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CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP


October 23, 2004


Jose Maria Canizares


SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

Q. Thank you to joining us. Talk about your round and we'll go through your birdies real quick. Starting with

No. 1.

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: No. 1, I hit driver, pitching wedge, just off the green, about 5 yards.

Q. No. 4?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: No. 4, par 3, I hit 5‑iron, very good 5‑iron.

Q. No. 5?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: I hit very good drive, very good second shot.

Q. What was your second shot?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: I think I hit a 7‑iron.

Q. How far was the putt?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: Maybe 2 yards or less.

Q. And then bogey 7?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: 7, is a par 3, I went into the bunker on the left. I had a very good bunker shot. I missed the putt maybe a yard and a half.

Q. What did you hit off the tee?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: 3‑iron.

Q. And then 11?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: 11, I hit a good drive, easy 9‑iron. I put it maybe nearly 3 yards to the lip, very good putt.

Q. Then a bogey on 12?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: 12, I hit a good drive. I hit a 3‑iron on my second shot. I missed in the bunker on the right. I had a good bunker shot but missed the putt maybe 1 yard and a half.

Q. How do you think you played overall with the weather being like it was?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: Well, I hit the ball good. I missed maybe two fairways. With that weather, the surface is very wet, you need a lot of good concentration. I had very good concentration. I'm putting okay. My stroke on the putting is very good. You need a lot of concentration because it's very wet.

Q. Are you a bad weather player? Do you like to play in bad weather?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: I am a professional, I play in good weather and bad weather. The raining, for me, is no problem. It's not easy. I like the rain, but not to play golf all the time.

Q. Cold weather

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: It's cold but not much raining.

Q. In Northern Europe they get a lot of rain and it's cold?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: Right.

Q. Britain and Germany.

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: Everywhere in Europe.

Q. Did you have to get used to that?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: I forget that bad weather because I like good weather.

Q. Was 2001 your last win on Tour?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: Yes, three years ago.

Q. How does it feel to be so close to taste it?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: I need to get more confidence in my game. I need more confidence on the green. Sometimes my confidence is good, but not for 18 holes, and not for four days, but I wait for that confidence all week.

Q. You were one of the original Spanish golfers that really got people going there, and then Seve was coming right after you, and now Sergio. Do you think ‑‑ it's not something like football, certainly, it never will be, but do you think there will be more and more quality Spanish golfers?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: Yes, there's a lot of quality golfers in Spain. Because Spain is I remember all time because all the men is very good golfers. But the problem in Europe is travel, in Spain it's a very, very poor country and you have to find money for travel, but they also have many many good players. There's now more facilities to practice, and more facilities to play golf, for the youth to take it up.

Q. Your son is one of the young players in Spain. Is he one of the better players in Spain?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: One of the best players, not the best, but maybe in the Top 10. There are many many good players, plus 5, plus 6 you know. And then my son is a good player, but I think now he is not the best player in Spain. There are many good players.

Q. When you were young, Europe did not play in the Ryder Cup. It was still basically Great Britain and Ireland. Has the fact that Spain and Sweden and Germany and Europeans now play the Ryder Cup, does that increase the interest in Spain, the last Ryder Cup, do you know, was there ‑‑

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: For the players it's very good, but for the people, for the supporters, it's not looking very interesting. After they go in the first time and the second time, and then everybody and then the Spaniards looking at themselves, and then the Ryder Cup now is more important.

Q. You played most of your career in Europe and then at age 50 come to America. How has it been playing in America for the last seven years?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: 8 years. The country is your home. For me, it's lucky coming here. This is a nice life for me coming here, because I play with the best players in the world. I play with them, you know. I have an opportunity to play together or nearly sometimes with the best players in the world, why you not try. Also for the life here for me is nice. My wife travels with me a lot. For 1 week alone is fine, 2 or 3 weeks alone is very, very hard.

I have friends in America. America is very big. I have friends in Atlanta. It's very difficult.

Q. Before you started playing the Champions Tour, how often had you been in the United States and how was your English before you came to the TOUR?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES: My English I think is much better now, because now I speak American. My English was very poor all the time. Maybe now the people say your English now is much better, because I'm a very shy man. I speak very good and then sometimes I'm quiet. My son says, father, why are you quiet when you speak English? For me, that's okay, no problem. I say something back, it's no problem.

End of FastScripts.
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