DORAL-RYDER OPEN

March 1, 2000

Steve Elkington

STEVE ELKINGTON: I like going out on the west coast, like going to Las Vegas; you can't wait to get there and you can't wait to leave. But I have always enjoyed Doral. I think Doral sort of starts the golf season for the East Coast. I just like this course. I have had a lot of success here obviously, and it suits my game, I think.

STEVE ELKINGTON: I am a little tired. We had a roast last night for Jackie Burke in Houston; went late, had a lot of fun, but a lot of the guys came in for it. Wonderful night.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Well, Greg may feel like for him it is that here. That is okay. For a lot of guys -- I mean, Greg wants to win the majors, so it is okay for him to say that. Some guys -- there is so much money now, it is hard not to go out to the West Coast and compete now. Guys got a couple of million bucks in the bank, a lot of guys got half a million dollars in the bank before they even get over here. So can't be bad playing the West Coast.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Yes, I think they have upgraded everything, got their big new Match Play event at Pebble Beach; always one that I have liked. Riviera is a great place. They have done a good job. The Tour is really on top of that West Coast and everybody is out there now playing.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Last week I was in there.

STEVE ELKINGTON: When I won THE PLAYERS Championship in 1991 I was coming to the last hole -- I was coming to the last hole paired with Curtis Strange and Payne Stewart was the course commentator for some reason, I think he was hurt. I drove my ball in the divot. He was up ahead of me and he was looking at that divot with a microphone shaking his head like, oh, no - I could see him talking into the microphone saying, oh, no, Steve he will -- he really got a bad break here, he is in a divot; got no chance and I actually hit a great shot on the green, made a birdie and won the tournament. But I remember being a little bit nervous, Payne was standing right there and Curtis was standing right there - I need you guys to back up just a little bit so I can feel a little bit better. Now we don't have Payne with us, but it will be a memory I have just between me and him. As soon as I hit that shot, man, he came over, he said, man, that was the greatest shot; God, he said, that was the greatest shot I have ever seen. Man, that was great.

STEVE ELKINGTON: The putt wasn't easy but I tell you what, the 3-iron out of the divot wasn't real easy either, so...

STEVE ELKINGTON: Well, I have always said I love playing the Doral. I like coming down here. I like coming to the East Coast and playing. The course suits me, obviously, I have won here twice. I like the greens here; the wind blowing reminds me a lot of where I grew up so I feel very comfortable down here.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Over time I think the wind helps. I think it helps you shape your shots well and it makes you strike the ball very well. You got to strike the ball well to get it through the wind and onto the green where you want it, so...

STEVE ELKINGTON: I feel okay about it. I haven't done anything to write about, so to speak, but I am okay with it. I have only played four times on the West Coast. As I said, I don't have anything, but I don't feel like my game is very far away. I am certainly not on top of my game, but I wasn't when I came in here last year either. This is sort of how I play. I sort of get going as things go along, so this is where I have done well in the past. I never have done much out west and I sort of get going when I get over here.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Well, you get all the bandaids out of the way in the West Coast. You get back to the real stuff. You think you might want to change a few things over Christmas; they all don't work on the West Coast.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Well, I think with all these bunkers and wind it's created players and created a lot of problems for players and I have -- I seem to have been be able to avoided that the two years I have won here. I have not been in all those bunkers. Maybe it the game plan, I am not saying I got a better plan; maybe I have executed better or I don't know what it is. But I don't think it is an easy course if the wind blows, but if the wind is like this, it's going to be record scoring.

STEVE ELKINGTON: No. I am fine now. 100% now.

STEVE ELKINGTON: I usually start the season healthy; depends how I finish the season is more important. But I am feeling pretty good now.

STEVE ELKINGTON: No.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Well, we will see, I am starting to drive the ball pretty well and I think when I get out on the course this afternoon and I think I will be fine as far as -- I certainly remember how to play this course. I know what sort of shots I like to shape, tee shots and so on, so we will just see how things play out. I think if I can -- usually, for me, I am not sort of -- I am not the greatest out-of-the-box-type player. I tend to creep up on everybody and if I can get a few rounds under my belt, early first two rounds, get into the flow of the tournament a bit, then I think everything will come back to being real competitive and getting near the top.

STEVE ELKINGTON: Yeah. That came as a bit of a surprise. I was playing well in 1997 better than I was last year, but as I said, I just sort of sneaked along up a bit. Sometimes all the people think that you have to -- just because you are leading the tournament after the first day, doesn't mean -- you know, it is a 72-hole event, I have always felt like you can always be a fast finisher as well, so...

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