FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 24, 2000

Notah Begay III

NOTAH BEGAY III: I struggled most of the year; haven't really put any good rounds together. I had one good week at Pebble Beach at the AT&T and that has been about it. So obviously everyone knows about the personal problems I have had and I think that had a little bit to do with the way I was performing.

NOTAH BEGAY III: No. 2, I made about a 35-footer from just on the green, the front of the green. 5, I got up-and-down for birdie, just over the back of the green. 6, knocked it in there about two feet, made that, 9-iron. 7, I hit a sand wedge in about ten feet, made that. 8, I hit a 7-iron about 15 feet. My one bogey I hit a driver right down the middle, rolled through the fairway, caught a flier with a wedge over the back and just didn't get up-and-down.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Definitely pleased. Couldn't be happier. The conditions are hard and especially when you are playing more towards the top of the leaderboard, you tend to be a little more conservative versus somebody that is coming from the middle of the field can be a little bit more aggressive. There is a couple holes out there where you really need to be cautious and play perfect golf and hit the right shots. With the wind swirling as it is, it makes it even more difficult.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I just play well in the summer. I don't know. I think when the temperatures get real high -- I grew up in Albuquerque. I never played golf in the wintertime or the spring very little, so I am used to playing golf in the summertime when it is really hot. So when the temperature goes up, I guess my game gets better. It is an inverse relationship, my scores go down when the heat goes up.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I have had problems with it all week. I haven't hit the fairway once. I hit it in the water on Thursday. I hit it right down the middle again today and it rolled straight through. It is just hard -- you have got to get the ball in the fairway. If you are not, you are playing to save par and hopefully not make a double by pulling something in the water, whatnot. But it doesn't really cater to my tee shot because I play left-to-right, so I got to start it pretty much over the right edge of the lake and hold on for dear life, I guess.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Yeah, but that is the kind of hole you want -- you want to end the golf tournament on. If you are in the lead and the tournament is on the line, you want to know that you can go to a hole like that and have to make par to win a golf tournament. If you are on the other side of the coin and you need to make up a shot, it is a very good place to make up a shot because chances are that if that person doesn't hit the fairway, that you are trying to catch, they are going to make a bogey.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Very similar. Just playing real steady. I haven't really burned it up yet. I felt like I could -- I think I kind of let one get away yesterday. I made three bogeys and missed a lot of putts inside ten feet, but to come away with three rounds in the 60s and be somewhere near the lead after three days, I am pretty happy.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I am getting better in being able to feel them when they are happening. I really thought I could have shot well today. I just kind -- I shot myself in the foot by not getting the ball in the fairway on 10. That kind of led to a streak of struggling a little bit. But it is just a matter of getting a few lucky breaks and not -- when you get 6- and 7-under not getting conservative and trying to hang on - I have a tendency to get more aggressive when I am 6-, 7-, 8-under and trying to shoot 58. (laughs).

NOTAH BEGAY III: It sure did. The wind picked up a notch and it changed directions a couple of times and so that makes it real hard to get over -- I mean, there is a few shots out there where you really got to watch yourself because the shot on -- tee shot on 11, I mean, there is -- the green from the edge of the bunker to the back of the green is only 16 yards deep and that is not a lot of margin for error. The other par 3, 14, then you have to get the ball in the fairway on 12. So having to gauge those shots with the wind, I mean, only one I did well was 11. I hit it about 15 feet, but I missed the fairway on 12. Missed the fairway on 13 and missed the green on 14. So if it wasn't for my short game, I wouldn't be sitting up here.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Oh, yeah, but I mean, that is every week. Guys that get out that are in the middle of the field that -- they only can go in one direction. If they have a bad round, it is not going to cost them very much money. You get to where you are in the middle of the field on Saturday, it is a green light because you have nothing to lose versus you are on the top of the leaderboard and bogey or two is going to cost you a lot of spots. But it doesn't surprise me. It happens every week, three, four guys just get a little bit hot.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I have grown immeasurably from that whole situation. It was a huge learning experience for me and I think I was trying to show everybody that I can bounce back a lot faster and I didn't give, I guess, a lot of -- I didn't pay attention to the fact that it did take a lot out of me mentally and emotionally and it took its toll for about three or four months. Finally, now I think the biggest thing that has happened to me was my brother caddying for me and he is not doing any yardages. He is not -- he is reading maybe one or two putts a week, but he is making it fun for me again and I am really enjoying my golf game. I am really enjoying travelling with him, and getting to strengthen our sibling relationship. I think that has been the biggest turning point for me because he has just been on the bag since Memorial and I started playing better since then.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Clint. He is 25, two years younger than I am.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Yeah, he plays. He just finished playing at University of Hawaii, Hilo. (ph) He has got to finish up some school. This is his summer vacation, I guess, I am taking him to the British Open and stuff, we are going to have a good time.

NOTAH BEGAY III: You might have to ask him, I think I am not -- I think I was in third or fourth place at the AT&T, but I don't know where -- I mean, I am going to be second or third, so, yeah, I would -- I am not a statistician.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Yeah, well, I mean it is hard -- guys like a fantom, he is here one day and he is in Europe the next day and then Asia. We don't do a lot of correspondence when he is gone and I am gone, but when we are out on the golf course at the same tournament, we usually try and play at least one practice round together and go to lunch or something.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Yeah, we share secrets. Believe it or not I have taught him a few things. (laughs) But yeah, I like to pick his brain, mostly about course management and trying to play different courses. Like he helped me a lot at Augusta and that was great. He is going to help me a little bit -- he doesn't know it yet, but he is going to help me at St. Andrews hopefully if I qualify.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Just like ours here 36 holes.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I am going over.

NOTAH BEGAY III: Yeah, I like the venue. It is a great place, I will probably be back. I played well here last year, didn't finish well but I played well and I am playing well this year. I played well last year in Quad Cities and it was 115 heat index. I don't know what it is. I like to sweat.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I am the only one that does it. It's a real simple concept. For the majority of golfers -- I am saying "majority" because there is some exceptions, but they prefer for right-handers prefer a hooking right-to-left breaking putt. For some reason it sets up to their eye better, they can see the break better when they are over the ball, they can feel better. I just kind of took the other approach and hit my left-handed putts left-handed, left to right breaking putts, so just essentially want to hook-putt all the time.

NOTAH BEGAY III: I have been doing it, this is my eighth year, so I am pretty much over any discomfort.