THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

May 23, 2002

Bob Tway

JOHN BUSH: We're pleased to be joined by Bob Tway.

Congratulations on a great round, obviously you felt comfortable out there.

BOB TWAY: Well, on some shots anyway. Today I got off to a great start. I made about a 20-footer at the first hole.

Second hole made about a 10-footer. So to get off to a start like that it calms you down. I hit a nice shot at 3, 10 feet.

BOB TWAY: Made that. I never birdied the first three holes here so that was awfully nice. I hit two good shots at 5, and made another birdie. So like I say, I got to have to a very good start.

JOHN BUSH: Questions?

Q. Did you say you've never birdied the first three holes?

BOB TWAY: Well, here. I guess have I sometimes, but here, no, I haven't.

Q. Is it a little different to play it when it's not lift, clean and place and you're not wearing rain clothes and under an umbrella?

BOB TWAY: Yeah, we were talking about it. I just wish that more often we got a chance to play this golf course like this. It's not extremely fast. A couple years we have played when it was. But most of the time, like you say it's very, very wet. But right now the greens are holding.

The greens seem to be a little bit different texture than I remember them. They're more sandy or something, so they I think they're holding a little bit more. But the fairways are running a little bit so you can hit some different clubs off the tees. When it's raining it's pretty much just stand there and hit a driver every hole and now you can position the ball, hit some irons, 3-woods and drivers. So I think you have to think more and I think the golf course plays more like it's supposed to whether it's dry.

Q. Do you notice the ball spinning less on the greens when you hit it?

BOB TWAY: Yes, it's -- that's what I said. I don't know what's the difference. I know the substructure seems more sandy. So the ball is hitting and kind of stopping as opposed to hitting and spinning back or hitting and bouncing forward. It's a different texture. And in some ways, like into the wind, it's kind of a helpful. Because you're not afraid of that ball sucking back a whole lot. So from that standpoint it's nice. I don't really know why it is. But it's kind of what's happening.

Q. 9 used to be like that. If you hit it too close to the front on 9 it would do that.

BOB TWAY: Especially today with the wind blowing very hard in the fairways I had to chip out. I hit a pitching wedge from a hundred yards and in the back of my mind I'm saying, "You better play this pretty far past the hole because it will come back in the water." And it just kind of hit and stopped. Which is a little unusual.

Q. Bob, '89's a while ago, is there like a statute of limitations on feeling confident or is that so long ago it doesn't matter any more?

BOB TWAY: I hope there's isn't a statute of limitations on confidence. A lot has happened in between that time. There's no doubt about it in my career. But regardless if I hadn't won here, I really enjoy coming here every year. There's just some places that you enjoy playing more than others. Maybe because of the golf course or whatever it is. But obviously I have fond memories here. But I really look forward to this event. I really look forward to Colonial and Harbour Town and Riviera and this one because I think the golf courses are better golf courses. And I think you just enjoy coming to places like that. Plus they treat you so great here. But you just have, I don't know, a more enjoyable time playing the golf course.

JOHN BUSH: Any more questions? Can we get you to take us through your birdies real quick.

BOB TWAY: Well, I made the birdie on 5, hit a 5-wood on there and 3-putted.

Then I bogeyed number 9. And pardon 10, pardon 11.

Let's see, next birdie was on 14. I hit a nice sand wedge about six, seven feet behind the hole and made that.

And then I hit a nice drive and a really nice 5-wood into 15. Stopped about a foot from the hole.

I drove it left on 17. The left bunker. But I had a nice lie and hit a pitching wedge. Straight downwind to about 15 feet. And then I made that one. So I hit some nice shots on the backside a couple times I missed the greens. I was able to get up-and-down. So that was kind of the key. I missed some shots but salvaged par and then had a couple really nice shots and took advantage of them.

Q. How long was that 5-wood at 15?

BOB TWAY: I had 218 to the front and the pin was on 14 or 15, I believe.

Q. It was about 15 feet?

BOB TWAY: The pin was on 15. So it was like 233, I think total.

Q. What hole was that?

BOB TWAY: 15.

Q. What happened on the bogey?

BOB TWAY: On 9, I drove it in the right rough and had to lay up short of the water and hit it on the green and 3-putted.

Q. I was noticing you had made like 10 straight cuts. But you have a couple top-10s, I was curious how you would describe your year.

BOB TWAY: Well, at the start of the year I didn't play all that well. I've been very pleased with how I've played the last couple months. I played poorly on Sunday a couple times when I had a chance to play well. And I don't know I finished what, 22nd at the Nelson and 12th last week. And didn't play very good on the weekend. So I haven't been disappointed in how I've been planing I've been disappointed in I've been finishing. But I've enjoyed how I've hit the ball. I've putted as well as I think I can. The Sunday of Byron Nelson I putted extremely well and I putted better last week. I putted very well today. So in order to play well you have to putt well. And the last three weeks that's kind of started to get much better. So I'm not disappointed in the year, I just -- it's kind of a fine line between if you feel a little better on Sunday, all of a sudden the year's get a whole lot better.

