HSBC WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

October 14, 2003

Shaun Micheel

SCOTT CROCKETT: Shaun, thanks for coming in. We heard you coughing there. How is the health? You haven't been too well the last couple of weeks; how is your health?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I'm doing fine. I've been holding on to this cold for about a month, I guess. Something is going around the Tour, I think. I was in Muline (ph) a couple weeks after the PGA, something that we all get, but it's kind of been dragging on for a while, and the flying doesn't help it. No, I feel great.

SCOTT CROCKETT: You just got in this morning. How are you feeling now?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yeah, I postponed my trip by one day. I went to the doctor last week and wanted to postpone it just by one day. I'm happy to be here. It was a nice flight over and I'm certainly ready to get back to work.

SCOTT CROCKETT: How is the game? How are you feeling going into the week?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I think it's okay. The tournament in Atlanta beat me up quite a bit, as it did quite a few players. I don't recall how many people actually finished under par but I wasn't one of them. (Laughter.) It's been a long time since I was 13-over and didn't feel too badly about the way I played. It was just very indicative of the golf course, I think.

I did that, and I got home and then I got on a flight to Vegas, spent three nights in Vegas. So part of my sickness is probably just because I'm running around but that's okay. They are all good things.

I don't know how my game is doing. We'll see. I'll go play nine holes this afternoon and we'll see how it goes.

Q. When is your wife due (to give birth)

SHAUN MICHEEL: In about six weeks now. I think she's going to be induced on the 21 of November. I took her to Las Vegas for a couple of days and kind of her last party, I suppose, will you if. After this, she's not able to travel anymore. So in six weeks, we should have a little boy.

Yeah, we like to find out. There's a lot of people, they don't want to know what they are happening. Heck, I'm just as surprised -- I'll find out the day that things comes out of there. I like to plan things.

I did some sort of IQ test the other night on the Internet and I was sort of a -- I was a processor. I guess I process information. I like to plan. So anyway, I guess that's a Capricorn thing.

Q. What was your score?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Let's see, I got 119. I don't know if that's good or bad. I had difficulty with some of the questions. It's some just some stupid little thing I do on the computer.

Q. How much did you know about the history of this event before you qualified?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I wouldn't say a whole lot. I understand, if I'm not mistaken, that this may be the first year that it really pertains to how you did in major championships. That kind of surprised me that I one won. There's so many guys, particularly Charles Howell, who I think made the cut in all four majors. I don't know if he was invited and declined, I'm not sure, or whether he just didn't qualify, which would be shocking for me; that I could win one and not even play in any of the others.

Hey, I'm happy to be here. It's nice to be back over in the U.K. once I get my time adjusted, I think I'll be fine.

Q. Did you know about this tournament before?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I really didn't know that much about it. Of course I've probably watch it on TV. I'm a big fan of the Golf Channel, and a lot of the European events are televised there. I've heard how great it is.

Q. Quite a cast of previous winners?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I have not played much match-play in my career. When you look at the champions that have won here, they have won just as many more stroke-play events.

I have a pretty tough draw there. I think that any of the guys that you are going to compete against are deserving champions and could easily win this tournament. I'm thankful that I do have a first-round buy, it gives me an extra chance to one get adjusted from the time. I know six hours from where I live is not that big of a deal but to come over here and try to play, try to be at the top of your game as I'm going to have to be, because I'll play either Alex or Vijay and they are both playing exceptional. Yeah, I would love to find my name on that trophy.

Q. Does £1 million prize fund make you go �wow¹ or are you used to it?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yes and no. My career has taken me a lot of place. I remember just a few years ago I was happy playing for 400,000 U.S. back on the Nationwide Tour back in 1999. I'm a big proponent of us and the European Tour and PGA TOUR playing for a good amount of money. I think with the way the economy is going in the United States, and probably all over the world, sometimes I have to shake my head at how much the purses are increasing. I think to be playing for a million pounds, obviously tells me that I'm playing in a pretty prestigious event. I didn't come over here for the money. I'm trying to take advantage of some opportunities that are presenting themselves to me through my win at the PGA.

