DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 24, 2003

Shaun Micheel

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, Shaun, welcome to St. Andrews. Three great golf courses for you. What's your initial impressions coming here to see Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, and, of course, the Home of Golf?

SHAUN MICHEEL: It certainly is different from the golf that I'm used to playing back in the States. I've watched the Open Championship on TV for probably about every year that it's been on. It's just hard to appreciate the type of golf that's played over here until you step on the first tee.

Carnoustie yesterday beat me up pretty rough. My expectation level for this week is pretty small this week. I haven't quite figured out where to hit it. I've got a good caddie, but until you actually play these golf courses, it's going to take probably more than one practice round on each course. I'm used to being able to hit the ball and see where it lands. Here you're aiming at bunkers, you're aiming at gorses, you're aiming at cranes, you're aiming at a clock. It just different golf for me. I love it. It's a lot of fun.

But trying to get used to the weather conditions over here has probably been the most difficult thing for me so far. We've had supposedly a summer day on Sunday and a heavy rain day yesterday and today is a heavy wind. So I've seen everything but the snow, so hopefully that won't happen.

Q. How is your dad coping with the weather?

SHAUN MICHEEL: He's fine. He's got it better than I do. If he hits a bad shot he can just pick it up and put it in his pocket. He's been over here before, I think about seven or eight years ago. He came very prepared. I had to buy a sweatshirt yesterday.

Yeah, he's fine with it. It's going to be enjoyable playing and we'll keep each other warm.

Q. Was he prepared?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yeah, he knew what to expect, he has hats and all that stuff. He kind of told me a little bit about how the weather can change and how quickly it can change.

We'd like to see sunshine and 70 degrees tomorrow through Sunday, but I don't think that's going to happen.

GORDON SIMPSON: Have you been practicing the famous bump and run shots?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I've been trying to. That rain, it's just difficult I just was talking to the guys today. I was taking to Jose Olazabal a while ago and just trying to figure out: Do you try to hold the ball into the wind? You just can't do it. I've tried to hit low hooks and low cuts and you just didn't do it. I've kind of got to go with Mother Nature on this one, and hopefully she's going to be your friend this week.

Q. What is different about your life now compared to before the PGA?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Well, I immediately went to Akron that week, and being announced on the first tee on Thursday as the "2003 PGA Champion Winner" carried a whole new responsibility both on and off the golf course.

As far as golf goes, we're all out here as professional golfers to win golf tournaments and championships. The stuff that goes on outside is a little bit more out of our control. Those are some of the issues that I'm struggling with right now, managing my time. I expect to play well we expect to play well every single day, every single week, and that's probably not feasible.

But, you know, I expect to do a lot better things than what I've been doing over the last few years. But just trying to juggle my time, trying to handle media issues, phone calling, responding to e mails, autographs. I've done all that in the past but not to this extent.

So far as golf goes, trying to validate some of the things that happened to me during the PGA, that's really what I'm trying to do. And maybe I don't have to do that. I want to play well this week. I said my expectation level wasn't very high for this week, just because I'm not used to your style of golf. It's different than what I'm used to. I don't think that three practice rounds are sufficient; although, Ben Curtis proved me wrong. I just don't think three practice rounds are sufficient for maybe winning the tournament. Of course, that's how I thought of the PGA, too. You just never know.

Q. Have your own expectation levels increased?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I think so. I really had not had any experience winning the other tournaments. If I was going to win my first tournament, it might as well have been a major championship.

I imagine I would have had some issues to deal with winning a regular tournament, so I'm not really experiencing that. I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far handling everything and I've got some good help back home.

What's funny is that when I won the PGA and I finished in Akron, I had two weeks off. I thought, "Well, I'm just going to go home and rest." Well, it was worse for me at home and I couldn't wait to get back on the road. Most of us, when we are looking for relaxation, we go back to our house or where we live. It was very difficult there, too, because I couldn't wait to get back out between the ropes.

GORDON SIMPSON: Have the recognition levels increased dramatically?

SHAUN MICHEEL: The first night I was here, I was just having a cocktail at the bar in the grill over there and met a nice couple that were in there. Something about being here this week, the fans are very knowledgeable.

In the United States, the fans come, I think, to see people. With Tiger Woods playing so well the last few years, he's brought out a lot more fans that really don't know golf, I don't think. They come out just to see people. Maybe that's just American culture, I don't know. We kind of idolize people and not so much what they do, and I don't think they really get a good appreciation of the job that professional golfers do. Being on the road 35 weeks a year, it's very tough. It's our job.

But the fans over here are wonderful. I've been recognized and very well received, and it makes me feel very special.

