MERCEDES CHAMPIONSHIPS

January 12, 2003

K.J. Choi

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, KJ, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center. Great week, great playing, but pretty tough competition this week with Ernie's performance. Why don't you begin with making a couple comments about the week.

K.J. CHOI: He feels that it was a very good week starting off the new 2003 season. He finished -- although it was a tie for second, he feels very proud of himself for his performance this week. Although the putting was giving him trouble today, he still feels that he had a good tournament, that he was able to close it out fairly well.

He just feels like it's going to be a great season this year.

Q. You were within one stroke after 11 holes. At what point did you start feeling it was slipping away?

K.J. CHOI: He felt that when he 3-putted on No. 13, he felt that that was probably the turning point. But, honestly, he felt even before that, he was having trouble with his putting. He just couldn't read the breaks today. After he had his second 3-putt, he felt at that point it was really getting away.

It was really the putting that really kind of messed him up today. He couldn't get the flow going.

Q. Did you feel intimidated, any kind of pressure playing with Ernie, last twosome like this, last day?

K.J. CHOI: No, not really. I mean, he wasn't really intimidated by playing with Ernie Els. Actually, he felt very comfortable. They both had a good time today. They were talking. He felt very comfortable.

It was just that when he started missing putts, when he started not putting well, he just felt he wasn't playing his game. As he said yesterday after the round, he knew all he needed to do was just to play better, just to play good within himself, not worry about who he's playing with.

Because he couldn't play his game today, that's what really bothered him. It wasn't the fact that he was playing with Els.

Q. You set the course record Saturday, finished 23-under par. Does it feel strange for him to lose by eight strokes? What does that say about how Ernie played?

K.J. CHOI: I mean, he's not very surprised at all about the way Els played. Ernie has always been a top player. He knew that Ernie was going to play well today.

I mean, again, he just couldn't show his performance. He didn't have his game today. That's what really created the gap there. In order for him to be a better player, those are the kind of things that he needs to overcome, is the short game, the putting. He's worked very hard during the off-season, but he still feels that field-wise, he needs to be up there.

He has a very good optimistic view about this year.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you.

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