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84 LUMBER CLASSIC

September 18, 2005

Carlos Franco

FARMINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA

DAVE SENKO: Carlos, thanks for joining us. Maybe just get us started and talk about your day. You got close at the end and had that long putt at 16. Maybe just talk about your day a little bit.

CARLOS FRANCO: That's my dream putt. Well, I played all day very focused today, good concentration because I know that Jason Gore, he's a good player there and because he's the rookie of the year and he's won a few times and the TOUR Championship.

Well, I think I'm very happy when I finished 2nd because I didn't make a bogey the last two days, and very close my game and my win coming this weekend because I played to win the tournament, and I need two more shots for the win, but I'm very happy when I finish 2nd.

DAVE SENKO: Why don't we get your birdies real quick starting at No. 5.

CARLOS FRANCO: I hope I remember. Well, I made my first birdie, had a great drive at No. 6 hole, second shot I hit a great shot, very lucky, hit the trees, and my first shot bounced again 100 yards past the green and I made the chip in. That was lucky.

No. 8 hole, I hit a driver, left side bunker, 219 yards to the hole. I tried a cut 5 iron, missed the green, chipped it up to maybe two feet for birdie, three feet maybe.

And my next birdie, No. 16 hole, I hit my driver in the right side rough over the bunker and tried a big hook and it didn't come, hit in the bunker again, 50 yards or something for the third shot. I tried to make it on the green on the left side, maybe 50 feet for birdie. I made that one.

Well, I had a couple chances. Again, all day I tried to make birdie, touched the hole, touched the hole, very close, don't go in, but I'm happy.

Q. When you're out there and you're focused, how much are you aware of what Jason is doing?

CARLOS FRANCO: Well, always he's coming two shots or three shots. After 15th hole he made two bogeys sorry, he made a bogey at No. 14 and a bogey at No. 17. I didn't see the shot, I didn't see the bogey, but I can only concentrate for my shot because I know I needed to make one birdie the last two holes because I had a chance to win because he's the rookie, he never won on the PGA TOUR, and I think, I don't know, if he have nerves, but everybody have a little problem when it comes to the last two holes for one shot.

I'm very happy for him because it's his first time win and a good guy, too. I hope he wins more tournaments in the next couple of years.

Q. Can you go back to what was it like the first time you won? Can you see him going through the same thing as you as the first time winner?

CARLOS FRANCO: Yeah, everybody same situation. I think he doesn't play nervous, he plays very focused because he won three times on the Nationwide, and I think he has good experience here, too, but the PGA TOUR is always a difficult win. Every week it's tough. It doesn't matter if you're playing Tiger or Vijay. You need to play good the golf course, you need to make many putts to give yourself a chance to win.

Q. Is this your first trip here?

CARLOS FRANCO: No, I played here last year. I like the course. A little tricky fairways and greens, that's good for everybody because when you hit sometimes great shots, second shot you have a chance to miss the green. Very similar for the greens because never a flat green, every shot always a surprise, the kick of the ball. Hopefully next time more flat greens because it's tough.

Q. Talk a little bit about the conditions out there today specifically.

CARLOS FRANCO: Well, you know, the weather is absolutely good. The course is shaped nice, too. I like the greens, the speed of the greens. They're tricky, sometimes very fast, sometimes not. But I think the golf tournament is very nice this weekend and it's good for the country here, for the people to see, because it's a little far for people to come here, two hours from the airport, and that's a big complication for the gallery, but it doesn't matter. The golf game is always good every week wherever, whether it's this far or this close to the city, but I think nice day today, nice weekend for everybody. It's like a holiday, a vacation almost because I stayed in a condo, you know, finish the game, go straight there, sometimes cooking, sometimes not. It's my nephew's first time caddying this week because he doesn't speaking nothing on the golf course and that's good for me.

Q. What's his name?

CARLOS FRANCO: Mario Ruben Franco. He's my brother Angel's son. He's 22 years old. He was very nervous every hole, very slow. He's a big guy, you know. I talked to him the last 18 holes, "come on, man, come on, why you too slow." "Your bag too heavy, Uncle." I said, "You eat too much every night, what happened, no power." He said, "Tio, I'm sorry, I can't walk too far because your bag is too heavy." I'll never forget that one. It doesn't matter. He'll eat more barbecue maybe.

Q. When did he say that?

CARLOS FRANCO: I think No. 17 hole when he was walking slowly again. I said, "Come on, two more holes." "Too heavy, back to you."

Q. Are you going to get him a lighter bag?

CARLOS FRANCO: No, that's okay. He's a strong boy. It's a good job to do that. He only said to me, "Go ahead, Tio, you have a chance. Go ahead, you have a chance." That gives me power because sometimes when you miss the putts, you go down, and I remember when he told me, "Come on, Tio." He speaks to me in Spanish, that's good. "Vamos, Tio," that's good. "Vamos, Tio."

The regular caddies here sometimes don't talk to you because sometimes they're nervous or I don't know, but that's good, very funny this week for me and my nephew together, and good tournament for him and for me, too.

Q. Does that relax you more, having him out there speaking Spanish with you?

CARLOS FRANCO: Absolutely because I know he never angers me because he's very young. Sometimes when I take my older brother maybe I'm very nervous because, I don't know, maybe he'll give me a push sometimes.

Q. How old is Mario?

CARLOS FRANCO: Mario, 22. He's a professional golfer, too.

Okay, guys? Vamos a tomar cerveza, a beer.

Thank you very much. I hope to see you Las Vegas or something. I have three weeks off. Thank you very much, guys

End of FastScripts.

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