WGC NEC INVITATIONAL

August 24, 2002

Craig Parry

TODD BUDNICK: Welcome Craig Parry, 66 today. Five birdies and no bogeys, let's go through those first.

CRAIG PARRY: The first hole, I hit 2-iron off the tee, then I hit 8-iron into the green to about 15 foot.

The 9th hole hit a great 3-iron into about 4 foot behind the hole.

The 11th hole, hit 3-wood off the tee, hit 3-wood into the green to about 15 foot and 2-putted.

15, hit driver off the tee, pitching wedge to about 9 foot.

On 18, hit driver, 3-wood to about 45 feet, 2-putted. The first putt left about three foot short.

TODD BUDNICK: I know you mentioned earlier, Craig, that you felt like you've been playing well lately, just haven't been scoring, but certainly it's something you've done the last few days.

CRAIG PARRY: Yes, I thought as though I've been playing good for a while, and getting nothing out of my rounds. A lot of that was to do with not holing my putts. And the second round, I actually did hole some putts. And I missed quite a few, as well. I still had 6-under yesterday. But the first round, I played really well. Didn't get anything out of it. And today, I played really well. Didn't really put myself under too much pressure other than the 16th hole where I hit it through the back of the green with an 8-iron, and chipped down to about 4 foot and holed the putt.

But I've been playing well, and it's just finally going in the right direction. Under par instead of over par.

Q. You have missed the last four cuts, right?

CRAIG PARRY: Yeah, it's good to make a cut.

Q. Is there anything about your game that's changed mechanically or just a matter of more confidence?

CRAIG PARRY: Well, to be honest, I haven't changed anything in my game. I watched Rich Beem win last week on the PGA and I thought, he's actually getting up and trying to hit the shot he wants to hit and hitting it, and why can't I do that? And that's one of the things that stuck with me. The guy from -- the Tour rep. from Ben Hogan, Strata/Spalding, he walks nine holes with us occasionally, and he said I'm getting quick, trying to hit it too hard. His name is Jim Kern. He says, "Just get it on the green, try not to hit it so hard." I felt like I played pretty good at the PGA. Just a couple of holes got me, and I got frustrated with the golf course, and I know you can't do that with a major.

This is fairly similar to a major because of the rough that we've got out here. The flag placements are going to be difficult with the way the greens are, the undulations out there. So I've tried to actually hit the majority of the time into the middle of the green, and try to work it into the flag from the middle of the green, and it's worked so far.

Q. Could you talk a little bit more about what you saw Rich Beem doing that you weren't doing?

CRAIG PARRY: The shot he tried to play, he did play. And what I was doing was, I wasn't focused a hundred percent on the shot I wanted to play, be it over water or down through the fairway. A hole like 15, you have to get it up and rip it down the middle of the fairway. That's what I saw in Rich Beem, in his mannerisms and the way he was playing. I thought, "Why can't you do that?" I've played with Rich quite a few times this year. And he gave me a bit of confidence to go out and do it.

Q. You've won a ton of tournaments worldwide. How confounding or exasperating not to get on the Order of Merit, or does it matter?

CRAIG PARRY: Of course it matters. If it didn't matter that much, I'd play every week, rather than playing a limited schedule. I'm sure it's going to happen, it's just a matter of when. I've put myself in position before, and stumbled with other guys that have chipped in on me and played some freak shots. That's the way it goes. I'm just knocking on the door, again.

If the door Opens this time, great. If it doesn't, I'll be back another time. I'm sure it will.

Q. Just a matter of perseverance?

CRAIG PARRY: It's being in the right place at the right time, really.

Q. Can you look forward to tomorrow, Craig? We've got a bunch of guys that are all right there. What's it take tomorrow?

CRAIG PARRY: Well, low score -- I wasn't going to say that -- obviously, it's going to take patience with this golf course. For every bogey you have, you're going to have to come back with a birdie. And keep the bogeys off the score card and have a few birdies and you're going to have a chance to win.

Q. That's pretty much what you did today. Did you have any par saves? A lot of guys had birdies and they'd throw it right back. You were bogey-free, weren't you?

CRAIG PARRY: I actually hit lots of greens. I might have hit 16 greens today. It was quite a lot.

Q. Was there any one --

CRAIG PARRY: Just the one par on 16 that was my only -- sorry, I holed a putt on the 4th hole, my second putt from about six foot.

Q. That was it?

CRAIG PARRY: That was it.

Q. Those are good days.

CRAIG PARRY: I really kept the pressure off myself the whole day. And it was quite good.

Q. Somebody in the gallery following you today said that he was rooting for you, because --

CRAIG PARRY: Good.

Q. -- because you were one of us. In other words, you weren't --

CRAIG PARRY: You mean I'm normal? Not a flat belly?

Q. I'm wondering if you hear that a lot and if you think of yourself as just "every man" out there?

CRAIG PARRY: I get a lot of short people coming up and saying, "Good on you." I'm pretty normal. I play golf for a living, that's all.

Q. Fred Funk tomorrow, he's about your size, right?

CRAIG PARRY: Yeah. Freddie is good to play with. I've had a lot of games with Freddie over the years, like when he went over to Japan and played in practice rounds. It will be a bit of fun.

Q. I suppose you've played quite a bit with Allenby, or is there too much of an age gap?

CRAIG PARRY: He's a bit younger than I am, but we have played quite a bit. He's a hell of a player.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Craig.

End of FastScripts....