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U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 19, 2004

Tim Clark

SHINNECOCK HILLS, NEW YORK

MODERATOR: Joining us now on the podium at 1 under par for the championship, 4-under par today, the low round in today, Timothy Clark. Start us off with your birdies and bogeys.

TIM CLARK: Highlights, we'll start with obviously bogeyed the first, a 3-putt, just off the green, but birdied 3 with about a 15, 20-footer.

Then 5, made eagle, 6-iron into 5, from the fairway; looked like it had gone in the hole, got up there and it was literally an inch behind the cup. But pretty much tap in eagle there.

9, hit a 7-iron up there to about 8 feet behind the hole and made a curling iron putt there.

Birdied 13, in the rough on 13, and really couldn't get it out, on the green there and in the bunker, and made bogey.

15, wedge up to again about 15 feet, which was a pretty good shot.

And 16, hit about 75 yards and my sand wedge up there to about a foot.

Did the same thing on 18, but missed the putt.

Q. How far was the 6-iron on 5?

TIM CLARK: An inch.

Q. How far was that?

TIM CLARK: How far was that? I think I had about 210 to the hole there. Obviously just tried to pitch it to the front of the green and let it run up. I made a double eagle with that club for the qualifying event for this event. But just finished behind the hole.

Q. Shaved 3 off after your first round, and shaved four after that again.

TIM CLARK: Played really well yesterday, parring 7, 8 and 9. At the time I was 2-under par, yesterday, I shot 2-under on this back nine again. If you're playing well -- yesterday I played good golf. I feel I've been swinging the ball great, and swinging the club great and making my fair share of putts.

Q. Would you be surprised if you see some of those 6 unders get smaller?

TIM CLARK: I think so, it's just so tough out there. I found several times having a 9-iron in and having to hit away from the flag. If the leaders play smart golf, they can hold on, but if you make a few mistakes in the wrong spots it's going to be penalizing.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIM CLARK: Well, obviously the guys have been shooting good scores, they've been doing it. Like I said I felt I've just been really a few bogeys away from shooting under par. And today I had two bogeys, which is probably the least of all my rounds, and then it shows.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIM CLARK: Not really, no. Like I say, I've been swinging so good, I hit the same shots I needed to hit the first few days. When I needed to play well I played away.

Q. Is something tricky on the putt on 18?

TIM CLARK: No, I just hit a bad putt. It's a tough way to finish, but I guess I have to put that behind me and go out tomorrow.

Q. Have you started to think ahead?

TIM CLARK: Yeah, I guess so. If there's anything in my game that's not so sharp, it might be the putting, but I've been putting great the past few weeks. It's one of those things. You get a bit of butterflies going. The whole day I felt really calm, and hit a great shot in there, obviously. I've got to try to forget about that.

Q. Did you see your name go up on the leaderboard on 17 after you hit the birdie on 16?

TIM CLARK: I've been waiting for it all day, I don't know what they were doing up there. That really didn't have much to do with it. I played 18 perfectly, just a bad shot there.

Q. How were the galleries for you?

TIM CLARK: They don't even know who I am, really. I can step under the radar. They were yelling for Chris, and that's fine. The crowds have been great this week, it's been a wonderful championship.

Q. (Inaudible). Was it that hard where a 66 might be a 63, 62?

TIM CLARK: Obviously it could have been a little better, but really, no, I mean I don't see too many people making that score today, no.

Q. What do you think of the setup on 7?

TIM CLARK: Well, it's not so much the setup, it's just the way the hole plays. There's no really way you can put the flag where it's easy. On 7 you just try to get it on the green. Today the best place to hit it if anywhere is in the bankhead. You hit it pin-high right, you're really doing well to get the putt inside eight feet. I was in the left bunker and really an easy bunker shot to get up to eight feet. It's tough, you've got to try to really be aggressive on that hole, and if you get in the left bunker it's fine.

Q. What do you expect for tomorrow?

TIM CLARK: Like I said I've been playing so well, I don't feel I'm going to suddenly lose my swing overnight. I really feel I can come out. You never know, maybe it will be an even round tomorrow will be good enough. The course is going to toughen up, the wind is going to get up, I'm hoping for that. I was hoping for a bit of wind today, too. If the wind blows tomorrow, even a couple under will be right in there.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIM CLARK: Yeah, at the qualifier on Monday I shot 15-under, so I started to play really well last week, and maybe a few weak putts today. But I'm hitting a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. I'm always going to make a lot of putts. A course where even par is a good score sets up for me.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIM CLARK: Yeah, to be honest, after last week I felt I had a good chance to be right in contention. And after 73 on Thursday, that didn't put me right out of it, just a few good rounds, so I did feel I could come here and have a good tournament.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIM CLARK: I shot 9 under at The Lakes.

Q. Is that where your double eagle was at The Lakes?

TIM CLARK: Yes.

Q. (Inaudible).

TIM CLARK: I've been having some treatment on my wrists the last few weeks, which has sort of loosened it up, and I'm going at the ball a bit better, I'm getting some distance out of it. If you're feeling healthy it's a lot easier to get out and play good. The last few months I've been a bit -- I had a bit of pain in the wrist, and not able to play the golf you need to, especially out here, you need to be on top of your game to be able to survive.

End of FastScripts.

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