Q. Are you planning to take advantage of opportunities to play around the globe now?

SHAUN MICHEEL: I am. Yes, I am. When this opportunity presented itself, I jumped at the chance. How often do you get invited to play at the home of golf? I know Mr. Rupert pretty well, and he was gracious enough to invite me to come over. I don't know how many Americans come over here because it takes two weeks out of your schedule on the U.S. tour. But, historically, I've been towards trying to keep my card so much for the last three or four years, so coming over here really wasn't an option for me.

So I'm going to play here, and when I go back next week to, play the American Express. I was going to play in Las Vegas but I think I'm going to skip that tournament so that I can come over to London a couple of days early and get back on the right time zone again. I guess after that, I'll probably play, go, from there back to Orlando, maybe play Tampa, and then you have THE TOUR Championship and then it's over to Hawaii for the Grand Slam. And in between all of that, my wife is having a baby. So that's ultimately going to be my top priority, that little baby.

And then that's pretty much going to be the end of the year, I think. I have about two weeks home for holiday, for Christmas, and then it will be about time to get back onto the road again.

Q. Was it your original intention not to play at Wentworth?

SHAUN MICHEEL: No. Absolutely not. I think there's just 12 people in that tournament, and to have qualified for that he vent, it's the world match play, it's just another chance for me to play in another part of the world and play a different golf course and just be around some great players. It's nice to finally earn some not necessarily recognition, but maybe some respect. That's something that we are all striving for, and in order to do that, you have to win golf tournaments. So I look forward to that.

Q. What do you put it down to?

SHAUN MICHEEL: The hormones, I don't know. I came over a little different way. I came over with a gentleman named Phil Morris (ph) and about eight other people and, we flew on his private plane. So it was a little easier for me to travel than the other way.

She's okay with it, I think. She's just disappointed that she's not able to do some of the things that I'm doing right now. The doctor won't let her travel too far away from home, and you can understand that, and I do. But it's funny because for four or five years, she's been watching me, and then I go and do something special and she's not able to travel with me. So then she's a little upset, but that's okay, she'll get over that.

Q. What�s the most unusual thing that�s happened since the PGA?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Outside of somebody asking me when I was going to appear in Playgirl that's the strangest question to me and you can look at me and know that's not going to happen someone I've met from a hair salon anyway.

GORDON SIMPSON: You haven't had an offer then, have you?

SHAUN MICHEEL: No. I've just had the opportunity. I'm a lifelong fan of Kiss. That's probably the strangest thing I've done. I went back and flew up for the World Series of Golf, and I've known those guys for a while. And to get a phone call, I actually was invited to go out on tour with them for a couple of weeks but Stephanie was not too pleased with that offer. She was happy turn that had one down. I'd end up in divorce court.

I went to the concert and just had a chance to get away from golf for a while. It was nice change of pace for me to actually get my mind off of golf and go see some guys that I've been fans of for so long.

But outside of that, I really haven't had anything, just the daily mailings that I'm getting, congratulations and well wishes that I'm getting from all over the world. Trying to get everything signed and returned, I think I'm doing a pretty good job of returning about everything that I get in the mail. So nothing really strange has happened to me yet, luckily.

Q. Do you think that after your win, you deserved to be chosen for the Presidents Cup team even though you weren't?

SHAUN MICHEEL: No, I didn't deserve that. I didn't deserve it. The guys that are on the team, they have been accumulating points for so long I don't think that a person deserves to play in an event to represent your country just by doing something special on one week. Not that I haven't played that well, but the guys that are on the team have certainly had two years of success. So I don't think it's fair for somebody to step in and have one special week and be chosen.

It would have been an honor, I think and at some point, that's what I'd like to do. I'd like to play on the Ryder Cup and play on the Presidents Cup Team and do that, but for right now, I've got enough on my plate as it is. Still trying to justify and validate my victory at the PGA is still on my mind, so I'm still working hard on my game.

So, no, I don't think I deserved play. I think Mr. Nicklaus did a good job with his picks.

Q. You say you are trying to justify and validate your PGA victory, what are you working on, swing changes?

SHAUN MICHEEL: Yeah, I said there are certain things that I'd like to work on in my golf game, and there has been for the last two years. I think every one of us, there are certain things that we do on our golf swing or just technical aspects of the game that we'd like to improve or tidy up just a bit.

With a five year exemption, that's maybe going to afford me the opportunity to maybe work on some of those things. I know there have been a lot of people that have won tournaments, Ian Baker Finch may be one of them, comes over and wins the Open Championship, tries to change his swing a little bit and give it a bit more distance and he's kind of lost his form a little bit.

So I'm not looking to perfect my golf swing in any way. I would just like to tighten things up a little bit so that I can compete more on a week to week basis. I had a nice week at the World Series, finished 23rd. But at the John Deere when Vijay shot 16 under, I shot 2 under and finished 35th, so it wasn't very good.

My goals are to be in contention every week. I don't know if that's possible or not, but that's what I'd like to do.

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, enjoy the week. I'm sure it will be great fun for you.

End of FastScripts.