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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL

August 25, 2006

Kevin Stadler

AKRON, OHIO

Q. Before this week obviously you have a chance to maybe earn your card here this week. What were your thoughts about the rest of the season and what were your plans for next season?

KEVIN STADLER: That was definitely not a goal plan here. I just was looking forward to this week, just kind of a bonus for me in my schedule, just kind of have fun and see how it goes. The only way to get status out here for me this week out here is by winning. I didn't really have many goals coming in, just wanted to come and enjoy myself.

Q. Do you have a plan for next year?

KEVIN STADLER: No. I mean, I want to be out here.

Q. So you'll play in Q school if you don't earn your way on?

KEVIN STADLER: I'm hoping to finish Top 20 Nationwide and get out that way, but if not, obviously Q school.

Q. Does that mean you're going to play as much as possible Nationwide from here on out?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, I'm going to play eight of the next nine, I think, out there.

Q. Obviously because that's probably the way you'd have a better chance than winning this event, did you think about skipping this event ever?

KEVIN STADLER: No, absolutely not. I've had just kind of a crazy year. I've only played ten times out there all year. I've played seven or eight in Europe, four, five, six out here, something like that. I really don't know what I've been doing week to week.

Thankfully I went out there a couple weeks ago to kind of give me a little more of a stronghold on getting back here that way, or else I wouldn't have had a plan for the rest of the week. Just looks like I'm going to try to play the bulk of it out there.

Q. Are you planning on keeping your European Tour card?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, I'd like to. That's going to be the hard part. I have to play two more, I think, to meet their eligibility requirements, but I would definitely like to keep that option open. I love going over there. If I don't get back out full time that would be a good opportunity for me next year, to play just a half dozen here and there, just throughout the year, to have a good place to go.

Q. How often do you talk about that kind of stuff with your dad?

KEVIN STADLER: Not very. He kind of lets me figure it out on my own, nothing major.

Q. Do you remember your dad playing in this tournament?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, I won here a couple times. It's always been one of his favorite places to play. I don't know what that means for me, but he's always loved coming here. I know if you ask him his short list of the best golf courses, this is right up there in probably the top three or so.

I couldn't tell you the last time I was here. I know we used to run around here when we were little, but I don't know, it's nothing where I think if the course suits him, I don't really think it would necessarily suit me. I guess if anything I might have a little better mindset with him liking it instead of him saying I don't like that place, you shouldn't play there.

Q. Why does it not suit your game so well?

KEVIN STADLER: I'm not saying it doesn't. I'm saying if my dad says I like this course a lot, I'm saying that wouldn't necessarily be equivalent to being perfect for me.

Q. Did he come out this week?

KEVIN STADLER: No, he's playing in Oregon, I think, this week.

Q. Did he tell you anything about this course?

KEVIN STADLER: I haven't talked to him this week. He's playing, too, and he's playing West Coast, so we've been trading voice mails.

Q. The same weekend you won, right?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, a couple years ago.

Q. It's not very often that you win with an eagle on the last hole. I mean, if that had been here ESPN would be showing it all the time. Did you go three days in a row?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, last three days. It was just a special week. I don't know if it was just set out, laid out for me that week. I didn't do much wrong. It was more than a half world away from here, so I assumed it wouldn't get much coverage, but it's a great event. I think it's one of the bigger events they have. It's kind of like here, I just kind of felt privileged to be in the field and just took advantage of it.

Q. What do you think it's going to take for you to stay out here consistently, or what has been not quite there yet to get you to the level where you're out here every week?

KEVIN STADLER: I just struggled last year. It was my first year out. I had a lot of good chances toward the end of the year to finish up there and stay out there, just didn't get it done.

It's just a comfort level. I'm very comfortable playing Nationwide Tour. I know a lot of the guys a lot better than I know the guys out here. I've been watching these guys play since I was five years old. I just need some more experience out here. This obviously helps, just knowing that I can play well and hang with these guys for a few days.

Q. I've read places where you said that being the son of Craig Stadler is both good and bad. Can you kind of expound on the goods and bads of what it means to come out here?

