EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 14, 2003

Ben Crane

TODD BUDNICK: We would like to thank Ben Crane for dropping by. Ben is now a Keller Texas resident. Is that an accurate statement?

BEN CRANE: It is.

TODD BUDNICK: Of course the winner of the Bell South Classic this year, winner on the PGA TOUR. He is 20th on the money list. He made 10 of 12 cuts this year, I would say you have to be happy about this year.

BEN CRANE: Yes. My goal was to improve a little on last year and I definitely have done that. I played very consistently. Made a lot of cuts and obviously a great play on the weekend in Atlanta. It made for a great year.

TODD BUDNICK: Coming back to a place that really got your PGA TOUR started, let's see. This was your first big finish, second place last year. You must have good feelings coming back here.

BEN CRANE: Yes, I love being back here. It was really fun. Yesterday I played in the Monday pro-am and we went a round the TPC course, and I just kind of went through every shot I hit. And Sunday with my caddy, I kind of relived it. Here is where the pin was. I made it. I haven't been out here, even though we live so close, I haven't been out here since Sunday, the Byron, just to go through it and I am very excited to be back.

TODD BUDNICK: You are busy talking about you and your wife building a new home this day so I think you have some other things to worry about when you are at home.

Let's take some questions.

Q. Can you talk about your circumstances, why did you move to Keller is that where your wife is from?

BEN CRANE: No, she is from Oregon as well. But a central location is one of the biggest reasons. I went to school here for a year. I went to Baylor. I really like the Dallas area. That was another big reason. And we kind of looked around last year. We were looking. We planned to look during the Byron last year and we did. We just kind of really liked the area and Paul Stankowski and Justin Leonard told us to look at a place called the Carolyn, and we did and we just fell in love with it. It's like it's perfect. It's so close to the airport, like 20 minutes, so it's a great situation for travel.

Q. Are you aware you are practically Byron's neighbor?

BEN CRANE: Yes, I am actually. He just let me know that which is really cool. He wrote me a really nice note after I played in Atlanta. And just gave me his number and told me to call some time. So I'm really excited about my next week off, calling him and going over and hang out with him, that would be really a thrill for me. What an honor to get a letter from him.

Q. How did you feel when you opened the letter from Byron Nelson?

BEN CRANE: That was pretty cool. It took me aback.

Q. What have you done with the letter, anything special with it?

BEN CRANE: I saved it. I haven't framed it or anything yet. I read it a couple of times. It's just so neat to have him just, you know be so thrilled for me. He is such a nice man. So I'm just really excited. I might have an opportunity to spend some time with him is what it comes down to.

Q. Ben, we would be remiss if we don't ask you about your take on the Annika situation with everything that's been said. Everybody that comes in this chair gets asked that question.

BEN CRANE: So the question is?

Q. What is your take on what's happening with Annika, all of the reaction this week, is it good or bad for the game?

BEN CRANE: It's certainly bringing an incredible amount of interest to the game of golf next week. So there is definitely some great sides to it. There has been some negative press on it. The other thing, everyone is extremely curious to see how she is going to play. She has a tremendous amount of pressure or to play well. We don't know what is going to come of it. That's why there has been so much press on it and stuff. So I will be very interested to see how she plays.

Q. Do you have any problem with her playing on a men's tournament?

BEN CRANE: No, I don't. I understand the point. That she is taking away a spot from someone. I understand that. But it also is the tournament's right to give away a sponsor exemptions how they please. A big reason for doing that is obviously to create interest. So that's what they've done and they certainly created some interest.

Q. Going back to last year, is it a stretch to say that that Sunday was sort of the first day of the rest of your life in terms of where your career is going and what it did for you?

BEN CRANE: It definitely changed after that. Are you talking about Byron last year?

Q. Yes.

BEN CRANE: I think as Todd was saying, it kind of put me on the PGA TOUR or the world golf map. It was the first time that I really contended in any kind of a tournament. And it gave me a certain level of confidence to know that if I do play well, that I can, you know, get near the top of the leader board. So certainly it was the beginning of something very exciting.

Q. Did you go out and buy anything after that?

TODD BUDNICK: Tell them what you bought.

BEN CRANE: After Atlanta?

TODD BUDNICK: Both.

Q. Go ahead with that question, too. Both.

BEN CRANE: After the Byron we joined Vicaro. I guess that was. But did we buy anything? No.

Q. That's pretty good.

BEN CRANE: Yes. After I won in Atlanta it was my dream since I was a little kid. I remember driving to Baylor with my mom and I told my mom we're driving by a store and it had all of these old Corvettes in it. I said, mom, after I win my first PGA event I'm going to go in that store and buy dad an old Corvette. She said that's nice. Whatever. Like it's never going to happen. I told my brother and he just laughed, and he told me later that it's not going to happen. But any way, so after I won I shared that vision with my dad. I never told him that I dreamed of that before. So we bought my dad a car. I guess bought my parents, my mom and my dad, a car.

Q. Not a Corvette?

BEN CRANE: No, because he already had since bought himself an old Corvette. So any way we bought him a car and something more practical, so they are enjoying it.

Q. So you did it?

BEN CRANE: Yes, that was a lot of fun. It's more fun to give than it is to receive.

Q. Where do your folks live?

BEN CRANE: They live in Portland, Oregon. But they are in Washington D.C. for a small stretch of time for about six months. So they brought it back there.

TODD BUDNICK: Anything else?

Q. Anything about the courses, the way they are playing?

BEN CRANE: The courses are in good shape. The rough is up. If the wind blows you have to golf your ball. You have to golf your ball any way. But the wind is certainly an element that will really challenge us this week. The courses are playing good. I don't expect scores to be anything crazy low. The courses are playing tough.

TODD BUDNICK: All right. Thank you.

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