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FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

May 26, 2005

Davis Love III

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Thank you Davis for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. Great start on the front nine, 31, no bogeys on your round.

DAVIS LOVE III: Scrambled a couple that should have been bogeys probably.

The greens are good. If you can get on them they are putting great.

I hit the ball fairly well except for a few shots. Gave myself a few opportunities. I wanted to get on a bunch of greens today. I did that, even though I had some longer putts coming in, I got on the greens and gave myself opportunities. It is nice to see some hard work paying off.

Q. On 18, you were waiting to see if you felt all right to play this week here; was it physical or mental?

DAVIS LOVE III: Both. More physical. Like I said, this fills in a blank for five in a row. I didn't want to commit too early; and play five leading up to and including the US Open. I am waiting, kind of committing last minute to fill in the blanks rather than commit to go all five in a row.

Q. You said a lot of hard work; has that been over the last couple of weeks or months?

DAVIS LOVE III: This year on my golf game and the last four or five weeks working out harder, trying to get over this injury, that I tended to rest the last couple of years rather than take an aggressive approach. I am feeling better and getting stronger. Seems like every day I am getting stronger and hitting the ball better and better. I have been hitting it a lot better on the range and at home.

The last couple of weeks have been frustrating as far as scores. I am feeling better and hitting it better. Nice to get a good round under your belt, get some confidence back.

Q. Is it stretching, resistance work?

DAVIS LOVE III: A lot of stretching and strengthening, trying to get my back and my chest muscles strong enough to support to get over this neck problem.

Q. (Inaudible)?

DAVIS LOVE III: It's been bothering me four or five years. I haven't been able to find the right combination of treatment and rest and whatever and I think I have just gotten weaker and weaker because of it. Now I feel like I am getting stronger. It is paying off. In the next six or eight weeks I will be back to a hundred percent.

Q. On No. 3 Shot Link says you busted one down the left side. Tell us about that shot.

DAVIS LOVE III: As long as they don't turn the water on we're going to hit it a long way. It is pretty dry out there. Most of the fairways if you can get it running it just goes. Like No. 9, into the water, you have to be careful not to drive it in the water. It is so firm and dry and dusty.

One of the caddies in our group today said after three holes you hit two shots that look like the British Open. It is so dry the puff of smoke goes up when you hit the ball. Hopefully they will fix their sprinkler system by the end of the week, soften it up a little bit.

Q. Go through your five birdies starting with No. 1?

DAVIS LOVE III: Off the tee through the fairway, right rough, hit a sand wedge to about 15 feet behind the hole.

3, like you said I hit a good driver down the left side six or seven from the middle of the green. Two putted from about 60 feet.

6, I drove it in the left rough hit and 8 iron 27 and half feet.

8, hit a good drive. It was a 9 iron, 6 feet.

11 was a sand wedge just in the left fringe, made it from 20 feet.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: A couple more questions.

Q. When you started, Justin came in at 8 under; that happens out here?

DAVIS LOVE III: It was surprising for sure. We were thinking that scores wouldn't be as low. Obviously there was only one real low one. That was a great score and just made you realize that if you get on the greens they are rolling good. He is a great putter. If you get on the greens you will be able to make some birdies. Pins were not easy. These greens were small. If you get it on the right part of the green, even in the middle of most greens, you have 30 footers a lot. It was surprising but it gave us a good target, something to chase.

Q. Do you like putting on the champion Bermuda?

DAVIS LOVE III: I like it. We try to convince people in our design business, if you are right on the edge of whether bentgrass is the right grass or not, in the warmer climates Bermuda putts good if not better. There is no reason not to use it, any of the good hybrid Bermudas. They are less trouble than the bentgrass.

Q. What does your design eye tell you about some of the changes out here; which ones do you like and don't like?

DAVIS LOVE III: I only played yesterday and today. It's been a while since I played here. I didn't really see the first time around how they flattened out a lot of the subtle ridges and bigger ridges. I like the style. I like that they are like a consistent pitch. There are not a lot of up and overs, a lot of greens that look flat. The more you put the pin towards the edge of the green the more it might flare up or roll over the middle of the greens, it is fairly reasonable for the members.

For us if they want to tuck a pin around the corner, you can get a tricky wind it's hard to make birdies. I think they did a good job for them. It gets a lot of play. Nice small greens, and it is real challenging.

Q. You mentioned this is the first time you played here for a while. A lot of the other top money winners don't play here or haven't played here; why is that.

DAVIS LOVE III: There are a lot of great tournaments. The reason I haven't played, my daughter has a horse show this week. I got a pass this year. You know, there is a lot of great tournaments, you know. I sit back the last few years and people say they don't have a field but David Toms wins. You always seem to get a great winner here from Nick Price to David Toms and Kenny Perry, didn't he win here one year? No. Mike Albert. But, you know, there is a lot of great golfers if you don't have the Top 5 in the world. I think the scores are always about the same, just the names change. It is still great golf.

There is 40 something tournaments. Davis Love can't play every one of them. We have families my son is graduating from grade school this week, my daughter is at a horse show. I feel guilty being here. I wanted to play for FedEx and for myself and for the hospital and all the people that are so glad to see me playing here. You can't play them all.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Thank you, Davis.

DAVIS LOVE III: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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