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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 7, 2005

Craig Bowden

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay, Craig, very nice 6 under 65 to start the 2005 John Deere Classic. Just a couple general comments about how you played today and then take us through your card if you could.

CRAIG BOWDEN: Well, I played well today. I did a lot of good things when I got the ball in the fairway. I drove it poorly the first eight, nine holes and kind of was off kilter, which is normally the strongest part of my game. I normally don't miss many fairways, and today was not the best.

I putted well all day long and made a nice big long putt on 7, which kind of kept my round going, and after a bogey on 6. But I did a lot of good things. I controlled my ball flight, I managed my attitude very well and kind of just let it happen today.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Just run through your birdies if you could. Any good saves you might have had?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Yeah. No. 2 was just a two putt birdie. I hit it in the middle of the green and I made a birdie there.

No. 5, I hit a really good shot in there with a 5 iron, just a little controlled 5 iron back in there about 15 feet, made that.

6 was the bogey that I was a little disappointed with. I hooked it a little bit off the tee into a fairway bunker and hit it in the greenside bunker and felt like I was in Saudi Arabia I had so much sand going.

Then I bounced back and made about a 50 footer probably on 7, which was really a nice putt.

Then hit a poor drive on 9, hit it in the left bunker off the tee. Actually, I gave myself a good chance for a par and missed a nice six footer for par.

10, hit a great shot in there about two feet from 70 yards.

Q. What did you hit?

CRAIG BOWDEN: A little 60 degree.

And then No. 11, I had I thought it was going to be a good shot, the wind got it, and hit up there on the top side of the bunker, rolled down, hit the rake and then proceeded to roll down into the hazard about another 25 feet, and I short sided myself. So I had a really, really difficult lob shot, which I had no tree trouble or anything like that, but I pitched it, took it straight up in the air and knocked it in there about, I don't know, three feet, made it, which was a big save, kind of kept me going.

I hit it in there about four feet on 12 and made that.

Then I hit a good 9 iron in there on 13 about 18, 20 feet, made that.

And then 14, I hit a good a little 8 iron in there from 154 and made that right behind the hole.

And then I hit it in there about 12 feet on 16 with another 8 iron from 152, made that.

And then I missed really good opportunities on 17 and 18, which was a little disappointing, but the old saying you can't make them all, you want to, but you can't.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Craig, this is your best starting round of the year. Just sort of sum up your year to this point.

CRAIG BOWDEN: It's the best start of this year. I shot 63 in rally about a month and a half ago, which was a fun round. It was a little bit better than this because it was like 55 degrees and windy. Yeah, I mean, I haven't gotten the starts over here this year. I've played in the 126 to 150 categories and we've got a lot of medicals that are playing this year, and I haven't had the opportunity to play over here. I should get ten more starts, including this one, and obviously a win would allow me to play even more tournaments.

You know, I've kind of been in limbo. We had a new baby, and so I haven't really the tournaments that I did play up until the birth of my daughter, I wasn't really focused on what I was trying to do. I was more just on edge trying to I was worried about what was to come, the sleepless nights (laughter).

Q. When was your daughter born and what's your focus been since then?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Well, I've had a lot of focus since then. She was born on the 8th of June. Her name is Quinley, a sweet little girl. My focus as of recently, I went to Scranton and played the Nationwide Tour, left about eight days after she was born and played up there and I played really good. I was tied for 2nd going into the last day and didn't play as well on Sunday, shot one over and finished 11th.

My focus is there. I'm not going to say I'm a changed person, but I do know I definitely have things in perspective now, and I know what's important and what's not important. Personally, this is obviously a big goal of mine, to win out here, but even more importantly is having a healthy and happy daughter and making sure everything there is good.

