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EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 14, 2005

Doug Barron

IRVING, TEXAS

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Doug Barron, congratulations on a great three rounds so far at the 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. You're at 10-under par and right now just one shot out of the lead. If we could start with some opening comments on a great week for you so far.

DOUG BARRON: Yeah, after last week, it was kind of funny because I had to give my caddie the week off. He wasn't there on Tuesday and I just had an awful week. So I hired him back, and we get along so well, it seems like we work well together, so I was like, I'm going to give him another chance. I've been playing well this week and thinking myself around the golf course.

The first round was extremely windy over there at Cottonwood Valley and I've always thought that course was way overrated, especially this year; it was playing difficult. I didn't play very good but I hung in there and shot 1-under. Tiger would have taken it yesterday, I bet.

I just hung in there today. I hit a lot of good shots. It's always fun playing with Vijay, he's a good guy, and he's going to hit a lot of quality shots so it challenges yourself to do a lot of good things. I just went around and had fun today.

I didn't hit it perfect by any means. I made some great shots from out from under the trees, got up-and-down a couple really good times, a couple great bunker saves, so it wasn't anything special, but I putted well and managed myself around the course.

Q. For some reason you play the TPC better?

DOUG BARRON: I'd say I've played Cottonwood Valley better over the years. I've had a lot of good scores at both. But TPC fits my eye a little better to be honest, especially on the par 5s and some of the par 4s if you hit the ball on the fairway. The only mistake I made all day was putting myself on the left side of 9 fairway. I was trying to put myself on the right side to get a better angle at the pin. That was really the only mistake I made off the tee all day. Too bad anyways.

Both of the courses are good. They're tight and short and that's kind of my game. Vijay was only out-driving me by 60 or 70 today, so I was feeling pretty good about it.

Q. The leaderboard is filled with Texans and wind players. I apologize if you've been asked this already. Is it true that the comfort level, you can't overstate that?

DOUG BARRON: Well, the wind blows in Memphis in November and December, and Loren Roberts and Vance Veazey, who lives in Memphis, as well, we're out there playing all the time in our covered carts. Hopefully the wind playing at home and the cold benefits me, too.

I think we can all play in any conditions personally, if you get your mindset right. I think that's what it's about. Just like you saw Vijay get it up-and-down on 18, he's thinking about tomorrow. He's going to come out firing.

I think everybody when they get in contention, they're doing something right and they don't care what the wind is doing.

Q. What is your mindset about tomorrow and how big of an opportunity is this for you?

DOUG BARRON: Well, every shot is an opportunity and every week is an opportunity. I've played pretty consistent this year so far except for one tournament. I'll just go out and try to stay grounded and hit good shots. I'll be there at the end I'm confident. If I stay in the present tense and not get ahead of myself, I'm doing a lot of good things. I'm driving the ball solid and starting to roll the ball good. Actually I think missing the cut last week was good; I got to go home and spend a couple days with my coach at home and then my sports psychologist is here this week and we got some things accomplished.

Q. Are you dialed in mentally with him?

DOUG BARRON: Yeah, I've been having a little anxiety lately, and we just try to breathe it into the ground and stay grounded. That's been kind of the deal this week. If there's anxiety, you're thinking about either the future or the past. It's all simple. If I can just bring myself to where I am and breathe a lot, it all goes back to the same old things.

But my coach at home, Rob Akins, who worked with David Toms and quite a few other guys out here, he fixed me in five minutes. We've known each other for 15 years. It doesn't take brain surgery for him to fix me. Hopefully it'll stand up tomorrow and we'll be talking tomorrow afternoon.

Q. Was the anxiety thing on the course or off the course?

DOUG BARRON: Just I've been playing really well. I think it all started in New Orleans playing in the wind, and I played real solid for four days and finished 40th and just didn't get anything out of it. And then just being pissed at my caddie last week, then you go, oh, gosh, I've been playing so well and then now we've got it all straight, and I think I'm back grounded again.

I've been really relaxed the last three days. My caddie does a wonderful job for me on the course; I've just got to get him to the course. That's the key.

