WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 21, 2002

Charles Howell III

CHARLES HOWELL III: If I had made a few pars in there it could have been a lot different.

Q. Talk about the shot on the back.

CHARLES HOWELL III: The shot on No. 16, I caught two flyers and I haven't caught two flyers in the last two years, I don't think. So that ball there, I had a really good lie in the rough and he had a bad lie. I thought I hit the next ball in.

Q. What's it like playing someone in your peer group; fun?

CHARLES HOWELL III: It was fun. I didn't win; so, it's not fun. But it was fun. I think we both wanted to beat each other.

Q. Talk about the waggle.

CHARLES HOWELL III: That's just his little thing there. I kind of expected it. I wasn't paying attention to it. I counted a few of them just for fun.

Q. Does that bother you at all?

CHARLES HOWELL III: Not at all. I'm so worried about my own game ... the cart path, I didn't want to drop it and get it down in the junk there, so I just thought I'd get a better lie.

Q. Is it more meaningful to you, this match, the way it was billed; here is a guy who is actually younger than you, a potential rival -- did you understand that?

CHARLES HOWELL III: Oh, I think we both did. We both wanted to beat each other. There's no question about that. You know, the 18th hole there, I don't think either one of us played our best today, but just one of those things.

Q. How could you compare match-play versus Sunday on stroke-play, the gamesmanship?

CHARLES HOWELL III: You might clear your throat a little bit, but it wasn't really that bad with Sergio and I because we are friends. I think if you're playing someone out there you don't like too much, then you might drop your hat a few times.

Q. A comment on the waggle?

CHARLES HOWELL III: Exactly.

Q. As you were walking to 18, what happened there?

CHARLES HOWELL III: I think both of us started -- we hit a few bad shots and that probably made us more mad than anything. But no, I think we are both just trying to grind it out there because neither one of us had our best stuff.

Just a by-product of wanting to win and when you want to win that bad. Neither one of us -- except we were not making birdies toward the last few holes.

Q. First time you ever played Sergio?

CHARLES HOWELL III: In match-play. I've played him a bunch of times.

Q. Are you thinking about adopting the waggle?

CHARLES HOWELL III: No. I'm going to stick with my waggle.

Q. Could you describe your emotions on 18, satisfied, frustrated?

CHARLES HOWELL III: A little bit pissed off because I didn't really play my best today, and it's nothing against Sergio, but I didn't play my best today. I just, you know, if you play really good and lose that's one thing, but when you don't play that well and lose -- which I guess is good for me. If I had played my very best golf and lost, I wouldn't be very happy.

I thought I drove it real good, but I hit a couple funky iron shots which I didn't really like. I felt I drove it good when I needed to drive it good. Just a couple iron shots that I didn't like.

Q. On 18 you were sitting pretty --?

CHARLES HOWELL III: 18, it just played longer than I expected. I had a perfect yardage. I had 124 to the hole and 137 to the back and just a smooth wedge. I had a perfect shot for a smooth wedge.

Q. What did you hit it to, 25 feet?

CHARLES HOWELL III: Yeah.

Q. People talk about you and Sergio being the future, what's your thought about that?

CHARLES HOWELL III: I never really had momentum. When I got to all-square, I think I had a little bit of momentum there. Then but when I lost that hole, I think it slipped right back to him.

Q. What will you do after this?

CHARLES HOWELL III: I'll probably just go back to Orlando for a couple of days.

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