THE RYDER CUP MATCHES

September 24, 2002

Curtis Strange

GORDON SIMPSON: Good afternoon again, ladies and gentlemen. We have with us the United States captain, Curtis Strange. Curtis, your boys have all been out on the course, a nice, bracing day to start off. Give us your initial thoughts on getting going today.

CURTIS STRANGE: The golf course is beautiful. It's green, it's lush, there's lots of grass. It's going to be a good test. There's a lot of rough. It's in excellent shape.

GORDON SIMPSON: And the mood of the players, now you've had a dinner last night, a good night's shape, everything in shape.

CURTIS STRANGE: Everything is good. Everybody is healthy. There's only two of us with jet lag, and that's Stewart Cink and Hal Sutton, so they're probably groggy today, but other than that, everybody is perfect. Had a good dinner last night.

Q. How much should we read into the pairings this morning?

CURTIS STRANGE: How good do you read? I just think that practice rounds are very important, and I think you should play with who I think you might play with in the matches. So you can go from there. That's all I'm going to give you, but I think that it's important that the people get with each other. They know each other so well, anyway, to start with. I personally think you probably need more of a practice round in foursomes, that we're going to do tomorrow, because we're not used to that. The best ball, the guys play a lot in practice rounds and little games here and there and things like that. But there's an agenda out there today.

Q. Mark Calcavecchia said that Tiger and Mickelson are not the best of buddies; how do you get those two to gel together?

CURTIS STRANGE: How do I get Tiger and Mickelson to what?

Q. To gel together, to be friends?

CURTIS STRANGE: They are friends, they respect each other. I think calling was -- how do you say -- when I look at that, they're competitors, they're peers, they're one and two in the world. One is number two who is trying to be number one. They respect each other, they get along fine. I think you read too much into that. But as far as -- it's almost an impossibility to be best bosom buddies when you are trying to achieve the same thing, in any sport, in any business. Which CEO gets along with another CEO when they're selling the same product? It's all walks of life and it's very natural. But they were playing Ping-Pong with each other last night and having a hell of a go at it. So they're fine. Everybody reads too much into this stuff.

You have to remember, as I said yesterday, everybody checks their egos at the door. We are a team. We get along. And that's some of the things that unfortunately you can't see in the team room and the locker room. But the guys get along so well.

Q. Who won?

CURTIS STRANGE: I always had my own problems with Mickelson on the pool table.

Q. Mark was saying on Sunday that he figured he was probably one of the few that he would be at ease playing with Tiger. Can you just elaborate on that a little bit?

CURTIS STRANGE: I think they know each other well, they play a lot of practice rounds today, they both are helped by Butch Harmon. And as long as I can remember at the British Open and I think -- the British Open, when I go out and walk with them early it's always Calc and Tiger, and normally Adam Scott and maybe somebody else. But they play a lot of practice rounds together. So the more you play, the more you get to know somebody.

Q. Some of the Europeans were saying that this event defines their career. Do you get the sense that Americans feel the same way about this event?

CURTIS STRANGE: You know, defining your career -- as we said yesterday, and I think I might have said it after the interview, is that the Europeans look at this event differently than we do. We grow up as children -- kids, playing golf, dreaming about The Masters and the U.S. Open. Europeans grow up, and I always say this, because I heard guys talking about it last week, they grow up dreaming about the Ryder Cup and the British Open. So it's a little different in the U.S. versus over here. So defining your career, yeah, I mean I guess so. I always think that I like to say that back in America a lot of the Europeans aren't on a first name basis with our fans, and this is the way to introduce themselves to America through American TV is play well, and beat a top player.

Q. What was Tiger's mood and demeanor out on the course today? At one point he looked a little bit disturbed at waiting. Can you sort of sum that up for us, please?

CURTIS STRANGE: He looks fine with me. He looks perfect.

Q. Was there any impatience you perceived on his part?

CURTIS STRANGE: I didn't see any.

