THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA

October 29, 2002

Charles Howell III

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Charles, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at THE TOUR Championship.

I know it's exciting for you to be here in Atlanta, close to home, and also, it's a great accomplishment to be here, in the Top-30 of money winners. Obviously, congratulations again on your victory at Michelob.

CHARLES HOWELL: Well, thank you. Obviously, it was my number one goal to be at this tournament this year. It was above a goal of winning a tournament or anything else.

Obviously to be here is -- you know, I would say this tournament, it's almost tougher to get into this than, say, the Mercedes. I know Mercedes is winners, but I know this tournament covers an entire year, and maybe just cover one week. Granted, winning a tournament definitely helps you get in here because of the pay schedule, but I definitely say that being in this tournament here is -- I tell you, it's definitely a surprise. Obviously, when I started the stretch of the tournaments with the Texas Open, playing throughout, my main goal was to get back into the Masters for the top 40 and obviously was not planning a win, but it's great to be here.

Q. You were so close last year, you had to finish fifth and I think you finished 12th in the last tournament to get in. Was it tough watching last year, knowing how close you were and you were not really a member at the time and you could have been the first person to do that?

CHARLES HOWELL: The main reason I wanted to get in last year was because I wasn't a member and I wanted to be the first add-on to the field, because I had some disagreements with some of the rules.

I wanted to get in there more or less for that reason there, but I wasn't able to do it and was close to it.

You know this, year, I would say that this year was probably a little tougher than last year because I kind of started the year out knowing that I had THE TOUR Championship in mind where when I started off last year. I didn't have it near in my mind. My main goal was to earn a card and play from there. I guess the more you think about it, the tougher it seems to get.

It's just amazing, the amount of time that it took to get into the field this week. And the players and the quality of players that are and aren't here this week because of that. I would say this year was tougher to get into it than last year.

Q. You're the exact same player after you won than you were before you won, but people look at you different, they treat you different when you're a winner. What does that do to a player when you are a tournament winner?

CHARLES HOWELL: Well, it's fun to play the next week because I get a lot of congratulations and you meet a few new friends, I guess.

It's different because in a sense you sort of belong and you get your -- it's kind of join the winner's circle, so to speak. Sergio called and left a message on my phone and said, "Welcome to the club." So it's one of those deals.

In a sense of my own right, what it does to me, maybe a sense of belonging. I know I've been close a lot to winning but until I won I still felt like I had something to prove and I think people still had a few questions unanswered. I was Rookie of the Year and whatnot, but that still -- and was 33 I think on the money last year, ended up being, but that still probably didn't get as much recognition as a win would for me. I think I need to do it more to prove some things and answer a lot of questions.

Q. Could you talk about how difficult it is to win out here, but yet there's 17 first-time winners; why do you suppose that is, this year?

CHARLES HOWELL: I think it's purely a coincidence. I don't think it's anything special than anything else.

People try to say, oh, maybe one guy sees one guy win and he feels like he can do it. I don't think that has anything to do with it at all.

I think that it just has to get to a point where you have to hit the shots when you need to and you have to play well. I think it goes to show how college and junior golf class actually came up together. Not only myself but Jonathan Byrd who just won, David Gossett, Matt Kuchar who just came here recently. I don't think you'll see a lot more of that. I don't think there's a class coming anywhere in the near future as strong as the class we had. And that goes for a lot other guys, like Bryce Molder, also there, an awesome player and you could almost even throw Sergio in there because I played against him in some amateur tournaments and Aaron Baddeley who just gained his card.

There's a lot of great players our age who just came through. And on top of that, fields and competitions getting stronger. It's just amazing how many great young players there are out here. But I think you'll just probably see more and more of that, but never this strong.

Q. Did you talk to Sergio at all when he was in the evaluation process of looking for places to live in the U.S. and Orlando was on the short list?

CHARLES HOWELL: Well, actually, I did talk to him about that. It was maybe three months ago, three or four months ago and he told me that he was possibly wanting to find a place to live in the United States and obviously we suggested Orlando. He wasn't too thrilled about it at the time, dating his girlfriend in Tampa, but the more I wore on it, the more I talked about it to him, and obviously Lake Nona is a fantastic place to live. A lot of people live there. A lot of people like him who, maybe enjoy the privacy and practice and so forth. My coach, David Leadbetter lives there, so I've practiced -- I have beat many balls on that range.

Q. What's your take on the lift, clean and place here? It looks like they are going to do it. During the Masters, they didn't do it, and some of the players were saying it takes a lot of skill to hit a ball with the mud on it. Which way do you like to look at it?

