THE RYDER CUP MATCHES

September 26, 2002

Curtis Strange

GORDON SIMPSON: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It seems nice to have a sell-out crowd here. Before Curtis makes his comments, we're just going to read out the first fourball pairings for the morning.

So the first match, No. 1, at 8:00, Tiger Woods and Paul Azinger against Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn. Match No. 2, 8:15, David Duval and Davis Love III against Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. Match No. 3, 8:30, Scott Hoch and Jim Furyk against Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer. And match 4 at 8:45, Phil Mickelson and David Toms against Padraig Harrington, and Niclas Fasth.

CURTIS STRANGE: Four nice foursomes. I've been consumed with my guys for the last year, so I really don't pay much attention to the other side, because there's nothing I can do about it. So I like my four best ball matches and the way they pair up. They were going to pair up some way like that. I really don't have anything to say. It's going to be fun. As I said earlier, however, it happens. It's going to be fun. There's always tough matches and I'm just, for the first time really looking at Sam's pairings.

Q. Curtis, are you aware there seem to be a lot of very angry people out there, because Tiger was out on the golf course so early this morning. Can you tell us what the thinking was behind him going out?

CURTIS STRANGE: I'm sorry, you lost me. Angry for what reason?

Q. They paid their money, and didn't get to see Tiger play.

CURTIS STRANGE: You catch me off guard a bit. Today was basically -- I told them to prepare like a major championship, because this is a big deal. They played 36 holes the last two days. They prepared today like they would for a big tournament: Some went off early, some went off after that, and some went off later, playing 9 holes, 18 holes, practicing. If somebody is upset, they get upset with me. But this is not an exhibition; this is a hell of a competition that we take great pride in winning and playing well and representing our country. I'm sorry if somebody didn't get to see Tiger play. But they'll get to see him play the next three days, if he plays.

Q. But these are people who had a one-day ticket, and are the most upset. You said earlier in the week that Tiger would be told he's part of the team. You practice with the team. Did he consult you about this, and did you approve?

CURTIS STRANGE: Yes, he consulted me about it and I said all along that Thursday is going to be your day, to prepare like you do for a major championship. And he did just that, just like he always plays with take Calcavecchia. And the rest of the guys played however they would prepare on what would normally be a Wednesday before a major championship, some 18, some 9, some hit balls, and some putted.

Q. Have there been previous instances in any of your Ryder Cups where people have actually broken ranks --?

CURTIS STRANGE: He's not breaking ranks, he is doing what he had to do and what he's allowed to do.

Q. You don't think people practice as a team, that this was one of those days that people would turn up expecting to see Tiger practicing with his American teammates?

CURTIS STRANGE: No.

Q. I'm not sure if you want to answer this or not: You said your plan was to play all 12 guys the first two days --?

CURTIS STRANGE: First day.

Q. All 12 will play tomorrow, then?

CURTIS STRANGE: Yes. I hope. I've got to leave myself a little out. Everybody will play before Sunday, yes. Actually what I said is everybody will play one match before Sunday.

Q. Just to clarify on the practice today, did you have to clear this or did you feel compelled to clear this with the PGA officials?

CURTIS STRANGE: No.

Q. Can you talk about the pairing Scott Hoch and Jim Furyk, just what you like about it and why you put the two of them together?

CURTIS STRANGE: I feel like it's a very good pairing. I don't know what else to say. They're a good pairing, that's why they're out there. Scott Hoch has played very, very well. He enjoys match play, he's a heck of a competitor as Jim Furyk is too. I think they match up very, very well together. They have very similar games, they're both good drivers of the ball and good putters, and they're a good two-some.

Q. You said you just were looking over Sam's picks; anything jump out, surprises?

CURTIS STRANGE: The only thing that I see is -- the only thing that I notice, it doesn't jump out, because I know what's been going on, but the only thing I notice is that Jesper Parnevick is not playing.

Q. I was going to ask you about that next. Were you surprised that they break up Sergio Garcia and Jesper Parnevik?

CURTIS STRANGE: Again, I have no comment, because it's not my concern. But he has been struggling.

Q. Going back to the question by my colleague earlier: Do you think it was -- were the marshals aware that Tiger was going out early and was there not some moral obligation to let the British public see Tiger Woods?

