FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

May 28, 2006

Jeff Maggert

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Alright. 2006 FedEx St. Jude Classic champion, Jeff Maggert. Congratulations.

JEFF MAGGERT: Thank you.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: We haven't seen you all week. You decided to shoot a little 65 and finish it up.

JEFF MAGGERT: Yeah. It's been a good week for me. I struggled a little bit the first day in the wind and just tried to hang in there and shot a good round. Friday I was back in the tournament. This is the type of golf course I love to play. Seems like I'm in contention a lot on golf courses where you don't have to shoot 25 under to win. I think the changes to the golf course have been a very fair test of golf.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Questions, please?

Q. Jeff, can you just talk about the emotions of this being your first win in a long time?

JEFF MAGGERT: You know, I was thinking a little bit about that today. I was just trying to stick to my game plan, play one hole at a time. You know, seven years goes by fast. I can't believe it's been seven years, but it's been seven good years for me. I played a lot of good golf in that span. I haven't won, but this is just a good win for me.

I've been struggling a little bit early here, and in the back of my mind, kind of wanted to play well and try to make the Ryder Cup team and sort of today is going to help me out a little bit. I need to play well the rest of the summer. Hopefully have a chance to do well.

Q. You said out on the green that your priorities have changed. Is it just you've got a bunch of kids at home?

JEFF MAGGERT: Five kids will change priorities.

Q. How do you find that happening, just embrace that part of your life, realize that what's important?

JEFF MAGGERT: Well, I think if you talk to all the players, that to all the players this week, it's tough to get motivated when you've been out here doing this. This is my 20th year as a pro. When I go home, I don't find time to play golf. That's for sure. Just a lot of things that I enjoy. It's tough to keep your game at a level that you can compete and win, you know, when you've got other priorities at home.

I wouldn't trade it for nothing. I've had a great career on tour, looking forward to the Senior Tour and just fun to be able to play good golf.

Q. With respect to that, you said you wouldn't trade it for anything. You said out there you thought by now you might have 12 wins. You but the fact that some some say I don't know why you haven't won more. Are you okay with that?

JEFF MAGGERT: I've certainly played well enough to probably, you know, win 7, 8, 9, 10 times but, you know, this is a tough game. You can put yourself in contention a lot and it's kind of success breeds more success.

When you win a few times out here, you know, the second, third, fourth, fifth wins become a little easier. I just had a lot of time in between a win.

My first win was '93. That was 13 years ago. You know, I've been cruising along, playing a lot of good years out here, Top 30 on the money list a number of times.

Last three, four years my game hasn't been at the level that I'm accustomed to and just trying to get it back to a level where I'm really competing week in, week out and giving myself opportunities to win.

When you play last two seasons, you know, you play all season, you might only have an opportunity two, three times to win a golf tournament. When you're playing well, you play 25 tournaments and you feel like you have a chance to when 10, 15 of them. That's kind of the position I'm trying to put myself in.

Q. With five kids at home, which means more, the money or the Ryder Cup?

JEFF MAGGERT: Well, the money is insignificant, really. I've been very blessed to have been able to play the tour, especially the last four, five years with the growth in the prize money.

I do have kids to put in college coming up, and the money will be spent well. But, you know, it's just it's a good feeling to come out here and compete against the best players in the world and come away with a win.

Q. Jeff, can you talk about your thoughts going into 16 today and what you thought?

JEFF MAGGERT: Well, I didn't really catch a peek at any of the scoreboards on the back 9. I saw earlier that Jay Delsing was at 8 under, and I didn't really know my position really until the 15th green, I turned around and saw what was going on. I just felt like I needed a couple birdies at the end, maybe to pull away and the eagle putt dropped on 16, and obviously I felt good and the birdie there to put pressure on Tom.

Q. You mentioned that you had some problems with your putter earlier this year. Did you do anything to maybe work through some of that, and what was working differently today?

JEFF MAGGERT: I'm sure the guys in the Ping truck will be happy not to see me awhile. I've probably bent every putter in my closet a few hundred times the last few months, just trying to find the right loft and lie. But I've been trying to just simplify things with my putting, which I definitely needed this week.

Sometimes when you go in a stretch when you're putting bad, you have a tendency to probably change stuff, change putters, change mechanics, and just try to go back to some old thoughts that I used to think about years ago and just, you know, not worry too much about the mechanics. Just read the putt, try to hit it on line.

Q. Tell me if you can about your twins a little bit. How soon in the process did you know you were going to be having twins and how have they changed your life?

JEFF MAGGERT: Oh, we knew right from the beginning they were twins. So, you know, my brother had twins, and I was around them a little bit when they were younger. But his twins are 21 years old now, in college, and I knew it was going to be a lot of work. But to have twins of my own, it's been just fantastic, but it's just it's hard to describe.

Having kids at an older age, it's made me slow down a little bit, maybe appreciate the time that I have with all my kids. I know when my older kids were young, I was traveling all over the world in Asia and trying to get on the tour and just missed out on a lot in the first couple of years of their lives.

