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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 15, 2005

Larry Mize

HONOLULU, HAWAII

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Larry Mize, thank you for joining us after the if I understood round, you shot a nice 6-under 64, which puts you into contention heading into tomorrow's final rounds. You're 7-under par, right now three shots off the lead, but either way, you're in good position heading into tomorrow. It's got to be an exciting feeling for you.

LARRY MIZE: It really is. I'm very excited about my round today. I must say, I didn't expect to come out and shoot 64 today, but hit the ball well and continued to score well. Just kept trying to make birdies.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You've had some injury problems the last several years. Talk about your expectations; are you healthy? And second of all, if you're healthy, talk about your expectations.

LARRY MIZE: Well, I am healthy. I feel as good as I have in a couple of years so that's a good thing. I'm able to work out full-bore again. Expectations are trying to get back playing well and I'm in the Past Champion's category, and thanks to Sony for giving me a spot this week to play. I'm just going to try to get back to playing and contend in tournaments and get back in the winner's circle.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You've had some sound rounds here at Waialae in the past. Talk about the golf course and how it sets up for your game.

LARRY MIZE: I think first off, I grew up on bermudagreens in Georgia. So I think that's a positive for me and the greens are excellent. I like putting these greens. I don't know, I mean, I'm not -- I never thought of myself as being a great wind player, but I have gotten better in the wind and I enjoy coming over here playing. I don't know. I drive the ball pretty straight so that's a plus this week, too. Other than bermudagreens, I'm not sure why.

Q. Can you just quickly tell us where you've been the last few years? I know injuries; what type of injuries?

LARRY MIZE: In December of '01 I got thrown from a horse and messed up my left shoulder. I broke my shoulder blade, rib and it's called -- I got like a grade two AC joint sprain where it's a little collarbone clavicle here, and that's the way it's going to be. Last year I messed up my thumb in April and that put me out for three months with a surgery on my thumb, torn ligament.

So '02 I was kind of out with injuries. '03 I tried to come back and play and didn't play very well. Last year I tried to get going and I had this. Been a comedy of mishaps the last few years to get in the way, and at the same time I haven't played well.

I've been struggling with my swing, and I believe I hit on something at the end of November that has helped me and I'm still working on that. I think this week shows that my swing is getting better and trying to get back in contention again.

Q. Do you remember last time you were in contention going into the last round like this?

LARRY MIZE: I think it was Pennsylvania in '01. It's been a while.

Q. Is it like riding a bike or what?

LARRY MIZE: Pretty much. But I was nervous this morning. I'll be nervous. The nerves, you need to use that to your advantage. That can be a good thing. But pretty much like riding a bike. You tell yourself you've been here, you've done it before, I've played well here before.

So, hey, just go out there and execute and take it one shot at a time.

Q. Through all of your up-and-downs recently, did you always feel like, if I get healthy, I can still compete out here or was there a little wondering?

LARRY MIZE: It was a little wonder. I always believed that I could still play, but there were there's doubts. Then you just have to push those doubts aside and keep working hard. I'm trying to get those doubts out of the way.

Q. Did you feel like the conditions were much different today than the first two days?

LARRY MIZE: I still think the first day the conditions were the hardest. I think today was very similar to yesterday. It played difficult, but not quite as hard as the first day.

Q. Do you still get a lot of people mentioning the Masters victory?

LARRY MIZE: I do, yeah. It still comes up, yeah.

Q. Does it seem like it was that long ago?

LARRY MIZE: Yes and no. I mean, is it t doesn't seem like it's that long ago, but it will be 18 years this coming April. Kind of a little bit of both. Time flies.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could go through your birdies, just one bogey today. Your first birdie was on 4.

LARRY MIZE: On the par-3 No. 4, I hit a really good 5-iron in there about six feet and made that for birdie.

Then on No. 7, I had a 7-iron in there about 15 feet and made that for birdie.

And 9, I hit a driver and a 3-iron, par 5 there, 2-putted from about 30 feet. 2-putted for birdie.

10, I hit a 3-wood in the left rough, sand wedge up there about five or six feet and made that for birdie.

11, I kind of hung a 5-iron on the right front of the green so I was about 50 or 60 feet and I 3-putted there.

Came back with a birdie on 12. Hit a good drive and a 7-iron in there about 18 feet and made that for birdie.

14, I hit a 3-wood and an 8-iron, kind of jumped on me out of the light rough and just, boom, I'm 40 feet above the hole, and I'm glad it hit the hole because it was down that slope with the grain. I didn't hit it that hard. It was just a fast putt, but it hit the hole and went in. So that was a nice birdie there.

17, I hit a 3-iron in there b probably close to 30 feet again and made a really good putt there.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Any good par saves?

LARRY MIZE: The front, I hit every green till 6. It was a relatively easy up-and-down but I got that up-and-down. Made a really good par save at 13. I hit it let of the green and the rough was pretty heavy and almost holed the shot. It went by about three feet and I made that for par. That was a good par save. And 16 was a very good par save. I hit it in the front left bunker and had a long bunker shot dead into the wind and hit it up there about a foot and a half. So that was a really nice.

Q. So you birdied three of the par 3s?

LARRY MIZE: I did. I birdied three and bogeyed one. The par 3s were good to me.

Q. No shortage of veteran guys doing well out here. When you see that, does that do anything or make you -- or does that not have any effect on you?

LARRY MIZE: I think does have an effect. I think it's an encouragement, whether it's Jay Haas, obviously been playing great, Peter Jacobsen, Craig Stadler, winning on TOUR and right before -- Craig after he got on the Champions Tour and Peter right before.

So I do think it's an encouragement for guys that I've played with a long time. And I know they are very good players, but to see them do it at that age, and Scott Hoch is another player that's been playing really well, and that does encourage anybody in that age bracket, which I'm in that age bracket.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Larry Mize, thanks and good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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