Q. Speaking of making cuts, the guy that hasn't missed one in awhile, Tiger is like 1-over on the 15th. Do you take note of that, does that change things if you don't see his name even out here on Saturday?

BOB TWAY: Well, I don't know. Every time if he shoots 1-over today he's going to shoot 7-under tomorrow so it doesn't really matter. The guy's done so much stuff that I never thought was capable of doing in this game that I just, I'm just thoroughly impressed every time he does it. And sometimes shocked. But any more I just expect it.

Q. What's the biggest surprise, that Tiger's 1-over through 15 or that Jack was 1-under for the day?

BOB TWAY: Well I don't know that either one of them are a huge surprise. I'm glad Jack shot -- I didn't realize he shot 1-under. But obviously if Jack's healthy he's going to play good golf. The man's too good. I know it's disappointing for him to not be healthy where you can play. So I just hope he gets back to healthy again and we see him a whole lot more.

Tiger being 1-over, I don't know, I think it would be difficult to fly to Germany and win a tournament and fly back and play good. But he doesn't seem to have any trouble. But like I say, he probably shoots 65 tomorrow.

Q. Obviously he's won the last three years and it's been relatively soggy and it's going to favor someone long and high. You talked earlier about when it drys a little bit and you have to really think your way around it. Does it open it up a little more do you suspect? I know it's just one round, but?

BOB TWAY: I think it might. I think you might have more guys have a chance to win because some of the shorter hitters can go ahead and hit driver and get down there. You would like to be hitting shorter irons to these pins and these greens. So if they're able to get the ball down farther then, yeah, I think it probably brings more people into play. It's kind of like Augusta I think the longer you get, the less other people have a chance to win. But now, when it's firmer here I think you probably do have more people with a chance. But he's going to play good no matter what it is.

Q. You mentioned that -- what do you have in your bag, one, four and five woods?

BOB TWAY: One, three, five.

Q. Three, five. Okay. Have you ever had a 7-wood?

BOB TWAY: No. I got my 5-wood when I hit 40. Maybe when I hit 50 I'll get myself a 7-wood.

Q. Is there any truth to that at all? Turning 40?

BOB TWAY: I don't know, I just got to where my 2-iron wouldn't go in the air. It comes in so hot that it doesn't do any good. So I said, maybe I better get something with a little more loft. So maybe when my three iron starts going too low I'll get a 7-wood.

Q. Do you think it's been a bit of a macho thing?

BOB TWAY: For long irons?

Q. No, no, no. Well yeah, I guess so. Or, I mean, we didn't see a lot of 5-woods, then you look at the Masters and --

BOB TWAY: I think golf courses have changed. You used to be able to run the ball up. You can't do that any more. So like last week in the wind you probably had more guys using some long irons just because you keep the ball down. But now our game is played in the air. Hitting a low 2-iron just does you no good, except off a tee occasionally. So you got to bring the ball in from upstairs. And there's not many guys who can hit a 2-iron straight up in the air. So you got to have a 5-wood or 7-wood and I think you'll see more of it. I don't think not because of a macho thing, just because the conditions are such that you need to bring the ball in.

Q. Somebody mentioned before, '89's awhile ago, but do you remember what the weather was like? Was it like this?

BOB TWAY: I know it was on the weekend. We got rain on Friday night because I think we were going to play two's and we went to three's on Saturday. And I think that we may even have not got finished or -- well I think we did get finished, but we had three's again on Sunday. So we definitely had weather problems. I think we played lift, clean and place on Saturday and Sunday. I know one day, maybe both. But it was wet.

Q. Weather problems here?

BOB TWAY: I know it was a few and far between, but occasionally we get them.

Q. Curious, that little bounce you do with your legs over the ball. What's that do for you? How did that start?

BOB TWAY: I don't know. I guess it's just being tall, I get a little bit squattier with my legs. And I guess I just kind of -- that's just how I kind of get there. My little girl makes fun of me. She will walk into the living room and she will start going up-and-down and swinging. I said, what are you doing? She said, I saw you doing it, daddy. I didn't notice it until she started making fun of me. I guess it's kind of a comfort thing. It's just kind of how I feel how my legs should go. I guess you do some things different when you're six four.

Q. How soon did you get tall?

BOB TWAY: I didn't get tall until I was in college. I got to college I was six foot and then I grew four more inches in college.

Q. How old is your little girl?

BOB TWAY: She's eight.

Q. She's five eight.

(Laughter.) That is pretty preceptive of her, isn't it to pick that up?

BOB TWAY: Yes, it is. No doubt about that.

JOHN BUSH: Anything else? Bob, nice round today. Thank you.

BOB TWAY: Thank you all. I appreciate it.

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