EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 13, 2003

Hank Kuehne

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Hank for joining us for a few minutes. It's great to have you in the media center at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

And I'm sure it's great to be at home. Can you make a couple of comments about that and we will go into questions.

HANK KUEHNE: Yes, it's definitely a lot of fun for me to come home and play here. It's a place that I grew up. So it's something that I really have been looking forward to, especially with everything that's go on before. I made enough money for temporary status. It's makes it a lot more fun to be here at home. I have my brother caddying for me. I'm looking forward to having a good week. It's always good to come home and try to gain about 5 pounds here of good southern cooking.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: A couple of questions.

Q. Can you talk about what it's like to get sponsor's exemptions and then even here you didn't get one for two years, did that upset you?

HANK KUEHNE: It's just -- it's really difficult. In the category that I was in before having no status, there is 2 exceptions that they have. You know, some tournaments they don't give them to anybody that doesn't have a PGA TOUR card. So it always makes it's difficult, especially here in Dallas, they got so many people from here that play out of here and, you know, I would have loved to have played the past couple of years because I played here once and played pretty decent a couple of years ago. It's somewhat disappointing but it's a tough decision. I mean there is so many players out there. They can't take care of the same person over and over again.

Q. Hank, obviously there is more you want to do. Talk about the satisfaction finally at this point, and it seems like you are able to move forward.

HANK KUEHNE: Well, it's just been kind of a struggle ever since I have turned pro. I have had injuries. Everything has been kind of bad timing. I just continue to try to work hard and improve my golf game and basically try to satisfy myself and my progress and really just try to work hard and get to the PGA TOUR. This year I felt a lot better. Even though I had conditional status on the Nationwide TOUR I still felt like if I was able to play a full year out there I would finish in the top 20 on the money list and be able to get my card. I still try to stay patient and everything else and getting the starts that I did. And playing as well as I have played this far, this year, it's made things so much easier.

As you know it's a very difficult way to get your PGA TOUR card. I'm very, very pleased with where I am. I'm not satisfied. I would like to continue to play well now. My goals have somewhat changed. There is a lot of other things that I would like to achieve, you know, this year, now having status. I'm definitely not going to just sit and say, oh, great, I have my PGA TOUR card, that I have it. I'm pleased with the way things have happened thus far this year I have a lot of goals I would like to achieve.

Q. You played well in Houston, as you mentioned you played well at some other stops, what do you like about your game right now?

HANK KUEHNE: You know, everything is just kind of falling into place. I have been driving it pretty good. I putted pretty good. Everything has been pretty decent. I have been pretty happy with all of the aspects of my game. I mean I haven't had any -- I don't feel like I played, you know, the best that I can play in any time that I have played. I still made a lot of mistakes and I still haven't hit it as good as I like or putted as good as I like, but everything has been pretty good. I have been pleased the way I have been driving it, hitting it and putting. I'm trying to get a little bit better.

Q. I understand you have been playing here over the past year or so, what do you like about both courses?

HANK KUEHNE: We were members here when this was originally 18 holes. So I have been here my whole life. I played a lot of golf here growing up as a kid. All through high school and playing at SMU. I'm a member here as well, so I practiced out here, and played a lot of golf here, So I know the golf course extremely well. I have played hundreds of rounds of golf on both of them. Any time you feel where you get comfortable on golf courses, regardless of whether or not they fit you on paper, you seem to know where to go or places you are supposed to hit it. I definitely feel comfortable playing here at home.

Q. Hank, what's kept you motivated and driven through all of the tough times?

HANK KUEHNE: Just because I have one goal basically in my life is golf. I want to be the best golfer that I can be. And I have always said that if that is -- if I am the best that I can be, as far as it takes me to the Canadian Tour, that's fine I can deal with that. I don't feel like I have ever gotten -- I'm not the best layer that I can be. I'm continue to work hard and try to basically achieve my main goal which is to be the best player I can be and wherever that puts me in the grand scheme of things, that puts me. Whether that's the best in the world or 500th in the world, I would be very happy with that as long as I feel I have gotten to be the best golfer I can be.

Q. I know you felt you belonged out here, but now that you have gotten status the rest of the year, do you feel like you are part of the group now, go in the locker room, stuff like that, what's the acceptance of other players?

HANK KUEHNE: Actually, the guys have been fantastic to me. Everybody has been nothing but complimentary. They said, great playing, way to go. We are glad to see you out here. And everybody seems to be pretty happy and pleased and happy for me that I was able to gain status the way that I did. I mean I feel very comfortable here. Everybody, like I said, everybody has made the transmission for me very easy. The guys have been great, all of the PGA officials and staff have been fantastic, and really tried to make everything as easy as possible for me.

Q. So you feel like you are one of the guys now?

HANK KUEHNE: Definitely. I got a little card that says some.

Q. In your playing group, you have Mark Walker and Cliff Kresge, what do you know about them?

HANK KUEHNE: I think I played -- I know I played with Mark before. I can't remember where. But, Cliff, I haven't played with Cliff, but I know him. I'm cordial and nice when I see them. But I can't really remember playing golf with either one of them. So I don't know much about them.

