KEMPER OPEN

May 27, 1999

Brian Watts

BRIAN WATTS: Actually played really well. I hit 11 out of the 14 fairways, one of the ones I missed was only a foot off the fairway, so it was in that second cut, which isn't too much of a penalty. I hit 14 greens today, but I think the important thing with the 14 greens is that I was hitting it fairly close, so I had a lot of opportunities today. Overall, I am extremely happy with 4-under. Usually I don't shoot 4-under when I make bogeys out there, so I am very happy with the round.

BRIAN WATTS: To answer the first part of that, it is not that I didn't want to play here. When we were talking about that at the British Open last year, it was that I was trying to do the right thing, with my Tour in Japan, which is still my home Tour. I still -- I needed to do the right thing with the Japan Tour, so that was the first thing. Secondly, overall this year I have played pretty consistent. Nothing great, except two weeks ago when I finished tied for third at the Byron Nelson. I think I made 10 out of 11 cuts and I have been finishing in there, you know, in the 20s and 30s pretty much all year, except the last two weeks. I am just hoping to have a tournament where I play well for all four.

BRIAN WATTS: Well, I don't think it has been easy at all. The only thing that is different between '91 and '99 is that I am a better player now. So in that fact, it is easier, but it is very hard for me because even though I have been around these golf courses at one time years ago, that probably would have been the biggest adjustment for me, learning the new golf courses because I have been playing the same courses in Japan for six years. So that was becoming very natural for me to play the same courses all the time. All of a sudden I have to not only play all these new courses but I am competing against arguably the strongest players in the world every single week, so I have had to raise my level of play to try to compete with the guys here.

BRIAN WATTS: Yes. Mizuno Open which is the week after the United States Open. I plan on playing more in the fall, I just haven't set any schedule up. But I am definitely playing the Mizuno in a few weeks.

BRIAN WATTS: I live in Edmond, Oklahoma. My wife and I and my son, and I didn't have a house in Japan. I really couldn't afford what I would want over there. I didn't live there either. I just traveled -- I played about three, four weeks in a row, come home for two weeks, back and forth all year.

BRIAN WATTS: Yes. I live there with Verplank, Tway, Billy Wood, Doug Tewell, Gil Morgan - a bunch of us.

BRIAN WATTS: I have actually played the tournament twice. Bob Bundren is the tournament director; is that right?

BRIAN WATTS: Ben. He gave me a sponsor's invitation in '88. My first tournament as professional was here actually, then I played in 1991 when I was a member of the Tour. I love the place, that is why I am back this year. The course is a lot different now with the bent/rye fairways, the course is playing very long. It is going to favor the longer hitters for sure.

BRIAN WATTS: Well, first of all, I was born in Canada. I lived there six months. I have been in the United States ever since. I never got my citizenship until I was 16 years old. The PGA of America, which runs the Ryder Cup has decided that American-born players, which is how it is quoted in their rules from 1927, means that you must be born in the United States. That is what American-born players means. It is kind of interesting to know because there is a player that wasn't born in the United States that is eligible for the Ryder Cup. And it is not me. It is kind of an interesting situation, but they called me two days after the British Open last year and they didn't make a decision nor did they contact me until a week before The Masters, I think it was. Unlike the PGA TOUR regarding The Presidents Cup, the PGA TOUR, I guess, contacted my agent within, I think it was two weeks after the British Open and they made their ruling right away and they said that I was eligible for the U.S. Team for The Presidents Cup.

BRIAN WATTS: It is my friend Andrew Magee, actually.

BRIAN WATTS: He was born in Paris, France, right.

BRIAN WATTS: If you'd like to call the PGA of America, I'd like every one of you to. Just call them today right in a row. I would appreciate that.

BRIAN WATTS: I am not eligible for the Ryder Cup team as of now. But the president of the PGA said that they always look into things, there is always pockets of changing things, but he said 100% there was no way they would have it changed for this year and it is not like I am a big threat right now for the Ryder Cup anyways even if they counted the point. My British Open would count, and the Houston Open and the Byron Nelson. I don't know what place I would be in, maybe 30, 40th place or something, I am really not sure.

BRIAN WATTS: I definitely would like to be considered for the Ryder Cup team because I lived here all my life except for the first six months of my life. I would do anything for my country. I find it is a very strange ruling especially when you look at the Olympics, you have got Olympians that play for the U.S. team that only get their citizenship to play on the U.S. team and that was definitely not the case when I was 16. I wasn't thinking about the Ryder Cup when I was 16 years old. It is a very strange ruling as far as I am concerned.

BRIAN WATTS: Actually, my father is English and my mother is German.

