VERIZON BYRON NELSON CLASSIC

May 9, 2002

Bryce Molder

TODD BUDNICK: Welcome, Bryce Molder, you are clubhouse leader right now with a 7-under, 63. Bryce started the day with a birdie on No. 1. Walk us through that one.

BRYCE MOLDER: I hit a good tee ball which actually was a pretty tough tee shot today, back into the wind, pretty narrow, especially on the first shot. Hit right down the middle to about twelve feet, made it. Went around and I made a couple of pars, made a really good par on 3. 3 was playing so tough, I hit driver in the left rough, had 3-wood left, then had about 40 yards or 50 yards left actually knocked it up there to five, six feet, made that.

5, was playing very tough. Really wasn't a birdie hole today, but I happened to hit a really good shot up there to about ten feet, made that.

Went around, made some pars, 6, 7, 8, 9, and then 10 made a bogey. I hit it in the left rough. Actually hit a pretty good tee shot. The wind just didn't quite take it enough. That was another hole that's really, really hard today. And I hit 5-iron from there from not a very good lie. Went right. Had about 50 yards left. Left of the bunker. Hit it to about ten feet, made it. That was a fun hole.

But I felt better about that. Than hitting it 20 feet and 3-putting. Turn around, the next hole is the short one, just hit iron off the tee, hit wedge in there about ten feet, made that.

Hit 7-iron to about twelve feet next hole, made that.

13, par. 14, 2-iron, this will tell you how much the wind has changed. Yesterday I hit driver and 4-iron to that green. Today I hit 2-iron, sand wedge, just to give you an idea of how much things have changed out there. I hit that to about ten feet, made that.

Hit a driver and 3-wood yesterday on 15, hit 3-wood, 7-iron today. To with 15 feet. Made that.

16, playing short. I hit driver up the right side into the rough and hit a 5-iron up just short of the green chipped up to ten feet, made it.

18 hit driver and wedge to about four feet, made it. 17, par.

TODD BUDNICK: Okay, got off to kind of an uneventful start but certainly took the back side by storm there. What kicked in for you?

BRYCE MOLDER: Sometimes a bogey can be kind of the best thing for you. I made a couple birdies early - looked like that was -- I was 2-under, really cruising, making a bunch of solid pars. I almost kind of got lazy, kind of got not bored but just kind of too comfortable and made kind of a lucky bogey on 10. That was really a tough putt, the putt for bogey. But it kind of woke me up, and made a really, really good swing on the next hole, 11, it's a pretty easy tee shot with an iron, but still after making a bogey you can hook it in the water, whatever. So that kind of got me going. Then I just left myself with a lot of putts that pretty easy to read, and just hit some good putts.

TODD BUDNICK: Questions.

Q. How long a bogey putt?

BRYCE MOLDER: Ten feet. It was about 4, 5 balls outside the left edge.

Q. What has turned it around for you? Did something click before you got to New Orleans?

BRYCE MOLDER: I have been playing pretty well all year. I started out, I missed a couple of cuts overseas, and then actually finished second was the first good event I made of the year, down in the BUY.COM event down in Australia, had a chance to win, then played good pretty good the next week and then in the BUY.COM, finished 7th. Made quite a few cuts in the last -- probably the last five or six in a row so I have really kind have been building up from then, and like I guess last week was my third Top-10 of the year I really played pretty good coming into this. Last week I felt like I played -- I hit more good shots than I had any other week. But I don't know what -- you never know what it is that clicks. It may be something I may be just eating the right things. It may be whatever the wind happens to be blowing in the right direction or just there's something in my swing, my rhythm is good. I don't know what it is but confidence has a big thing.

Q. Is it hard to block circumstances out when you come to a place like New Orleans knowing that it is only one of 7 or knowing that you are here now in the Top-10 and got to take advantage of it?

BRYCE MOLDER: It is a little tough but I also know it's not my only chance to get a -- if I came into the year knowing that there's no Q-School, no BUY.COM Tour, that I have got 7 tournaments to move or try to get a Tour card then that would be a lot of pressure, but there's so many different ways and I just know that if I can play good at the right time on one of those, then I am going to be fine. It is tough because I'd love to do it this way because if I play well for the next couple of weeks or and get enough money where I can play each week then it's like I pretty much have a Tour card this year. But there's not too much pressure as far as that's concerned.

