VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 25, 2005

Olin Browne

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Olin, for joining us for a few minutes. Great start to the week. Just a nice solid round. Why don't you just talk about your day, what you did well, what you didn't do well, and we'll go into questions.

OLIN BROWNE: I had a nice day. I had a great pairing. First of all, you see a pairing like that, I get to play with the PGA Champion, British Open champion. It was just a great it's great to be back in that rotation again.

This golf course lends itself to my style of play which is I think to try to keep it between the lines, try to give yourself as many opportunities as you can get, although I didn't drive the ball like I wanted to today. I had a fair number of birdie opportunities. Didn't make many mistakes. It was kind of a nice, easy day.

Q. Now with your status being secure, does your mindset change any from earlier in the year? Do you go out and try to drive like you did earlier?

OLIN BROWNE: Absolutely. That's just the way I am. I want to play as well as I can play, but I have that philosophy every day when I show up. I mean, I don't show up if I'm not going to give it my best effort, then I'm not going to come for the week.

If I'm here, I'm here. I'm going to do the best I can.

Q. What has it been like starting the year without any status, now having the status, you're in the World Championships next week, stuff like that? Do you enjoy it more?

OLIN BROWNE: I didn't start the year with no status. I finished 127 on the list, which was going to get me 20 starts or something like that, then Colonial, which I won, I get back in that. I mean, I was going to get starts.

You know, for the last two years what I've been doing is trying to build my game again. You know, this is just the result of the work that I put in for the last year, year and a half.

It's just, you know, great. Getting an opportunity to play in the WGC next week is a wonderful opportunity, and I can't wait to play.

Q. Can you go over your birdies?

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Started 5.

OLIN BROWNE: Made a birdie on 5. Hit the wrong club off the tee. I hit driver. I thought the wind was into it. It was really left to right. Drove it through the fairway, down to the bottom, had a 50 yard pitch. I pitched it up there about four feet.

Then my next birdie was on 9. Hit the front edge of the green in two, 2 putted from there.

Then my next birdie was on 13. That's one of my really bad drives. I hit it way left. Was kind of behind some trees, but it had a gap. I punched my 7 wood through the trees, knocked it up in front of the green, chipped it up there, made the putt.

Next par 5, good drive. Hit 6 iron, wedge to about five feet, made it.

I didn't make anything that was of any length today. I had a number of good opportunities; didn't take advantage of them. But I think that's balanced out by the fact that I drove the ball over the golf course today and got away with it.

Q. US Open being so close to here, did you think about that at all?

OLIN BROWNE: Somebody mentioned it in the practice round. I guess I played with Paul Azinger and Matt Gogel. Azinger in the practice round. The subject of Pinehurst came up. That was the first time it occurred to me. And Tom Pernice. So, no, the US Open is six months ago, four months ago. It's history.

Q. Looking at the Open, you were having a good year until then, tied for 23rd. Since then you played even better. Does that provide any kind of boost at all?

OLIN BROWNE: Well, no, because really, like I said, all the stuff that I'd been doing for the last year and a half is leading up has led up to this better play. The US Open is just an indicator. You know, it's like the canary in the coal mine? The canary goes down, everybody starts to clear out, right?

But the US Open was just an indicator. It wasn't anything that, you know, flipped a switch with me or anything like that. It was just it was just, you know, that was the and I played some good tournaments last year, too. I finished fourth in Milwaukee and seventh at Booz Allen. So there were signs of my game coming around. Obviously, if you do it at the US Open, more people notice, right?

But to me, I actually played better on Sunday at the US Open when I stunk up the joint than I did Friday or Saturday when I was hanging in there. It's more of an indicator than it is anything else. It just happened to come at that particular time.

Q. You mentioned the bigger stage. Have you noticed the galleries being a bit better to you? You were paired today with Tom. .

OLIN BROWNE: Everybody was out following Tom because he's our Ryder Cup captain. I guess there are a few more people who recognize who I am. I'm not signing Rich Beem's autograph anymore (smiling).

I'm cool with it. Whatever happens happens. You know, I'm just trying to have some fun with it because for the last four years, it hasn't been a lot of fun. But it's becoming more fun. Playing well is, you know, really rewarding. It's gratifying.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you.

OLIN BROWNE: Thanks, fellas. See you tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.