September 25, 2005
GAINESVILLE, VIRGINIA
Q. David, a very nice victory here today, the last few weeks obviously had to have been very difficult on you mentally between the hurricane and your heart condition and everything, how have you managed to keep your mind on playing golf this week?
DAVID TOMS: I was actually looking forward to getting inside the ropes this week and competing. I ran into a buzzsaw every match, and even today, I was lucky enough to play just a little bit better. Certainly the golf course is an escape for all of us from, I guess, what's really going on in the world and for me it has been kind of sad lately what's been going on at home, and I wish them all the best there.
Q. You seem to have a little bit more zip in your step today, anything in particular that turned that around?
DAVID TOMS: I just had to. I had to dig deep and I was pretty down after the first couple of days, sitting out yesterday afternoon watching the guys just got me more fired up to go out and play.
Q. David, I have to say, I'm sure your heart is racing now, but not because of any medical condition.
DAVID TOMS: Man, what a tough match that was. We both played extremely well. You know, every time I seemed to do something to get up, he did something extraordinary to get back to even.
You know, it was just one of those matches that I'll remember for a long time, not necessarily who I playing against but just the way we played. Trevor played great. He's a great young player. We were talking about how young he was there on the front side, just 25 years old. I felt like a senior compared to him. He's going to have obviously a bright future out here and I was lucky to come out on top.
Q. When he holed that shot from the bunker, you had 20 feet to top him and there was never any doubt.
DAVID TOMS: It's been going like that for the last three days and I just wasn't going to let it happen again. I just willed that one in the hole and got the crowd into it and was fired up. But then he came back and played strong after that. I had to continue to play well until the very end.
Q. How does it feel now, some decisions were made on your part whether to come or not?
DAVID TOMS: Yeah, it's been a great week and at least I got on the board and at least got one point. I hung in there even when I wasn't playing that great early and ended up having a great Sunday.
Q. Great tournament for you.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, it's been a fun week regardless of how I played. The I hit some great shots on the 10th hole all week, that was kind of my shot in, the second shot on alternate shot and then both best ball matches I hit a good shot in there. Today it was a perfect 3 iron, I hit it to a couple feet. Then on 12, I was able to get to the green for the first time all week and had a perfect 4 wood and happened to pour that in.
Q. Speaking of momentum, you were up the entire way, fans behind you, talk about that.
JUSTIN LEONARD: Yeah, we didn't play great golf in the beginning of the match. I made a double on 2 and then came back and made birdie on 5. You know, as the round went on, I started playing better and better.
Q. Tiger, I know a tough loss, we saw you grab your back here on the 17th tee; was that the first occurrence during the round that it hurt you?
TIGER WOODS: The last nine holes it was giving me a little problem. I had my opportunities to take control of the match. I didn't do it. I didn't make the putts. Goose made a bunch of putts on me today and consequently he won the match.
Q. You know, the player's mentality is always that your opponent is going to make the next one, did you really think that was going to happen on 3 and on 6, unbelievable?
TIGER WOODS: He did in the first match, so. Stuey made a bunch of putts on us yesterday. You kind of have to expect it. He's been putting great all week. It's just a matter of, I had opportunities to top him or put pressure on him and I didn't do it.
Q. Not the result you were looking for, but Retief turned three or four holes around like you couldn't believe.
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, he did. That's match play for you. I had opportunities but I didn't do it. Turned momentum around in the match a couple of times today. If I would have topped him on those two putts, it might have been a different story.
Q. Coming down the last hole
TIGER WOODS: Just trying to get a point for us and I didn't get the job done for us. So hopefully these guys can get it done.
Q. Fred, what does it mean to you to hole a putt like this?
FRED COUPLES: It was huge. I didn't want Vijay last night. I enjoy playing with him, so I chose to play with him if I could get it done. It was a great match. He hit the ball extremely well and I got it around. To hole that putt in front of everyone, I did the same thing, I don't know how many years ago, but on the old No. 17. So it was a great match and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
Q. On the first tee this morning, did you feel like you could go out and beat him?
FRED COUPLES: Well, yeah, because when you play guys you know and you like the way they hit it, you kind of get into the match. You know, is he going to beat me eight out of ten times? I think so. But in a one day time, I have just as good a shot as anyone. I got off to a slow start and then picked it up and played well.
This is certainly exciting for me. Now we need a couple more points. I hope mine meant something.
There's a lot of action going on out there when you play Vijay. I did the same thing a long, long time ago against them here. It was a great match and I was thrilled to play with him and be ahead of him, and to win the last hole is certainly a dream for me.
Q. If it had gone through extra holes, what was running through your mind?
FRED COUPLES: I struggled on the first hole. I hit a couple of good, good shots one day and missed a 3 footer for birdie. I didn't mind playing it, but he hit a shot to get it over the green, and when he chipped it six feet by it gave me a little charge of energy just to say, hey, even if I don't miss this, which is two out of ten times, he still has to make a tricky little 6 footer and we'll see what happens. But it was great to see it go in.
Q. Why did you ask to play the best player on their side?
FRED COUPLES: Because I like him. He's a great player and we've played this is the third time. He beat me in Australia on the last hole and I beat him here. I just figured maybe I could lull him to sleep. It was no pun intended to play against him. I enjoy playing with him. He talks a lot. There was never anything out there; we walked up and down the fairways a little bit. You want to win, that's the reason, because he's such a great player, I figure if I beat him, there might be a small golden rainbow out there and I did. I hope we can get a couple more points.