TODD BUDNICK: I think you are only about $10,000 shy of earning his BUY.COM Tour card if he heads back there for the rest of the year. He's about 10,000 shy of --

BRYCE MOLDER: I am like 72,000 and the number last year was tied for 55th of last year which is about 82. That would give me temporary membership.

Q. How much do you think last week could potentially help you this week mentally?

BRYCE MOLDER: It can help. I think it helps as much early in the week as late in the week just because you know, really if I do a couple of things different here and there or maybe one or two shots -- one or two putts here or there and I had a good chance of winning a golf tournament. He ended up running away and playing really too good to catch, but no, I felt like I played good enough to win the golf tournament. I can take that with me this week and know that that wasn't my best last week, so it doesn't necessarily take my very best golf to have a chance to win.

Like I said, today, I got some breaks. I got pretty good lies in the rough for the most part. I didn't drive the ball very good today at all. But yet I putted well enough to be at least near the lead by the end of the day.

Q. What kind of memories do you have coming here as a kid?

BRYCE MOLDER: I didn't play real well here as a kid. I don't know if it was too much golf course for me or if it was late in the year. I remember one year I played it when I had mono and those last few holes I couldn't finish very well. But I just have -- I just you know, just knowing the golf course beforehand, but it's in completely different shape than it is in August. It's in perfect shape. So it almost doesn't seem like the same golf course.

Q. What has it been like watching -- you were in that same group with Kuchar, Gossett and Howell, what has it been like watching them, has it helped?

BRYCE MOLDER: It's helped. There's really, coming out my year, my age, there was about 10 guys that I wouldn't be surprised if this time or right now would have PGA TOUR cards. There were so many good players, but to see some of the guys come out and do so well, it's just helped me just because I know that I can play with them for sure and so it just -- just tells me that my game is good enough to play.

Q. What was the Dallas connection?

BRYCE MOLDER: Boys Junior Championship. Used to be here. When I was actually first time I met Charles Howell we played when I was 13 here.

Q. How skinny was he back then?

BRYCE MOLDER: He was pretty skinny. He was short then too. He still hit it a pretty good ways. He hit it pound for pound farther than anybody back then just like he does now.

Q. Since there's so many of you in the same class or close to the same class, how much competition is there to get -- is it carried on from junior, does it still exist?

BRYCE MOLDER: There's a few guys out there that I look each week I see where they are compared to me, I mean I am not going to lie to you. But as much as anything just to be able to talk a little trash, I mean, I know if I had been playing at the Honda Classic where Kuch won I know I would have been hearing it from him, but there's -- each week there's 150 guys to beat, so it's -- and around the world, if you are going to try to be the best player in the world you need to beat just or more than just the guys that you are around.

Q. Who are some of the others? Have you talked to any trash lately at all?

BRYCE MOLDER: Not a whole lot. I am trying to think I played first round with Charles Howell first week and talked to him some this week. I have seen Luke Donald, we played a ton of college golf against each other. Kuch hadn't played the last few weeks, so, haven't seen him at all. But did --

Q. You think it's hard though if you beat somebody regularly on whatever level as a junior and they are having quicker success now does that grade on you a little bit?

BRYCE MOLDER: The problem is you know, it makes me want all of this yesterday. To be honest with you. But I also know that because somebody is out here already doesn't make them a better player than I am. It just means that they happen to play good at the right time when I didn't. And I just, you know, a lot of those guys had -- David Gossett he had a full year out before I did. Charles Howell had a full year and Matt Kuchar had a full year out. So really if you want to compare -- you know, be better to compare them this year to me next year. That would probably be the best comparison because I really just turned pro in August so just had a few months of that year.

Q. When you talked about the pressure or lack thereof so many different avenues, is it any different this year than it was last year when you turned pro?