CURTIS STRANGE: No. Can I just say something? We have in the next three days a wonderful match that's going to happen. We have the first-day pairings here. I'd rather talk about that. But carry on.

Q. All right. I'll carry on. Tiger Woods is the world's greatest player.

CURTIS STRANGE: He is that; yes, sir.

Q. And people have paid here 40 pounds a day to watch the world's greatest players. For Tiger Woods to slip out of his blanket, to wear his pajamas, to go play a game of golf without the rest of the world seeing him, I don't think that's fair.

CURTIS STRANGE: Are you asking a question or making a comment?

Q. Do you think it's fair?

CURTIS STRANGE: I think I want him to prepare the way he would prepare for a major championship. I think that's best for he and Mark Calcavecchia. And I think that's best for the U.S. team.

Q. I have a pairings question.

CURTIS STRANGE: Thank you.

Q. With the four pairings that you have, were these the pairings you came here with? And if so --?

CURTIS STRANGE: I knew you were going to ask that.

Q. If not, on the positive side, why did you make the changes?

CURTIS STRANGE: I had three of them for the last year, and I changed one.

Q. Which one?

CURTIS STRANGE: Okay. I changed the Tiger Woods, Paul Azinger. I had Woods and Calcavecchia for a while, thinking with me looking from the outside in about Calcavecchia, that he would be a better best ball player. When I finally got here and realized that he was 4-0 in alternate shot and 0-4 in best ball, and talking to Mark Calcavecchia and talking to Tiger Woods and talking to Azinger, he is by far, he says, more comfortable in alternate shot. With that discussion I thought it best for our team that I put Azinger with Woods and leave Mark Calcavecchia for the alternate shot, if he plays in the alternate shot in the afternoon. That's my thinking and it's something, that as I said coming in, that I always reserve the right to change. And I keep an open mind, as we talked about -- I don't know if it was yesterday or the day before -- I keep an open mind as I came in here ready to adjust pairings at any time.

Q. You and your team have been here for a few days now. Do you feel that the security arrangements here are as good as you expected them to be?

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, yes. Everything has been very nice, from the welcome to the accommodations to the security to the golf course, everything couldn't have been any better, could not be any better. We really don't -- in any big-time event you have a lot of security, so it's not something you really pay attention to it. You get used to it.

Q. It's not a surprise to you, the level of secure?

CURTIS STRANGE: There's a lot of security at every event, yes.

Q. Now that you've been here a while, you've tasted the atmosphere, how different is this Ryder Cup than the one that would have taken place a year ago?

CURTIS STRANGE: I can't answer that. I can't answer that a year ago. If September 11th, 2001 would never have happened, it would have been a wonderful match. And this is going to be a wonderful competition and match. And in other Ryder Cups I've been involved in it's so different because I'm captain and not a player this time. It is just not even -- you can't compare.

Q. Getting back to that question --?

CURTIS STRANGE: That question?

Q. That question.

CURTIS STRANGE: Go ahead.

Q. Are you aware of any element of confrontation between Woods and any fans this morning over the fact that he was playing?

CURTIS STRANGE: No, because there probably wasn't any out there at 6:30.

Q. Apparently there were some out there?

CURTIS STRANGE: Were there? I wasn't up at 6:30, so I don't know. No, I would doubt that. I would doubt that.

Q. You've already talked about Tiger Woods and Azinger and Hoch and Furyk; can you talk about your other thought process with your other two pairings?

CURTIS STRANGE: Duval and Love have played together in President's Cups, good friends, good big hitters, similar games, good personalities, a lot of things. A lot of things. Traveled to Ireland together, stayed together, traveled obviously with the team here. It's almost a no-brainer for me, that one.

And Mickelson, Toms, that's what I would call another no-brainer, they're both playing exceptionally well. Similar games, Mickelson is longer, but Toms is very consistent, just in best ball that's what you want. You want a guy in play all the time if it works out like that. It just looks like a wonderful pairing. I like it. It looks good.

Q. Do you regret the misinformation given to the public today in that they clearly thought your team was going to play at a certain time. And if your instructions are to your men to prepare as a major, then clearly Woods is not going to play at that time?