BRIAN WATTS: That is a big difference, but he was not American born.

BRIAN WATTS: I always flew American Airlines out of Dallas. I got to know some -- recognize some of the pilots, mostly the flight attendants and I got to know them a little bit. Yeah, it was a great move on my part. I never planned on playing in Japan. It just kind of worked out that way. When I won the Asian Tour in 1993 and I was -- I am very happy with my decision to stay there through the years and not even try the U.S. school because it gave me plenty of time to mature, gave me plenty of time to get my game better and without the Japanese Tour, I wouldn't have played as well as I did at the British Open last year for sure.

BRIAN WATTS: I'd rather you ask some of the Japanese people here that are sitting with you, but I think that as soon as I got there I really had a warm feeling with the Japanese fans and it has only gotten better as the years have gone on, because I have become a better player. They understand how much respect -- I respect not only the fans but the sponsors and also the great players. They understand how much I respect them and I think they appreciate that.

BRIAN WATTS: Yes. I represent a Japanese company called PRGR which Corey Pavin also represents. I was on the billboards there back in probably '94, '95, '96, I guess. Maybe even now too with Corey, I think.

BRIAN WATTS: Corey has been playing well. He did well at the MCI Heritage. He had a chance to win. He only lost, I think, by two strokes and missed some putts coming in, which is unlike Corey Pavin. He played well at the Dallas. He played well, except I think he made a couple of bogies coming in; otherwise, he would have done well. I played with him last week at Colonial, we tied for 11th. He has been playing really well.

BRIAN WATTS: Well, the obvious thing that it has changed is that it gave me the opportunity to play here in 1999, which is huge, since my wife and son weren't traveling with me to Japan. My wife used to travel with me three or four years and then once she got pregnant and we had our son, she pretty much stayed home all the time. That was probably the biggest reason why I came here was because of my family, because it has enabled me -- when I am home, I don't have the jet lag and it is all quality time with my son. And then they are able to come out to whatever tournaments they want to. They have been coming to probably two-thirds of the tournaments, so I have been spending tons and tons of time with my family.

BRIAN WATTS: Really hasn't affected my golf. British Open was very special for me. I wish I would have won. I am disappointed I didn't win the tournament because I felt I had played great on the weekend and just didn't get the job done. I have played like that before for four days. It just hasn't been where you all have been around. It has been in Japan. I have never -- I have played like that before but never on the world stage and so it was nice to see that I did have the ability under the right conditions to compete with the best players. Very satisfying. That was probably the best thing about the British Open.

BRIAN WATTS: Oh --

BRIAN WATTS: I don't pay lots of taxes actually. I had plenty of years where I didn't hardly pay anything. I guess probably, I don't know, 6 million or something like that. Something like that.

BRIAN WATTS: No, I haven't. I always dream that I would go back to the school, the qualifying school here and try to get on the Tour. I always hoped I was actually leading towards this year actually with the World Golf Championships I knew I would be in those tournaments and I was kind of leaning towards 1999 as okay, maybe I can get some sponsor's invitations, play well in those tournaments, play majors, play well, and play in the World Golf Championships and maybe finish in the top 125. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere I finished second at the British Open and it took care of it just like that.

BRIAN WATTS: Well first of all, we have -- it is two completely different Tours and two different cultures. I think that is important to understand. Then I think it is also important to understand that we as U.S. Tour players are treated like kings every single day, every single week, it is incredible. It is very easy for a U.S. Tour player to get spoiled out here because everything is A-1 perfect all the time. There is nothing to complain about out here on this Tour at all. I don't think there is another Tour in the world that is -- that even comes close to being like this in the fact that the treatment that we receive is phenomenal.

BRIAN WATTS: Well, to be honest with you all the other Tours that I have ever played on not just Japan but Japan, Asia even played a little bit in Europe, those Tours aren't catered to the players. You figured out on your own and you go do your own thing. You have to fend for yourself more outside of this Tour. That could be a good thing, by the way, too. Because it teaches you to handle your own stuff. You have to do more things and that could be a good thing. I am just saying if you want to be treated like a king this is the place to be because this is very nice.

BRIAN WATTS: Absolutely. I think, you know, I wasn't lucky enough when I got out of school like some of the guys I competed against, Bob Estes and Billy Mayfair, they came right out of college and right on the Tour and they have done extremely well. They are in the same age group as me. I had to play all over the place. Played in Asia three years right off the bat. Played, I think was called, the Hogan Tour at the time for two years, played one stint, one year here, so it was probably good for me because I had to learn lots of different things, whether it was travelling, organization, learning how to play different courses, I had to improve a lot to be able to play out here. So all those experiences were good for me. Also I think it is great for Americans to get outside our country and to learn what it is like to travel around the world, what other cultures, how other cultures are, how people think, because we as a group of people always think we are doing the right thing and it is not necessarily the truth. There is other ways to do things than the way we think sometimes.