Q. How does that help you play better, help you focus?

CRAIG BOWDEN: I've seen it throughout my whole career; every time somebody has a baby they come out and they win and they do something really, really good. I think it's just maybe the relief of knowing that everything is okay or the fact that, you know, you just kind of have a burden lifted off of you. You know really that even though we want to do well and we're focused and we want to play good golf, really in the grand scheme of things, it's not that important. I mean, it really isn't. I want to play well, I want to be successful out here and measure myself amongst my peers, but I want to be a better father than I want to be a golfer, and a better husband. So those are the things that are more important to me.

Q. This is your first baby?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Yeah.

Q. You're between Tours. Why do you choose not to maybe focus on the Nationwide and maybe the card?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Well, I've had a couple of good finishes over there. In Raleigh I finished 5th and then I finished 11th. You have to go out there. I mean, you've got to play a full schedule, and you've got to go and play every week. It's so frustrating to hear guys talk about sometimes they'll knock the Nationwide Tour and say it's minor league or whatever. I'm telling you, those guys over there are just as good as the guys out here. I mean, as far as the top 15, 20, 30 players over there are just as good, could come over here and win out here. It is such a strong Tour now. Obviously now it's international, we're bringing a lot of Aussies over from the first event. I've gotten more here and I feel like I want to get more over here. Number one, I need to pay my bills and obviously a top 25 finish over here is going to make you $35,000 or $40,000. Over there you've got to finished 2nd to make that. Obviously, monetarily it's a lot better.

Plus this is the Tour. This is the best place to play on the planet. Everyone wants to be here. I'd rather play ten tournaments over here than 30 tournaments over there because I know if I'm playing well, I can win over here and be successful and keep my card.

You know, obviously if I'm there's going to be some situations this year that if I'm not if I am not in over here, I may go back over there and play towards the end because it gets tougher over here with the last four or five events. I may go back over there and play and see if I can come up with something. I'm hoping that by then I've got about a couple million dollars in the bank and I won't have to worry about it (laughter). Hopefully I can just go home and enjoy my wife and my child.

Q. Can you talk about your how long have you had the long putter?

CRAIG BOWDEN: The belly putter, I started with that at the beginning of '03. I started putting just kind of fooling around with it. I don't hold it like anybody else. My teacher and I have kind of come up with this belly claw, so to speak, and I don't really brace it up against me, I just kind of rest it in my arm, my left hand there, and just use the claw grip on it.

I'm so much more solid on my shorter putts. I just feel like it's I've got one hand that does all the work for me, the left hand completely gets out of the way, and when I putt conventional, I swing at it like a broken gate. It's just breaking down all over the place, it's just terrible. So I'm just trying to eliminate obviously, if it was a good thing to do something with both hands, bowlers would do that, obviously. But they take one hand and they make it go to the target, and I do the same thing with my putter, I take one hand and take it towards the target. Or we would write with two hands. Sometimes it just doesn't work, and I've tried to simplify it and make it work for me.

Q. Have you patented the belly claw?

CRAIG BOWDEN: I don't know if you can patent a certain stroke, but I have a lot of guys look at me and go, "Boy, that's weird looking." "Yeah, but look where my ball went, right in the middle of the hole." I'm past the point of really giving a rat's patootie about what people think I'll stand up to or the way I putt. I like it that I'm 6 under par and I've got an opportunity to play tomorrow and play the weekend and maybe have a chance to win the golf tournament.

Q. Did you use the claw before with the conventional putter?

CRAIG BOWDEN: No, it wasn't even out. I mean, no one even did it until about three years ago. It really wasn't even invented. Everyone just kind of did their own thing. I had never seen it before. I'm trying to remember one of the first guys that did it.

Q. Calcavecchia, because he shot really low in Phoenix?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Yeah, shot like 26 under or something.

Q. Somebody brought it up that Skip Kendall was doing it when he was an amateur, remembered it and he told DiMarco and some other people about it.

CRAIG BOWDEN: Chris must be double jointed the way he gets at that thing, I don't know how he does it, but he's a great putter. I'd love to roll it like him.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Good playing, sir.

