U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 13, 2006

Madalitso Muthiya

RAND JERRIS: It's our pleasure to welcome Madalitso Muthiya to the interview area this morning. This is his first U.S. Open. Perhaps you could start us off with some comments about what it means to you to be representing your country in the U.S. Open.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I guess it means a great deal. I'm probably not the first to express how I feel, but it's something that I've worked towards achieving, and I guess it's coming to light now. So it's very exciting for me.

RAND JERRIS: You're playing in this championship, is it generating a lot of interest back home?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Yeah, that's what I believe. That's what I hear. A lot of people have been congratulating me and acknowledging what I've accomplished so far.

RAND JERRIS: Talk to us a little bit about golf in Zambia and your childhood growing up.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Firstly, I started playing golf actually in 1992. I was nine years old. It all started, I was stealing clubs from my father's bedroom, my brother and I, and I happened to break a window to my father's bedroom, so he happened to find out that we were stealing clubs and hitting golf balls. He got us started playing golf, and that's how I got started.

Then it was, I guess, golf from then on.

Q. Where did you play golf back in your native country, and how often and what was the course like, and the name of your home course?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I started playing golf at Lusaka Golf Club. Lusaka is the capital city of Zambia, and the golf course is named after the capital city. It was one of the best courses there, but it's nowhere in comparison to the golf courses here in terms of infrastructure or technology, that good, compared to here. Yeah, that's why I say, they used to host European Tour events there, Zambian Open. It's still in existence with the European Challenge Tour, so I grew up watching some of the European players come around there.

Q. Can you just tell us a little bit about the family struggles and how you've gone from there to here, a large family, your father? Take us through some of that, if you would.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Well, I don't even know where to start. I guess my mother's name is Edith, my father is Peter Muthiya. He owned his own insurance company or insurance firm, but in Zambia standards were almost like the middle class, but you would be considered poor here in America or anywhere else.

I guess he provided my brother and I and my sister, my younger sister, with everything that we wanted, but a lot of our lives were meager, and that's something that I treasured, I guess, growing up and probably something I missed growing up. But it all led me to where I am today.

Then my father passed away actually in 2002 when I was in college. I was a sophomore. That was my first semester of my sophomore year, so I had to go back to Zambia for his funeral, and it was probably the hardest thing actually, still the hardest thing today. It's part of life, but you have to go on, and I'm just trying to fulfill, I guess, a dream that he helped facilitate.

Q. The two top money winners in the history of this game are men of color, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. How much of that is an inspiration to you, and how much were the top players of Southern Africa an inspiration to you, Gary Player, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and all the others that have come through Southern Africa.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I'd like to start by saying that I've been inspired by a lot of golfers, regardless of, I guess, the race, I would say, because I grew up watching Nick Faldo, watching them on tape. I believe Vijay Singh played the Zambian Open, I believe, way back when he was on the Asian Tour.

I've been inspired by a lot of players. I'm actually a big fan of anybody who plays on the PGA TOUR, even other tours.

I guess I gathered my inspiration from a lot of those players, but it's also inspiring it makes you feel like you can do it, you know.

Q. Just to follow up, have you had any experience in professional events in Africa or elsewhere, the Sunshine Tour or anywhere else?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Yes, I have, actually. I played the Zambian Open, which is my home tournament. It's a Sunshine Tour event co sponsored by the Challenge Tour. I just played it actually in March. I finished 2nd there.

Prior to that, I played like the Botswana Open as an amateur when I was 17 and I finished 3rd. So I got a little bit of exposure in those professional events besides the amateur events I played abroad.

And then to follow up with your previous question, I guess, how most of those Southern African players were an inspiration to me, I would say I just met Ernie Els yesterday. He was extremely nice, and he's somebody I grew up watching. Gary Player, as well.

Q. What golf have you played in America?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I played the Orange Bowl prior to my coming to university here. I played the Orange Bowl in Florida, I think it was Corral Gables. And then I played the Nolan Henke, Patty Berg, the Junior Masters. I think that's how I got here, coaches saw me there, and then I played college golf.

