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AMERICAN CENTURY CELEBRITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

July 16, 2004

Billy Joe Tolliver

STATELINE, NEVADA

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: On the front nine, I hit it close. I hit 18 greens today and had one 3-putt on 18.

Started out, 1 I hit it close. I just had a fast putt and just barely missed it. 2, I just barely missed a birdie. I birdied 3. Birdied 4, the par 5; birdied 6. Parred 7. Missed a short one on 8. Birdied, parred 9. Made the turn at 33.

Basically more of the same on the back side, a bunch of pars, birdied 12 and, you know, hit some pretty makeable putts. I just didn't get in the hole.

18, I just blocked my tee ball right. Had only about 160 yards, I guess, into the flag, but I was blocked out and debated on trying to hit it under the trees and run it up on the green, just because, you know, it not stroke-play. Worst thing that happens, it goes in the water, I drop it up there by the green, make par move on.

You know, we were concerned about it hitting the tree and shooting out on the lake, making 6 or something like that. So, my caddie, Phil Bartkowski, Steve Bartkowski's son, talked me into playing it up. I just hit a horrendous thirds shot. I tried to hit a little punch sand wedge and came up a little short. Got a little greedy, tried to run that putt in from 40 feet and whatever it was and ran it by. I had an 8-footer coming back, and just hit it too hard; it didn't break. Rolled it right over the edge and made bogey, my loan bogey of the day.

Q. You shot 65 in the Tuesday Pro-Am, what did you shoot Wednesday?

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: I don't know, it was a scramble, I think. Wednesday was a scramble, so I really didn't keep track of it.

Q. Did you have a feeling either coming into this tournament or after the Celeb-Am on Tuesday that this might be your week?

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Yeah, I've been playing well. I've been playing well, you know, so I felt pretty good about my game coming into the tournament.

But, you know, it's just one round so far. You know, the greens are in as good of shape as they have been since we've been coming here, and you know you've just got to knock the putts down, that's just the way it is.

You make enough birdies, don't have many bogeys, have no doubles, you've got to like your chances.

Q. Are you frustrated with the fact that you -- sounds like you missed a lot of putts that you normally would make?

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: No, I hit one putt all day -- all day, I hit one putt that that didn't go where I was looking, and I can't control whether they go in or not. All I can control is hit them where I'm looking, and I did a great job of that. I just need to look better, I guess. I mean, I'm a handsome man, but I need to read them better. (Laughter.)

I spent a whole day where, you know, every putt I stood over, I hit exactly where I was looking. So I've got no complaints about how I played, not even on the last hole. You know, one hole doesn't win or lose the tournament for you till Sunday.

Q. Is it beneficial that you've won here before?

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Well, it certainly doesn't hurt. I play with these guys all the time. You know, it just, the thing about it is, you just don't make a bunch of bogeys, you go out and you manhandle the par 5s, which I did on the front and didn't do on the back; I parred both of them, both of them off of bad tee balls. You've just got to drive it better and hit it and hope.

Q. -- inaudible finds himself being to too aggressive going for things he wouldn't normally?

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: I still go out and try to -- I'm trying to shoot 68 or better every day. You shoot 68, you're going to get your points. Anything in the 60s, you're going to get your points.

You know, so I'm still out there playing stroke-play, and that's why it was easy for Phil, my caddie, to talk me into laying up on 18. I just believe that it's just going to come down to that. I mean, you can't -- it's good to be aggressive, but you're standing out there 270 on No. 3, you slaw that 2-iron in there on that green and you've got a 15-footer for eagle and you charge it, you've got a 5-footer coming back and you walk out of there with par.

I mean, I don't care how aggressive you want to get, you've still got to come out of there with three points, so at some point, you've got to gear it down.

Q. Looking at the leaderboard, anything surprise you?

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Let's see, I see Quinn, that good-looking kid Tolliver, Rhoden, and that's about all I see right there. I mean, I don't know what any of the scores are other than those three right there.

Q. Lomax at 21.

BILLY JOE TOLLIVER: Lomax doesn't surprise me. Oh, I see, it goes front nine back nine. Sterling Sharpe played really well today. Jeremy Roenick played well. Looks like Bartkowski played well, Chandler played well. The guys, Del Greco's got to be up there somewhere.

The only thing about the tournament that shocks me is the way some of the bad breaks that Trent Dilfer got today. The guy's got a really good golf swing and he just couldn't get anything to fall today. I'm sure Rypien is up there, the usual suspects.

End of FastScripts.

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