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BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 26, 2005

Franklin Langham

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

JOE CHEMYCZ: 7-under par, 65 today for you, maybe just talk a little bit about your round over at LaQuinta.

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: I birdied the first hole so I got off to a good start. You know, this is such a long week with it being five rounds, but it's nice to get off to a good start. You know the scores are going to be low, and you kind of like to stay ahead of the game if you can and get it under par early and keep it going. I was able to do that and finish with a birdie on 18.

I feel good about how I'm hitting the ball. I hit it good at Hawaii and San Diego and felt like I didn't get out of it all that I could. The greens are so great that once you get it rolling you can pile up some birdies, so hopefully I'll continue to do that.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Talk about the better parts of your game today.

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: I was really good off the tee. Everybody talks about your putter has got to be hot out here, and it was good, but you've got to have your ball in play to be able to go at these pins and get yourself those 10, 12, 15-footers that you want for birdie and sometimes even closer. I was able to get close on some par 5s and make some birdies there. My game was pretty solid, most parts of my game.

Q. LaQuinta is at least statistically the toughest of the four courses the last couple of years. Do you take that into consideration or does that give you a little extra boost, shooting 65 on a course that's kind of been the toughest the last few years?

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: I kind of knew that because I played here enough that this one -- I guess it's a little more demanding off the tee, not as generous fairways, but you never know when the putts are going to go in, and from where I played today, it didn't play that tough. When you can play from the middle of the fairway. I don't know if that necessarily means I'm going to shoot low on the other courses, but it's nice to get off to a good start, be striking the ball well and feel good about the rest of the week.

Q. Starting off with a birdie on the 1st hole kind of sets up the round, and also a birdie at the final hole. Ball-striking today pretty solid out there today?

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: It really was. It really was. Tee to green, I was real solid. I think I only missed maybe three greens, and one of them I putted on. I was just off the fringe. Tee to green, I was real solid and managed to make the putts. When you get it close, you want to capitalize on it, and I was able to do that. All around I feel really good about my round today.

Q. Playing on a four-day pro-am and then hoping to go for the whole thing on Sunday, what does that feel like and how was the group you played with today?

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: I had a great group of guys. And the years I've played, I've always had really good amateurs to play with, really considerate. The main thing for me is to just to be patient. You're going to have to wait. We had a wait on the 10th tee today for about 15 minutes. There were two or three groups on the tee, but you know to expect that. You know when you play the Hope, it's going to be that way. I missed the fairway there, kind of got a little cold there, but you prepare yourself for it. You know it's a long week. The rounds are a little longer. The week is long because it's five rounds, and you just try to pace yourself and be patient all week.

Q. You majored in insurance at the University of Georgia. What kind of insurance are you going to need to make the cut and also compete on Sunday?

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: I've never been asked that question before, you know. I've been asked what it was like to major in that, and I said I feel lucky I've never had to put it to work. Hopefully I can keep playing this game for a living. It's nice to have that in your back pocket. It was a nice major, I enjoyed it.

But to answer your question, hopefully I won't have to -- I was a risk management and insurance major so I guess I just need to manage my risk this week.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Franklin, just take us through your birdies and what you did on those holes.

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: Sure. First hole, actually hit it in the left rough, but I had a shot. It wasn't that far off line. I hit a wedge to about, oh, 15 feet and made that for birdie.

6, the par 5, I hit it about pin high in two and chipped it to about four feet and made that for birdie.

7, I hit a 7-iron on a par 3 to about 15 feet, made that for birdie.

8, actually kind of had a -- I hit my 3-wood through the fairway, kind of had a little punch 8-iron, only had about 135 to the pin and managed to run it up on the green and got it to about 12 feet and made that for birdie.

11, I hit it in two, had about a 30-footer for eagle and just missed it, tapped in for birdie.

13, I pushed my tee shot right, had to lay up and had about 100 yards and hit a sand wedge to about five feet, made that for birdie.

Then I guess 18 was my last one, and I hit wedge. It almost spun back in the hole. I hit it right at the stick and it came back about five feet, made that for birdie.

Q. Ever in danger of making bogey today, Franklin?

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: Yeah, the two holes, like I said, 10 is a tough driving hole out here. We're all asking each other what to hit off the tee, and I hit 3-wood in the left rough and hit a 7-iron short and had a chip that kind of skidded on me about six feet past the hole, but I made that for par.

Then on 15, I hit it in the left bunker and had a bad lie in the bunker but blasted out to about eight feet but made that for par. So I actually missed about a ten-footer on 17. But all in all, I hit the ball pretty well today and felt good about it.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Franklin, thanks. Play well the rest of the week. Hopefully we'll see you over here.

FRANKLIN LANGHAM: Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts.

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