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THE PRESIDENTS CUP

September 13, 1996

Peter Thomson

LAKE MANASSAS, VIRGINIA

WES SEELEY: Why don't we begin with Peter Thomson. Why don't we get your thoughts on the day to begin.

PETER THOMSON: Go ahead.

Q. Love/Couples, Norman/Allenby, talk about how that came out and how that affects your team.

PETER THOMSON: Well, it was unsuccessful, wasn't it? I must praise the play of Couples and Davis Love. They played superbly. And I think I don't know anybody could have beaten them today.

Q. The International Team was in the same position as it was two years ago, seven and a half, two and a half. There's a long way to climb. Are you going to do anything differently tomorrow?

PETER THOMSON: Play better, I hope. We're in trouble, I admit that and all my team does. But we intend to try to turn things around. It's possible. Our fellows were not putting well, at least they weren't putting well today. Each one of them will have a deep think about that and see if they can change that. And if they do change that, I think we can, we'll absolutely reverse this portion, because it's really only on the greens where the matches have been lost.

Q. I guess just Fred and Davis were talking about how Robert and Greg had never really played together before. Are you considering maybe a match or pairing up Nick and Greg, who are so close and have played a lot of golf together or what kind of shake-ups are you looking at?

PETER THOMSON: I've considered about everything and I find that nothing is better than another thing. So as you see, I'm going with the two of them again tomorrow morning. They've been, I think, a little unlucky running into those two. I don't think they played that poorly together. There's nothing wrong with the combination. It was just their putting.

Q. Peter, Nick Price does not seem to be well on form at this point. Are his sinuses bothering him? Does he seem like the same player that you normally expect to see?

PETER THOMSON: No. I asked him and he said he's perfectly fit. He feels no debility of any kind.

WES SEELEY: We're joined by Arnold Palmer and the draw for tomorrow approaches, literally. Let's get your views on that for a moment.

Q. Peter, talking about your players putting, are they having problems reading the greens or just having problems with their strokes or is it the speed?

PETER THOMSON: They're having problems picking where to putt and how hard to hit it, that's what it is. And I don't blame them, because these are very unusually difficult greens, for the reason of the slopes.

Q. Well, will you have any kind of team meeting tonight or what kind of --

PETER THOMSON: Yes, we're dining together.

Q. Any inspirational thoughts for them?

PETER THOMSON: We are hoping so. (Laughter) It will come out of a bottle. (Laughter).

WES SEELEY: Mr. Palmer, do you have some thoughts on the day that you'd like to share?

ARNOLD PALMER: Well, I was pretty happy with my guys' play today. I had some very pleasant results that didn't surprise me, but made it a pleasant day. Kenny Perry performed very well and this is his first shot. David Duval has been very strong. Couples and Love, pretty much as expected. I didn't think the second match that they probably -- as it was coming up the 18 that looked like it was going to be a half, and probably should have. O'Meara and Duval pleased me. Corey Pavin, as we all know, is just a scraper. And I'm pleased. I'm pleased with the overall. I was a little surprised that Lehman and Stricker lost this afternoon. I think they're a strong team.

Q. I see you've changed your teams around some for tomorrow. Can I assume you never gave much thought to breaking up Love and Couples?

ARNOLD PALMER: When I have a team winning and they want to play, it would be pretty foolish for me to take them apart when I'm trying my -- my overall objective is to win the matches. They feel ready and that pleases me and they're winning, so as I did with David Duval and Mark O'Meara, they had a good day, I'm letting them shoot.

Q. Arnold, I believe Davis Love indicated they told you a time that they would prefer to play, a tee time. Is that the way they were sent out for tomorrow? Did you put them down first or second?

ARNOLD PALMER: I put them as close as I could within -- with what Peter and I were doing as to what they were wishing, yes.

Q. Was that your thing that he countered or his thing that you countered?

ARNOLD PALMER: It was mine. I was following and that was my choice, actually.

Q. For Arnold, how do you guard your team against overconfidence at this point?

ARNOLD PALMER: Well, I give them credit for being smarter than that. They are playing guys that they know that they're good and all they need to do is miss a putt or make a mistake and it could be the turn in the whole match. It's that close. So I think, as I say, I think they're just smarter than to be selfconfident or overconfident.

Q. Arnold, would you talk about the match between Perry Leonard and Frost and Price who experiencewise really looked out-gunned, but it turned out to be the opposite. Is that a big match for you?

ARNOLD PALMER: From this afternoon? Well, I have some thoughts about that. I don't think Nick Price is feeling really top physically and I think Kenny Perry performed very well, that's kind of where I find that.

Q. Peter, would you comment on that?

PETER THOMSON: No. That's got nothing to do with me.

Q. Mr. Palmer, what did the President have to say?

ARNOLD PALMER: Which President?

Q. President Clinton?

ARNOLD PALMER: President Clinton was thrilled to be here and I think all of us were thrilled to have him. I think when a President of the United States sees fit to come out and condone an event like this I think that's a great thing for the event. We're all here because it's a great sporting event and it's something that we would like to see grow in stature throughout the world and I think President Clinton being here will help that.

Q. Peter, your sense for yourself and for the players on your team and all the dignitaries, the American presidents, other dignitaries here, does that really give this a special sense of class that maybe you didn't even anticipate when you got here that all these special people would be here?

PETER THOMSON: It gives it a special sense of class, sure. But that's what I anticipated.

End of FastScripts....

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