Q. You are kind of focussed on yourself anyway?

HANK KUEHNE: Yes, it definitely doesn't matter who you are paired with. Whether it's Tiger Woods or whatever. It doesn't make any difference. You play the golf course. At least my playing partners don't have an affect on what I'm going to do, or things I'm going to do when I'm on the golf course.

Q. A few years ago you finished 13, you shot lights out on Sunday in Houston, you played very well on Sunday coming down the stretch. I'm wondering even though you don't have a lot of experience playing TOUR events, it takes some players a lot of time to get to that point where they are comfortable coming down the stretch?

HANK KUEHNE: Well, you know, I have always been -- have always been a very good finisher, at all different levels of golf. It's something I pride myself on. I'm a very slow starter. I consider myself a very slow starter. But when it comes down to hitting the shots and coming down the stretch I thrive on -- I love that. If I was playing basketball I want to be the guy taking the last shot. I want the ball when everything is coming together because I feel like that helps me to become more focussed and moves into the game. I thrive on it. I love it. I wish every week I would be coming down the stretch and have to make a couple of birdies or do whatever you have to do to get in golf tournaments. I love that atmosphere. I really think it's fun basically.

Q. Hank, because of your family you would uniquely qualified to answer this question, but because of what's come out of Vijay's comments on Annika Sorenstam, your thoughts about her on playing the Colonial and the impact that could have?

HANK KUEHNE: You know, I have said over and over again. I really feel like I'm worried about my sister and really the state for women's golf. And if Annika Sorenstam playing on a PGA TOUR event, and playing well, does good things for women's golf then in turn it does good things for my sister. I am all for it. If she was to go and play and do something and it would have a negative effect on woman's golf, I'm not for it. I'm looking out for the best interest for my sister and women's golf. And if Annika playing in the men's events does something good for women's golf, that's great. But if it doesn't, then I really don't feel that good about it because in turn it's going to hurt my family.

Q. Hank, now that you got your card and your status, what did it mean to look on the stats and see your name above Tiger's? I know it's just numbers, what did it mean?

HANK KUEHNE: Nothing. I mean a stat is a stat. The only one I want to be is -- I want to look at the money list. There is 2 stats that matter out here. One is stroke average and another one is money. All of the other ones, you know, you can look at it. I feel like a lot of the stats are all kind of skewed. You know some holes you don't hit drivers off that are driving holes. I feel a lot of the stats are skewed. I think the only 2 important stats are 2 stats that he is still ahead of me on.

Q. Speaking of stats, in the long drive, being the long driver leader right now, you have qualified for that, Daly said when you were in Houston you guys played a practice round. You guys were both playing well. Who was longer most of the time between you guys?

HANK KUEHNE: It always seem to work that way the few times I played with John if I get up there and rip it down the middle he duffs it. Or if he hits it down the middle, I duff it. So it's a very difficult question to answer. I mean I think if you do look at the stats and you see kind of what happens, maybe everybody could make that decision for themselves. I mean on par-3s I hit -- I was about a half club. We were a half club difference. As far as hitting drivers off of tees, neither one of us really ever hit it good on the same hole. So obviously he is the reigning perennial long -- the guy has had the longest average out here 11 years in a row. We will see at the end of the year. That's not really one of the stats that I'm overly concerned about it. I would be happy to let him be the longest -- have the longest average on TOUR if I was where I wanted to be on the money list.

Q. Hank, what are some keys for you to do well this week here, in this tournament?

HANK KUEHNE: You know, I think it comes down to basically driving the golf ball, keeping the golf ball in play and keeping it's hitting to places that I want to hit it to, and in all terms come down and putt it. You got to putt good. Especially for me the key is driving the golf ball where I am looking and I am putting well. I think if I drive it good and putt it good then I will be all right.

Q. Talking about the money list thing, it's interesting, you are sort of at number 48, do you look at the bills in the paper and go okay, that's where I am, or where I would be?

HANK KUEHNE: You know, not really. Actually, until I made enough money, yes, I was looking at it trying to figure out exactly where I am. Now I just want to play golf, just try to sit back and really just prepare and play golf tournaments and basically, you know, like I said, do as good as I can do. I'm not going to be on the money list unless I win a golf tournament this year, and maybe at the end of the year I will definitely be on this list next year but I haven't paid that much attention to it. Once I got to the number 357, or whatever, after Houston that's not really that big of a concern.

Q. Do you like both of these courses, do either of them lend themselves to a certain style of play? There have been a lot of different kind of winners here, the shot makers and long ball hitters, which one do you like best?

HANK KUEHNE: I think I really like both golf courses. I have played a lot more golf probably at Cottonwood than I have at TPC, so I really like that golf course. It's very consistent. It's like all 18 holes out there are pretty similar to the original 18 holes. I really played well over there when I was growing up and everything else. But I also played well over here. I like both the golf courses. I don't think honestly here, the reason I think you had so many different winners, some guys hit it far, some guys hit it short, ball strikers versus power players, I think it all depends on the weather. The golf course really fits everybody. Guys who have power can take advantage of the golf course. And guys that are shots makers and position players, they can always get themselves in a position to score here as well.

I don't think there is a golf course that really lends itself to one type of player.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: A couple more questions? Is that it? Thank you, Hank.

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