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MCI HERITAGE

April 17, 2004

Stephen Ames

HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

LAURY LIVSEY: Stephen Ames, thanks for coming into the media center and spending some time with us. Two back to back 68s, which are your personal best at this course, you played here before. Talk about your round today.

STEPHEN AMES: I didn't know it was my best. Today was a bit up and down. My first nine holes, especially. And then on the back nine the wind started to pick up a bit after that, and then I felt like I left a few out there, but at the same time I made some good putts coming in.

The birdie was on 12, I had it about 20 feet there. I hit a driver, 9 iron about 20 feet.

And then 13 I had it eight feet and missed that.

14 16, I hit 3 wood wedge about 15 feet and made that.

Then on 17 I held up a 7 iron to about four or five feet and made that coming down the hill.

I guess the only difference between the back nine and the front nine is just the front nine I didn't make any putts, and I played the par 5s over par.

LAURY LIVSEY: How about your birdie on No. 3?

STEPHEN AMES: I hit a driver, 8 iron about 30 feet, made that. My first long one for the week.

Q. Were you hitting it real close?

STEPHEN AMES: It's tough to hit it real close here, especially today with the wind the way it was blowing. The back nine, yeah, I'd say I hit it pretty close. I had some opportunities.

Q. Was there an eventful save at 15? You laughed when you said that.

STEPHEN AMES: 14, the par 3. It's such a good hole, 14. I hit it in the middle with an 8 iron, hit it 25, 30 feet. I had an opportunity, but it's a hard hole. If you make a birdie it's a bonus.

Q. When you looked at the leaderboard before the round today, did you have any idea that 7 under would have you in third place at the end of the day?

STEPHEN AMES: I thought it would move me up, not third place, no. Is that what it is now, third place? I get to lay in tomorrow.

Q. What do you think it's going to take tomorrow?

STEPHEN AMES: Hard to say. Ted's a newcomer to it. Has he won on the Nationwide Tour?

LAURY LIVSEY: Yes, a year ago.

STEPHEN AMES: Must be the stars lining up for him this week. It's hard to say with Ted, how he's going to come out with his nerves and stuff like that. And the next person is at 8 under. So it could be it could be 10 under, 10, 11 under could win.

Q. Did you know how well he was winning when you saw him?

STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, it was unbelievable. What was he 4 or 5 under after 9 holes? I think he got

Q. 6 under through 12.

STEPHEN AMES: That's good playing.

Q. When you see that somebody else is doing that, do you feed off that a little bit?

STEPHEN AMES: No. I was thinking about my own game, forget him. It's still the third day. We've got 18 holes still to go, and he's still got nine holes to play.

LAURY LIVSEY: We haven't had you in this week, can you talk about your season to this point.

STEPHEN AMES: Let's see, I played nine events. I've made 36th on the money list. It's been solid for me. I would say one of the biggest differences for me has been the fact the Nike driver has made a big difference in my game. If you look at the stats from a year, two years ago to what it is now, I think 9th total driving right now in the Tour. Driving accuracy has gone up almost 15 percent. It's made a massive difference.

Q. Did you change clubs?

STEPHEN AMES: From Callaway to Nike. This is my second year with them. Like everybody else, we all struggled with the Blue Head driver, and now we've got the Ignite.

Q. Did you change anything else?

STEPHEN AMES: No. I've gone from the dash TA long ball to the one ball and same clubs I've had.

Q. As far as instructors, nothing difference?

STEPHEN AMES: No, nothing's changed same, Dennis Sheehy.

Q. For those who don't know much about Ted's golf game, do you know much about it?

STEPHEN AMES: No, I don't, actually, no. I think it's the second year out here.

LAURY LIVSEY: I think it was '97 and went back to the Nationwide Tour.

STEPHEN AMES: It's probably the same year I came out. And then he went back and he's been back and forth to Asia and also Nationwide now.

Q. If something changes on the leaderboard and you happen to be second, will that make a difference, you being a little bit more experienced, playing in the last group with somebody who might be not experienced?

STEPHEN AMES: Why do you think I'm experienced?

Q. Been out here a little longer.

STEPHEN AMES: I'm still looking for my first win, too. That's going to be in my back of my mind. Yeah, I guess so. I think the only thing I'm probably going to be more experienced with is probably the fact that I hope I can say this now I've just come off two weeks leave, and I don't practice when I go home. So for me, when I came out here it was like if I play well, I'm happy, if I don't, I put it down to the fact that I had two weeks off. But I think I'll have to say I feel like I have more control of my golf swing. And that's something that I would go back to. Hopefully that will get me through.

Q. Is that typical for you, when you take some time off?

STEPHEN AMES: When you live in Calgary, yeah, it is. But, no, for my two weeks off we were in Maui, I still didn't play any golf there. It was a family vacation.

End of FastScripts.

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