Q. You mentioned the difference in the quality of the courses. What are you most impressed with as far as the quality of the courses over here, and has the conditioning of the courses helped your game in any way? In other words, are your drives carrying a little bit longer, putting better on good greens over here?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I would say almost everything. The way the fairways are manicured, the greens, how many grounds staff. I'm amazed by that, how many people actually take care of the golf course. When I was actually young and watching golf on TV, I was wondering how could you ever hit a bad shot or miss a putt with such good greens. These greens are actually very tough so you can miss putts, but it makes it a lot easier for you to strike a putt, I think.

Q. Describe your game. Are you a power player, finesse player? What's your style of play, and is it suitable for this kind of golf course?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: You know, when I was in college, I guess my coaches always a lot of people have come up to me asking me to describe my golf game as being a ball striker, so I can, I guess, almost play on any golf course. My golf game is good enough to shoot any score I wanted to if I applied myself on any golf course. So I think it's a combination. I'm well rounded so I work with every aspect of the game.

I guess the other thing is that I would say I'm fairly long, but people don't see that because of my size, which is good (laughing).

Q. I want to follow up on the question about the golf courses. Double Eagle, where you went through the sectional is renowned as one of the most immaculate courses in this country. How did the sectional go? How was that course? How did you play that day? Talk to us about getting into the Open.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Firstly, I actually had to go pre qualify for the sectional. I had to go through the local qualifying. I shot 63 to get into the sectional.

Then Double Eagle is amazing because I heard they have a total of 75 or 85 members there, and it's an incredible golf course, really nice. But it was fairly tough, too.

But I was just playing my own game because I was determined to play good and also to make it here to the U.S. Open because I had always wanted to play a PGA TOUR event. I was happy to play well in the morning, I shot 67. Then in the afternoon I shot 69, so I ended up shooting 10 under par and won by four to get me a spot here.

Q. You mentioned the passing of your father while you were in college. Was it unexpected? Was he sick? Just describe what happened.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Well, my older brother was in Australia at the time going to University, as well. I was at the University of New Mexico. I guess we spoke to him about two weeks prior and he said he wasn't feeling well. And then like two, three days prior, he had gone to the hospital just to check him out, to go to the doctors, and they told him that he should spend the night there. So he did, and the next day my brother called me and my father was struggling really, just gasping for air.

So from there, we spoke a little bit sorry, it's a little hard because I keep on remembering, I guess.

We spoke to him, and he was, like, yeah, I'm okay, I'll go back to work on Monday. Then two days later my brother called me about midnight, I think, my time, in New Mexico, and he was like don't panic, don't panic. He was like, "dad died." So that's what happened. I guess he passed away, and that's what happened, I guess.

And he was later diagnosed, I guess, with pneumonia and bronchial congestion or something.

Q. You said you're from modest means. Did you actually learn to play before you got your first set of clubs, and when did you get your first set of clubs?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I got my first set of clubs when I was nine. It was just something my dad had gathered from different people. They were like junior clubs, ladies' club, really light. They were pink grips. That was my first set of clubs. I don't remember the name. I remember the driver was like a Cougar.

Q. Is your swing entirely self taught, and who did you model it after?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I never had a lesson until I got to college. I was basically self taught, and it was through watching TV and reading magazines and just trying to through trial and error and also observation what the pros do. I would say sometimes I wanted to swing like Nick Faldo, I guess, mostly Nick Faldo.

Q. Did you play any other sports when you were a kid, and if so, why do you think you gravitated towards golf and eventually decided to play golf exclusively?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I played a lot of soccer actually. I had experience of playing for the Zambian National team. When I was I think nine or ten, one of my dad's friends, a doctor, told me I had bad knees and I had to stay away from soccer for like four years. I was playing golf at the same time, but I was playing more soccer than golf. When that happened, I was playing more golf. I happened to fall in love more with golf. It just so happened like it was the sport I always wanted to play, and from then on, I've continued to play golf.

Q. Are there many golf courses in Zambia?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: No, there are about 17 total.

Q. What's the population?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: 9 million.

Q. 17 golf courses, 9 million people?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Yes.

Q. Your family, you're one of ten children, and where do you sit and what do the rest of your siblings do?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: No, I'm not. I'm one of I've got two brothers and two sisters, one of five.

Q. And where do you fall in that order, and what do the rest of your brothers and sisters do?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I'm the second to last born, I guess, the second youngest. My immediate younger sister is actually turning 21 in October, but she's in college doing accounting in Zambia. Then my immediate older brother, who is turning 25 in August, is actually the general manager for, I guess, the largest beer producing company in Zambia. He was in Australia and went back to Zambia.

