BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 29, 2003

Bob Tway

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Bob Tway into the interview area, 9-under par 63 today.

Bob, excellent play. Last week, 76-71 at Phoenix and missed the cut. What's the difference a week later?

BOB TWAY: I think the biggest difference is two rounds playing there and a few more practice rounds on the weekend and coming over here and playing. I think I had not played for about three months, and even though I practiced in the off-season, it still wasn't the same as playing tournaments.

I just wasn't ready to play last week. I thought I came out early to Phoenix, but it wasn't enough.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Talk about your play today.

BOB TWAY: I was very pleased. I've always enjoyed coming to this tournament. This year, the weather is phenomenal. We always talk about how good the weather is, but it's even better. It's even warmer and the ball is going farther. So you are going to see some very, very low scores. I'm just pleased to get off to a good start.

Q. So what did you do for three months when you weren't playing?

BOB TWAY: I spent a lot of time with my kids. You know, I didn't play from Callaway Gardens until last week, and it was really the longest time I had ever been home in one stretch. Like everybody, I practiced a little bit, worked out, and went skiing a little bit.

But mainly I saw a lot of basketball practices and basketball games and things we don't get to do as often as we would like. From that standpoint it was great.

I didn't feel like I wasn't going to play good last week, I just needed some competitive rounds to get back into it.

Q. Did you come here right after Phoenix after you missed the cut?

BOB TWAY: No. I actually stayed at Desert Mountain and played on Saturday and Sunday, and came here on Sunday and played a couple of more days.

I think just playing -- like when I'm home, I don't play that much. I just hit balls. I think coming out and playing golf courses and playing golf just helped a little bit.

Q. Since hopefully you will be around Sunday for the final, which is here, would you rather play this course first, or does it matter?

BOB TWAY: I have never found it made that much difference. I was actually surprised, this golf course, I played it yesterday and I thought the greens were very slow and pretty soft. And then today, they weren't. They speeded them up quite a bit.

So I think they are more in tune with all of the rest, whereas yesterday, they weren't. I think from that standpoint, I think they all will be pretty firm and pretty fast so it probably doesn't make that much difference.

Q. There's been a lot of talk since this season began that 59 is going to become a common number, or maybe not a common number, but people are going to see 59s out here left and right. Do you think there's any reason to believe that there's going to be some kind of scoring explosion out of the ordinary, this year in particular?

BOB TWAY: The only talk about 59s I've seen is from the media. I have not seen it from the players. (Laughing).

I don't know, maybe you guys are thinking we're better than we are. I don't know. But I think guys are definitely getting better, there's no doubt about it. People are stronger. They work harder. The equipment is a big part of it.

I think you just have a lot of factors that are why the scores are going to be lower. Now, 59 being an everyday occurrence, I don't think so. But it's awfully difficult to make that many putts and to play that good for a whole round.

I remember when David shot 59 here at this golf course; I played with him that day. You know, I shot 72 and felt like I was shooting 80. That was a very special round. You know, I remember how it happened. He just played phenomenally.

But I just don't think it's going to be an everyday occurrence, I really don't. Even on golf courses like this where the weather is good, you may see one; I don't know. But it's very difficult to do. That's why you've had so few of them.

Q. When you shot 62 two years ago, where was that, and how close did you come that day?

BOB TWAY: I don't really remember where I was. (Laughter.)

Q. It was the second round of this tournament.

BOB TWAY: I must have been at Indian Wells, maybe. I don't even remember, quite honestly. I assume it was there because that's usually where the lower rounds are.

Like I said, I shot 61 quite a few years ago at Disney, and that's the lowest I think I've shot on TOUR, and I never really thought about 59 there, either. So I guess I've never been that many under early enough.

I'm choking shooting 63, anyways. (Laughing).

Q. You shoot 63 today and that's a great round, and yet you know by Sunday it's probably going to need to be 30, 32, something like that --

BOB TWAY: It's going to be low.

Q. What's your mindset in that regard? Is it like, "Okay, I shot 63, but I had to shoot 63"?

BOB TWAY: I'm not saying that you have to shoot 63. But you know each day, if you're going to be in contention at the end of the week, that you need to shoot a good score. To me, 66, 67 is a good score, but you need to have maybe some lower ones, too.

I don't know what's going to happen this week, but you know that with the weather like this, that the scores are going to continue to be low. I don't know when it's going to be, and it really doesn't matter to me, because I'm just going to go out and try to do the same things that I do every single day.

They are all cliches, but I think that's all just how we have to play golf, just drive the ball well, hit the greens and make the putts. I just can't think low and go low. I haven't been able to do that yet.

Q. Do you enjoy playing in a tournament like this where you know players are going to be shooting low pretty much every day?

BOB TWAY: I think the golf courses are conducive to shooting low. We know they are all in great shape and we know we can reach the par 5s. The scores are going to be low.

Now, would I like to do this every single week? No. I really prefer playing golf courses, maybe not quite as hard as The Open, I think if we did that every week, we would be fried. Maybe something in between, like a Riviera or Hilton Head or Memorial, where most of the time the scores don't go real, real low. But if you shoot a 72, it's not like you've shot yourself in the foot.

Q. The season is so long now, the three months off, did that help you mentally recharge? It must be exhausting after a certain period of time.

BOB TWAY: I don't think I was exhausted after last year. I always enjoy playing golf, so I always look forward to doing it. I either didn't have anything to play or didn't really try to find anything to play in the off-season.

I'm 43, and my kids are at a great age. My son is 14 and my girl is 9, so they have a lot of activities going on. It was just a chance for me to be able to be home where I didn't really have to go play anywhere. It was just kind of a fun time to get to see a lot of things that I miss sometimes.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Can we go through the card real quick?

BOB TWAY: Sure.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Started on 10, and eagle on 11.

BOB TWAY: I hit a very nice drive and a 5-iron to about five feet. So I got off to a good start.

Hit a 5-iron to the par 3, the next hole, about 25 feet behind the hole and made that. So it was a very nice putt.

I actually hit the ball -- I was very pleased with how I hit the ball the back side. I didn't make anymore birdies until 18. I hit a good drive and a 4-iron and 2-putted for birdie. You know, that's kind of, you think about the par 5s, I hit a 5-iron and a 4-iron, and I'm not one of the longest guys out here. I am hitting a little bit further, but when guys are hitting those, you're going to make some birdies.

My back side, the front side, I hit a nice wedge at 1 and made about a 10-footer.

Second hole was a par 5. I hit it just short of the green, chipped up and made about a 10-footer.

Birdied 4. Made a long putt about 25 feet.

The par 5, 6, just off the green in two and chipped it to about five feet, and made that.

The eighth hole was a sand wedge to about four feet and made that.

9 was a very nice save. I kind of pushed my 7-iron a little bit right on the fringe and didn't think I would have much of a putt; and then I got up there and I really had no putt at all. I had to kind of chip it over the fringe, and I could not go any higher because of the sprinklers, so it rolled down about ten feet away. But fortunately I made that putt to kind of have a better feeling in your stomach, I guess.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Thank you.

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