CHRYSLER CLASSIC OF GREENSBORO

October 16, 2003

Stephen Ames

CHRIS REIMER: Stephen Ames, shot an 8-under 64, I believe you tied for 7th last year. Is there something special about this place, a reason you enjoy playing here?

STEPHEN AMES: I don't know, I guess it is. I enjoy Greensboro. I have a lot of friends here. It's a nice family gathering every night, just about. I've always enjoyed playing the golf course. Now that the golf course itself has changed quite a bit, which is nice, I think a lot of players will enjoy it in the future.

CHRIS REIMER: Did you have any feeling during your practice round this week that you were going to play well this week.

STEPHEN AMES: Coming from last week, for me, it was -- my ball-striking had elevated really well. I changed my driver from Nike to TaylorMade, and my putting was down, but I found something that's helped and I brought it into this week and it's continued. It was a big key for me this week.

Q. Somebody who has done well last year in the old configuration and then the new renovated course, what are the primary differences?

STEPHEN AMES: That's obvious. The greens are completely different. I think overall it's more player friendly, especially for the higher handicap players, the members. Design-wise, if you look at -- you've still got to shape your shots off the tee box, which I enjoyed in the past. And now with the greens the way they are, you still have the opportunity of shaping the shot into some of the greens, as well. So that way he still hasn't taken it out. It's fairer, flatter, more traditional, which I think the majority of the players prefer playing the traditional golf course, rather than the modernized golf course.

Q. Do you expect more of this over the weekend, scores like this?

STEPHEN AMES: Probably, yes, without a doubt. The course is young and the rough hasn't grown up. Maybe not quite as low as today, the 9-under and 8-under. They're going to put the pin on the edges.

Q. Is it so much easier standing on the tee with a driver knowing you're not going to get into deep rough?

STEPHEN AMES: Without a doubt.

Q. What happened over on 15?

STEPHEN AMES: I pulled it left on the second shot, and it was just short of the front edge on the left-hand side. I had about a 12-footer for birdie there, didn't make it.

Q. Did you go in the rough at all, and was there any problem?

STEPHEN AMES: No, I don't think I missed -- I think I missed one fairway, on 2, down the left-hand side.

Q. What was the strength of your game today and what normally is the strength of your game?

STEPHEN AMES: In the last couple of years, my driver has been my strength of my game. Today my driver and my putting were very strong.

Q. What was the longest putt you made?

STEPHEN AMES: I think it was probably 12 to 15 feet. It was on 10.

Q. Anything in particular you like about the changes that sticks out?

STEPHEN AMES: The greens, definitely the greens. It has a lot of false fronts and you have to carry everything up. It's like Augusta. I haven't played Augusta, but from what I've seen in the past, it has 8, 9-foot swells or false fronts that you have to carry the ball on the top, and from there it's difficult. And in that sense I like that also. More room to chip also. The short game is back in the game there.

Q. What's your opinion of the second green with the large swell?

STEPHEN AMES: A little severe, maybe. It might be a little severe. I think it might be a good green if it was evened out, more heights the same, with the swell in there evenly. But the swell in the back is bigger than the one in the front. If you raised the front to even it out, I think it would probably play just as nice, but we can now get up on there.

Q. How did you play that hole today?

STEPHEN AMES: I think I had a long drive there. I had a 3-iron in.

Q. And you hit the green?

STEPHEN AMES: I hit the green. It was in the front half of the green, so I had to go down and back up, and I left the first one about eight feet short and made that. It's tougher that way. I like it. It puts a lot more imagination and more fun in there to play the hole, different ways of playing it: A little 3-wood, run it up into the back or a low 2-iron running it there, rather than the typical high American ball flying it onto the green and stopping it, which is what the original hole was, from what I remember, fly it in there and have an opportunity for eagle. This way you can play three different shots to get there, more fun.

Q. You shoot more low rounds than the average guy. This is your 12th round of 66. What is that? Are you streaky or do you get on a roll?

STEPHEN AMES: The putter gets very streaky, unfortunately.

Q. Impression of the finish? Was that substantially harder than it has been?

STEPHEN AMES: 16 and 17. 18, not really. I hit a 3-wood, 7-iron there, and I'm not one of the long hitters there. That kind of gives you -- I'm sure he will look at it as the week goes on. He'll go in and do some changes for next year again. Design-wise, put the tee back further or something. But at the same time 13 has been moved back and we have a level second shot lie there, but at the same time the green has gotten tougher. You have to hit a fantastic second shot for your opportunity of making eagle or get it close to the hole.

So in that way, the incline of 18 is similar to 13, where you have to hit a good second shot to get it close. With the long hitters today and the way the ball is going, we're only coming in with wedges and 9-irons there. And it might be the time of the year. Normally there is a north wind blowing. It's normally into the wind. Compared to this year, we're later into the fall, we have the south wind behind us. That's probably why the hole is playing shorter.

CHRIS REIMER: Take us through your birdies.

STEPHEN AMES: First hole, went down into the trap on my drive, hit wedge to about six feet.

Second hole, driver, 3-iron to the middle half of the green, of the front part of the green, 2-putted.

5, I hit 3-wood, lob-wedge to about 12 feet.

7, 3-wood, lob-wedge, 5 feet.

9, I ended up in the bank on the left-hand side, so I chipped it up to about 121, hit it to about 5 feet and made that.

10, driver, little 6-iron to about is 15, 18 feet, made that.

11, driver, 9-iron, 8 feet.

14, I hit driver, 8-iron, about 8 feet again, 8, 10 feet. That's it. Eight birdies, no bogeys. I didn't make any long putts. For me what was good was when I went left on the third hole, I went left on my second shot, a mental mistake there, and I had to chip it through the swell back up, and then I made about a 10 or 12-foot putt there for par.

The hole after that, the par 3, I hit it left about 50 feet and left my first one about 10 feet short and made that. That kept me going, it really did. But the putter felt good before I went out, which was nice.

End of FastScripts.