Then my oldest brother, who is my stepbrother, and I've got an older sister who's my stepsister, as well, I guess my dad and mom both had kids before they got married, so I basically grew up with my immediate older brother and younger sister.

But my stepbrother is an accountant and he works for one of the firms. And then my stepsister does insurance. I think she works for Honda Corporation, I believe.

Q. I'm just wondering how you ended up at University of New Mexico, how they found you, and what it was like to come to the U.S. on that first visit.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I was thinking from how it started, I guess. I guess the first time I was first 15 years old, and I guess I was winning tournaments in Zambia, and the president of Zambia read about me in the newspapers, the former president of Zambia. So he invited me to the State House to meet him, and he was asking me what he could do for me. So I told him what my plans were.

I was with my father, told him what I wanted to do, and that was to play college golf. So I wanted to be on the PGA TOUR. He mentioned that he had a friend in America who could help me out to get a scholarship or to be here in the United States to pursue my golfing career. His name is Jaime (sp?) Roth. He was working for the U.S. government. He was president of the office of the USTR and was doing trade work with Zambia for the United States.

So I ended up meeting him at one of the hotels in Zambia with my father, and from then on my dad and him were corresponding over the phone lines and getting information.

So yeah, he arranged a tournament for me to play in Florida. It was the Patty Berg Junior Masters, which I ended up winning, and that's where the University of New Mexico golf coach saw me there and recruited me.

Q. What's been the reaction at home about you qualifying to get in this? And is this a big motivational thing do you think for your country?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: So far I spoke to my brother two days ago, and he was telling me that, yeah, there's been, I guess they've been mentioning my name a lot in the papers and other media, TV. So it's probably a big deal, I would say.

Q. Are you the most famous golfer ever from Zambia is it safe to say?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Yes, I guess (laughter).

Q. Who would have had that distinction previously to you? Was there somebody from Zambia who was a golfer or some accomplishment at all?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: No, I would say no, not at no, not any level at least, I guess.

Q. I was wondering, how much is a greens fee in Zambia versus U.S. golf? And how did your father afford to pay for it?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: You know, I can't remember because my father paid most of the greens fees, so I don't really know. It's not that expensive because of the currencies, the difference in currencies at least. But my father, I guess, he always sacrificed a lot just to provide for his kids, so he made sure his kids had the best of everything because his father was a gardener in the colonial era, so he grew up out of that.

Out of eight children, he was the only educated one.

Q. For one, the former president's name, just so we have it on record?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: Frederick Chiluva.

Q. And then just for yourself, what kind of accomplishment is this for you having watched others on TV and tonight you'll be able to watch yourself?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: (Laughing) I don't know. You know, I think it's good. I haven't fully realized it because I'm trying to compete at the same time. That's why I'm here. I'm trying to play well, at the same time not get consumed by what's going on around me. Probably after the tournament I'll probably realize what a great accomplishment this probably is.

Q. How good a golfer was your father, and how enthusiastic about the game was he? How often did he play?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: He was just an average golfer. I think his best handicap was 7. He was really passionate about the game, but he was very knowledgeable. It's funny because he gave me a lot of advice when I was younger about course management and just how to handle myself on the golf course and never getting upset after a bad shot. And now that I'm older, I guess, some of that advice that he gave me when I was probably 13, I use it a lot.

Q. You're living the dream of a lot of players. 9,000 some people entered this tournament and played through local, sectional. Talk about how it feels to be here. Courtesy car, and who's your caddie, and is that distraction taking away from playing the tournament?

MADALITSO MUTHIYA: I was fortunate enough to get exposed to some other the tournaments. I played the U.S. Amateur here two years ago, and I guess the treatment was almost similar, but you didn't have like huge tents and thousands of people watching. But it's obviously something that could be overwhelming, I guess. Having a courtesy car, that's something you don't really expect.

It's obviously exciting for me to see a lot of people, I guess, that I grew up watching on TV. So it almost makes me feel I'm going in a positive direction.

The name of my caddie is Carleton Hasbrook, a friend of mine who's caddying for me.

RAND JERRIS: Thank you very much for your time, and we wish you lots of luck this week.

End of FastScripts.