WORLDCOM CLASSIC--THE HERITAGE OF GOLF

April 14, 2001

Jose Coceres

JOSE COCERES: Yes, it is my first time.

JOSE COCERES: Yes. Those are really two marvelous memories but a little painful. Both were missed by one shot.

JOSE COCERES: Well, the first time I started as a caddie, and then later on I learned, and I haven't learned everything yet.

JOSE COCERES: Yes. When we were younger we made golf clubs out of limbs of trees and many times we played with that because it wasn't very easy to either have someone let you borrow clubs or get clubs. I have nine brothers and one sister in the family.

JOSE COCERES: I think the most important thing were the professionals that were from Buenos Aires that went to my province, Chaco, I saw what they did and that is where I tried to learn from their game, and thank God that one of the teachers from that time frame is still giving me some advice and teaching me.

JOSE COCERES: I played maybe ten years on the European Tour, very lucky for this year I played for The Masters. Before The Masters, one week Bell South, invitation thank you very much for the PGA TOUR for here for this week. I would like to thank the Worldcom Classic for inviting me to play in this event after The Masters.

JOSE COCERES: About three years ago, I played the World Cup.

JOSE COCERES: Yes, but I was hoping for an opportunity to play here, and I think that the way I was hitting the ball, striking the ball very well in the beginning of the year, I felt I had a lot of confidence. I think that I have made sort of the turn today.

JOSE COCERES: I would have liked to have been in the same tournament with him and then it hurt me a little bit for me not being -- I was a little hurt that he didn't win because I think he has quite a bit of potential and he should have been able to pull it off. But we are two very different players. He is very -- Cabrera is very strong and hits the ball very long, and he is a little bit more normal.

JOSE COCERES: In the United States you have to putt well and I have been working on my putting. (Inaudible) I changed my putting a little bit so I am putting a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more confident.

JOSE COCERES: To make the cut, and I think that for the last -- I didn't want to end up being short by one so I played a little bit more conservative. I was either -- I wanted to make sure that I was in, as opposed to being out by one or two. So I could play a little bit more aggressively today than I did yesterday and the day before. I was very relaxed today because I knew that the only way to move forward is to play well, and thank God I did.

JOSE COCERES: It is -- for me it is nothing that -- because I have been playing well so therefore the only thing I needed was to make the cut and to feel with a little bit of confidence and I think that passing the cut yesterday gave me a lot of confidence and today I was able to respond.

JOSE COCERES: I'd like to but I don't really want to answer (laughter).

JOSE COCERES: We couldn't come an agreement with the tournament organizers.

JOSE COCERES: No, I only had -- I was playing well and I had been practicing well besides that I had come from Brazil I came with a second place in Brazil and unfortunately I was -- I knew that the greens were quick here, when you really had to work a lot on the greens, but the times that I had three putts here in the United States it was because I left them short. So this made me think that maybe I am thinking that the greens were a little bit too fast, that is why I was leaving them a little bit short. I didn't play aggressive enough. I thought they were very fast, too many short putts and missing.

JOSE COCERES: Today, yes. From yesterday I was playing under pressure to make the first nine holes and after the outbound 9 being 3-under I noticed that I was pretty sure that I would make the cut and I played more comfortable the back nine and I came in 1-under on the back nine.

JOSE COCERES: First time. Just one practice round, no Pro-Am.

JOSE COCERES: Go eat and we wait for what happens tomorrow.

JOSE COCERES: Yeah, a little surprised. Because I thought I was further behind, quite behind and when you play as well as you do, you also have a chance to put it in first place or at least be in a good position tomorrow to be in near the leaders. I knew that when I was 8-under on the first -- on the outbound nine I knew that my mind was to try to finish 11-under to have a chance for tomorrow.

JOSE COCERES: I don't know why, but I was -- I had 11 in my mind. The problem was when the putt was leaving shorter and there was only two holes left, the 11 was starting to run away from me.

JOSE COCERES: Ask me tomorrow.

JOSE COCERES: Well, I think the more popular one is Roberto de Vicenzo. He has played well everywhere, more Open Championships than anyone else and today, you know, in our age group it is obviously Cabrera and obviously I try to put it off my shoulders and push them up a little bit to promote Argentine golf.

JOSE COCERES: I think in the first place I think that if it's my fortune to win tomorrow, it would help my family quite a bit, my friends that have been there to support me and after that it will be good for Argentine golf and be part of one of the winners. But long way to go.