CURTIS STRANGE: Last time. As I said earlier today I wanted my players to prepare. That's what they do. They do this every week. And they needed to prepare how best -- what makes them the best they are, how they are. When I had the tee times, and I think we were set up for 9:00, is that right? The only reason I thought that was set up like that was so we wouldn't run head-to-head with the European team. So we had a schedule, that's all. That's all I thought the 9:00 number meant.

Q. Why did you ask your players to prepare as though they're playing for a major, when this may be at that level, but what's unique about it is they're playing as a team, they're not playing as an individual?

CURTIS STRANGE: They're playing golf, that's the key. That never changes. Yes, it changes a little bit, the format with match play, but the only reason I use that analogy is so they prepare for a big event. That's the only reason. And I use that and try to stress to them how big this event is to them.

Q. When you look at the first pairing that Sam threw out, Clark and Bjorn, did you expect that you were going to start with Tiger Woods, and he would counter with a couple of guys who are very close to Tiger Woods, and is there a little something going on there?

CURTIS STRANGE: Like?

Q. Were you expecting to see Clark and Bjorn?

CURTIS STRANGE: I didn't know, because I really honestly never pay much attention to it. I'm more concerned with the twosomes that I put out and the order 1 through 4. Woods and Azinger, quite frankly, they were put out first, because they both play fast, and wanted to get out there and go. And I had pretty good bookends with Tiger Woods starting out and Phil Mickelson bringing up the rear end. So I have a nice -- I think a nice flow out there. Scott Hoch's going, quite frankly, he's going at 8:30, because he just gets a little therapy in the morning, just some heat on his shoulder, and it gives him a few more minutes, things like that. So to answer your question, I would be wasting my time trying to guess what Sam is going to do. Now I have a better idea what he's going to do, because there's something up on paper, but it really doesn't make any difference to me.

Q. The gala dinner, were you aware in advance that Sam was going to introduce the wives as well as the players? Did that leave you wishing you had, any comments?

CURTIS STRANGE: No, it was a beautiful evening. I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and the Riverdancing was quite unique. I enjoyed that.

Q. It stuck out that you didn't do that?

CURTIS STRANGE: I didn't know. I did what I thought was right. I didn't know.

Q. Can you tell us how as golfers and as individuals you feel Tiger Woods and Paul Azinger compliment each other?

CURTIS STRANGE: Paul likes to play with Tiger, Tiger enjoys Paul. Azinger is a gambler. Paul Azinger is one of those guys that can play both best ball and alternate shot. He gives me the flexibility, as I said yesterday, Scott Hoch does. And there's been a lot written recently on some games that aren't as good of form as there was last year at this time. But he's playing okay, he's playing solid. He's certainly not going to bring Tiger Woods down. And I think they bring out the best in each other. I think that's why -- it's part of my thinking to try to get two people together that will bring out the best, that won't rely on each other, but will bring out the best in each other, both with personality as well as game. And this has been well thought out, and like I said earlier, with some flexibility at the last minute. And we'll see. We'll see if those are good pairings or not.

Q. What is the thing or the things that you believe your team is going to have to do this weekend to be successful?

CURTIS STRANGE: Play well, play well. Put it in the fairway. It's a huge -- with the rough out there, it's a huge party this week. It's like a U.S. Open. You're not going to advance it very far out of the rough. So anything to get it in the fairway. Obviously in match play you have to putt well, you have to make birdie putts. You have to make things happen in match play.

Q. Any development in your player's attitude overnight to how they will play the 10th hole?

CURTIS STRANGE: We're going to play it all the same. We're all going to layup down the bottom, layup or sand wedge on the green. There's no angle to go at the hole from the back tee. A lot of people can hit far enough, but there's no angle, because of the trees. So even in a best ball format, we have decided that two putts at birdie -- first of all, two world-class players with sand wedges in their hand from a hundred yards or in, there's a good chance to make birdie. The key in best ball is to try to have two putts for birdie on every hole, and that's why we decided to layup and play the hole as it shows it should play now, with the back tee.

Q. We've heard a wide range of theories for why the Europeans tend to dominate in the fourball, best ball and alternate shot --?

CURTIS STRANGE: Not both, just best ball; what I understand -- I think I understand that they're historically a little better in best ball.

Q. Do you have a theory on why that is?

CURTIS STRANGE: I do not. I wish I did.

