JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC

January 27, 2004

Shaun Micheel

GORDON SIMPSON: Shaun, you've played a lot in Asia before but not actually in Thailand itself.

SHAUN MICHEEL: No, I've played it seems like just about everywhere else, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Calcutta, but as far as Bangkok, just transiting. I'm happy to be here.

GORDON SIMPSON: What have you been doing over the winter?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I haven't had much of a break. Following the season-ending tournament, which was the first or second week of November, it was more -- I had a tournament with Chad Campbell. He and I paired up together in Greg Norman's tournament and did very well. Then I went into the Grand Slam of Golf with Mike and Jim and Ben. And right after that, it was off to Tiger's tournament. So that concluded right before our Christmas. I had about 18 or 19 days off between the start of the new year.

I enjoyed it. It was important for me to play and compete more so than any other year. I've never had the opportunity to do it. I thought that was a lot better for my game to compete, because would I have taken all of November after probably and not even touched a club. So it was nice to have a chance to play.

Q. Have you found yourself widely recognized outside of the golf course?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yeah, I'm a little bit amazed people recognize us without our hats on because we do look different in street clothes. Yeah, I think that's been a pretty big adjustment for me is being a little bit more recognized. It's nice. I enjoy it. I think the people in the United States, they are a little bit more starstruck than I think a lot of fans, golf fans around the world. You hear people snickering, "there's Shaun" and "there's Ben" and "Thomas Bjorn" or whatever; and people in the United States are more enamored with people, as opposed to what they have done.

It has been a big adjustment. I've had to really pay attention to some of the things that I've said. I'm a pretty outspoken person. I think I have had to kind of reel that in a little bit more and maybe try to recognize my responsibility besides to me and to the PGA TOUR. There's a lot of little children out there, and sometimes the heat of the moment you say things or things come out in the media that you have to be maybe a little bit more aware of.

So in that respect being a little bit more recognized has kind of thrown caution to the wind a little bit. I have to pay a little more attention to it, how I associate myself.

Q. Has anyone recognized you this week?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Not so far. I'm just another ex-pat over here.

GORDON SIMPSON: What's the plan for this year? Have you got a very definite schedule in mind or are you going to see how it comes?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I don't really have a schedule. Through the Masters I'm pretty well set. I was looking forward to maybe going and playing in Singapore, but it's not going to work out with its proximity to The PLAYERS Championship.

You know, I'm going to play up through the Masters and then play Hilton Head, and after that, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I have a couple opportunity for off-course stuff back at the university where I went to school that I am probably going to participate in, which don't really involve golf. But other than that, up through about the second or third week of April I'm pretty well set.

Q. What will you do at the University?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Well, I went to school at Indiana University, and we have a little thing, it's called the little 500 and it's a fraternity race, bicycle race. It's kind of silly. It's based on the movie Breaking Away, a 1970s movie. When I was in school, it was always in April. I was always -- in Akron, Ohio at Firestone, we were always there and I never had the chance to go be a part of it. It was something that I think all of us at IU want the to be a part of.

They have invited me to come back to be the grand marshal. And what that entails I don't really know, but "ladies and gentlemen, start your engine" sort of thing and maybe speak a little bit on some of the things that happened after University. I haven't had the chance to do too many of those things yet because I've been so busy playing golf. To actually do something away from golf is something that I'm looking toward to.

Q. Inaudible?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Of course it had more significance than anything else. A lot of the shots that I thought were quality shots but nothing than meant anymore than what happened at Oak Hill.

Q. Inaudible?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I have a whole new sense of pressure now. I think before that, I was so concerned with keeping my playing privileges. You can good back and look down the stats, I don't think I've ever finished higher than 104. Not because I didn't play well, but I wasn't as consistent as I could have been. So the exemption is going to afford me the opportunity to improve and maybe tidy up some of the areas in my golf swing that I've always been wanting to work on that I think has kind of kept me from being more consistent of a player.

So not having to send in my qualifying tournament application in in August is probably the biggest source of relief for me right now.

You know, in five years, that's going to go very quickly, I understand that. I've seen a lot of guys that have won, say a regular Tour event and to keep their card. I tell you something, it's not much fun. It's fun from January to June to July when you're out there your buddies playing on the European Tour, PGA TOUR, Asian Tour, whatever you playing, and you get to June or July and I realized you've only made 150,000 you have 300,000 more to go. Where did the six months go? It just quickly goes by.

So I'm well aware of that. I'm taking the time now to try to really set some goals down for what I want to accomplish swing-wise, and so that's really what I've been doing. I'm very thankful for the five-year exemption. I wish it was ten but I do see why it is five years. I mean, ten years is a long time.

Q. Inaudible?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I suppose it did. I played the Tour in '94, lost my card; '97 lost my card. When you miss it the second stage of qualifying school, you don't even have an opportunity to play the Nationwide Tour. So you're kind of out on your own. My manager, I have a good friend of mine, Charlie Wie who has played over here a number of years, last year in Japan, a very good player and we have the same manager. Nd he said you know what, let's go to Asia. At that time, the Omega Tour had just maybe been one or two years old. I think John Ramlin knew a lot of guys that had played.