Q. So you were serious then when you said you were mad at him?

DOUG BARRON: Oh, yeah. We're over that. That was a good -- sometimes you've got to -- it's like being a parent, like I've got a four-year old son; you can't give in to him all the time.

Q. Why did he upset you so much?

DOUG BARRON: Well, he was supposed to be in Charlotte last Tuesday at 10:00 and he was in Birmingham, Alabama. I think the casinos got him. But he made a bunch of money so I hope he's happy. But he's back this week and we're going to do well.

Q. Are you normally pretty high strung?

DOUG BARRON: I think in the past I'd probably be known as that. But I think as the years have gone on, I'm getting too old for that crap. Don't put me in the same category as Neal Lancaster, guys like that. I think I've calmed down a little over the last seven years out here.

Q. What psychologist are you working with?

DOUG BARRON: Joe Parent, the guy that helped Vijay a couple years ago, I guess. I guess he's on his book, so I guess I'm allowed to say he helped him. I guess he's helped a couple guys out here.

I've known Joe for a while but just started working with him in the fall right before Q-school, and I just like him. We get along and he's simple. He likes to drink wine, so that gives him another notch in my book.

Q. When you say you breathe the tension into the ground, is that a specific exercise?

DOUG BARRON: No, no, just -- when it's all going on in here, just trying to get everything to move on. I don't fight bad thoughts, I just kind of breathe them out. I don't sit there and fight with them. They're going to be there.

Q. Was this an approach you wish you had taken a little earlier?

DOUG BARRON: Oh, gosh, yeah. I've worked with every sports psychologist I think in this country (laughter). But I think I'm on the right track and doing well. You know, I think as you get older, you think better anyways.

Q. Without mentioning any names, worst advice you've ever been given over the years?

DOUG BARRON: I don't think I've ever gotten any bad advice, I just don't think I've ever applied all the advice I've gotten.

Q. When you say you're over all the old crap, what is all the old crap?

DOUG BARRON: You just mature and get older and learn how to deal with situations. Like I was in contention here at Tucson and I dealt with it instead of panicked. If you're having anxiety on the golf course, you must be playing pretty good. That's the only time I've ever had it. I've been playing really good all year, and if you're not a little nervous every now and then, then something is wrong with you.

Q. You mentioned Vijay Singh in a lot of your answers today. Have you learned things from him?

DOUG BARRON: Well, I think Vijay would tell you, we played a lot of practice rounds my first couple years on Tour, but I love his demeanor on the golf course. Even though he didn't play his best today, he just never looked flustered.

Where you talk about the Big Five, I think out of all the five -- well, Retief is pretty calm, but Vijay stands out to me because I think if the World Golf Rankings were done right, he'd be the No. 1 player in the world. He's No. 1 in my book.

Q. What was the connection that you started playing a lot of practice rounds early in your career?

DOUG BARRON: I don't know, I just went up and asked him if we could play. We got paired together in a couple tournaments. I played with him at the Honda when he won there for the first time, but we don't really hang out much anymore. I just played a practice round with him in Houston and it was good to see him again. I've been back and forth on the Nationwide Tour and this Tour the last few years. I mean, you can always learn -- you're always wanting to learn something in this game, gosh. I mean, if you ever stop trying -- just like Tiger said, if you're not trying to get better and you're not learning, then you're in trouble.

Q. But why pick out Vijay and not Phil to walk up to?

DOUG BARRON: Because I love the way Vijay's demeanor is. Especially if you look at him on TV in that playoff last week, when they all had the four-footers, he just laughed about it. I just like the way he goes about playing golf. He has a great attitude for the game, I think.

Q. Do you think a lot of your peers agree that Vijay is the No. 1 player in the world?

DOUG BARRON: I would think so. I mean, shoot, I'm not taking nothing from Tiger. He's my hero. He's given my family a better life (laughter). I love the guy. He deserves everything he gets. No, I don't want to go there. I just said my opinion. I'd like to see the guys play a little bit more like Vijay does, but I'm not going to go there.

