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BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 10, 2004

Vijay Singh

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Vijay Singh, thanks for joining us for a couple minutes. You've had a great day today, went out and shot 28 on the front side this morning and followed that up with a 66 in round 2 and just one off the lead. If we could start with some opening comments.

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, I only played five holes yesterday and I don't think I played that badly, I just had one bad hole. I started off this morning, made a bogey early and then the bogey on the 18th kind of got me really -- not pissed off, but kind of frustrated. It was only a 5-iron in, and I tried to cut a 4-iron and made a bogey, so kind of threw away a shot there.

Then I started hitting it close and making some putts on the backside, which is the tough side of the course, and I had a few good putts there, one eagle. I just started hitting it close, and all of a sudden I noticed it was 28.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Nice to go back out there after shooting 28, and then following it up with a 66 had to be nice.

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, I played well. 10, 11, I don't know what's wrong with those holes, with me, I just can't get it going. I three-putted. I played well; 13, 14, 15, made good birdies there and a good up-and-down on 16 and made a good birdie on 18.

I'm playing well, hitting the ball good and stroking it well, and I'm looking forward to a good weekend hopefully.

Q. We know there's 12 hours in the middle of it, but have you ever had a round that was like a 40-28 before, anything ever remotely split like that?

VIJAY SINGH: What, 28 and --

Q. Well, you shot 40 on your front and 28 on your back.

VIJAY SINGH: When you're out there, I don't add up nine, how many over, how many under you are. I was just trying to get it back as close to par as possible. I was frustrated enough, getting one back on 18, but you don't really think about that. You go out there and just try to get it back to par if you're over par, and that's what I tried to do.

Q. Can you just talk potentially about playing with Mike tomorrow, the home crowd on his side and the whole bit? These people have been pulling for him to win this tournament for years, and just maybe playing alongside him tomorrow and how that match-up in your mind might play out?

VIJAY SINGH: If I do, it would be great. There's still guys out there that can obstruct that. I like Mike and I'm a friend of his. I've played a lot of golf with him. I'm really looking forward to it. I know the crowds are going to be a little biased, but it won't be any worse than what it was last week. I'm kind of used to it.

Q. You talk about getting frustrated at 18. When most people get frustrated, they don't play better, they play worse. What do you have to do to put together a 28 after something like that?

VIJAY SINGH: You don't really think about a 28. You don't really think about a score. My whole thought was try to get it back to par, and I was 4 over, and I just wanted to get it back to par and see if I could attack the next round when I went out. I did better. I was playing well, hitting good drives, hitting good shots. I just wasn't putting it together, and I guess it came together on the back nine.

Q. Tomorrow afternoon again you're going to be delayed in getting off a little bit. This is kind of a stop-and-start kind of tournament. How do you adjust to that and what do you do to compensate for it?

VIJAY SINGH: I mean, tomorrow we know we're going to be teeing off around 1:00 o'clock unless it's raining or unless there's further delay, but they've told us there isn't going to be further delay. The guys who aren't going to finish today, they're going to come back tomorrow morning, and I think we'll be on schedule tomorrow afternoon. It's probably going to be 1:15 or 1:30, but I'm going to play tomorrow afternoon. In my mind I'll be programmed to play around that time. Unless there's a delay, I don't think there will be a problem.

Q. I guess what's the mindset or how do you stay focused? Two days ago you were saying you were tired coming into Glen Abbey, and yesterday was hurry-up-and-wait kind of day and sloppy out there, and you've got so much golf to play today, and here you are able to shoot a 28 and continue on with a pretty good afternoon?

VIJAY SINGH: I think the delay did us good. Guys that are playing in the afternoon, if I was playing early in the morning and I had to come here and wait and wait, I wouldn't know what to do, but I knew there was a five-hour delay when I was in my hotel, so I could do things, relax, so that kind of did me good. I was able to relax and just take it easy for most of the day, and probably that's why I got the energy to come out here today and play pretty good golf. It did me a favor.

Q. Did it also do you a favor just with the condition change? You sort of got some of the benefit of waiting around for the wind to go away and then come to come out today?

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, the conditions got easier with the softness of the fairways and all that. I mean, I think we got lucky a little bit. Yesterday was a hard day for the guys that were going out. It was windy, and I played five holes yesterday and it was really windy, but coming out this morning, it was pretty calm, and I think we got the better side of the draw. In that respect we've been lucky. Obviously having that day, it did me really good.

I had a lot of energy. I was geared to play. Towards the end I got a little bit tired, but nothing that was going to hurt my golf.

Q. Do some courses set up better playing back to front as opposed to front to back, or going into the weekend where you're going to start on the first tee both days, is it more of an advantage to play the front tee on Friday?

VIJAY SINGH: It really doesn't matter. It's not going to change. Fortunately I played better on the front side, so hopefully I can get it back on the back. It's a very fair nine. Each nine is very fair. I don't think you can go out there and say, well, the front side is easier than the back side. Finishing holes on the back side are pretty difficult. You've got 16, you've got to hit a good drive or you're going to (inaudible) -- some way or the other, and 17 you can push over the green like that.

I don't think it makes a difference, it really does not.

Q. A lot has been said about the amount of workout you do to stay in good condition. Do you find that with delays like yesterday and overall that being in such good condition keeps you like mentally fresh and physically sharp?

VIJAY SINGH: I think so. I mean, I feel strong. I don't feel weak hitting golf balls. Out there coming down the stretch I feel really strong. I had a lot of energy to go hit the ball. I wasn't hitting it any shorter or getting tired. Maybe my legs were a little tired from walking on sloppy ground, but I was pretty fresh, fresh enough to go out there and still focus on every hole coming in.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could touch on your round and we'll take one final question. Birdies on 3, 4 and 5.

VIJAY SINGH: I've got to think about this one. 3rd hole I hit a pitching wedge about 15 feet, made that.

4, I hit an L-wedge about eight feet probably, seven feet.

5, I hit a driver, 5-wood in the bunker, blasted out about four feet.

7, I made a bogey, 6-iron to the green about 25 foot and three-putted.

8, I hit a driver, pitching wedge about three feet.

10, I hit driver, 7-iron, pitched out short, pitched it again about a foot, made bogey.

11, I hit driver, 9-iron and three-putted from about 30 feet.

13, I hit driver and 4-iron in the bunker, blasted out about 15 foot, made that.

14, I hit a 3-wood, 8-iron to 15 feet.

15, I hit an 8-iron about 18, 20 feet.

18, I hit a driver, 3-iron in the bunker, blasted out to about four feet, made that.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Talk about the eagle this morning on the par 5.

VIJAY SINGH: I hit driver, 3-wood about 30 feet.

Q. I know you say you don't keep track of nines, but do you ever recall shooting better than 28 on a single nine even when you've added it up after -- would you characterize that as the best nine you might have played?

VIJAY SINGH: Probably, yes, under the circumstances when I was 4 over. I don't think I've shot any lower than 28. I think that's the lowest I've ever shot. Par was 35. I've shot 8-under before, but never less than 28.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Okay, Vijay, thank you very much.

VIJAY SINGH: Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts.

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