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FORD CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL

March 3, 2006

Scott Verplank

DORAL, FLORIDA

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Scott Verplank with a 7 under 65, tied for the lead at 13 under, 11 of 14 fairways, 11 of 18 greens, 23 putts today. Does that sound right?

SCOTT VERPLANK: I haven't had time to think about it, but it sounds good to me (laughter).

JOE CHEMYCZ: I guess you putted well.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I guess I did. Yeah, I mean, I 3 putted one hole, but I hit a pretty good putt and missed on No. 9 and made a bogey. But made a couple of nice putts on 10 and 11, and that kind of got me back on track.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Just talk about how you played today.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, I played pretty solid. I hit the ball, yesterday and today, it's not like I'm just striping it. I'm hitting it pretty good. I'm keeping it in front of me and having birdie putts and hitting my irons generally in the right place where you have a good chance to make it.

But it's coming around. You know, I'm so happy to be out of California and over here where it's warm. Like I said, it's coming around. I'm way better off than I was when I left L.A. and The Match Play.

Q. Just wondering if you're going to rip California for the rest of your life now.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I love Palm Springs. And I think it's a beautiful place to visit and vacation. I mean, it's beautiful (laughter).

Q. With Tiger and Phil going off in the final pairing, no offense to this, but will it almost be like, "Oh, by the way, Scott Verplank"; is there any offense to that as you head into the weekend?

SCOTT VERPLANK: No. I mean, I could care less to be honest with you. That's the way it is, if I was at 15 and Tiger was at 13. Oh, by the way, there's another guy two shots ahead of him (laughter).

So that's fine. I don't care. I don't think of it that way. I'm just going to do I'm going to try to do what I do, you know, and do it to the best that I can. Obviously it's good enough to be hanging around.

Q. That kind of thing doesn't appeal to you guys who it's sort of treated like it's a two man tournament, even though there's 20 guys that are right

SCOTT VERPLANK: Those guys are deserving of having the accolades. They are both at the top of the heap. Obviously Tiger is the best player in the world and he's been proving it for several years now, and Phil has raised his game up to a new level in the last couple of years.

Man, the spotlight ought to be on them.

Q. And then there's something about you and this place, isn't there?

SCOTT VERPLANK: I hope so. I just hope this time my ball goes in and I drive that car off that's standing in the water (laughter).

Yeah, if I play my game, this golf course is a pretty nice set up for me. I drive it straight, hit decent iron shots, and the greens are pretty nice here. I've played here so many years that I have a pretty good idea how to read them, so I've kind of been there, done that, and I know my way around.

Q. The way you play golf, do you ever take any extra satisfaction when you're paired with someone like J.B. today or whoever, to know that you not that you're paying attention to them, but know that you're comfortable with the way you go about getting your score?

SCOTT VERPLANK: I don't take any extra satisfaction. I wish I could hit it that far. I mean, there's probably he probably wishes he can play like I can sometimes. You know, on certain golf courses, like at Phoenix, you can see a guy who hits it that far is going to have a tremendous advantage because things open up at 340 yards, things start getting wide, and that's a big advantage for a guy like that (laughter).

But, you know, you play around here where there's a little more navigational control, I guess he could probably look at the way I did it and maybe say, well, that worked, too.

Q. There's been a couple of guys in the last two or three years who have gone out looking for extra distance, you don't seem to be one of them; "This is my game, let's see what I do"?

SCOTT VERPLANK: I can't do it. I mean, I can't hit it any harder. I can't swing any harder. I've tried. I don't hit it as straight. I can hit I can use the different golf ball that goes 10 or 15 yards further off the tee, but I can't hit it close to the hole with an iron shot. So I just kind of take what I have.

If I play like I think I can and think I should, then, you know, I don't have any problem with it.

Q. I was going to say, you birdied all of the par 5s today.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah, you know, I think last year I probably finished in the Top 10 in birdies on the par 5s. But I kind of look at a par 5 as, you know, an opportunity. It's obviously a great opportunity to make a birdie, but sometimes if I can't knock it on, then I make sure I put myself in a spot where I know I'm going to be in good shape to still have a good putt at it.