So I packed up, had to enter the first stage of qualifying in Kuala Lumpur, made it through that. And then going into the second qualifying stage, they only allowed so many non-Asians to play for a tournament, it may be 20 or 30 non-Asians to play. So I was kind of battling a lot of the other guys that had been playing, some of the Aussies and so forth that had been playing.

And I came over and did that and made it through there and got into the first few events and made some decent money. Then over the summer they took a pretty lengthy break, probably from May or June through August and I think maybe won the first or second tournament back in the summer was Singapore. I had just gone out and started playing well and I broke 60 for the first time in my course in Memphis, and it was no big deal, it was a fun thing to do. I came over, got engaged the week before I came to Singapore; so I had that kind of going for me.

Then came over and played a flawless four days of golf. I remember I only had two bogeys the entire week of the Singapore open, at the resort right next to the airport. I think I played maybe 16-under or so.

Just got a whole new sense of confidence, I think. You learn to play golf by traveling, because that's a big part of playing. I know a lot of friends and they go from course to course to play in tournaments but you don't learn to play that way.

In a way, I think being over here took a little pressure off because I wasn't having to read the newspapers in the United States, seeing all of my friends how much money they were making how successful they were being and vice versa, they had no idea what I was doing. With the advent of the Asian Tour PGA Web site that changed a little bit.

But it was good for me to get away and just focus on what I needed to focus on. I was not getting to the point where I wanted to give it up. Everyone kept asking me where my drive or motivation and my motivation was the PGA TOUR. So I owe a lot of credit to Dave Parkin and John Ramlin still what they are trying to do with the Asian Tour. I appreciated the opportunity to play. They made me earn it, of course and when I look back, I think in the beginning I felt not slighted because they made me go to the first qualifying site; I just played the PGA TOUR. And when I look back at it now, if so, what, what does that matter; I didn't play very well.

So I earned my spot on the Asian Tour. And I'm happy to be back and I hope they are happy to have me back.

Q. What are your thoughts on this course?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I played nine holes yesterday's. I had seen and heard with the rounds that Tiger Woods had, what did he shoot, 25-under or something around here. I stepped to the 10th tee and just walking to the tee, I noticed how deep the rough was. When you look out there, you can see it. The fairways are extremely narrow, much narrower than I think I've played in a long time. I think you are going to find some pretty high scores this week.

But I played the Mercedes and I played the Sony and I told my caddie, Bob, yesterday, I said this course beats both of those hands down. Design-wise I think it has a very nice look to it. It's very difficult, the way they shape the fairways and the way they brought the rough in. The greens are a little more undulated than I guess I would have expected for bermudagrass. Typically you see rolling hills on bentgrass greens. But they are a nice speed.

But from tee-to-green, the course is impeccable. I hope that there are plenty of spotters out there this week, and you can make for a long four days if you're looking for your golf ball.

It's really consistent, I have to say. The rough is pretty consistent. There's a few holes out there that if you're in the rough, you've got some forced carries over the water and it will make it very difficult. So you will not see 25-under winning this week.

Q. What's the state of your game right now?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Well, it's okay. I played the two tournaments in Hawaii. I finished 13th and 20th which is respectable. But they are just -- the Sony Open, I didn't drive the ball very well. So when I stepped up to the 10th tee yesterday, I explained to Bob how important it was to get the ball in the fairway. And that's probably what I'm going to be working on the next couple of days is just my 3-wood and my driver, trying to get it in play.

But I feel very comfortable. It different. I'm going from golf course to golf course, and each golf course has its own challenges and differences. The greens are a little bit lower here than what I'm used to. I know it's only Tuesday and I'm sure they are going to get a little quicker each day. But I feel pretty about it. I'm chipping the ball well and they have got a lot of little chip-in areas around the greens. You're going to be tested this week from tee-to-green. You're not going to find somebody that's going to drive it all over the golf course and make every putt and win the golf tournament.

The guy that wins is going to be the guy that's consistent off the tee and into the green. I feel by Thursday I'll be ready to contend.

Q. (Inaudible.)

SHAUN MICHEEL: We managed to make it today. I'm happy to be staying in the city center. There's a lot of good Thai restaurants around down there and good places to walk. Of course you have the famous or infamous Phat Phong Street. My caddie is a little -- he's kind of a -- he's a simple person. I asked him to ride in the front seat today because I wanted him to see what traffic and everything, what hazards we were avoiding on the drive here. There's a million motorcycles out there, driving in and out. So, it's fine. I mean, I understand that they want to do nice things for certain players. It's a little ostentatious I think, so to speak, but I want to make sure that I make my tee time. So at least getting out of the city, I'm happy to have him.

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, as you say, make sure you make your tee time. Good luck and thanks very much.

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