BRYCE MOLDER: It's a lot better this year because I have got time on my side. I have got the fact that I don't have to get to that 125 number if I get to the 150 from last year number, then I have got the rest of the year to play. Also with the BUY.COM Tour I didn't even have that as a choice last year and if I have to go to Q-School, then I won't go to Q-School with playing five out of six weeks beforehand, so that -- it helps a bunch. Last year by the first of November, I was so sick of golf I was in a better mood after I just missed Q-School than I had been all fall or after month or two coming up to that because I mentally I was just so out of it.

Q. What are your goals for the year?

BRYCE MOLDER: My goal -- I am just trying to get better and better. Just get more comfortable out here; just compete to win golf tournaments. Winning a golf tournament a lot of it comes down to luck. I saw some of the shots KJ hit on the back the last week - he played much better than anybody did that whole day, but I think he chipped in on 17 and the shot on 16, I don't know if he ever hit that one again. Then just you have to have a little bit of luck on your side. So it's hard to put winning golf tournaments as a goal, but I am just -- if I keep getting better and better, and play well at the right time I am going to be fine.

Q. Is your goal to get your card this year?

BRYCE MOLDER: There is. I feel like I have got enough chances to where if I have a good year then I will at the end of the year.

Q. Without getting specific, did you say maybe not only get my card, but you know, win this amount of money or this many Top-10s, have you stopped -- stopped -- limited it to just getting the card?

BRYCE MOLDER: The thing is I try to just look at each week and I try not to limit myself because I feel like some of the goals I can set right now would almost limit me if I really you know, if I come out and in the next month you know, earn $750,000 and then be able to play for the rest of the year and if my goal was to win one golf tournament or to get a PGA TOUR card, then I am done for the year. But if I have a good year from here on out, who knows what could happen, I could be playing in THE TOUR Championship at the end of the year and you know, or Top-10 by the end of the year who knows.

So I am just trying to really just focus on each week just trying to play as well as I can, and each round and that way I don't feel like I limit myself.

Q. Do you have a medical condition in your shoulder?

BRYCE MOLDER: I don't -- I don't really call it a condition. I was born abnormal for most people. I have a smaller left hand and I am missing my left chest muscle. There's a name for it Polon (ph) syndrome, but there has been kind of a big deal made out of it lately, but personally I don't see it as really as much of anything, just as somebody might be really tall or somebody might be really short.

Q. It hasn't affected how you have learned the game?

BRYCE MOLDER: I mean, my golf swing is going to be different than you know, someone else that may be 6 foot and 175 pounds. And may be you know, a little bit -- the power in the generators is from the right side just because that's where I am stronger, but you know, I just guess -- I try to learn how to swing as well as I can and just the way I am. Not really change anything as far as how I have learned to play.

Q. Doesn't change your grip or anything?

BRYCE MOLDER: No.

Q. How many tournaments, Nelson tournaments have you attended when you were --

BRYCE MOLDER: One. I remember -- one. I remember I don't know why I remember this. We were going to come on Sunday, my dad and I. I didn't want to go to church. He said we're not going to the golf tournament unless we go to church first. I remember on No. 5 green, this is maybe the only thing I remember about the whole tournament was looking up over people, I could see Greg Norman's really white hair. That's about all I remember because I was only about 7.

Q. Who did you play with? What year was that?

BRYCE MOLDER: Clinton. That was, I think, three years ago, maybe. That was let's see, when was it was in 1999 because it was Pebble Beach U.S. Amateur. Was right after that. That was '99.

Q. What did you do on that last hole that round?

BRYCE MOLDER: I just made a par. That's all I remember. I played a really good round with him.

Q. 60; wasn't it?

BRYCE MOLDER: Yeah.

Q. You parred the last hole?

BRYCE MOLDER: Yeah.

Q. What is your Open qualifying schedule?

BRYCE MOLDER: I am through to the second stage and I am going to do it in Maryland the second stage there right after the Kemper Open.

Q. How are you through with the second stage?

BRYCE MOLDER: I don't know if it's from Walker Cup or they may take that away when you turn pro but also making the cut last year. I think that exempts you.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you.

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