Up until a few weeks ago, I didn't even know I was going to qualify for this event. This may have been about six or seven weeks ago now. I don't think I've ever been one to really chase the money around too much. I mean, the purses on our tour back home are pretty consistent.

Sure, I would love to have a million pounds but more importantly, I'd like to add another international win to my resume.

Q. Can you remember the last time you played Match Play?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yeah, I played in 1998, I had played the Asian Tour and I qualified for the Asian match-play, which was in -- I want to say it was in Shenzen, China, Mission Hills. I think I got to the second round. Jerry Norquist beat me. Matter of fact, I beat myself. And besides that. Maybe the U.S. Amateur. We just don't see much match-play and I have never played in the machine play until the states at Carlsbad, either.

So my whole life, I've probably only played, oh, gosh, maybe five tournaments total that I've ever been associated with match-play.

Q. What was the prize for the Asian Match Play?

SHAUN MICHEEL: No, I can't. I remember those days like they were yesterday but some of those thing, they just weren't as important to me back then. I can remember the golf course very well. I seem to remember most of the golf course. It was something that I would like to go back and do.

I'm trying to think, it was that year, it may have been '99 but I did send in my application to play, if I'm not mistaken, Sotogrande, is that the Tour school? I remember sending my application in. I believe I was exempt to the second stage of the qualifying school. I sent my application -- matter of fact, I was in the process of getting my hotel made. But I believe that was the also the year that they changed the finals to match up with the United States Tour School. And I don't know if they did that to keep people from playing two qualifying events and maybe qualifying two tours, or I'm not sure why or who did that. But I remember that I had to ultimately pull out. It must have been '99. I ultimately had to pull out because I made it to the finals of our Tour School.

Q. Is this your first time in England as opposed to Scotland?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yeah, I flew back with Mr. Rupert and spent the day in London right after Scotland. Yeah, that was my first time in the U.K., So I'm happy to be back.

Q. Do you feel some Americans are insular?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I don't know why that is I know there are certain players that have really taken a bashing, I guess, from the press over here because of their philosophy on playing golf and in England or Scotland or whatever.

There's certain players that maybe don't like to travel, don't feel like going somewhere for one week is going to benefit them. I've never understood that. I enjoy playing all over the world. I enjoy playing different places. I don't know why more people don't take advantage of it.

Q. Does travelling make you more of a complete player?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Oh, sure it did. An example is what happened to me in Scotland. I played extremely well for not playing links got before and I finished not very well, I finished 35th. So going out and getting away from the same style of golf courses that we play week-in and week-out, I think that's important. It's important to me as a player. Whether that's going to be a defining part of my career, I don't think so. I just enjoy playing other golf courses. I'm not one to beat balls when I get home, so when I get opportunity to go to different places to play, I like to. I like to take advantage of it. I don't know why more people don't do it. Maybe it's scheduling. I know for me going to Scotland, it took two weeks out of my tour schedule back home, to which I'm very committed to. I love it, I would do it again. Maybe they feel like they have more commitment or more allegiance, I don't know. The Europeans, they come to the United States to play, it's different. I think just playing against different players and different cities, everything. I'm sure that's why they did it. It makes you a more complete player.

Q. Were you and Ben Curtis a shock in America?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I would say so. I was reading an article on Golf Magazine design last night and they were kind of critiquing, not necessarily Ben and I, but really all four of us first time major winners this year and they thought how blah it really was, which to me is kind of shocking because I think Mike and Jim are big-name players. But for some reason the people back home do not.

I think that at least as far as I'm concerned, people would didn't think I could win thought I would fall on Saturday -- if I was a betting person, I would certainly go to Las Vegas and put my money on Tiger every week. He is going to win more often than not, he has that gift and that desire. Not that I don't. We all realize who the best player in the world is. I'm not sure I'll ever be there. Ben won't be there either. I don't know how he feels.

But I don't think either one of us are shocked that we won a golf tournament. It just happened to be a major championship. I certainly didn't think I was going to win when I arrived there on Tuesday and I saw the conditions at the golf course. I'm pretty impressed that Ben was able to win playing links golf for the first time.

