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BARCLAYS CLASSIC

June 11, 2006

Vijay Singh

HARRISON, NEW YORK

CHRIS REIMER: Congratulations, Vijay Singh, winner of the 2006 Barclays Classic. For some players, not winning since Buick Open wouldn't be a huge deal, but for you it seemed to be somewhat of a doubt. It's nice to be back here in the winner's chair.

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, there never was a doubt. It was just anxiety every week came up and guys started talking, it's another week, what do you think? I was never worried about winning, I was always worried about how I was playing. I wasn't playing to my ability and wasn't playing the way I wanted to play. The pressure kind of mounted that way instead of winning golf tournaments. But it was good to get this one off. Hopefully I can start winning again a lot more, so we'll see what happens.

CHRIS REIMER: What went right for you this week?

VIJAY SINGH: I don't know, I think my head was correct. I think I wasn't getting so angry with my game or with the world. I was not letting bad shots affect me as much as it did the last few weeks and just drove the ball I found a great 3 wood this week that helped me a lot. I managed to keep that in play more than the driver, so hitting 3 woods straight, and it was going a long ways. I got the 3 wood on Tuesday and loved it. Golf courses like this you need to keep the ball in play, and that 3 wood helped me a lot.

Q. Having won as much as you have, your two playing partners had some problems. Do you feel like there's something to be said for knowing how to win, knowing how to stay within yourself in a position like you were in today? In terms of just not they had their own problems and you seemed like you never had those sort of problems.

VIJAY SINGH: My head was the only problem out there. I had to keep myself very calm and not get ahead of myself. Billy and Adam was making bogeys and birdies and eagles all around the place, and I was just making pars and keeping steady.

I just kept to myself and tried to play within myself and be very focused and played the golf course instead of playing them. At the end of the day, the putt on 16 was big. I told my caddie coming down the hill, I said, "we need to make this putt, it will be big going into the last two holes." And I made that and that made a lot of difference right there.

But they did not phase me out with their play; I just played my own game.

Q. Obviously after not winning for a while, it has to be a big boost as you head into next week?

VIJAY SINGH: Well, it gives me a lot of confidence, put it this way. It gives me the feeling that, hey, if you get in contention I can finish it off. Just getting into contention is a big thing out here. It makes people think that once they see my name up there, yeah, I'm back, so look out (laughing).

Q. Can you talk a little bit the first couple of holes it looked like you were just having trouble finding the fairway, and what was the turning point there for you. Was it that 3 wood?

VIJAY SINGH: You know, the 1st hole I obviously mis hit my tee shot to the right, but I hit a pretty solid shot. The big turning point was the one on the 3rd hole where I chipped it very close. I didn't get a good lie on the second shot, had to cut a shot around the tree, but from there I kind of made birdie on 5 and just kept very steady. Got a great up and down on 7 and just played steady from there on. I didn't make too many mistakes, and when I did make a mistake, I did it with a good putt or good chip.

Q. Adam felt like that birdie on 5, at that point you kind of settled into your game a little bit? Is that a fair assessment?

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, I did, and then he chipped in for eagle so didn't give me any breathing space (laughing). Once I got a good momentum going and good feel for my game, I was okay.

Playing the back nine, although I hit one or two bad shots, it did not bother me at all. I just kept right in there and kept going. I knew the holes coming in were going to be tough. You cannot run away on this golf course; every hole is a very testing hole, so you cannot think ahead. I just had to play one hole at a time.

Q. Not to tax your memory too much, but obviously this was the site of your first win. Can you talk about what you remember about what your expectations were as a golfer at that point in your career and obviously what they are now?

VIJAY SINGH: At this point I just wanted to play well and win. That was some 13 years ago, I think. I just wanted to get on this Tour, get my footing on the ground and just play hard. It was a big thing. I mean, it was the biggest thing that I've ever done in golf, winning here in America for the first time. This week it was just totally different, it was just trying to get my confidence back, trying to get my feel back for playing in contention and finishing it off, which I did.

Q. You're the first three time winner of this tournament. What does that mean to you?

VIJAY SINGH: Obviously it's big. I mean, I never thought about it. I thought somebody else had won, but no, they didn't. It's a great feeling. It makes me I have respect for this golf course because of how tough it is, and today I just realized that this is a great golf course for me (laughing). I've played every year here and I'm going to continue to play as long as I can. This is a good place for me.

Q. How good do you feel that you drove the ball better this week, especially next week looking at Winged Foot where the rough is just going to be so ridiculous basically how it's going to be played? How do you feel that you drove the ball better this week?

VIJAY SINGH: Well, I drove the ball better than I've done the last few weeks, but like I said earlier on, I had a 3 wood that was really, I think, the key for my winning this week, having a good 3 wood where under the pressure I could take it out and hit it a long ways and straight. When I do catch the 3 wood, it goes almost as far as my driver, and I had a lot of feel for it. I took it out on 17 both times and hit it dead down the middle, 12 and 11, two holes where you could very easily it could get away from you, both times right down the middle. That was a key club for me this week, and hopefully I'm going to use that most of the round next week.

