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FUNAI GOLF CLASSIC AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

October 21, 2004

Mark Hensby

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

NELSON SILVERIO: Welcome, Mark Hensby, to the media center. Thanks for taking a couple minutes for joining us. Beautiful 64 today, six Top 10s this year, including a win. Give us a couple of general comments on your round.

MARK HENSBY: I hit the ball well. I didn't make a lot of putts, but I made some coming down the stretch, just kind of got into a rhythm at the end, and it was a good day.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: Well, the greens are perfect, and there's not a lot of wind out there right now, and the fairways are soft, so that's a pretty good combination for low scores.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: I hit the ball well, I really did. I think I only missed like two or three greens. You know, I played real well. Actually I haven't played in two weeks, and I played well in Ireland the last round, so it kind just of rubbed off from there, I guess.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: Yeah, the results show that I have. I think the last year on the Nationwide Tour, I really played well the last five or six months, and when I say I played well, I played as good as I've ever played, and it's just kind of continued on through this year. I think I'm learning a lot more about my game, and I think improving, and the improvements that I've made, they're paying off, so I think that's probably about it.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: You know, I've never been a real confident player, but at the moment, yeah, I feel like I'm playing pretty well.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: I think when you play like the last round of the World Golf Championship in the weather that we played over there and shoot 7-under par, you know, you're the best score by 3, I think that that definitely changed my outlook a little bit about my game. I feel like now if I play well, I can play with the best, so that definitely gives you confidence.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: No, I didn't, no. Back to Phoenix for two weeks.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: I think certain players have gained a lot of advantage from equipment and certain players haven't gained a lot of advantage. I don't think I'm a player that hits it a long way. I don't think I hit it short, but I don't think I've gained a lot of yardage from using the new equipment, but the golf courses are getting longer and they're making them longer, which I feel like they needed to, but there's not much to say. Everybody hits it a long way.

All the kids now, they're better athletes. Years ago guys didn't work out as much and they didn't get stretched as much. You get bigger guys coming out of college now that play golf instead of other sports because they realize that, hey, they can have a long career in golf because you can play golf forever. Football, baseball, you're kind of done after a certain age. I think that might have something to do with it.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: Oh, definitely. That's what I see anyway.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: Well, it depends what you're looking for. If you're looking at money-wise, no. I mean, baseball obviously, if you're great at it or even good at it, you can make a lot of money up front, whereas golf you have to work for it every week. You know, I mean, it just depends what you want out of the sport, I guess.

As a golfer, the money to us is really secondary, I think. We play because we want to win and we've got to beat 140 players or 150. Money, sure, it's great when it comes, but that's not the object really of our game. If it was, I don't think any of us would be here right now.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: Well, it's kind of really my second time out here, so I haven't played a lot of the courses very much. You know, I think every time you tee it up, you want to do as well as you can, otherwise you shouldn't be here.

What drives me is if -- I don't know, I just had two weeks off, so I'm ready to go for the next three. I just want to keep improving, and that's about it.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: No doubt. I'm very much looking forward to next year. The majors is what we all play for, and even though I've only been out here a short time, the only one I played this year I didn't make the cut and didn't play all weekend. Next year I know I'm in the Masters. As an Australian, for us, it's probably the biggest event to be played in golf, so I'm really looking forward to that.

Next year hopefully I get in all the majors. That's where it's all at.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: I don't know. I don't know what the category is.

Q. Top 20 for all of them.

MARK HENSBY: Is that right?

Q. Why is the Masters the biggest deal for an Australian? You guys haven't won one, have you?

MARK HENSBY: No, that's probably why. Greg was the closest and I think he probably could have won a couple of them, but he's had bad fortune. One of us are going to win it one day, I hope. As much as I was pulling for him, I wasn't (laughter).

NELSON SILVERIO: You started on the 10th hole, had two birdies on the back. Go through it for us.

MARK HENSBY: There were par 5s where I was just -- what was that, the par 5? You've got the wrong card, don't you? Yeah, I can't remember what I did now. They were just pretty much basic birdies.

Q. You had three on the front from 5 through 7, I think.

MARK HENSBY: I honestly can't remember because the holes all run like -- I've got no idea. If you ask me what the 5th hole is, I've got no idea. You kind of threw me a loop.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: I didn't do any of that, no. On the par 5s, I played them, I chipped it up pretty close on all of them, and then the other holes, I just -- I hit it close on one of them. The par 3, I can't remember the par 3.

NELSON SILVERIO: You only missed one fairway and one green, too.

MARK HENSBY: One fairway and one green, so I played well. I don't even know (laughter). I know I missed No. 9 green.

Q. (Inaudible).

MARK HENSBY: No, I was inside the cut. You can't get that wrong.

NELSON SILVERIO: Thanks, Mark.

End of FastScripts.

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