When I showed up different to play my round, I thought about him and how he was able to hit a different spot on the golf course and be able to handle the unusual bounces that you get. We're so used to having pretty flat fairways.

Q. In the two months which have elapsed, do you have a greater appreciation on the shot you played on the 72nd hole?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I was in the circumstances, maybe I'm a little bit naive still. I treated that shot as another 7-iron and another golf tournament. I don't know why. I think that was just the way, I look back and I watch that video of my last round, I watch myself how I walk, what my reactions were. I don't think I remember one time that I looked nervous. Maybe on the first tee I was probably more nervous on the first tee than I was on the 18th hole because I had played so many shots. I think guys get caught up in the anticipation, fear of the unknown, "what's going to happen to me out there today." We're always better off when we get out there and we get playing. A lot of things are going through your mind.

I would rather be known for hitting a great shot than a lucky one and even though the outcome would have been the same, I think I would have been treated a little bit differently than I am now, and everyone has been saying, "it's the greatest shot I've ever seen in golf, period." When I think back, I like to think of myself as a pretty knowledgeable golf fan, as well because I haven't played that many majors. I certainly watch them on television. I don't recall too many that stand out. I remember Jerry Pate hitting the shot. He had a 5-iron that he hit pretty close and that won him the tournament.

It's still kind of shocking and surprising to me that that ball ended up where it did. And I was really thankful that I could walk up and tap it in and I was proud that I had the opportunity to finish out the tournament that way rather than just going up and having a putt and winning the tournament.

Q. Do you think that is how your fellow professionals would have seen it?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I think any time you knock a ball in the hole from that distance or any distance, it's somewhat lucky. I don't know. I would be interested to know. I think Most of the guys think it was just a great shot. And a great shot would have been four or five feet, and for the ball to end up there, it was pretty incredible, something I would try to duplicate. Something I would love to have the opportunity to do again, not sure I could do it. There's too many variables between you and the hole from 174 yards. There's just too many things out there that can affect the flight of the ball and distance.

Q. Can you remember what was going through your mind before you hit the shot?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Bob and I have been working well all week. I remember being thankful that I could see the ball there the tee box, you probably saw if you couldn't see the ball from the fairway, it was -- I remember walking to my ball and I remember a lady yelling out: "Nice to see some up-and-comers." I'll never forget that.

I walked across the cart path after she said that I remember Bob giving me the yardage, and I knew just paying attention to wind all day, which is virtually nonexistent at that point, he gave me a front yardage to the pin to the back like he always does and there was absolutely no question. I grabbed that 7-iron as quickly as I could and there's no doubt, he didn't say a word to me, just moved the bag and let me do my thing. I remember just kind of standing over it trying to -- posture is the one thing that I think about most, not so much my golf swing, trying to make sure I had solid posture, solid contact and that's all I remember.

Q. You weren¹t thinking, I¹m one good shot away from winning a Major?

SHAUN MICHEEL: No, I didn't and I think that surprises me a lot that I wasn't caught up in that. I've been through that so many times in my career, just from finishing in the Top-10, in the Top 20, I was frankly so sick and tired -- that's what I was thinking about all weekend. I was so sick and tired of losing and beating myself and being so nervous that I couldn't come through I just was sick of it. I think that kind of carried me through.

Q. Do you feel sorry for guys who have never won a Major?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I can understand, certain guys, they are very difficult to win and we are our own worst critics, and when you show up there, you know how much more difficult that it is. You really have to be there for all 72 holes. One hole can take you right out the of it. One aggressive play and just anything can really ruin your chances of winning a golf tournament like that. It's just a matter of staying there every single day.

Q. Inaudible?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I'm not the only person who has won a major and not won another PGA TOUR event. I don't know with a the other guys are thinking about.

Q. Surely that has happened before?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I don't know. I don't want to be the first. I think Andy North maybe. I don't know if that's true or not. He probably did.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Thanks, Shaun.

End of FastScripts.