KEVIN STADLER: I don't know, that's just kind of my stock answer for that question. I'm kind of tired of it being asked.

Q. Do you get tired of having to deal with that all the time?

KEVIN STADLER: I get tired of hearing people calling me his name 20 times a day. That's just really annoying, but it's unavoidable. People see the last name, they kind of figure it's my dad out here.

But obviously growing up I had all the opportunity in the world as far as golf is concerned. He opened all those doors for me, so it's a blessing that way, but it's kind of a pain constantly being compared to him or people thinking I'm him.

Q. In Rochester you were introduced as Craig, weren't you?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, the last group on Sunday (laughter). It's nowhere near getting out of the way I don't think.

Q. What does an eight , ten year old kid do around here to pass the time?

KEVIN STADLER: You've got me. I used to just kind of run around and watch everybody play. I loved coming to tournaments. I just liked the game when I was younger. My little brother was in day care and I'd just kind of run wild and go watch people play and just come back when everybody was done.

Q. So you wouldn't stay in and watch baseball or something like that?

KEVIN STADLER: I mean, I wouldn't I couldn't tell you. It was 15 years ago. I love all sports, but I definitely spent a lot of time hanging out here when I was a little kid.

Q. During the off season or when you guys have time, do you guys talk much about the game, you and your father?

KEVIN STADLER: Not really. It's kind of unavoidable. We have to talk about it, I think, a little bit. We both have got our fair share of this and we don't really need to discuss it too much when we're away from the game.

Q. Did you ever think twice about playing golf professionally because of what your dad did?

KEVIN STADLER: No, not at all. Like I said, I've loved playing golf since I was a little kid, and this is where I've always wanted to be. I don't know, I think somewhere early, mid high school I decided I wanted to give it a good shot and definitely don't like the aspects of sitting behind a desk; it's not for me. I'm just lucky it's worked out so far.

Q. You don't have a nickname, do you?

KEVIN STADLER: No. You can scratch that question off there (laughter).

Q. What has worked well for you out here in the first two days?

KEVIN STADLER: I've putted pretty well. Putting is coming around the last month or so. I played very solidly yesterday, just kept it in play all day, hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, did the same on the front nine today.

I birdied 4, 5, 6, 7.

So I started out, made a good putt for par on 1.

Just had a couple good putts on 2 and 3 and didn't make either of them, then made all those birdies in a row.

Q. Did you make long ones?

KEVIN STADLER: I made a couple good ones on the par 3s. I made about a 30 footer on 5, I guess, and probably a 40 footer on 6 or 7, and then I missed a close one on 8 from probably five feet for another one.

I was really hitting some good iron shots on the front and a lot of fairways, and then just kind of lost it on the back, just was kind of grinding to hang in there, slashing out of the rough for a couple hours.

Q. 16 looked pretty makeable.

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, I hit a good putt there, just misread it. It's just one of those things that happens.

Q. It sounds like you came into this kind of this was a bonus week, but do your expectations change now?

KEVIN STADLER: Not really. It was very much a bonus week, but I've been playing well the last two or three weeks. I wasn't coming in here hoping to finish last or anything, but I was pretty happy with the way I was playing, but I don't really know how to equate that to this field. I'm not really expecting anything, just hopefully keep up the last couple days.

Q. Anyone around here, whether it be fans or people that work here, remind you that your father has won here several times?

KEVIN STADLER: Not really. Actually maybe for the first time in my life in the practice round, I walked off the 9th green and some guy asked me if my dad played, so that was interesting. I never get that one.

It's probably been 10 or 15 years since he won here last. I think he won late '80s, early '90s. I was playing with Ben the last couple days, so I was spared from people shouting at me.

Q. That was the 9th in the practice round?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah, somewhere around there.

Q. Wednesday?

KEVIN STADLER: Tuesday or Wednesday.

Q. You were playing with Pettersson, too, he won in Columbus this year?

KEVIN STADLER: Yeah.

End of FastScripts.

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