Q. Craig, the first thing you said when you came in here, you asked about Michelle. What did you see in her game Tuesday or did you see anything in her game Tuesday that led you to believe that she could contend, make the cut this weekend?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Absolutely. I don't know if you guys realize it, but she's going to be the next Tiger Woods of the LPGA Tour. She's 15 years old. I couldn't do anything at 15 years old. I mean, I could barely get out of bed at 15. My dad tried to get me up more often, but no, she's got a lot of game. She's awesome. She's a great young lady. Her parents are wonderful people, and they're trying to steer her in the right direction and they've got her going in the right direction. She's playing a lot of golf over here, and I'm happy for her. I got to play with her in '04 in the Hawaiian Open, and when the gun went off, she could play. She only missed by a shot there. She's a fine young player, and she hits the ball a long way, farther than I do at times, which is not saying much, but she's got some game.

I mean, realistically, tomorrow if she's on her game, she'll make the cut. If she's on her game, she'll make the cut tomorrow. I mean, there's a lot of guys in the field this week that are not going to make the cut and they're going to get beat by Michelle. That's just the way it is. She's a good player. She's going to win a lot of golf tournaments over with the ladies, and my hat's off to her. She's a fine young lady and I think she's going in the right direction.

Q. I think you had your best career finish at that point in the 2004 Sony; is that right?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Absolutely.

Q. Did you get inspired by her?

CRAIG BOWDEN: I don't know if it was inspired. It was more "I can't really play bad because I've got national television on me, and if I look bad, I'm going to really look bad." I thought, you know, I knew that ESPN was covering it and had all kinds of interviews going. When you're in the limelight like that, you kind of rise to the occasion and show up. I played okay the first day there. I shot 70 and then I shot 64 on Friday, which it was the quietest 64 I've ever had, I'll put it to you that way. They showed me a little bit, but the camera was on her most of the day, and rightfully so. She was 14 at the time and she almost made the cut at the Hawaiian Open.

Yeah, I think she's got I personally don't think she'll play college golf, though. That's my own personal opinion. I didn't say anything to her about that, but I don't think she will. In all honesty, I think it would be a mistake if she played college golf. I think she should go ahead and finish out her high school and maybe play she's already contending for a major last week on the ladies Tour at the U.S. Open. So for her to go win the PAC 10 championships, what is that going to prove? I think she needs to learn how to win, but I think she's got the right mind set and everything.

I would be really, really surprised if she went to college at all. Now, for her own personal gain she may want to get a college degree, and I think that's great. But golf wise, I don't think it would really I don't see it really being a big benefit for her to go. This other girl who finished 2nd, Prestle, these young girls, at that age I couldn't get out of my shadow. I don't know how they do it.

Q. You say she's the next Tiger Woods of the LPGA Tour?

CRAIG BOWDEN: Absolutely.

Q. She doesn't want to play the LPGA Tour.

CRAIG BOWDEN: Yep, you're right.

Q. What's your advice to her?

CRAIG BOWDEN: I'm going to leave that alone. I'm going to leave that alone. I hope she goes out there and wins a bunch on the LPGA Tour. How's that? I think that that's great. Her aspirations of being a champion golfer, I think that's awesome. I think she's got the skills and the capability of being one of the all time greatest at her age, obviously providing no injuries or anything like that, but, you know, I think she's got a very, very bright future ahead of her, whichever route she decides to go.

Q. That said, does she belong playing in a PGA event?

CRAIG BOWDEN: I'm going to leave that alone, too. I can't win for losing on that comment. I think it's great that she's here, if that's what you want to know. I think it's great that she's here. I think it's cool. I mean, it's going to bring a lot of people out, and it's going to stir a lot of interest, and obviously you're asking questions about it so obviously it's a big part of the media. She's a great player, and even better yet, she's a nice young lady and I think she's got a very bright future and I think she's going to be extremely successful at whatever level she plays at.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Craig, thank you.

CRAIG BOWDEN: Is that politically correct enough? Don't derive anything by me saying yes or no, that she should be out here or shouldn't be out here. I'm saying she's a good player and that's the way it should be.

End of FastScripts.

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