into the left rough. I hit a sand wedge to maybe 25 feet, and that was the longest putt I made the whole day. I made it for birdie.

16, on any other course I would have been hitting my third from the tee. I hit it way left over by the tents, got a good lie, hit on the path, bounced back toward the green. Actually it was a perfect angle. Even though I was in the rough, I had maybe 110 yards to the hole, hit a sand wedge to approximately 15 feet, made that for birdie.

17, hit a good drive on the par 5 there, hit a Rescue club, which I use for a 2-iron, just on the far right-hand side of the green, maybe 50 feet, two-putted there.

Then bogeyed the last hole, didn't hit a very good drive, was in the rough and laid up in the rough, even though you don't like to make bogeys on any hole, especially the last hole, I think that hole is probably going to be played as the toughest one for the whole day, if not the whole tournament. At least I bogeyed a hard hole instead of an easy one.

Q. What was the best shot you played all day, Todd?

TODD HAMILTON: I think maybe a 6-iron I hit into 14. I was 3-under at the time, I kept looking at the board. Seemed like every time I looked, the leader was another birdie -- he got another birdie and was kind of widening the gap, at least between myself and him. I hit a good shot in there about 10, 12 feet, made the putt. Plus that started a run of four birdies in a row, so it was nice to continue after making that first birdie there, continue with three more.

Q. A lot of what you sort of said today and when you took that crazy golfer putting, seems like you've had fun even playing out here. Do you think you are different than the standard Tour player?

TODD HAMILTON: I paid attention two weeks ago on the telecast of the Ryder Cup. I assume you were rooting for Europe, weren't you? It seemed like your side was having a lot of fun. For me, playing golf in Japan for 12 years, to play for this amount of money on really nice golf courses, it's fun. The year that I've had, I knew I could do something like that, but I didn't think it would happen this fast as a rookie. This year has been quite fun, to be honest.

Q. Do you know much about Tiger's back?

TODD HAMILTON: You know, I heard on the TV it was his shoulder. I heard it was his back today. I heard he pulled a rib. I don't know actually what the deal is.

I heard he hurt it on his private flight over here. I guess you shouldn't fly privately (laughter).

Q. Did you see his score?

TODD HAMILTON: Quite nice. You know, even if the guy is healthy or hurt, he's got a big heart. He can be hitting the ball all over the place, which he's done a lot lately, and still shoot 2, 3, 4-under par. The guy never gives up, and that's why he's the champion that he is.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Todd Hamilton, thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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