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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 13, 2005

Tom Byrum

HONOLULU, HAWAII

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Tom, thanks for joining us for a couple of minutes here. Pretty flawless day for you, four birdies and you're tied for the lead with a couple of other players with a 66 heading into round two.

If we could start with some opening comments from you, a good day in some really tough conditions.

TOM BYRUM: Yeah, it was. I don't think I've ever played this course on any tougher conditions than today, which makes 4-under a nice round for me. Because I don't remember shooting these kind of scores, 66, even before. There was some tough holes and some good shots. I stayed patient early in the round which paid off later in the round I think, kind of a saver. I lost it a little bit on the first nine. Then kind of got -- everything came together on the back and it felt pretty good, even despite the wind, I played pretty well, pretty confident about how I was hitting it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Questions?

Q. How are those girls doing?

TOM BYRUM: They are doing good, thanks. Getting up there. One got one driving.

Q. Do you not traditionally play this course well?

TOM BYRUM: I've had some good tournaments in the past here. It's been a couple of years. I had a good tournament here about three years ago or so before they changed the par.

Q. Maybe the wind has not been blowing hard enough for you?

TOM BYRUM: It was windless the last few years, if I'm not mistaken. I can remember the old days, there was a lot more wind around here it seemed like. You always had to keep the ball down to run it a lot more. It's nice to see tough conditions on this course where par is a decent score.

Q. Are you a goal-setter, and if so, what have you set this year for yourself?

TOM BYRUM: Well, I guess so. I'm a goal-setter in the sense that I want to win again. You know, I'm trying to do everything that I can as far as long-term. But there's things I want to do, I just don't think -- I don't set goals and have a checklist. I'm not disciplined enough I guess to do that. But day-to-day, I don't really have anything, you know, that I'm clicking on every day to reach that goal. I'm just trying to work on everything.

Q. Given the nature of this game, is setting goals a bad idea?

TOM BYRUM: No, I don't think so.

Q. I want to win a major this year; I want to win a tournament; I want to finish Top-30 on the Money List?

TOM BYRUM: I don't think that's ever been a bad thing to think about. I think everybody -- you know, if you're not thinking big, somebody else is. I'm pretty sure of that. It never hurts to think big, and that is one thing I wrote down that I wanted to think bigger things. You know, look at this thing a little bit bigger this year and expect more out of myself or at least push myself for things like that. We'll see. Good start, and who knows.

Q. If you had to put your finger on one or two things that kept you from winning recently, could you?

TOM BYRUM: Maybe it was not thinking that I was a good enough player to win. Maybe it was some of those things. I'm sure.

And also, I think, a little bit of not handling the situation well. Maybe letting the pressure get to me, maybe wanting to win so bad that I'm not executing those little things. Kind of losing my perspective.

So those are all things that I need to work on, especially we get into those situations, you know, where I can win. Like last year, I had a chance to win the Buick at Westchester and just didn't quite get it done. Especially since I bogeyed the last hole.

But things like that I need to keep those in mind.

Q. A crucial point in today's round that kept it together for you?

TOM BYRUM: There were a couple I think. Always 10, 11, 13, the hard par 4, I think that's what it is, making a par there -- I made a good par, I made a good chip. Chipped it up there chose after driving it in the rough; that was a good par.

No. 9, I hit 18, I hit a bad tee shot to the right, kind of scrambled and hit some good shots. Making those two shots and making par there because I just was almost trying to make bogey, it looked like I was just letting it come, it was looking bogey all the way, and I made a good putt and then No. 1 again. Hit some good shots and made a good up-and-down. So after that point, it was pretty -- I got pretty steady and didn't really get out of position much after that. Those three holes were holes that I said before, I could have lost it on.

Q. How far was 1? Did you get up-and-down there?

TOM BYRUM: Out of the bunker. I hit a shot in there, hit the top of the bunker and came all the way back down. That's a deep bunker. The pin was back. Made a long putt.

Q. What did you hit on 1?

TOM BYRUM: Hit a drive and a 3-wood.

Q. How many more times will you do that the rest of the year on a par 4?

TOM BYRUM: Oh, probably more than I want to, unfortunately. (Laughter). But I hope it's not too often. But depends on if I play Houston and New Orleans.

