THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY MERCEDES-BENZ AND MICHELOB

October 31, 1997

Jim Furyk

JIM FURYK: Wasn't that bad. We were joking about it out there.

JIM FURYK: Couple thoughts? I'm not sure I have many of those today. I just, again, am happy with the way I played. Kind of ended on a good note burning 18 today. You know, I'm in a comfortable position going into the weekend. Have to string two more rounds together to have a chance to win this.

JIM FURYK: I don't think so. You know, if I were leading the tournament, I sure wouldn't be in a bad mood because I bogeyed the last hole. I know if I make bogey on the last hole, sometimes I'm a little aggravated coming off the course, maybe not in a good frame of mind. Making birdie, it's one of those things you can shoot 65, come off bogey on the last hole, upset. Huge birdie, 70 on the last hole, come off in a good frame of mind. Big picture, you'd rather have 65 than that 70 when you go home. Shouldn't matter. You play 18 holes out there, whether you bogey or birdie one of them really isn't a big deal. It's the big picture, what you shot for the day, how you played.

JIM FURYK: I've hit fairly similar. I was comfortable through those few months there where I was playing well. I wouldn't say that I played great every week. I think I found a way to get the ball in the hole. I was playing well at that time. There were a couple weeks that I wasn't quite happy with the way I was putting or the way I was hitting it. Flew my dad in at the International to take a look at my swing because I wasn't happy with the way I was hitting the ball. He helped out quite a bit. The one thing I did the whole way through those months, I really scored well. I always found the way to scratch around and get it in the hole, even when I wasn't playing well on certain days. Still got in the hole and shot 70 or 72, kept the tournament alive, would go out the next day and shoot 66 and play well.

JIM FURYK: I think right now I'm pretty consistent. There's nothing I'm looking at saying I'm doing this unbelievable. But I think overall my entire game has been very solid and I've been keeping the ball in play, hitting some good iron shots, hits some good putts. My short game has bailed me out a couple times. I mean, I'm comfortable. I'm playing well. I just have to keep it going, keep in the same frame of mind and play well over the weekend.

JIM FURYK: Again, I really don't stress it too much. My year is not going to be terrible if I don't win a golf tournament this year. I'll be able to sleep through the winter. It's not going to bother me that much. But I had a good year. Had my best year ever, despite winning. I won both for the last two years. I played very consistently this year. I've had some chances to win. Probably especially in Hawaii was my best chance where I lost the playoff. But, you know, it wasn't meant to be any of those weeks. This week I'm just going to plug away, keep grinding. Hopefully come Sunday, down the stretch, I'll have a chance. But there's still a lot of golf to be played, 36 holes is a ton. I've just got to look at the end product, keep focused on the same things I have been, keep focusing on some of the things I need to do to play well, and that will bring me the finished product.

JIM FURYK: No.

JIM FURYK: I'm going to go have some dinner with my girlfriend and some of her family. Other than that, probably just go to sleep. Doesn't seem like a major holiday there today. Plus we're in the middle of a golf tournament.

JIM FURYK: Yeah. It would be fun. I know some of the years we've been at Kapalua at this time of the year, they have a great party down at Lahaina everyone dresses up. It's a lot of fun and all. But, you know, the golf tournament right now is most important, so I'll just focus on that.

JIM FURYK: I think it definitely would be great. One, because of the quality of the field here, playing against 30 of the guys that had the best season in 1997. A lot of great players here. Looking at a two-year exemption, you know, actually the invite to the Tournament of Champions, the tournament I've been in in the last couple years, would definitely like to go back. A lot of fun. Good way to start the year. You know, I definitely -- we're all out here to win. You know, everyone's focused on winning golf tournaments, not on finishing in the Top 10 every week and having a streak like that. That's why I never -- it was nice to go out and finish in the Top 10, whatever it was, eight or nine times in a row. But I don't really put a lot of emphasis on it. Like I said, I'd give that up for one or two wins and scratch the other six or seven Top 10s. That's what we're all here to do. All 30 guys have that goal this week, so that's what we're going to keep trying to do.

JIM FURYK: Birdies and bogeys?

JIM FURYK: Birdied No. 2, seems like three days ago (laughter). I hit a driver and a 7-iron to about eight feet. No. 6, I hit driver, 6-iron to about five feet. No. 9, I hit driver, 3-wood, 2-putted. Probably about 50 feet. No. 14, hit a driver and a 5-iron to about 15 feet. 18, I hit driver -- it wasn't that long ago. I'd say driver, 5-iron, I think. I think it was a 5-iron to about 15 feet. Kind of was fortunate there. Brad Faxon and I were both on the same exact line. He was about 16 or 17 feet, I was about 15 feet. He misread it, played a little too much break. I think I would have read it the same way he did. After watching his putt, knew just to play it on the edge of the hole, not outside, knocked the putt in. Hit it easier. Mine broke a little bit more. But probably made that putt getting the read off of him.

JIM FURYK: I think the two bogeys I made on 4 and 10 were both 3-putts, fairly long putts there. I got fooled a little bit on the pace on 4. Actually, got fooled on both of them. Hit the one too hard on 4, too easy on 10. I did make some good saves. Par 3, 12, I got it up-and-down, made about an 8-footer for par. Coming in, I played pretty solid. Hit a lot of greens, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, hit all those greens. Good save on 1 actually, to get today started. Drove it in the left rough, tried to hook a 7-iron up on the green. Didn't hook. Missed the green short right, went in the gallery. Pitched it up to about four feet, which was a long way. The pin was in the back left. I was in the front right. It was a great pitch shot. Knocked that in to get the day going. I'm sure there was another one out there somewhere; I just can't remember it.

JIM FURYK: Thanks a lot.