Q. Do you have a strategy on all of the par 5s here or does it depend on where you drive the ball?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Depends on where I drive it, and if it's downwind on some of the holes, I'm going to try to hit a good drive so I can knock it on the green in two. Obviously, I can't knock it on 12, but I can get it up there pretty close where I'm hitting. Sometimes I chip better than some other guys putt.

So it's just it is what it is. I don't think I can hit it significantly further. I've tried. When I do I either hit it crooked or I get hurt. I'd just as soon keep it in the fairway. If I continue to improve, I'll pick up some more distance as the tournament goes on, and as the year goes on, too, pick up more confidence and how solid I'm hitting it. I end up getting it out there far enough to compete.

Q. You said earlier that you haven't really been striping the ball for two days, yet you're sitting here tied for the lead. What do you think that says for how things set up for you this weekend?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, hopefully good. I mean, if I continue to make the little strides the next couple of days like I'm hoping I will, you know, I know how to play my game. The way golf has changed, my game still works, just barely, you know. The way they have changed the equipment and the setups and all that, such a demand on bombing it. But there's just barely enough skill left in the game where I can still play (laughter).

Q. It seems like we come into this tournament quite a bit talking about the bombers and the guys that hit it long, and on this course, is that really necessarily a big advantage? You talked about navigational control here a few minutes ago.

SCOTT VERPLANK: No, you don't have to have it. Obviously you can still play. But it's more and more of a factor. If you can hit it straight, I guess I read yesterday that Tiger hit 12 fairways or something. As far as he hits it, that's pretty good. He's going to have a big advantage if he's 30 or 40 yards past me and he's in the fairway, as well.

Most guys don't hit it that straight, though, when they hit it that far.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Take us through your card real quick if you don't mind, starting with a birdie at 1.

SCOTT VERPLANK: 1, I 2 putted. I 2 putted for a birdie on the first hole. I hit a 3 wood, I was in the rough, but it worked out very well to get it up there.

5, I hit a sand wedge about three feet.

8, I had to lay up and hit a sand wedge about eight feet.

I bogeyed 9. I hit kind of a sorry tee shot a little short right. I had about a 35 footer from the fringe, and I left it about three feet short. Hit my really nice putt and I looked up and it missed. I thought it was a little left to right and it broke a little right to left. It was just one of those little grainy deals on the ninth green.

Then 10, I hit it up there pretty close to the green in two, but I was in the rough and it didn't come out that good. I actually made about a probably a 22 or 23 foot putt for birdie, which was kind of a bonus.

11, I hit a 3 wood off the tee and hit a sand wedge about ten or 12 feet.

12, I was right short of the green 75 yards from the hole in two, and I hit it about two feet.

15, I hit a nice little holding 6 iron up there about 12 feet and made it par.

17, I hit a decent drive, kind of a little three quarter 8 iron up there about five feet and made the putt.

Q. On 18, are you talking about sometimes chipping better than other people putt, how close was that chip to going in?

SCOTT VERPLANK: It was okay. It wasn't going in (laughter). I knew it wasn't going in when I hit it. I just wanted to get the right speed. I didn't hit it quite on the line I wanted to starting out. But I was happy when it stopped up there six inches from the hole and I didn't have to sweat it.

Q. What's your fairway medal of choice there?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Five. It's kind of my equalizer.

Q. Your chipper?

SCOTT VERPLANK: My chipper.

Q. Is 18 still a very intimidating finishing hole?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Hey, when you hit it as far as I do, it's a hell of an intimidating hole. If you're like the other guys that can fly the corner, it's not so bad. The fairway is awful wide up there at 330, but I still have to hit a pretty nice tee shot. And it looks like they watered where me and hit it. (Laughter).

But they dried it out up there where Tiger and J.B. Holmes hit it.

Q. You haven't won since 2001. When your friends ask you about that, what do you tell them?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Nothing. I'm trying. I've been awful close a lot of times and had different scenarios.

Hey, I keep going. I think if you get it close enough times, eventually I'll kick it in and be unbeatable or somebody is going to help me out. I'd just as soon keep trying to play good and keep having chances and we'll just see what happens.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Scott, thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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