Q. What in your view does make a good match-play player, personality traits or golf skills? And also being from Denver, do you get any flashbacks about being in Colorado Springs on 9/11 last year, and we finally get to this thing?

CURTIS STRANGE: No, I don't have any flashbacks, I think we remember constantly where we were, our feelings during the day, and how we got home. Because as I'm sure many of you were traveling, the players were trying to get to St. Louis and traveling as well. That's why we -- we postponed -- when we postponed this thing, and now playing a year later, my remarks will remind everybody about that.

I just think an aggressive player, both physically and mentally in their game tends to make a good match-play player, a good putter, you have to make birdies in match play. I think Phil Mickelson is the best match player on my team, because of his record. He makes a lot of birdies. He makes a lot of birdies. He made as many birdies as Tiger Woods did last week in Ireland. He holds the record at Augusta. He just makes a lot of birdies, and that's why he's so very good. Tom Kite and I were not good best-ball partners, because we didn't make a lot of birdies. To give you an example, not to bring it back to membership, there's a good solid player, a U.S. Open-type player -- it depends on the Open weather, but a U.S. Open golfer doesn't necessarily make a good match-play player.

Q. You said earlier this week that you and Sam have obviously waited three years for this thing. You've announced the pairings. The feeling of anticipation right now, where does this rank among your golf experiences?

CURTIS STRANGE: As far as plan it's so different. It's the biggest honor I've ever had to try to organize and prepare and do everything for the last three years. And now that we're finally here, it's been beyond my imagination how well it's gone, thanks to The De Vere Belfry and the European Tour. Seriously it has been flawless. And then with the guys it's been fantastic. They have enjoyed each other's company. They have listened. I think they enjoyed the structure that's been given them, and I think they're ready to play. We have never done extremely well, I don't think. Getting back to that question, I don't think we've ever come out of the blocks real fast; not in my recent memory. So I wanted to come out of the blocks being ready to play on Friday morning. It's been wonderful. It's been a lot of fun. But I'm anxious. Normally when you're playing, you're preparing and you don't have time to get anxious. I'm very anxious right now.

Q. Getting back to Mark Calcavecchia, when did you let him know that he wasn't going to be playing with Tiger this morning, and what was his reaction -- tomorrow morning?

CURTIS STRANGE: When he told me he was much more comfortable in best ball -- alternate shot. We discussed it. I'm not going to do anything that is going to surprise my players or make them uncomfortable in a negative way. And Mark Calcavecchia and I and Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and I think it was -- there was somebody else, Jim Furyk or somebody was in the room and we discussed it, simple as that. And he said, yes, I'm more comfortable playing with Tiger on alternate shot. I said you're there.

Q. I don't mean to be flippant about this, but I'm curious as to why there's been so much secrecy attached to the table tennis tournament that you had the other night. There's a column in the New York Post about it yesterday. Do you feel that it would belittle the loser or the losers? What's the problem in not letting us know who won?

CURTIS STRANGE: Because nobody's asked me.

Q. Several people have been -- several of your players have been asked and have said --?

CURTIS STRANGE: Who are you talking about? Who was playing? Because everybody's been on the table. Who are you talking about?

Q. I can't remember. I'm sure everybody else will say, several of the players have been asked and said -- Phil Mickelson, I think?

CURTIS STRANGE: Who was playing? Phil and Tiger?

Q. Yes.

CURTIS STRANGE: I really don't know. I was busy trying to beat -- whoever, we had a pool game going on. I was more concerned with that. I got my ass beat. I don't care who won (laughter.) It doesn't make any difference at all in the matches, you know.

Q. Did they play before the rest of the team showed up (laughter.)

CURTIS STRANGE: Sorry, hook, line and sinker, right?

Q. Was there blood on the walls?

CURTIS STRANGE: I think we're getting to the end of this press conference, near the end.

Q. Now that talking is almost over, why do you think that you will retain the Ryder Cup?

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, I think we will retain it if we play well. I have never said that we will win the Cup. Okay? If we play well, I think -- the outcome is not so much if you play well; the outcome is dictated by match play a lot of times and who you play and the luck of the draw, as we all know in match play. But if we play well and play up to our potential, I feel confident.

End of FastScripts....