MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP AT KINGSMILL

October 7, 2000

Chris Riley

CHRIS RILEY: Thanks.

CHRIS RILEY: I am real excited about giving myself an opportunity to win a tournament. I have had a couple this year. I played solid, but I just haven't done -- I think I finished fourth at the John Deere. And I played with the winner Michael Clark. Then at the Air Canada I also finished fourth. I was playing with Rory Sabbatini, so I have played with two winners who won two tournaments. Hopefully it is my turn tomorrow. I don't know how many shots back I am, or what, but -- I took two weeks off and I came here with really no expectations because we are playing in Las Vegas last week. That is where I am from. I feel good. I am hitting the ball good. I am really putting good -- worked hard on my putting the last week; been making a lot of good putts.

CHRIS RILEY: Yeah, I learned that -- I mean, in all golf tournaments the winners have some kind of big shot. They make like -- Rory chipped an eagle shot from like 50 yards or 30 yards and Michael Clark made an 80-footer on one hole. I really felt like I was playing right with them, but I just didn't get the ball in the hole as well as they did. I didn't make the big shot. But hopefully something good will happen to me tomorrow, but like I guess in Pennsylvania Chris DiMarco holes out on the 3rd hole on Sunday. That is what you got to do to win tournaments, to be honest. I haven't really holed out, I mean, a big shot yet, so hopefully it will come tomorrow.

CHRIS RILEY: Second to last at the John Deere and third to last at Air Canada. I don't know if I am going to make the last one this time.

CHRIS RILEY: Geez, probably on the Nike Tour. This is my second year out here and I feel like I am getting a lot better, which is positive, so I think I have played pretty solid this year if you look at my stats. Made a lot of cuts. Just hasn't happened yet. I am no Tiger Woods or Notah Begay, but hopefully I can win one.

CHRIS RILEY: My caddie kind -- it is kind of funny, he says: Nobody wants to win this tournament. I don't look at leaderboards. I go: What do you mean. He goes: It is already backed at eight or nine. I am really -- yeah, if you don't hit the ball in the fairways, it sits down in this rough. You hit those knucklers, it comes out -- it is just tough the rough out there. The wind -- it was into the wind the first couple of holes and then we got some downwind holes, but I don't think it played too much terribly harder. I feel like I have been playing the same the last three days.

CHRIS RILEY: Yeah, whenever he tells me I say, I don't want to know. I don't want to hear.

CHRIS RILEY: Yeah, I mean, yeah, I am trying to concentrate on my game; so be it if low score wins.

CHRIS RILEY: Yeah, we will see what happens. Hopefully I am there. Whatever happens tomorrow it is going to be a good learning experience but I definitely want to win. I am going to try as hard as I can to put everything that I have learned for the last through amateur into my round tomorrow and see what happens.

CHRIS RILEY: That hole is tough for me. I don't know why, it is just 3-wood off the tee, but I birdied one, hit driver wedge in there -- driver 9-iron in there about seven feet, made it. Then parred, parred. Birdied 7, I was up by the green in two and chipped it to about ten feet. It wasn't a good chip but I made the putt. I went to 2-under. 8, I have been pull-hooking my 3-wood, I don't know why. But I have been pull-hooking it and I hit it left and then I had like 190 to the hole or 200 to the hole and that rough, I don't know how it is going to come out -- with my irons, I am not -- well obviously, out of the rough, you don't know how it is going to come out. I tried to hit 5-wood. I basically topped it. It went like 10 yards, so my caddie was sitting there kicking himself because he had had the 4-iron out. He wanted me to hit that one, but I wanted to hit that, choked down 5-wood, but it didn't come out as I thought it would. Then I made double from there. My next shot was still in the rough; hit it short of the green, chipped up and missed it. I made double there. I came back with a good birdie on 9 driver, 9-iron to about seven feet. So I guess that hole was playing downwind because that is usually a really tough hole. Drove it in the right rough there. It didn't know how it was going to come out, hit it short, had a tough chip, but I hit a good putt lipped out. Bogeyed there. And then I finished strong. I birdied 15. I hit driver, 3-wood just left of the green; chipped it to about six feet, made it. 16, I know that is a -- 16 you got to put the ball in the fairway or else you are --

CHRIS RILEY: Yeah. Hit a good drive and hit 7-iron in there, took the slope, went to about five feet. Then on 17, I hit 8-iron in there about 15 feet, made that. Then 18, par.

CHRIS RILEY: It is kind of weird because -- I have only been in the hunt twice this year and which you know, I mean, for a guy who is -- I don't know -- like 90th on the money list, if you get -- if you are in there two or three times, if you have an opportunity to win, I feel like I had a pretty good chance. It is pretty good. But when it seems -- like when you are in there fighting for the lead, seems like you are playing so well, it really doesn't matter because I mean, you wouldn't be there if you weren't playing well. But you just learn from what people have told me to just slow down, take your time, think what you are doing. And that is pretty much what I am going to do tomorrow. Just one shot at a time; don't get ahead of myself. I mean, everybody tells it to you and you know, everybody gives you advice; you take what you want and you don't listen to what you don't want. I am just going to do one shot at a time. I feel like that has worked for me. Good stroke under my putts and I think I am ready to do it.

CHRIS RILEY: I really think so. No question about it. I mean, you don't really think about much, you just think about winning when you -- I got my card locked up and I am just out -- which you should do anyways, you should play to win, but it is hard to -- I mean, this game is so mental, it is not even funny. Got -- definitely, I mean, knowing that I had my card locked up, I am going to go out there with the attitude I have got nothing to lose tomorrow and play good golf.

CHRIS RILEY: Yeah, I'd love that. That would be great. This was my tuneup for Vegas if I go back and win that would be great.