VERIZON BYRON NELSON CLASSIC

May 8, 2002

Robert Damron

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: I'd like to welcome defending champion Robert Damron to the Verizon Byron Nelson Classic Media Center. Thanks for coming in for a couple of minutes.

Start a little bit with coming back to Dallas to defend your first PGA TOUR title, talk a little bit about your expectations to the week.

ROBERT DAMRON: It has been fun coming back. A lot more responsibilities than I am accustomed to. As far as having to stay here with you guys, and champions dinner last night, and those type of things, but it's a lot of fun. I would like to do it more often.

I don't know about my expectation this week. I haven't been playing very well but I haven't been playing very well coming to this tournament last year, so just wait and see.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Questions.

Q. How did you feel last year coming in here?

ROBERT DAMRON: I was actually -- was playing -- let me start again. I was shooting bad. I wasn't playing bad. I was shooting not good scores. And I kept telling my caddie and stuff, I am playing -- I feel like I am playing good. Something good is going to happen. So I actually, I mean, I didn't know it was going to happen this week, but I knew something was going to kick in at some point. I was just hitting it too good for it not to be.

Q. Your game right now, what is going on with it?

ROBERT DAMRON: Obviously it's not real good. Everything seems okay. I don't seem to be hitting it really bad or putting bad. I am putting good actually. Just making mistakes, you know, turning halfway decent shots into mistakes, and turning mistakes into doubles instead of getting myself out of trouble.

Q. Obviously you weren't intimidated last year knowing how you came in playing, 7 of the top 8 players in the world are here for this tournament. How do you approach it this year knowing that kind of field is here?

ROBERT DAMRON: Well, I mean, it is about the same kind of field that was here last year - I am sure pretty close to that last year. I don't care about those guys, whether they are here or not. Honestly, the good thing about it is, say, last year after I won, my grand kids get to see the list of people I beat instead of a tournament that's not as strong and you beat some lesser named players, you know, some of the guys tied for third with three former No. 1s in the world, Tiger, Duval and Price last year, so it makes it a little sweeter to win a tournament like that. But as far as this year, I have got no control over what they do. I just try take care of myself and add it up when it is done.

Q. You mentioned the wind when you were walking in, is there anything about the two courses here that suits your game in any way?

ROBERT DAMRON: I don't know. There's a new course on Tour that I seem to play well and I really don't know why. I think everybody is that way. They have got places they like. I would think that a course with a lot of par 5s or more accessible par 5s would suit me. But this one doesn't have many. Neither courses are -- I think they both have two par 5s apiece. So I don't know. Seems -- I seem to feel like I see the line on the greens well. If I read it to do one thing, it seems to do that more times than not here; whereas other places, who knows.

Q. This is the first week this week that you have shown up as the defending champion. What is different about that feeling?

ROBERT DAMRON: You know, I don't know. It is pretty much the same. I am positive that tomorrow when I tee off it is going to be business as usual. I would like to be a little more -- feel like I am a little more on top of my game coming in. I feel like I have got a strong chance of doing this again. Obviously I have recent memories of doing good things here. I am not positive my game is good enough today to feed off that to turn it into a great tournament. Maybe it will.

Q. Enjoying the moment of driving into your parking spot with your name on it; how was that?

ROBERT DAMRON: That's pretty cool. I don't have to walk so far from the parking lot which I like a lot. You know, it's nice, but when you first get on Tour you expect to win tournaments. I did. I expect -- to be honest, but this is my 6th year I have expected to win more. So I am not in awe of it, I don't think: Wow, this is unbelievable. Sure, in a way it is a dream come true, but also it's part of being out here.

Q. Do you have any good champions dinners stories to tell us?

ROBERT DAMRON: No. I think that all kind of stays in there. But it was pretty tame. Just we sat around and had a nice talks, no speeches, nothing like that. Just sat at a big table, and had a nice dinner, and just chatted. When Mr. Nelson spoke up, everyone kind of stopped what they were doing, and listened to him.

Q. When we talked to you last year after you won we were asking you and you were talking about how you were hoping that win would propel you a little bit to that level. How disappointed are you in yourself in the last year?

