SPRINT INTERNATIONAL

August 21, 1999

Sergio Garcia

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, just say I played pretty well today again. Hit all good shots. Hit a couple of bad ones and made some good recoveries and good up-and-downs from there. But I had two good -- three birdies in a row. And first 3, and then 15, 16, 17. And, you know, I still have some chances to win here. And I am really looking forward to have my first victory in the States.

SERGIO GARCIA: I feel if we do, I will feel great. I really like to play with him. I played with a lot of great players. I played with Tiger. I played with Mark and Vijay today. I played with a lot of good players, and I like to play with David. Looking forward to it. And let's see if he can finish birdie, par, or something like that, and we can play together tomorrow.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, well, that was one of the best bogeys --

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I hit 3-wood from the tee. My hand was kind of a little sweaty and kind of pulled it a little left, almost hit out-of-bounds. Wasn't very good there. So I thought it wasn't going to go too far. So hit my -- hit like a little sand wedge; tried to hit it to the fairway. Went through the fairway; hit good 8-iron from there. I thought it was going to be good. It just didn't carry enough. Just a couple of yards more was a very good shot, but went to the water, dropped it, and chipped it in from there.

SERGIO GARCIA: It was -- something like that.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, I drop it there. I told my caddie to take the pin out and we will chip it in from there. That was pretty good.

SERGIO GARCIA: The chip, I don't know. Probably 20, 22 feet.

SERGIO GARCIA: On the 1st, I hit a good driver with a little draw, just fairway, on the left-hand side of the fairway. Hit a good 4-iron from there, just a soft 4-iron, little long but in the green about 45 feet, and 2-putted. Then on 2 I hit very good 4-iron to the fairway. A great lob wedge from 108, and putt it like three feet. Then on 3 I hit great drive again with a little draw. I had 123 to the pin, I think. Hit a smooth sand wedge, and hit another great shot up to about five feet. Then the bogey on 7, I just pulled it a little with a 9-iron into the bunker. I had a pretty difficult bunker shot. I saw Mark did pretty well and hit it like five feet by, so tried to put it really close, and just hit it just a little too soft and didn't get to the green. Chipped it, and make a two-foot putt for bogey. Then on 8 I hit a good drive again to the left part of the fairway. Hit a good 3-iron from there from 243, I think, and putt it like 25 feet for eagle, and 2-putted. 10, before, I said. Then on 14, I hit a bad drive. Well, hooked it a little too much. I had a pretty good lie there. I don't know. Kind of -- I just hit it thin, and the ball never went up in the air. So I had like 253 to the hole; hit 5-iron, just a little right of the green. Chipped it too hard to about 12, 15 feet; missed it. Then on 15 I hit a good 3-wood. Then lob wedge from 78 yards, just a little right, like 15, 18 feet, and made it. Then on next one I hit a good 6-iron from 211 with a little fade to about eight feet -- seven, eight feet; made it. Then on 17 I hit a good drive, just a little right, but had a good break. Kicked left and went to the fairway. Hit a 6-iron from there just on the front of the green right about 40 feet, and 2-putted.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yes.

SERGIO GARCIA: 186 to the pin, hit wedge, and flew it like 196 or 197 downhill.

SERGIO GARCIA: No, I can't. I can't hit 186 yard with a sand wedge.

SERGIO GARCIA: Not really, but I knew it was difficult, and I saw he did it pretty well. And he went like five feet by. And, well, I knew I had to hit it really well to put it close. That is what I tried. And I just hit it just a little too soft.

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I think I hit it long because -- well, I am really confident. That is the first thing. Well, to hit long, first of all, you have to strike the ball right in the right place. Then if you have a swing with a lot of speed, that helps a lot. And that is what my swing is. I am probably not very tall and not very strong -- well, not very a lot of muscles, but I make my swing with a lot of swing on the downswing, and that gives me some more yards.

SERGIO GARCIA: Just nothing, normal life. Go back to the house we rent, have a little massage, run a little, jog again, have dinner, and go to bed and sleep. Just normal. You know, when I have to tell you that when I am here playing in the golf course, I am not thinking about last week. I am just thinking about how I'm doing here and how are the other guys doing.

SERGIO GARCIA: (laughs) That -- you know -- I mean, last week was Tiger; this week seems like it is going to be Duval. I don't think -- I think everybody is a rival. I mean, everybody out there plays great. You have to play against them, all of them. You are not playing just against one. But I will just try to go out there, and I will play as well as I can and try to beat everybody. If not, I will just congratulate the winner and say: Well played.

SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know. Probably this tournament is real exciting, but it can change. So -- it is kind of weird the way it can change. You make an eagle, you get five points. So you never know what is going to win. But I don't know. If they finish, probably David will finish 39. I don't know, probably 48, 50 will win tomorrow. But I am not sure.

SERGIO GARCIA: No, I am just going to go out there, and I will play like I have been playing these days. I am trying to make a lot of birdies. Well, I -- what did I -- these couple of days, well, I am just going to try and play the same way I am playing and see if I can make a lot of birdies, some eagles, and no bogeys.

SERGIO GARCIA: No.

SERGIO GARCIA: I have never played this format. First time I saw it, it was last year when I was watching the tournament. Well, this is my first time. So what I think of it, I think -- well, it is different. Sometimes it is good to play some different type of format in golf just not to be always stroke-play and just that, just hit the ball and finish everything. So I think it is pretty nice to -- for us to have some different kind of formats, and this is a good one. The golf course, well, I just can say it is a great golf course. It is one of the best greens I have ever seen. I don't know how I am going to do tomorrow, but I feel so comfortable. It looks like I can make it from anywhere.

SERGIO GARCIA: No, well, I prefer both. I feel comfortable in Europe. I feel comfortable here. I am just saying sometimes I have said -- I just want to play now. I don't want to think about what I am going to do next year. I am going to enjoy what I have. I have a lot of great tournaments coming and, you know, when I finish this year at the end of November, I will just sit with my family and with my manager and we will talk about that.

SERGIO GARCIA: I think it put me -- it made me a better player. When you are out there and the crowds are helping you, they are kind of cheering to you all the time, I think it makes you a better player. You feel more comfortable. And I don't think it distracts me, because when I am on the ball, everybody is quiet. And I really thank them because they have a lot of respect to the players.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yes, but I think everybody does. It is really difficult to know how far you are going to hit every single shot here. But I think you have to work with that. You have to play with that in your mind and just think: Well, if I make a mistake, just try to make an up-and-down, and that is all. But it is really tough, because after that on the 12th, today I had 197 to the pin, with that wind, I just hit a 7-iron. I thought it was perfect. Hit a 7-iron to the middle of the green and flew it like 204. So you never know what -- how far the ball is going to go. I am just trying to do my best there. I just want to say one thing that I forgot to say the other day: That I really like to thank Mr. Vickers for inviting me because he had the vision and on Thursday at The Masters to invite me to this tournament before I did everything. So I really like to thank him and to say, well, that I hope he is enjoying that I am playing here. Also I forgot to say one thing last week to thank the PGA to invite me to play the PGA Championship because if it wasn't because of them, I wouldn't have finished second there. So I would really like to thank them.