Q. What is your career highlight to date in your mind?

DOUG BARRON: My career highlight? On this Tour, 4th. I'd really say my 5th at Westchester. I led the tournament with three holes to go and bogeyed 16 and 17 a few years ago and ended up finishing 5th. I had a chance to finish well in Phoenix and made bogey from the middle of the fairway. On the Nationwide Tour I had five 2nds with one year that I played, and it just seemed like people kept beating me on Sunday by a shot or something. Out here 4th is my best. I lipped out on the last hole, which I would have thought would have won the tournament, and then a couple guys hit miracle shots. That's the year Rory Sabbatini won it hitting out of the rough over the water. A couple guys made 30-footers on the last hole. I still feel like I could have won Westchester in 99 or 2000. That's my favorite course.

Q. Do you remember what it feels like to win?

DOUG BARRON: Uh-huh. I win all the time when I'm at home. I won Loren Roberts' charity scramble last week.

Yeah, I can remember what it's like to win. You remember past experiences and stuff.

I won't think about winning until the last three holes tomorrow. If I'm in contention and know what I need to do, I'll do it.

Q. Are you a scoreboard watcher?

DOUG BARRON: Usually with about six holes to go I am, yeah.

Q. Does it make a difference to you, the names on the scoreboard or just the numbers?

DOUG BARRON: No. Well, we go back to it, I can use Vijay as an example again, he's going to go at the pin no matter what. He's going to go at every pin. I thought he holed it on 17 and he flew the green. No, it doesn't really matter. The guys on top of the scoreboard are all playing good. I hope they're the younger guys when it comes down to it. I don't want Verplank and all those guys ahead of me because they're not going to make any mistakes. I hope it is the younger guys ahead if I am behind tomorrow.

Q. How big was it for you to birdie No. 3, and was that against the wind?

DOUG BARRON: Yeah, I just hit a great drive and I knew I had to flight my Rescue really low, and I just made a great putt. I guess I had about a 20-footer. You'll have to ask ShotLink what it was, probably about 20 feet. That was a big birdie. That's a hard hole. I think that was playing like a little par 5 today. I just hit three great shots. I mean, it was playing tough.

Q. You talk about as far as winning tomorrow, you're not going to look at it until the last three holes. If you pull it off tomorrow, what would it mean to do it at the tournament where you had the Top Five players in the world here, to pull it off that way?

DOUG BARRON: I can always tell my son I've beaten Tiger Woods twice because I made the cut both tournaments he missed. It would be cool. I think winning any tournament on the PGA TOUR is an accomplishment. Even when the Big Five aren't here, you've got to play the same quality golf; it's just that if their names are in the field, it makes it a little more special, I guess.

Every event is a good event from the BC Open to the John Deere Classic to Memphis, they're all quality events. I don't think you can take anything away from anything that says PGA TOUR event on it personally.

Q. How do you play in Memphis when you go back there?

DOUG BARRON: I've been pretty good in Memphis actually. I've finished 20th a lot or 25th but I've never broken in and had a great finish, but I love playing at home. I've always done pretty well. I think I've played the tournament ten times and probably made the cut eight or so and finished decent probably four or five of those. It's always good to play at home. I wish I got to play out of my house every week.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could go through your round and we'll take one final question. You started out with a birdie on the 1st hole, par 4.

DOUG BARRON: Yeah, I hit driver off 1 today because it was into the wind and wedged it up there about 12 feet and made that.

4, I birdied 4, I drove it in the right bunker and didn't have a great lie, but I hit it about two feet and made that. I hit an 8-iron out of the bunker.

Par 5, 7, hit a nice drive, a nice second shot, chipped it about six feet from 40 yards, made that.

Bogey on 9, I meant for the wind to take it to the right side of the fairway and it ended up in the left and I had a bad angle and I pushed my 7-iron over to the right side and chipped it about eight feet and missed it.

Birdie on 14, I hit a little wedge in there but I hit it a little harder than I wanted, probably made about a 25-footer.

16, par 5, hit a bad drive, chipped it out, hit a sand wedge from about 118 about 20 feet past the hole, made it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Doug Barron, thanks. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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