THE RYDER CUP MATCHES

September 17, 2004

Fred Funk

Davis Love III

Phil Mickelson

FRED FUNK: It was the first eight holes. We were playing really good the first eight. They were playing really good. There was a lot of good quality golf. Even through nine holes the back nine, I never followed up Davis's shots at all.

Q. Can you describe the pressure here as opposed to trying to win a golf tournament?

FRED FUNK: I never felt anything like I felt here. This is so intense. Very intense. You're playing -- you're not playing for yourself, you're playing for everybody on the team and for your country.

You feel for all the guys on the team. You want to be a contributing member of the team.

Q. Talk about the play today?

DAVIS LOVE, III: Well, we started off not playing bad. Fred made a nice putt for birdie at five. And then they hit one close at six. We went back down there. And I missed a putt at seven for par after not hitting it very close for birdie. Then they got, I guess they got 2-up there and then we were playing from behind from then on. Just never got anything going. Couldn't string two shots together. Didn't hit a good shot and then a good putt. Just never really got it cruising. And they did what they had to do. In both my matches there was a shot here or a shot there or a putt here or a putt there that if they would have gone our way, we could have got back in the match. In both of them we let them get 3-up or 4-up and it got out of control.

Q. The putting seemed pretty important today.

DAVIS LOVE, III: Yeah, a little bit. But there were some shots that I hit, that all of us hit, that if we would have hit on green, hit a little bit closer, hit another fairway, then we could have not put so much pressure on our putter. But Colin and Padraig, they birdied the first hole right out of the box. And then I drove it down there good and we didn't get an eagle putt. And then we just kept doing that. Fred hit it 20 feet at 4 and I didn't make it and then I hit it 20 feet at the next hole and he didn't make it. And then he hit it 20 feet again and I didn't make it. So we just never got rolling. But we were trying hard, probably too hard. And that's probably the problem.

Q. Talk about the round today?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well, we got off to a good start and had a good lead and let it slip a little bit. And we had a tough match. We fought hard. I didn't play particularly well, but made some good putts. And I let it slide on 18 with a poor tee shot after we pulled even and it basically cost us the match. So it's been a very disappointing day for me. I've played and fought hard but have been coming up short and not playing the way I would like to.

Q. Are you trying too hard almost?

PHIL MICKELSON: That should be enough.

End of FastScripts.