BRIAN WATTS: Sometimes. There is probably another good thing about the British Open since I played well in that tournament an a lot of people watched the British Open obviously on TV I am recognized more and people in the gallery even this year when I was out on the west coast, oh, that is Brian Watts; that is the guy that hit the bunker shot on 18, da, da, da, da. That is kind of nice because when I used to come to the tournaments here from my status in Japan people were like: Who is that guy, who is that guy. Now, people know at least I can play a little bit. So in that way it is nice.

BRIAN WATTS: Yeah, I drove the ball in the fairway. I was very fortunate today because you have got to drive it on the fairway in this course. I hit my irons really good today, right at the pin and I had lots of opportunities. I had five birdies and an eagle out there today. Had lots of good opportunities and very pleased with my round today.

BRIAN WATTS: 13 I hit a great drive down there and I have got like a 16 degree 3-wood, so I can't hit it very far. And I just tried to play it out to the right. I kind of thinned it but it stayed out there to the right of the fairway. I was 39 yards from the pin because I walked it, landed 29, rolled 10 yards and just died right in the cup. So got a lucky eagle out of that.

BRIAN WATTS: First hole I slice-shanked my tee shot in the rough and hacked it out just short of the green, chipped on 2-putted for bogey. Next hole I drove it in the fairway, 3-wood in the fairway, 9-iron to about, oh, probably 15 feet, made it for birdie. Third hole, 2-iron that actually hit the pin and I made about a 6-footer for birdie. 4th hole, driver in the fairway, 5-iron to about twelve feet, made it for birdie. 9th hole, hit 8-iron about 25 feet, made it for birdie. 11, I 3-putted for bogey from about 15 feet. 12, I hit it in the right rough, hacked it out, hit a wedge on the green, 2-putted for a bogey. From 25 feet. 13, I just told you. 17, I hit a 6-iron landed by the hole it went by about 20 feet, I holed that for a birdie.

BRIAN WATTS: Well --

BRIAN WATTS: To be honest, but I think every swing is a new swing -- but it is nice to get a good round the first round. I mean, but it is not the most important thing. It is probably most important to have that real good round the last day, but it is always nice to shoot 67 versus a 75 or something the first day obviously because the goal is you have got to get through Friday to even have a chance, so it is nice to play a good round right away. But in the scheme of things, in 72 holes, it doesn't mean a lot because I have been in this situation at the TPC. I was tied for the lead after the first day and finished 38th place, so. But it is nice to have a real good round to start off with.

BRIAN WATTS: I think it suited my game a little better before because I am not a real long hitter. The course has been playing really long. But like I said, today I was able to drive it in the fairway. I was hitting my irons great, so, didn't matter if I had a 4-iron in my hand, I just -- one of those days where I could hit it right at the pin and it turned out good.

BRIAN WATTS: Well, I appreciated it in 1991 because I had been in Asia for two years prior to that. But I really appreciate it now just because if you are ever going to make a name for yourself in the world, it seems like the U.S. Tour is the place to do it, possibly the European Tour also, but if you want to make a big name for yourself, this is the place to do it. So I appreciate the chance I have and the opportunity to do that again. I am glad I play a lot better than I did eight years ago.

BRIAN WATTS: I have lots of goals. I really don't even -- my wife doesn't even know them, so I do have lots of goals, yeah.

BRIAN WATTS: Yeah, I mean obviously I want to play here and I think Lee could probably tell you, but I think I have probably made enough money this year so, you know, to be sure, but that is one of the many goals.

BRIAN WATTS: I know I didn't in '88 and I am pretty sure I did in '91.

BRIAN WATTS: I think I did in '91. But I don't know what place I finished, you would have to look.

BRIAN WATTS: Well, when I traveled in Asia in '89 and '90, my first two years, hardest thing was trying to pick up any kind of language, trying to communicate with people. Not only the food and the hotels were different than what we were used to here in the U.S. but just trying to communicate with the person at the front desk at the hotel, when you don't speak the language, it is very difficult. So you have to learn to adapt and have to understand that English is not the only language. Those are probably the hardest things.

BRIAN WATTS: We were talking about Asia, earlier, right?

BRIAN WATTS: To be honest, in Japan I eat everything -- but I just can't get over the mental aspects of eating something raw but I love everything else. Food is really good in Japan. My favorite is yakatori which is grilled chicken on a stick. It is excellent.