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BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

March 19, 2004

Shigeki Maruyama

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks for joining us. Great two rounds, 66-66 puts you comfortable in the lead with a lot of golfs on the course still, but you have to be happy with your position after day two.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Since yesterday, I'm hitting the ball very well all day. Good putting continues since yesterday.

Q. You're really animated as a player, waving your arms around a lot and gets the fans into it, have you played that way in Japan or do you that in the United States because of the language barrier and that's kind of your way of relating to the fans here?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Doesn't matter, actually. A lot of people followed me in Japan. I started getting a lot of gallery following me in the States, also. I'm really happy but it doesn't affect my game, actually.

Q. Just to follow up on what you said yesterday, you said you're hitting even farther despite having had some physical problems, how are you doing that? How are you hitting it farther?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I'm just hitting better than yesterday today. I don't think I'm hitting very far in this field. It's a great feeling, much better than yesterday.

Q. Guess the question is you're hitting it farther than you did last year or the year before.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Not really.

Q. Looking at your career, it seems like you're getting better year by year; you're a better player now than you were three years ago. Do you believe that you are and what are you doing now that you weren't doing, say, three, four, five years ago?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Just got used to the golf course. This is the fifth season and when I came over here five years ago, I was feeling the golf course all the time. Now I know how to adopt to the golf course. Also, I changed my swing. Now I'm confident in my swing. So I rarely hit the waters. I trust my swing. I just hit where I aim.

Q. Do you think you're the guy to end Tiger's winning streak here?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Very difficult question. (Laughter.)

Q. Do we have an answer?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Maybe eight streaks from Tiger Woods after the third round, I would have a good chance. (Laughter.)

Q. When the weather is a little warmer like that, do you still have to take the shot showers in the morning and do the ice down thing at night and go through your usual routine?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: As usual, I put the ice on my neck and shoulders twice after the round and hot shower, hot tubs and another icing before I go to bed. That's my routine always.

Q. You've won once each of the last three years on TOUR, which not many people have done. Would you rather do that, have one victory a year, or have more chances each year, be more consistent?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Of course, I would like to win every year as much as I can, but it's really important to be in this position, like in this big field, to play this kind of golf that well, often, hopefully all the time. That probably brings me a lot of confidence from now on, also.

Top players always have double figures over ten Top-10s each year, most players. So I would like to be like that, important to win during the season, but I would still like to be that kind of a player, something like Davis Love, was runner-up two weeks in a row; that would be a great result.

Q. Would you feel it was a more successful, better year if you before to win one time or if you were to not win but finish second or third five or six times.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Of course, I am still aiming for a victory all the time. But to win tournaments, you need some luck, definitely. But, of course, it's really difficult to win tournaments. I'm still happy to have five or six times runner-up results, but always aiming for victory.

Q. Talking about the adjustment to America's courses, which is the tougher adjustment, to American courses or to American life?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: It's actually the same. Golf course is tougher.

Q. What you like to do when you're not at the course in your spare time when you're here?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Always shopping. (Laughter.)

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's go through your round. You started on the back side with a birdie on No. 11.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: 11, tee shot, driver, fairway. Second shot 6-iron, nine feet.

16, tee shot, driver, left side of fairway. Second shot, 5-wood, 36 feet, 2-putt.

No. 17, tee shot, 7-wood, three feet.

18, tee shot, driver, right side, first cut. Second shot, 5-iron, 12 feet. He.

4, tee shot, driver. Second shot 4-iron. Third shot, 53-degree wedge, 15 feet.

6, tee shot right side rough. Second shot, 7-wood fairway. Third shot, pitching wedge, six feet.

8, tee shot, driver. Second shot, fairway. Second shot 8-iron, nine feet.

Last hole, tee shot, driver, right side of the fairway. Second shot 4-iron,42 feet, 3-putt.

Q. Second putt, how long?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Six feet.

Q. Do you think in meters?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yes.

Q. You still have to convert to yards as you're on the course with your caddie?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: On the golf course, just think yardage. I think yardage all the time on the golf course.

End of FastScripts.

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