Q. How long was that putt?

TOM BYRUM: That putt was probably 15 or 20 feet. That to me might have been the biggest saver of the whole day right there, that putt. And then I went on and birdied the next hole for my first birdie and got a little -- might have put me over the hump right there.

Q. You spent the off-season working on anything that you felt you needed to improve on this year, a part of your game?

TOM BYRUM: Yeah. (Laughter.)

Q. Which would be?

TOM BYRUM: I told my instructor, all I did was lift weights all day, every day, just screw everybody up. (Laughs.) You know, we got together and we looked at my swing and we decided there was some things there I could improve on and I work pretty hard on them and they felt really good today. I'm not expecting every day to be this good, but there was had some quality shots out there that I was not hitting last year. So I'm looking forward to it keeping me working on these things. That's always key.

Q. Apparently running the risk of asking a really stupid question here, but --

TOM BYRUM: That's okay.

Q. At the end of the year, you have your choice of one tournament, you take THE TOUR Championship or the Mercedes?

TOM BYRUM: Tour or win?

Q. No. If you were to only qualify for one of these tournaments, which one would you take, TOUR Championship or Kapalua?

TOM BYRUM: Well, if I were to qualify for Kapalua, would I have won. So I would definitely rather be qualified for Kapalua. If I won and I didn't get in the TOUR Championship, I'd rather win.

Q. Can you see an argument for the other way?

TOM BYRUM: Yeah, if you like money. (Laughter.) I like money, but I'd rather win right now, you know. I'd rather -- but I don't know, you'd be in pretty good position.

Q. I've heard some comments from some younger comments?

TOM BYRUM: They would take a TOUR Championship.

Q. Briny last year at Disney or Tampa, for him it was more important to be contending every week, Top-10, what-have-you, rather than catch one right in the bottle?

TOM BYRUM: I can see where you could be in a lot of stuff in the Top-30. That gets you in everything. I haven't weighed those things much and I can't say that Kapalua would be a great golf course for me to go play. The win, though, would be -- I would love to have a win. But Kapalua's got wide fairways and a lot of guys, a lot of long hitters contending over there. So you don't see many guys like me. I mean, I've got to look at Fred Funk, I don't think that was right up his alley over there necessarily. Pretty wide fairways. He's got to have it in like this, too.

Q. Your big run in the Open was Bethpage, was it not?

TOM BYRUM: Bethpage.

Q. Another short-hitter's course?

TOM BYRUM: Yeah. And I played good at the other one in Chicago.

Q. Olympia Fields.

TOM BYRUM: Yeah, Bethpage, that actually I laid up on a couple par 4s, just so I would have wedge in there just so I didn't have to contend with the greens if I missed it.

Q. Did you get to 10 fairway?

TOM BYRUM: Yeah, I got that one every day. I don't know, I didn't see that one -- the one that was I was having trouble with was the 12th fairway.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's just touch on your four birdies and we'll have one last question. You started on the back side, all pars, and then you had a birdie No. 2.

TOM BYRUM: No. 2, I hit a good 8-iron just past the hole probably 15 feet still on the green, just about off the green.

The par 3 I was just on the fringe, pin-high, that was probably 12 feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: What did you hit?

TOM BYRUM: 6-iron.

8, I hit 5-iron probably 20, 25 feet.

No. 9, I hit a 6-iron. That was probably 30 feet and 2-putted.

Q. Do you look at scores at the end of the round?

TOM BYRUM: I didn't.

Q. Do you normally?

TOM BYRUM: I probably won't look at them too much. I might look and see what Michelle Wie shot.

Q. That was my question.

TOM BYRUM: Well, she beat me last year, so that's my goal this year. (Laughter.) What did she shoot?

Q. 65 -- no, I'm just kidding. 75. Can you be honest, do you think about that at start of the day?

TOM BYRUM: No, it doesn't matter. I know that like last year, I just didn't play any good. I mean, I'm glad she played good. It wasn't like, you know, somebody might say something to you, but it's not a big deal. She had a great run at it and that was exciting for everybody. But I know if she played every day the rest of the year, I'm pretty sure that I can beat her. (Laughter.) I'm hoping.

Q. Did you take any schtick last year?

TOM BYRUM: No. It stayed over here in Hawaii, I guess. Nothing back on the Mainland. I think she's going to be a great player. I might want to beat her now while I can. (Laughter.) I'm not getting any younger.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks a lot.

End of FastScripts.

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