FORD CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL

March 9, 2003

Slugger White

JOHN BUSH: We have got Slugger White. I will let Slugger make a statement and we will open it up for questions.

SLUGGER WHITE: The only statement I need to make IS we will be here tomorrow morning at 8 O'clock for probably a little over a six-footer and about a nine-footer. Scott Hoch has about nine feet. Jim Furyk has about six feet, just a shade over six feet. I'm sure there is questions why we did what we did.

Q. Could you have a putter to be 1 and 2?

SLUGGER WHITE: Probably in the spirit. We were pretty much done by that.

Q. Within the rules, could he have done that?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes, we suspended play. But I don't really feel that that would have been appropriate.

Q. Could you say why play was suspended?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes, I asked both of them when they walked up on the green if they had a problem to let me know and they both said fine and Scott actually went behind his ball and he said, no, I think I'm fine. Then he looked behind the hole and he went back to his ball and he said I can see it, but I have no idea what it's doing.

Q. He said I can do it but --

SLUGGER WHITE: I can see it but I can't tell exactly what it is going to do.

Q. Could you talk about securing the playoff holes so that people don't interrupt the course?

SLUGGER WHITE: Well, evidently there was a comment made that I think was unfounding. Because we had just had two of our guys check the bunkers, the tees and the green. We can't be at every single solitary inch of the golf course obviously. That was the first bunker checked. You are talking about the one Scott was in?

Q. Yes.

SLUGGER WHITE: Evidently there were two or three little footprints that some child had made -- probably gotten away from his parents and yanked him out of it. It was sitting up out of the footprint.

Q. Just so I can understand, what function do you provide in regards to securing the playoff holes?

SLUGGER WHITE: Well, just the marshals are there. We had the superintendant and his crew around checking as well. Our rules officials were checking as well.

Q. I just don't understand if -- 18 was easy though just played it, then you go to the first hole. Hole No. 1 has been on for three and a half, four hours. Do marshals stay out there to make sure No. 1 is on --

SLUGGER WHITE: No, probably not. That's the reason we go back and check again because of those reasons. We had players in the past playing from those bunkers, playing the 18th hole.

Q. I'm still unclear, by rule, if Furyk could or could not have putted?

SLUGGER WHITE: He probably could have. He didn't indicate that he wanted to do anything of the sort.

Q. He was agreeable to the whole thing?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes, he was. Scott said he was sorry, he said, that's okay, I understand.

Q. When is it determined which playoff holes are going to be used?

SLUGGER WHITE: We did that Tuesday.

Q. Is there a formula for determining which?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes, we go to the quickest places we can go because obviously we ran out of time as we did tonight. If the network can go to those holes, that's where we go. We generally gone to 8 to start and the nearest proximity from there.

Q. 18 one, not 18, 9 ---

SLUGGER WHITE: No, we would have to have gone up and all over, not much chance to get there.

Q. So going to par-5s as opposed to a par-3 would have taken about the same amount of time?

SLUGGER WHITE: By the time you get them in the cart, cart them over there. No, that's the best way to go.

Q. Sir, does shot link have any kind of an official standing to be used to settle a dispute, is it trusted?

SLUGGER WHITE: As far as what?

Q. Does it show that one of the drops was taken closer than the hole?

SLUGGER WHITE: I didn't even see that. I don't know.

Q. So would Shot link have any legal standing here?

SLUGGER WHITE: If we have a question about it and we got some basis for it we would always look at that tape. We do that with televeision all the time.

Q. Shot link with G P S?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes.

Q. That would be used?

SLUGGER WHITE: If need be, we could use it, sure.

Q. Could you explain real quickly the procedure on the drops from the shots that were up against the stands there or Jim's shot?

SLUGGER WHITE: They both were intervention as well as interference from the temporary moveable obstruction. So you go to a point outside of that T I O and you measure one club length, that's the perimeter. If he has room there, then he drops the ball within the next club length. That's intervention.

Q. He is entitled to room to take a back swing?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes, indeed.

Q. The last time something like this happened, rain is the most common Monday deal. Do you remember something like this coming up?

SLUGGER WHITE: We had it in Hilton Head with Billy Mayfair and Jose Coceres two years ago, I think maybe. We ran out of the daylight there as well.

Q. How much did you have to do on Monday?

SLUGGER WHITE: One hole.

Q. A complete hole?

SLUGGER WHITE: Yes.

End of FastScripts....