VERIZON BYRON NELSON CLASSIC

May 10, 2002

Jim Carter

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'd like to welcome Jim Carter to the media center. Thanks for taking a couple of minutes and coming in. Jim is currently one of our leaders. Shot a second-round 67. If you could just get started a little bit with how your round went today and how things are going this week in general.

JIM CARTER: Well, it is a great week with all the workout room and the spa. Salesmanship Club, I mean, these guys always treat you good. That was a treat to come here to start out. And the golf is just just a bonus, like a vacation week for us. Let's see. Started out, had a really good -- started to made a couple of birdies starting out today. His nice drive down the middle on the first hole, I think I had about 180 left to the pin. The pin was tucked -- what is one of those cities where the east side of Texas --.

Q. Paris?

JIM CARTER: I don't know, something like that. Tucked in Paris or something. It is way right back there by the water. It was nice making a 3. I hit 7-iron.

Q. How far was the putt?

JIM CARTER: It was about 15 feet left of the hole. The city was way right though. (Laughs). I think it was about twelve feet from the right edge of Texas. Right edge of the border, I should say. Followed that up with a nice birdie on two. Hit a little 8-iron about 20 feet right behind the hole. Rolled that in. It was a nice quick putt. Just kind of had to get it started. Fortunate enough to keep it on line.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Birdied 11 and 12.

JIM CARTER: 11 was the par 5, that one I just got my -- hit a 3-wood just up on the fringe, maybe three, four feet short of the hole, really good chance to chip it in. Almost did, chipped it maybe six inches from the cup and tapped in. 12 playing tough. Good par 3, the winds were blowing pretty hard. So I hit kind of a knockdown 5-iron ended up about 18 feet behind the pin. Quite a lot of break -- we have a new pin this year. We haven't seen that pin. At least I haven't. And quite a lot of slope on the left side, so it was a cool putt to make it, had about 3, 4 of break it in. Just snuck in the edge the last roll. Then I made my first bogey other day on the 14th hole, hole is playing into the wind pretty heavy on the second shot that -- just didn't quite hit it solid. Left it short of the green. But I had kind of a bad lie. Downhill lie. Chipped past there about 15 feet. Tricky putt down the hill. Knocked it in.

Birdie on 16. The par on -- 15 -- making 4 on 15 you feel like your making a birdie there. That hole is playing really difficult today. Both playing partners hit it in the trees. I had to hit 2-iron in for my second shot. Coming out there with a 4 gives you some nice momentum going into 16 where you really want to make a 4. 2-putted on 16 from like 75 feet. It was way left side of the green. Actually left my first putt about 15 feet short, but managed to make that one so had a nice par save on 17, missed the green there. And 18, I don't know, just a little lapse in concentration, I guess, I just missed the green left, which is a no-no there. Big slope on the left side of the green. It is just no room to work with. Hit a pretty good shot, but I missed about a 15-, 18-footer for par. So it was kind of a reality check. Maybe I will concentrate better tomorrow at the end of the round.

Q. How much did the rain affect you out there today?

JIM CARTER: Well, it allowed to us play lift, clean and place. Fairways weren't that bad. Your ball was keeping a little bit of mud on it. They were a little wet, but they really weren't that bad for as much rain as we had last night. The greens stayed relatively quick too.

Q. Isn't that a little rare doing lifting and place when there's multiple courses?

JIM CARTER: I don't know, I mean, we have done it before. I don't know if it's rare or not. I think they made the right decision.

Q. I always thought at Pebble they'd put it in play on Thursday if the forecast was bad which usually was the case --

JIM CARTER: That's true. Sometimes they would play it through the green there so you can lift it even in the rough, but I think they made a good call today. The ball was dirty and it tends to not fly so good when that mud sticks on it. It hit some pretty wild shots. It's better to give everybody a chance - especially if you have driven it in the fairway.

Q. Pretty good indication you play well this week given your results in the recent past?

JIM CARTER: Yeah, I have been playing really good this week. I just seem to make a couple of more putts than I have been making the prior weeks. But I have been giving myself a lot of opportunities and that's what I need to do on the weekend. I mean just give myself chances and you know, that it going to come down to who makes the putts.

Q. Was there any overall difference in your game with respect to the front nine or the back nine today?

JIM CARTER: Not really. Just I try to not worry about what hole I am on or what is going on through the round. The less I can think is the better for me. When you get to the end of the round, you want to finish it up nicely and there's some, like I said, some of those holes are pretty good, like 14 and 15 into the wind are good finishing holes. 17 and 18 actually -- 18 played pretty good too.

Q. Did it seem like you were more consistent on the front 9?

JIM CARTER: No, it was about the same. I mean, I just -- maybe like I said, I just think I had a little concentration lapse there on the last hole. I shouldn't have hit it there. But that's water under the bridge now. I have got to try to learn from it and hopefully I will pay attention tomorrow, not give them away.

Q. The wind shifted back to its normal -- more of a normal direction. Did that make the clubs a little bit easier today?

JIM CARTER: It's never -- it's never easy to pick clubs in these conditions - especially when you get that crosswind because you can't tell if it's coming a little into you or if it's going to help you a little. So it kind of plays on your brain there a little bit. It drives you crazy. At least I have played -- I have played the course more often in these conditions, so you kind -- I had that going for me, I guess.

Q. (Inaudible) you guys came in about 25 minutes behind the group in front of you on 18. Something held you back?

JIM CARTER: I think that 15th hole the guys Scott and Davis were in the trees and they had -- I guess they must have been standing water over there, so they had to find a place to drop. Those holes were playing difficult, so we may have gotten behind a little bit at that point. We had waited on the par 5, the par 3 before that. Actually the par 4, after the par 3, so -- it doesn't take long to get a couple of guys missing couple of shots; especially those guys -- Davis made a birdie on the last hole to get into the weekend, so, they were all putting their time in.

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