Q. I think this is your 17th win after age 40, and that ties you with Sam Snead. How do you feel about being in that company and just having this kind of career?

VIJAY SINGH: It's great. Hopefully I'm not going to stop at 17. I feel like I've got a long ways to go before I'm going to stop winning on this Tour, so a few more this year would be great.

Q. You said before, "I'm back, so watch out." Is that pretty much the message you want to send to Winged Foot? Do you think guys have kind of overlooked you in the setup for Winged Foot, looking at Tiger and Phil? Is the message that Vijay Singh is back and can win this thing, too?

VIJAY SINGH: I don't know, I'm not trying to send any message out there. For myself, I'm playing well again, and I'm going to be in I'm going to be a factor next week if I play like I did today. If I keep my head straight next week, I think I'll be a big factor.

Q. The long drought I guess between victories, do you appreciate it more as you get older, winning?

VIJAY SINGH: It tells you how difficult it is to win out here. The young guys playing out there, they have no fear of anything. They go out there and play freely and play good. Every other guy you play with is either 23, 24 or 25, and here I am 43 years old and I don't feel young at all, but after seeing these guys, it tells you that if you're playing well, it doesn't matter what age you are, you can win out here. That's the key.

I think we drive the ball pretty much the same distance, all of us, but you've got to go out there and play well. To win golf tournaments, you cannot go out there and try to play badly and scrape through. It doesn't happen out here anymore, you just have to go out there and play well.

Q. Did you go over to Winged Foot this week or have you played the course recently, and would you give us your assessment a little bit of how difficult everybody is talking about it is?

VIJAY SINGH: I've heard a lot of talk. I have not been out there. I refuse to go and torture myself (laughter) any more than I'm going to do next week. I'm going to show up there tomorrow and ease myself onto the golf course late in the afternoon and see what it's about. I know it's going to be tough. I played there in '97, and it wasn't easy then. It's not going to be easy now, I know that.

Q. You've said repeatedly this week that your head just hasn't been your best asset over the past few weeks. It seems like it always has been. What's been the difference? How has that gotten away from you?

VIJAY SINGH: I don't know, I think bad shots started to bother me more than ever, little things. I was very angry with my caddie for even talking to me at the wrong time of the holes of the round. One thing led to the other, and I was just angry with I just didn't feel like playing golf out there if I wasn't in contention, and that's not the way to play golf. This week a different mindset, just go out there and enjoy and play and see what it's about and cut the feeling back a little.

Q. Was there anything specifically that changed your mind this week just coming in?

VIJAY SINGH: Not really. People around me gave me a lot more confidence, talked to me a lot better about going out there and trying a little harder and not trying too hard. Maybe I was trying too hard with the game and putting too much pressure on trying to play well. I just thought this week, just go out and play, just play I've worked hard enough, now you have to go out and play freely and see what it's all about.

Q. You obviously were very well focused this week. Is it exciting to turn to the Open next week and start to think about the chance to win another major?

VIJAY SINGH: Obviously I have not won a U.S. Open, so it would be a big thing for me just to go out there and play well. The golf course is going to suit definitely a straight hitter, and I am not one of the straightest out here. You know, I'd like to go out there and feel myself and feel the golf course. Sometimes I play really well on really hard and tight golf courses. If I get a good feeling with my club, you never know. I feel I'm playing good again and I feel like I'm seeing it well, which is important. With my head a little better now, who knows?

Q. What was the loft on the new 3 wood, and how much did you use it versus the driver this week?

VIJAY SINGH: I used it more times than I hit a driver. I don't know, the loft could be about a 13. I used that more times than I hit the driver.

Q. Which specific hole, No. 7, the short par 4 you drove it under a tree. Hitting under the branches, was that an accident or was that sort of thinking, well, either the branch will slow it down for me and I'll wind up the worst that can happen is I'll wind up in the bunkers? What were you thinking?

VIJAY SINGH: I walked up to the hole and knew if you go long you're going to make a bogey for sure unless you get a lucky break with the lie. There was a little gap in the trees, and I was trying to time the wind. The wind blew hard and that's when it was time to hit it (laughter). That was my thought there. I saw the bunker was not a bad place to miss it, and I had to play short of that and try to attack the flag. I just wanted to get lucky with the perfect distance, and it so happened it finished well for me.

Q. So hitting the branches was an accident?

VIJAY SINGH: I wasn't trying to hit the branch. Just timing the wind was the key.

Q. Not that you being late on the range is breaking news, but yesterday you were out there pretty late after play was over. You were by yourself. What were you working on there? It looked like you were hitting driver, but were you hitting the 3 wood at all or just driver?

VIJAY SINGH: I was hitting my 3 wood pretty good, so it wasn't necessary I was working with my driver. Next week we've got to hit a lot of drivers. It's a long golf course, so that's key.

Q. Off topic, the standard bearer, Luke, has been your standard bearer for all three wins. Talk about having a guy who's been an avid supporter?

VIJAY SINGH: He's a good guy. He's a good friend and he's always there. I hadn't seen him until Thursday, and I saw him out there, and he's just like part of my play over here. I turn around and there's Luke.

CHRIS REIMER: Congratulations, Vijay.

End of FastScripts.

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