AMERICAN CENTURY CELEBRITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

July 20, 2002

Dan Quinn

Wayne Thronson

MODERATOR: We have rules official, Wayne Thronson, and then we'll get on with Dan.

WAYNE THRONSON: Thank you. What happened is Dan hit a ball left off the 18th tee. It hit a tree, as near as we can tell, way up at the top. The problem is, we could not find the ball. The out-of-bounds is approximately 35 yards to the left. There was probably 20 people looking for that ball. Coupled with that, not being able to find it, shortly after, we think the ball landed, and we didn't see it land -- when I say "we," marshals and such, a couple kids ran across the fairway and picked a ball up. One of the balls was thrown back and another one of the marshals saw that the kid put the ball in his pocket.

Now, there's a lot of balls in this area because the practice range, you hit them over there. So, there could have been a situation where that could have been a practice ball that he put in his pocket.

However, what you have to do in something like this, you take what evidence we could find, and we found two or three spectators, we also found two marshals who did tell us that the kid picked the ball up and put it in his pocket. Nobody heard a ball or saw a ball go left out of bounds, which would mean -- and the question: Is it a lost ball? Did it stay in the tree?

Dan saw it out of the tree. We found one other person that felt that he saw it, just ticked the tree, but he could not find the flight of it after it ticked.

So, with all of that evidence, what we ruled was under the Rule of Equity. We are going to assume the evidence we have, the ball was picked up by the kid, put in his pocket. We let Dan play from approximately that spot as his original ball, and he made 4 on that ball.

If he wins the tournament, he's going to split it with me. (Laughter.)

Anyway, it was very involved. We had a hard time finding people that saw things because that's an area of the course that actually we try to keep people off, and it was a tough one.

DAN QUINN: Not just to say, there's also an assumption because the ball went over and the marshal stood over the ball; that was my ball. I just assumed that was my ball within that vicinity, but it was a practice ball he stood over.

WAYNE THRONSON: It was an interesting ruling. We don't get those too many times, and in particular, you don't get the Rule of Equity coming into play. When all else fails what do you think happened and what do you think would be fair, and that's what the Rule of Equity is all about.

Q. Have you ever seen anything like that happen?

DAN QUINN: I'm still shaken, I'll be honest. All I could tell you is my emotions in that five minutes were -- I saw the ball carrom off the top of the tree, which I assume that it went left and I saw a marshal run right directly to a ball and I assumed that was my ball. Then I saw two kids for some reason, which I have never seen in 12 years, run across the fairway. The marshals that were looking for my ball didn't really pay attention to the kids.

My emotions were, I was fine and then I get up there -- and I'm not playing a Titleist. So now the hunt is on for my ball. In my mind, if it was out of bounds, we would have found it. There's no possible way we could not have found it in that back space off that tree. And I can only say that I know it did come out of the tree.

Then we get up and there was people on the right side of the fairway, saw the kids come in the fairway pick up the ball and put it in their pocket. And unfortunately, it took me to go back to the tee before we learned that.

WAYNE THRONSON: We had to send Dan back to the tee because the five minutes were up, looking for the ball. That's the reason why he was sent back to the tee because at that point, again --

DAN QUINN: The kids must have picked up the ball.

Q. So just a clarification then, did you tee off again for a second time?

DAN QUINN: Yeah.

Q. And the final score on that hole was a four?

DAN QUINN: I played both balls.

Q. That makes for a lot of drama?

DAN QUINN: Yeah, you know. Just glad they were already off the air.

WAYNE THRONSON: We tried to go back to NBC. We were hoping -- unfortunately we were a touch late today for some other ruling problems. We were hoping they had the tee shot on the air. That's what we were hoping for but they had just gone off the air like three or four minutes before that, so we could not get the shot on the air. So, again, we had to go back to the best evidence we had.

Q. So the ruling was not finalized until you finished the hole?

DAN QUINN: No. I played two balls.

Q. What did you score on the second ball?

DAN QUINN: 7. But I played the two balls because that was the only way -- it's a tough ruling for them, and if I thought that it was definitely out of bounds if, there was a way to determine it or if it was definitely lost. But had the two kids not ran across, you would not even have thought it. But two kids ran across the fairway and they were gone up into the trees, up by 15.

WAYNE THRONSON: There was definitely no question one of the kids did pick up a ball and put it in his pocket.

Q. You guys were not able to find these kids?

WAYNE THRONSON: No. Supposedly they ran through the range.

DAN QUINN: Through the trees on 15. Again, I saw them go, and I didn't really think when they picked up the ball what they were doing. I can't say for sure -- just saying what I visually saw, I just assumed that the marshal had my ball. He was standing over the wrong ball.

WAYNE THRONSON: By the time we got there it was a couple three minutes; so the kids were gone.

Q. How did you finish, with a birdie?

DAN QUINN: I dropped it in the general area where the kids had ran across in the rough, hit a 4-iron up to the right and 2-putted.

Q. Overall you got off to a pretty good start.

DAN QUINN: I stayed a little too patient, just seeing what was going on in the tournament. I played 2-under in the front, which was the trickier nine. I played solid on 10 and just as we got to the 12th tee, the wind switched 360 degrees. It was coming out of the right, and then it came back to the usual Tahoe wind, which I guess is southwest on the 12th tee. So I hit a horrible shot on 12 and made a bogey.

Came back with a nice birdie on 14. Bogeyed 15, and just was sort of coming in, pulled a drive on 18 and that's when the stuff happened.

All in all, it was a 71. I played fairly steady. Missed a couple of greens, departments put great. I didn't hit it really close.

Q. Familiar situation headed into tomorrow?

DAN QUINN: Right. Yes, it is. Again I'm still trying to get over had a 18th hole. To think about tomorrow is going to take me a minute or two, on hour or two.

The discover that the tournament -- 2-under is leading; sort of not surprising. And having been 3-under at the turn and just playing a good, solid nine holes, I could have gotten to four five or six (-under); so I'm disappointed, but feeling good that I didn't play great on the back nine and I'm still in the tournament.

Q. Is it a motivating factor for you to be the first defending champ?

DAN QUINN: I don't know if it's motivation. I have to admit that I got thinking about winning again today, which you should never do on a Saturday. And next thing I knew -- when I saw the 3-under, it looked like it was -- if I could have got to five or six I could open a nice lead on the field. And then I started thinking about winning and I made some bogeys. So, live and learn.

Q. What about being paired with Rhoden tomorrow, is that -- obviously, that means you're in the final group and that's a good thing. Do you like having competition in your group or would you like to be a hole or two ahead?

DAN QUINN: Sure, I like being in the last group, see what's going on. I've played a number of rounds with Rick and I look forward to it. We both play at a pretty good pace of play. I look forward to it.

Q. Is there a reason why the scores are so low?

DAN QUINN: I think the greens are quick and they are bumpy and they are spongy, and today we had a different wind starting out on the first four holes, all of a sudden it was different. That's not to say that we can't shoot it, it just seem that is it's trickier or whatever.

They gave us some better tees today. Could you still shoot a good score. Obviously, nobody is -- Tahoe brings out the worst case for most of us and I'm no different. Nobody has been able to really play great so far so we'll see. Probably anybody who is 2-over could shoot a 65 tomorrow and win the tournament.

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