CHARLES HOWELL: Well, I tell you, lift, clean and place is -- I think here, you have to play it. There was so much mud and so much everything that it's amazing. I mean, I hit a few -- I had a few shots today that picked up so much mud, you could not tell if it were a Callaway ball or not on there. And so, no, that gets past the point of skill to just sheer luck.

Playing lift, clean and place is never a bad thing. If you hit the ball in the fairway, you should have a decent lying to it. Now if you hit it in the rough, obviously you are going to be punished, even more so now because it's so wet. If you hit the ball in the fairway, you ought to have a decent lie.

Q. What's your take on some of the off-the-course flak that Tiger has taken this year, vis-a-vis, the Augusta National situation, the "million reasons" quote that he had overseas, some of the other -- his alleged apathy about the Ryder Cup. Do you feel for the guy or is he just a lightning rod in light of the fact that he's the No. 1 player in the world and that just sort of comes with the territory, and what happens if and when you ever get to that spot, what's that going to do to your personable, outgoing nature?

CHARLES HOWELL: I have actually gotten to know Tiger a lot better the last year. I would say that he is a very normal, young guy who likes to have fun, who is in a position that he can't.

I ask him about the "a million reasons" question and he was purely joking when he said it. And because he's Tiger Woods, it's going to get put out however you want it.

Now, with the Ryder Cup, I know that he hates to lose more than anything. And there's nothing I'd like more than to partner with him in it because I know -- ask anybody that's played him and they know he does not like to lose, at all.

I think he's a lightning rod. I think anything he says and does is going to be -- everybody wants to know what Tiger does. They want to know what he eats for breakfast, where he sleeps, what side of the bed he sleeps on, what time he gets up. People want to know everything about the guy because he is so great at what he does.

I think any time he says or does something like that, it's going to get brought up.

With the Augusta National, I don't think there's anyway to win on that issue. I don't think you can really say anything and come out of that looking like the good guy.

I think Hootie Johnson is finding that out. I think a lot of the members there are finding that out. There is no great ground to stand on there. That's a pretty tough question, especially for someone like him, who is going to get published so much.

Maybe if I say something, it will get written, but obviously not to the level that his is.

Q. Since we are on the subject, should the Tour get involved with what's going on with the debate on Augusta?

CHARLES HOWELL: Oh, I don't think so. I think the Tour's job is to run golf tournaments for us and to continue on with it.

I think the Tour does a fantastic job of what they do, and I don't think enough credit probably goes to Tim Finchem and to the board of directors and to the people that run our tour, simply because there's so many great sports, that we are having to convince tournaments and convince them what we can do for them and their companies and for value of it.

As long as their job stays focused on what it is, I don't think that's Augusta National.

Q. There is word though, now, that Martha Burke is talking about involving a boycott of TOUR sponsors; whether they want to or not, that's up to them.

CHARLES HOWELL: I don't know. I know I have trouble just hitting a driver. (Laughter.)

Q. How about the Ryder Cup? You mentioned playing with Tiger one day in that; is that your next big step that you want to accomplish?

CHARLES HOWELL: Yeah, no question. I've love nothing more than to be paired with him in a Ryder Cup. That would be fantastic.

Obviously, my supreme goal of them all is to win the Masters. I still may retire the day after I were to do that. But no, obviously, apart from that, I would love to play the Ryder Cup with Tiger. And the Ryder Cup with anybody, for that matter, because that means I would make the team, and I'd play with anyone.

It's been neat to get to know someone like him, who beyond golf, he's one of the best athletes of all time. To see how he handles and carries himself; I think he does a fantastic job with it. Maybe apart from a couple things, really, early in his career, I don't think he's ever really stuck his foot in his mouth once and he's done an awesome job of it.

I think, heck, I can try to pattern myself after that, as well. Not just, obviously on the golf course, but obviously off the golf course, as well.

Q. Talking about the 17 first-time winners and the depth of the TOUR this year, what does that say about Tiger's season? What's your feelings of what he accomplished this year?

CHARLES HOWELL: Well, I think it's been awesome. I think, you know, you forget all too quickly that he won the Masters and the U.S. Open. It seems like it was forever ago. He still had an unbelievable season.

Still, the year he had in 2000 was phenomenal. It just goes to show you how got guy is. You see it over and over again. With 17 first-time winners this year and he's still able to win as much as he has.

I hope he has a good week this week. To win what he's won this year is unbelievable. To see the discrepancy between where he is on the Money List and the 30th guy, it still shows you when the -- even the second guy -- and it just shows you with as many great players as there are, he's still that far ahead. It's definitely something to work towards. Helps me get out of bed in the morning.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Charles.

End of FastScripts....