Q. Curtis, you said yesterday this was a better course than it was given credit for. Can you explain that a little for us?

CURTIS STRANGE: I think when -- was it Mr. Thomas came in and gave what you might call a face lift, just back three or four years ago, and did the third and fourth hole and just kind of gave it some character, and it's much better for the fans. He added length to the first and second hole and maybe a couple of other holes, but I don't remember. And it's a better golf course. And it looks better. And it's beautiful, as you've seen. It's green, it's lush. When I played here in the Benson & Hedges last year, two years ago, it's early spring, and it wasn't in the greatest of shape. But that's early spring anywhere. But it's excellent right now. That's what I meant.

Q. Your lead practice group got a little impatient and decided to go from 3 to 8, do you have a problem with that or --?

CURTIS STRANGE: They caught up with the European team on 3. My lead practice round group was Tiger and Calc and Cink and Azinger. They all play fast. That's why I put them out fast. Hit one ball, put a little bit and go. They caught up with the European team and switched over. They went from 3 to 8, and they're going back after the round to 3, and play 4, 5, 6 and 7. They play fast, so that's okay.

Q. The slow play policy wasn't in effect today?

CURTIS STRANGE: No.

Q. You've been around a number of these matches, there's always been the perception that the Europeans are a little hungrier coming in, wanting to win more than the Americans, what's your take on that point?

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, I don't agree with it. I never have, never will. That might be the perception, but it's not what the reality is back behind closed doors, and how badly these guys want to play well. It never was to me or any of the teams that I was on. And it certainly doesn't look like that the last two days, as we've been together as a team.

Q. Can you talk about the 10th hole and do you have any kind of team strategy when it comes to that, any advice you've given to them or do you leave it to the individual groups?

CURTIS STRANGE: It's going to be changed a little bit. I talked to Sam, I was standing on the 10th tee with Sam. They're going to play the back tee. You're going to see very few people go at the green this week.

Q. All week?

CURTIS STRANGE: All week. They're going to play the back tee. He told me right there on the tee, we're going to play the back tee every day. There will be very, very few shots to the green, because of the angle and because of the trees and because of the angle there's absolutely no angle at all. So -- that's what he told me. We have already pretty much decided, going around and looking at groups, that it's better to have two putts and a birdie than 1-putt for par.

Q. I thought Tiger hit it with a 3-wood?

REPLACE NAME: He did, but if you stand back there, it's a very small angle to get it in. I think you stand on the tee thinking this is part of the strategy and this is part of the percentage golf in match play that -- in best ball, whoever Tiger is playing with, do you layup with a 7-iron and put a sand wedge on the green. Two world class players with a sand wedge from 90 yards, I'm going to bet they make birdie. Versus somebody rattling around the trees, going out of play. And now what does the second guy do, he has to layup.

Q. Will you tell your guys --?

CURTIS STRANGE: I don't tell them anything, but they were telling me what they thought would be the way to play the hole. The lead group, anyway. That's who I've talked to about it. So it's just going to be -- it's not going to be -- if they put the tees back, it's not going to be as exciting a hole. That's too bad.

Q. Did it take you by surprise when he told you that?

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, he said the reason was that in the Benson & Hedges this year, when they played the up-left tee where you would play, they were hitting 3-irons in there. He said I don't want them hitting 3-irons into this hole. It's his call. It's Sam's call.

Q. Do you think there are differences between a Ryder Cup course and say a traditional course used for a major, and if so, what are the differences?

CURTIS STRANGE: Just depends on where they go with the Ryder Cup and where they go with the major.

Q. Do you think Ryder Cup courses, though, are perhaps chosen to try and get sort of more instantaneous results, a better, more exciting feel because it's -- even though it's two years?

CURTIS STRANGE: That would be a question for the European PGA, the PGA of America. I'm not involved in any of that, I really don't know. I don't know.

Q. Despite Tiger's comments, there are thousands and thousands of people on the course following him around today. Is he finally warming to the Ryder Cup, has he come around to the fact that it's such a big thing over here?

