FBR OPEN

January 27, 2004

Sergio Garcia

SERGIO GARCIA: Of course we're not hitting a 5-iron or something like that like we used to, but we still can get to the green, so it's not a big problem. It's just going to be tougher to get it close.

Q. A lot of players have differing opinions on the rowdy crowd, the enthusiasm, does it fire you up?

SERGIO GARCIA: Definitely. I've always liked -- you always like the people to watch you play, and this is a tournament where the most people come. I think it's fun. Always with a bit of respect, but I think it's great to see so much people walking around and cheering and sometimes booing for you.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I don't know. It all depends. If I hit the ball well and if you get going, it's easy, but it's one of those things, you really can't tell. I mean, it's all a bit of confidence, and if you start well and everything goes your way, it's easy, but more than anything it's just playing the tournament more than the game itself.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: You know, some tournament has got to be the first.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I'm really -- I was really looking forward to playing after almost two months off. It gets to a point where you want to get out here and do what you love doing. You know, I'm confident. I'm hitting the ball quite nicely.

I did hit the ball very nicely at the end of the year last year, and my putting seems to be getting better and better, so I think it could be good. I feel confident and comfortable with myself, and it's just a matter of putting it out there on the golf course.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I really felt like I was starting to hit the ball really well at the American Express last year. Since then I think I hit the ball very nicely, but I've been struggling a little bit with my putting, unfortunately. I worked on a couple things, and by the end of last year it seemed like I was starting to putt a lot better. I still need to improve a little bit more, but it looks like there's a bit more consistency than there was before.

Q. What kind of course do you like to play? What's your favorite course of all the ones you've played?

SERGIO GARCIA: I've always liked tough courses. I've always liked tournaments where you win with a score somewhere between 3, 4, 2-under par and maybe 10 or 12-under par. I've always liked those kind of challenging courses where you need to hit the ball well. It's not so much about just making putts. Those are my favorite, but I really like this course. I think this is a great course. It suits what I see. I feel comfortable on it, and hopefully I can have a good week.

Q. Do you have a favorite course? Can you name a favorite course that you've played?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I've always been a big fan of Valderrama in Spain. And also here in the States, I've always liked Augusta and TPC at Sawgrass.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: It's just going to be the same, same as it has been every year.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, no, I mean playing the tournaments I play, if I play well, with World Ranking points it should be fine. Thanks to the change they made, they made it a little easier for the guys who are playing in the U.S. to qualify by -- if we play here well, we can still make it, so that's nice.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: Yeah, well, I mean, I still have to keep working on it. It's not done, but I can definitely see a lot more consistency on the swing. I feel it, too. I feel like the movement is a lot more fluid. It seems easier to make, easier to repeat, and that's one of the reasons why we tried to change it a little bit.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: My father.

Q. (Inaudible).

SERGIO GARCIA: She'll probably come on the weekend, yes.

Q. Do you guys have a chance to go out and golf here at all?

SERGIO GARCIA: We do play a little bit over the holidays when she comes back to Spain, but here in the U.S., not that much because usually she comes and watches me play a tournament or something like that. But if sometimes I go to Tucson then we play a little bit, but unfortunately not as much as we used to.

She's playing really well. She's coming along, and she likes it quite a bit now, so she could be a pretty decent player.

End of FastScripts.