So this time around, it's been great. It's also given me a chance to be a little bit more involved with all their teenager activities, even though they don't want me involved in what they're doing. It's good to be around and see them grow up, as well.

Q. Jeff, will you talk about what entered into your decision to come to Memphis?

JEFF MAGGERT: Well, it wasn't on my schedule. I planned on playing in Colonial. I was going to skip here and then go on to the Memorial Tournament next week. But my poor play this year, I didn't get in Colonial and I wasn't in Memorial until I won today. So just added this tournament, just as well.

I've always enjoyed playing here. I came here last year. I saw the changes that were made in the golf course and the golf course was going to be good. Funny how things work out in this game. I was actually the first or second alternate at Colonial last week. If I would have got in, I probably wouldn't have been here.

So, you know

Q. Phil Cannon mentioned something about this to me. Do you have a niece or nephew or somebody who has cancer? Someone said that you have an ailing niece or nephew.

JEFF MAGGERT: I have a cousin, they have a son that's probably four, five years old now that's battling leukemia successfully. Once it's in remission so, you know, it's a tough you know, it's just a tough battle, especially for families with young children. And certainly this tournament and the Thomas family and all things they've done is fantastic.

There's another boy in our neighborhood that's my daughter's age that's actually been here to Saint Jude, had a battle with cancer a couple times and is doing okay.

So, you know, you see things like that, you see your good friends go through the struggles. I mean, I can't imagine, you know, the feelings that I would feel if that was my own son or daughter. So, it's just great that there's people out there like Saint Jude who dedicate their lives to helping these kids.

Q. At what point did you find the putter that you felt comfortable with, and how long had you been working did you keep the same one through this whole week?

JEFF MAGGERT: It was about 6:59 on Thursday morning, a minute before I teed off. I didn't know if it was going to be the right one or not. It's been that kind of year. Just switched around a little bit, and it gets to be such a mental thing.

Like I said, I've tried to simplify it and tried not to think too much on the greens and just read the greens and try to putt it on the lines that I was seeing.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Everybody all set?

Q. Is this almost like a bittersweet win kind of thing just because it's taken so long since '99 for you to come back and win?

JEFF MAGGERT: It's a great feeling to win. I've been fortunate. I've won all over the world. I've won on the Asian Tour and Australia, I guess the Nationwide Tour now, and it's a great feeling. Doesn't matter what level you're at.

It's just when you're done with the week and you win a golf tournament, like everybody, you work so hard, it feels like it just pays off and it's definitely a great feeling. Fortunately in this game next Thursday it all starts over again. And as good as you're feeling on a Sunday after a victory, sometimes on Thursday morning it's back to the old grindstone. It will be a good win for me and hopefully boost my confidence for the rest of the summer.

Q. What are your Memorial Day plans?

JEFF MAGGERT: We're going up to our club to have a little Memorial Day barbeque. Still planning on doing that tomorrow, be able to get home tonight, enjoy the day with the family. And I was planning on being home next week, but I'm going to go off to Columbus and play. Not exempt from the U.S. Open so I've got U.S. Open qualifying in Columbus after the tournament on Monday. Definitely a top priority of mine to qualify for the Open, get back to winged foot.

Q. Would you go through the clubs on 16 and 17?

JEFF MAGGERT: 16 I drove the ball in a good spot. Had a good angle to shoot at the green. It wasn't a pin where you would shoot in the pin. I was trying to run it in front of the green, try to get it somewhere in the middle of the green and just hit a ball that was exactly on line, 2 iron. Good straight kick right in front of the green and rolled in. Probably 40 feet away, putted straight across the green to the pin, and it was a quick putt. I was a little worried about maybe hitting it too hard. I wanted to make sure I 2 putted for a birdie. Just hit it on line and it went in.

Q. (Inaudible)

JEFF MAGGERT: I had 232 yards to the front of the green. I'm not sure what it was to the pin. On 17 another good drive. Went a little bit further than I expected. It was kind of on the downslope towards the hazard, but it was in the fairway. Just trying to hit an 8 iron middle of the green.

Hit it a little left to where I was probably hoping to hit it. Left myself a long putt there, and again two putts was the key, just trying to get it down there and make par and the putt went in.

Q. (Inaudible)

JEFF MAGGERT: 8 iron on 17. 18, you know, at that point, I knew the tournament was pretty much mine. Obviously, the water was staring at me off the tee, and I've been struggling with my 3 wood, hitting it left with my 3 wood. My caddie and I were going back and forth between a 2 iron and 3 wood and just felt better with the 3 wood. I felt like if I hit it solid and pulled it a little left, it still would be enough to carry the water, and that's exactly the way I hit. Probably hit it 10, 15 yards left of where I was aiming.

JOAN vt ALEXANDER: Congratulations and thank you.

JEFF MAGGERT: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.