WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 22, 2002

Sergio Garcia

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, Sergio, we always thought you liked Ireland right from the start and clearly the Irish air agrees with you. A beautiful round today. You must be thrilled with that score.

SERGIO GARCIA: I'm happy I played very solid today, very consistent. A lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I made a couple of nice putts and a chip on 17. I'm a little disappointed after that great shot on 18, I wasn't able to make that one for my career low, but we tied at least.

GORDON SIMPSON: Did you just misread that one.

SERGIO GARCIA: It was a weird putt. I looked at it and I thought it was almost going to go right and then it kind of went around the hole. It looked pretty straight. It didn't look like it had any chance of going left, and it actually broke quite a bit left.

GORDON SIMPSON: I suppose if you ever wanted a good way to go into the Ryder Cup that was it, shooting 62.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yes, it is. But even if I would not have shot it, I would have been confident, because I played well all week. Unfortunately I hit a couple of bad shots on the back nine a couple of days and it cost me quite a lot. I'm happy the way I played all week, and if I would have been able to keep the errors from my cards as I did today, it would have been a different story.

Q. Is it your best ever round, would you say, what would you compare it with?

SERGIO GARCIA: I would probably say no. I think I played better than this. One that always sticks in my mind is Loch Lomond, '99. That was the easiest 62 I've ever shot in my life, and probably the easiest I will ever shoot in my life. This one was in the top two, I would say.

Q. Are you looking forward to the Ryder Cup?

SERGIO GARCIA: Yes, of course, what do you think?

Q. Well, some people looking at the American side are saying there's too much going on around it to be a normal week. Your feelings about it?

SERGIO GARCIA: The Ryder Cup is never going to be a normal week. I've always been looking forward to it and now it is even a year after, it's even more. I'm looking forward to hopefully have a good week, as a team, you know. Hopefully everybody will play well there, just try to win the Cup back. It's going to be a hard team, but we'll stick together and try as hard as we can and I think we have a chance.

Q. After your successful partnership with Jesper last time around, have you been getting indications will you be teeming up with him?

SERGIO GARCIA: No, I have no idea. That's something that we'll have to talk to Sam about next week, and depending how we feel and we're playing and everything, that's something we'll see next week, but I don't know.

Q. Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Azinger, and Phil Mickelson shot good rounds today; was it important that you and Niclas Fasth did well for the European team?

SERGIO GARCIA: You can shoot a good round today and play badly next week or you can shoot a good round today and play even better next week, or not such a good round. This is just a different tournament. The atmosphere and the energy and everything inside of you changes for a Ryder Cup. I think even players who are not playing that great. In the Ryder Cup, you try extra hard to play well. It shows on every Ryder Cup.

Q. Can you tell me why you were so annoyed over your second shot on 17 today, please?

SERGIO GARCIA: I was annoyed, first of all, because I had a tricky lie, and second of all, because I knew I had a tough chip. I wanted to slice it -- well, I had to slice it, and I just wasn't able to. I was a little annoyed because I didn't want to make par. I felt like, you know, make a birdie and I maybe finish with another birdie on 18 and finish with a good round. But it was great to be able to make that chip after -- when I got there, I thought the ball was farther, so when I got there, I saw I had a little room to chip it in and it ended up going in the hole.

Q. You've played in the United States, you've played in Europe quite a lot over the last two seasons; where does this tournament rate in general and what do you think of Mount Juliet?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's a great course. You've been asking everybody and nothing is going to change, same comments. The course is absolutely wonderful. It would have been nice to play with a little wind or a little tougher, that's how you play here and in Great Britain. With the greens being as good as they are, no wind or anything, you just can make putts from all over the place, but I think the course is great, and the only bad thing I would say is that the weather wasn't a little worse, wind-wise to make it a little tougher but a great course.

Q. You did well in your round at Druids Glen and your round today, you seem to enjoy playing in Ireland; what is it about playing here?

SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know. I have played very well here in Ireland. I don't know. I feel comfortable here. I think the people are great. They really support you, and that always helps when you're on a golf course. Maybe because the first tournament I played as a pro, you know, I had a great start. I gained some confidence in this country.

Q. Given the form you're in and the form Tiger is in, you must be looking forward to the possibility of maybe taking him on head-to-head at the Ryder Cup. That would be something everybody would look forward to seeing?

SERGIO GARCIA: If me beating Tiger on Sunday means winning the Ryder Cup, I'm looking forward to it. If I'm playing against Tiger and if I -- if a lose means to win the Ryder Cup back, I don't mind losing. It's a team event, and you've got to try hard for your team. Of course I'm going to try to win as many points as I can, but it all comes down, if it comes down to -- you know, I don't think it just comes down to that match, so hopefully, if I play against him, great; if I beat him, it will be better. But the most important thing is to try to win the Ryder Cup. That's what we're all going to try to do.

Q. I understand you've got a new caddie on the bag this week; who is that and how is Glenn doing?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's not a new one. He's been caddying for about two, two-and-a-half months. Glenn is doing a lot better. Thanks, David. He was trying to make it back for the Ryder Cup. Unfortunately, he cannot, but he should be back soon. It's been quite a while since he's been on the bag, but I miss him a little bit. He's a great caddie and a great friend, and I'm looking forward to seeing him back.

Q. Who is it on the bag at the moment?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's Eduardo Gardino, an Argentinian guy. He used to caddie for Jimenez.

Q. Didn't you have Anthony someone on the bag for a while?

SERGIO GARCIA: Eduardo caddied for me right after the International.

Q. Sergio, have you spoken to Jasper recently? Obviously we haven't seen him in Europe for a little while. Word is he's having some putting problems; have you talked to him about that?

SERGIO GARCIA: I've seen him in tournaments. I mean he's told me that he's not putting well, but we haven't been talking a whole lot about it. Hopefully I'm going to see him next week and we'll try to get it fixed and we'll see what will happen.

Q. I believe the American Ryder Cup players are having a little get-together tonight. Is it likewise for the European players; are you getting together for dinner and such?

SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know. I don't think so. I don't think we're going to get together today. I don't know. Today?

Q. Tonight, yes.

SERGIO GARCIA: No, nothing tonight.

GORDON SIMPSON: Take us through your birdies.

SERGIO GARCIA: On 5, I hit a good drive in the middle of the fairway. I was right in between clubs. I tried to cut a 3-wood and overcut it a little on the right, hit a great chip to about two and a half feet.

Then on 7, I hit a good drive again, a nice cut 8-iron. I got lucky, cut the chip and went to about four or five feet, made that.

On 8, I had a bad drive into the bunkers, hit a good 6-iron from there and hit a pretty good lob-wedge to about six feet.

Then on 9, I hit another good drive. I hit a good 9-iron to about seven feet and made that.

On 10, I hit another good drive, a good 3-iron from 234, I think it was to about 16, 17 feet, for eagle and missed it.

On 12, I hit another good drive, a little 9-iron from 137 to about a foot and a half.

14, hit a good 6-iron from 198 to about 11 feet.

Then on 16, I had a decent drive; not a great drive, but in the fairway. Hit a good cut 7-iron, a little unfortunate, it caught the slope and stopped. I made a nice putt from about 22 feet.

And then on 17, I hit a good drive, just a little too far right, still in the fairway, tried to slice a 2-iron, cut it but didn't cut it enough, to about 50 feet or something like that, 55 feet from the left fringe and chipped it in, and that was it.

GORDON SIMPSON: Easy day.

SERGIO GARCIA: Yes.

GORDON SIMPSON: Well played this week and good luck next week.

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