WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

November 10, 2000

Colin Montgomerie

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It was a very good start, yes 3, 2. It's amazing, I keep holing shots. I don't know what it is. But, yeah, good birdie at the 1st from 20 feet. Then pulled a wedge shot at the 2nd. It spun back from 10 feet above the hole, spun back in the hole. So 3, 2, 3 was a great start. Then I missed a shot at the 4th. Then I doubled the 6th. I went big and chipped down, 3-putted. That was a 5 there, doubled that hole. Then the glorious chances at 8, 9, and 10 -- I missed them all. Then on the 12th, 4-iron.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: One hop. It pitched 6 inches short of the hole, and in. Exactly the same as last week. Amazing. So I saw this one. It was sunny.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, well, yeah. There was about six this time. (Laughter.) Five more than last. So they knew it went in, so that was good. Then I birdied 14 and 17. That's the first time I ever birdied 17, I think. I always manage to mess up that hole. I hit a good driver and a 4-iron just over the back, and chip -- chip down. It's the easiest pin we have there. It was front-left, which means if you do go for it in two, you can afford to go big and you have room to come back to it. If the pin's in the back of the green, that's when it's more difficult. Then a good par at the last, because it's playing very difficult. There's no way to hit it off the last tee at all. Left-to-right wind, there's nowhere to hit it. So that was, yeah, 67 is good. Two more of them, you never know.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: The odds of me getting -- well, the odds of me winning is about the odds of ... Sorry.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I don't know. Very, very high. Low. Whatever it is the odds are. I'm not a betting man. But that's unbelievable, and to hole a second shot as well in the middle of it from the fairway.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: What's that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Very slight. But if I can put two 66s together to get to 14-under, you never know. I told you yesterday, I haven't given up. So I haven't given up --.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: -- Never will until it's mathematically impossible. The 6th hole, I hit the 6-iron. It was two clubs too many.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, it was gusting. Then I stopped just as I hit, and it went far, far too big, yeah, off the back bank. And I just got no shot.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, come on. I mean, you have to come here and win a tournament. It's a tall order; especially when you start with 75 in your second match off. You land in 52nd place or something. It doesn't help. So nothing to lose this morning. Went out and started 3-2 like that. You think, "Okay, well back to level par." Then played well from then on in. I know this course as well as anybody. I've won here before. I've been in a playoff here before. I have good memories of this place. And I think two 66s... You never know. You never know.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, you see. I had a chance. So you never know. Golf, you're just not sure. It's not easy out there. It's not easy out there. Not at all. Not easy.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Did he?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Oh, yes. That's right.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, it would be nice. Nice thing to say that. Nice of him to think I'm good enough to do that. I never know. I don't know. I'm on holiday until the 11th of January, then I might well do something like that. I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, yeah. I have nothing to prove here. Hopefully. If I go over there, you never know. I might spend more time over there; I'm not sure yet. I have to talk to Guy and work it all out. And my wife. (Laughter.)

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: You can ask any question. You might not get an answer, but you can ask any question. (Laughter.)

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Professional pride this morning. Professional pride, which is high on my list.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: He walked down the left-hand side. We didn't actually walk together. He was late. He went to the loo, I think. It's funny, because the ball we holed in one with last week was in the top pocket. We put it in the top pocket. I said, "Save it in my bag." Although, I went home, he took my bag down. So it's remained there. So I've got two balls in the top pocket now. They're both No. 1s. It's amazing. They're both No. 1s. Callaway No. 1s. (Laughter.) They went in. Yeah, so I've got two of them now.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Blue.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I don't play with twos. Ones are normal, yeah. Yeah, ones are normal.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, haven't kept them all. But I think, during amateur golf as well, I think it's nearly 20 now. Which is an awful lot. An awful lot. Yeah. I need a few more. I need a few more. Not enough.