ROBERT DAMRON: Extremely. I mean, it is hard to say, but it's something that weighs on you or weighs on me about everyday. Geez, I don't know, you know, I know it wasn't a fluke last year. I know I could play like that. I have done it many times, whether it be at home or you know, whatever. So my expectations went up, but you know, golf is a game that you don't really have a lot of control over. It seems like things happen, you play bad or you play good and then just come out -- they just come out of no where and you have just got to ride the wave where it takes you, and try and stay patient and work hard, and keep your fingers crossed.

Q. Any thought of the good feeling coming back to you this week and that might get you going a little bit?

ROBERT DAMRON: I think so. I think so. If it doesn't, nothing will (laughs), but I think that you know, just going through the practice round yesterday, the day before a lot of good memories. I hit it really nice in the practice round yesterday, again, even though the course is a little different, some of the greens are a little different, the putts seem to be kind of going where I thought they were going to go. I saw the line pretty well, so who knows, maybe good things will happen again.

Q. The greens, were they the biggest change that you have noticed?

ROBERT DAMRON: Bunkering seem to be different. The greens are a little more subtle than the bunkers. The bunkers are a little bigger difference on the TPC course.

Q. How does that affect anything?

ROBERT DAMRON: It doesn't. Try to keep out of them before; I will just try to keep it out of them again. There's a few more of them, but it doesn't really change the layout of the course at all. It is nothing drastic.

Q. How is your health? Didn't you have neck problems last year?

ROBERT DAMRON: I had a bulging disc in my neck in the last year which I don't know what I did there, but it kind of had me, not paralyzed but there were motions that I could not make without my knees buckling. It was strange. So I had to withdraw from Callaway Gardens last year and then unfortunately came the end of the year I couldn't touch a club for eight weeks waiting for that to heal up, and everything. But it's pretty much is back to normal. 99%.

Q. When the Tour goes to like a Bethpage for the U.S. Open, Hazeltine courses that you guys haven't seen, does that favor any type of player, maybe a guy that has got a rapport with his caddie or a good preparer, what do you think --

ROBERT DAMRON: The majors, it seems like it doesn't really matter which course they go to. I think just the pressure, the fact that it is U.S. Open or British Open or it's the PGA, that kind of separates the men from the boys a little bit. I think if it were the U.S. Open and it were set up on the easiest course in the world you are still going to see the top players at the top and the other guys in the middle of the pack. I think just the fact that you know, you want to win that U.S. Open trophy or the British Open trophy so bad there's guys that step up in that and there's guys that kind of fall away. The course setup doesn't make a whole lot of difference, I don't think. It just keeps the numbers down. Keeps the scores from going out of control.

Q. Since winning the tournament with his name on it, what kind of relationship have you been able to cultivate with Mr. Nelson over the last year?

ROBERT DAMRON: Well, I haven't seen him that much. I saw him at the PGA and the U.S. Open. Really nice guy. I mean, I live in Orlando and he lives in Texas so we don't run into each other much but there were a couple of letters, and you know, when you see -- when I saw him this week it seems like you have known him forever. He's a really, really nice guy.

Q. When you win this tournament do you feel like one of his boys?

ROBERT DAMRON: I think he feels like I am one of them.

Q. You talked about that moment when he gave you the trophy last year. How much do you reflect on that when you are practicing, since then, and maybe going through a few struggles? Do you keep that fresh in your mind?

ROBERT DAMRON: I do on some of the shots and putts I make, honestly what happened immediately after went so fast that it is kind of fuzzy memories. It is odd. They pull you here and then you do the trophy presentation; then you come in here and talk to you guys then you go and talk to the Salesmanship Club. Before I knew it I was sitting in the back of my hotel room, well, it is done now, going to Colonial next week and things really haven't changed. I would like to have a chance to go back and soak it up a little bit more and you know, kind of see the sites instead of the way it happened last year. I do kind of feed off or try to, some of the shots I hit. I know that when I do get in contention again that I will definitely feed off that. It is hard to be over par and then say, oh, boy, I can hit this shot because I did it. It is going to be more of a benefit when I get back in contention.

Q. How concerned are you about your game right now?

ROBERT DAMRON: Not really. I am fortunate enough to have gotten a two-year exemption from last year's, so I am pretty much freewheeling this year. Maybe I need that kind of pressure on me. Maybe that's why I perform better in the past years. But you know, I understand what goes on in golf. I am still working hard. I feel good. Just have to ride it out and wait. But things always seem to work out for the best.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you very much.

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