CURTIS STRANGE: You're --.

Q. I'm talking about the million-dollar question last week?

CURTIS STRANGE: Oh, yes. As I said yesterday, I think anytime Tiger Woods steps on the golf course, he steps on to play well and to win. He has that personal pride. He has pride in his team. And I think he's here to play well this year, to play well and help his team. But even if he wouldn't be real successful, he will do anything he can to bring the team through.

Q. Doesn't seem to have affected the people following him around?

CURTIS STRANGE: You know, I can't imagine. He's a joy to watch, he really is.

Q. Does that take away an advantage, do you suppose, moving the tees all the way back? It seems like you might have more bombers than --?

CURTIS STRANGE: I don't know. Again, you have to ask Sam that. But everybody can get there from the up tee. There's no advantage or disadvantage.

Q. If they -- by moving it all the way back, does that take away a slight advantage you may have had?

CURTIS STRANGE: I don't think we had a slight advantage there, because I think everybody could get there. Everybody in the field. So a lot of guys -- and a lot of guys would have gone for the green, if it was from the up tee. You know a little bit of strategy on how you stand in your match. But as far as anybody hitting it far enough, it's only like a 230 carry, or something like that, if that front left tee. And now you go back, now everybody is going to layup, so it's just even Steven, it doesn't really make a whole lot of difference, to be honest.

Q. Curtis, what impact will what the (inaudible) does this week have in your thought process for putting the pairings together. And Duval hasn't played as well this season, but obviously he's a great player. How about you balance, those two things, what they've done in the past and what they're doing now?

CURTIS STRANGE: You know, that's for me to know and everybody else to find out. It is a balance, because when you have -- somebody who is formally number one in the world who is not at the top of his game, but who is coming back. He's in a lot better condition than some will give him credit for. He's slowly coming out of a bad period. That's part of my decision, is where he plays and with whom he plays. And that's part of being captain, you make those decisions.

Q. (Inaudible.)

CURTIS STRANGE: That's true. But when you have other players on your team that are playing well, it's a decision you have to make. Current form does carry some weight with me.

Q. It appears that there's already an issue developing out there about slow play. Your lead group cut ahead and skipped four holes, and Sam was approaching the fellows at the 9th green and apologized to them, saying he tried to get his players moving faster, but he got on the 10th tee, and here they were waiting. And Phil seemed a little miffed. Just trying to start an International incident here.

CURTIS STRANGE: Practice rounds take a long time. They take the longest is in big events, major championships. It seems like it takes forever. Most people don't like it. It will be okay.

Q. Crenshaw and some of the other captains have obsessed, unbelievably about the pairings. You don't strike me as the kind of guy that's going to do that. Are you going to go more from the gut when the time comes or do you know what you're going to do?

CURTIS STRANGE: Well, I told you, I've said all along for a while now, my first day pairings are done. Been done.

Q. But after that, when you have to start --?

CURTIS STRANGE: Start what?

Q. They're still playing, and you've got to put in the next pairings?

CURTIS STRANGE: I think that becomes -- that's a tricky situation, yeah, when I have to bring in my pairings midday Friday and midday Saturday. So -- but I'm not too far off with what I'm going to do. You have to weigh -- you have to remember, as Sam and I, as captains, because a team might not win a match, doesn't mean they didn't play well together, because there is the luck of who you're playing and how well they're playing. They might mesh really well, they just got beat. That's part of a decision making process after the first day, when I start putting in for Saturday afternoon -- no, Saturday morning. But I have time for Saturday morning, because of the way Sam did it, alternate shot -- foursomes is Saturday morning. I have time Friday afternoon for an hour or so. So at least I have time. So to me the tricky one is the foursomes, on who has played well this afternoon, and who played well together and gelled together and who is going to go out the next morning. That's the toughest pairings for me to do, is that. But best ball is not that big a deal.

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