Q. You've been away from Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup for several years, maybe back to The K Club?
FRED COUPLES: I'm going to play a lot next year and definitely try to make the team. I knew I had to play well this week being picked. I felt like I struggled a lot with Tiger. Really, the last three rounds I played well, with David Toms I had a good time and obviously Davis and now today. I have a lot of tournaments. I don't want to be picked if I'm not there. I probably won't be picked.
DAVIS LOVE III: Yeah, we're battling and hopefully we're going to come out on top. I saw Jack Nicklaus on the green when we had won and he said we had at least gotten a tie, so hopefully we can win one of these last two but it's going to come down to the end again.
Q. Can you describe the atmosphere from the players' point of view?
DAVIS LOVE III: It's a lot of pressure. I'm watching the board, watching my friends play. You know, people just don't understand how we battle and how hard we try to win and what a great team we have, you know.
Q. Very special with Freddie Couples holing a putt on the last to beat Vijay. I saw the hug you gave him. It meant a lot, didn't it?
DAVIS LOVE III: I had tears in my eyes trying to putt back on the par 3 when I heard that he had made it. It means an awful lot for all of us for him to be on the team. He wanted to make that putt on 18 yesterday so bad. I know he wanted to beat Vijay, especially the way the match started on the first team. I'm thrilled for him and I could not be any happier for anybody on the team than Freddie.
Q. You got up right away, three birdies in your first five or six holes, talk about the momentum you carried from there.
DAVIS LOVE III: Yeah, I saw Tiger birdie the first three. You start off hitting good shots and making birdies. I wanted to come out and get ahead, because, you know, he's one of their great players. It's even more pressure going against a really good player like that. I wanted to get off to a good start.
Q. You came out of the week 2 2 1, you personally have to feel pretty good for the week?
DAVIS LOVE III: I had good partners. I was supposed to be a leader and I felt like if I didn't get four or five points I didn't do my job. Kenny and I, we had some bad breaks and could have gone either way both matches. It's unfortunate that I got Kenny off to a bad start. But I just kept saying, Kenny, you hang in there, you're going to be the hero, and he is going to be one of the heroes for the day.
Q. Great victory, Davis, you're welcome on your way to the Cup.
DAVIS LOVE III: We need one more. At least we won't tie again, which nobody wants to see. It's an exciting day and I'm thrilled for Freddie and for Kenny Perry to come back and after battling so hard, not getting some points they both wanted to come back and win their matches and at least be a part of the biggest day. I'm just thrilled for Freddie. He's one of my best friends and he played great.
Q. It was 13 seconds from the time your putt was conceded and your match was won till you raced across the fairway to find Freddie and give him a hug.
DAVIS LOVE III: Just being polite. I wanted to go straight there. I heard him coming over and I knew how many exciting putts he's had, I wanted him to get over here and see me make it. I was glad I won my match and I'm thrilled he and Kenny won theirs.
Q. What does this mean for Jack Nicklaus?
DAVIS LOVE III: If you would have seen his face when he came out and talked to me on this last green, you'd have seen what it meant to him. It looked like Jack holing a putt to win a major championship.
Q. We saw the bear hug you gave Fred Couples, what does his win mean for you?
DAVIS LOVE III: It meant that I had tears in my eyes on the last birdie putt on the par 3. You know, he wanted so bad to play and Jack picked him and that gave him a lot of confidence. I played a match with him and grinded the whole way, trying so hard to win. I know the way he started today that he really wanted to win.
CHRIS DiMARCO: I got a good read, get it out there. I had a bad stance but I knew if I could get it somewhere on the green and obviously I hit a great shot up there, a 15 , 18 footer.
Q. What did you think when you were told you were in the last group in?
CHRIS DiMARCO: I was like, man, there's a lot of good players on this team. I was actually flattered and to tell you the truth, I thought our team was going to go out and do so good my match wasn't going to matter. The more we went on Stuart really stepped it up a lot, especially on No. 12. We made a lot of birdies and made a lot of good putts and played well. It was pretty awesome.
Q. What was it like making the winning putt for your team, country, everything?
CHRIS DiMARCO: I don't know how to explain it. I just know that my caddie said before I hit my putt, he said, "It's the moment you've been waiting for your whole life, so go ahead and do it." I did. I did it for 13 other guys, counting Jeff Sluman and Mr. Nicklaus, it's unbelievable. We need this Cup, we need we really did. People were getting down on us, saying that we don't care, and we care. This is a big wig week.
Q. Is it like winning a major or better?
CHRIS DiMARCO: I'll tell you how that feels when I get there.
Q. Captain Nicklaus said to me he wanted no other player but you to have that putt to win the Cup.
CHRIS DiMARCO: Really? Oh, geez. I tell what you, I hit a really good putt on 17, and I just told myself, just take it back far enough and stroke it through and just get to the hole and I did.
Q. Talk a little bit about Appleby; he really played you tough today.
CHRIS DiMARCO: He is a terrific putter. We birdied, between us, I think we had four or five birdies on the last seven holes between us. It was a lot of great golf.
Q. How special was it playing for Captain Nicklaus?
CHRIS DiMARCO: Just to be on the team with the greatest player in the world as your captain is the greatest honor in the world, and to be able to make that putt is the greatest feeling in the world. I don't know if I can say it any better than that.
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