BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 2, 2003

John Rollins

MODERATOR: We have defending champion John Rollins, who last year shot 70 -71-66-65 and made a birdie 3 on the first playoff hole to defeat Justin Leonard and Neal Lancaster.

You are in a place where you have to good memories, different course, but you are back in Canada.

JOHN ROLLINS: Excited to be back. Looking forward to a good week. Hopefully a successful defense.

MODERATOR: What's the state of your game right now?

JOHN ROLLINS: It's not too bad. There's a few things I need to work onto try to fine-tune it for the week. Other than that, I mean I think I'm playing pretty well, which you just have to go out and you just have to go out and do it.

Q. When he talks about what you shot on the weekend last year, that's a pretty impressive weekend, but a lot of people remember how it happened, kind of like the Paul Lawrie syndrome British Open, where he shoots a great final round, or Nick Faldo at the '95 Masters shoots a great final round, but doesn't get the credit. Have you felt that? Have you felt as though the credit that should have come to you for that tournament hasn't come?

JOHN ROLLINS: A little bit. Last year when it happened, all of the articles after the tournament seemed to basically focus on Neal Lancaster making double to let Justin and myself in a playoff. It was a little disappointing considering I had shot 66-65 on the weekend to even put myself in position.

All in all, I ended up getting the win and that was the main thing. It was a little frustrating for me to read that and that and that everybody's attention and focus was on him doing that, but you can't do anything about it. I just played the best I could and fortunately enough, I came out on top.

Q. Did that victory, was that kind of a springboard for you? You certainly had a fair amount of success this year.

JOHN ROLLINS: Yeah, I think so. Any time you win out here, it's got to be -- well, it is a tremendous boost of confidence, especially for your first win. It definitely does wonders for your confidence and I think it elevates your game. It kind of takes you to a different level. You know, you're no longer -- I guess once you get over that hurdle of getting your first victory, you are no longer teeing the ball up on Thursday. You are always trying to win. You are always trying to win regardless. But after you win, especially, when you tee it up on Thursday, that's your main focus is you've done it once and you just want to go do it again and again. And that's really what's been the difference for me since I've won is now I know that I can win. I've proven it to myself and everybody else, and now I'm hungry for me and I want to go out and win many more tournaments.

Q. Talk about the golf course. What do you know about it and does it suit your game?

JOHN ROLLINS: I don't know a lot about it. I've heard it's a good golf course. I've heard the par 3s are going to be a good test this week.

I've heard it's an old, traditional style golf course which is what I love and what I think a lot of players out here. We enjoy playing these types of golf courses. We don't get to play many of them anymore. Everybody nowadays are building these big 7,500 -yard, 7,600-yard courses with big bunkers, big greens, things like that.

I'm looking forward to it. I've heard many good things about it. I'm going to play some this afternoon and get a feel for it and tomorrow in the Pro-Am. I'm looking forward to a good week. It sound like it's going to be a good challenge and I'm looking forward to it.

Q. How long after you won last year did you realize that winning the Canadian got you into the British Open this year?

JOHN ROLLINS: Actually, people had said that it got me in and I kept telling them it didn't. So shows how much I know.

I guess it was probably when I got the application this year sent to me from the British Open, and I just happened to -- one day, when it came in the mail, I was looking through it and looking through the exemption list and saw one category all to itself, "Canadian Open winner for 2002." I said, all right, guess I'd better send this application in and play over at the British Open.

Until that point, people had been telling me I had got in, but I kept saying no, you had to be Top-20 on on the Money List or 50 in the World Ranking and I was not in any of that criteria at that time. When I saw it on the application is when it hit me that, hey, I'm in.

Q. You've played very well this year and I understand you've had some up-and-downs with your personal life, I think a divorce, there was something in Golf World and a baby, how do you separate personal life and golf life and keep one on the rails when the other isn't?

JOHN ROLLINS: I play golf for a living and this is what I do. This is my office. I've always been the kind of person that when I get on the golf course, I'm inside the ropes and this is my job and I focus on my job and the task at hand, and that's really my concern.

You know, when I get off the golf course, I deal with things the way that I feel like I need to deal with them, and when I'm on the golf course, I focus primarily on golf.

Q. There's a lot of talk this week about there is the related strength or weakness of the field and who is or isn't here. One of the questions that's come up is how much earlier in the year when players made their schedule, all of the talk about SARS and Toronto was a factor. Did any of the other players at any time say to you that "I'm not going up there because of SARS"?

JOHN ROLLINS: I never heard anybody say they weren't coming because of that. Obviously there was the talk. People were saying -- I think some people may have been kidding around or kind of mentioning the fact of the SARS and things like that. But I don't think anybody -- I never heard anybody come to me personally and say, "I'm not going to go up there and play because I'm not going to be around that."

So, you know, I heard some talk and some jokes and maybe some kidding around about not going or something, but I don't really think anybody was serious; that being a decision as to why they would not come up here and play.

End of FastScripts.