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MERCEDES-BENZ CHAMPIONSHIP

January 4, 2007

Stephen Ames

KAPALUA, HAWAII

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks for joining us here at the Mercedes-Benz Championship, a nice round today, 4-under 69. You're a member of this field as a winner of THE PLAYERS Championship, so coming off a very good season last year, and off to a great start today. Maybe some opening comments.
STEPHEN AMES: Boy, was it windy. (Laughter).
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Haven't heard that yet today.
STEPHEN AMES: Today was just patience, get it around, and when the opportunity came up, you're going to hit some bad shots and make some bogeys somewhere. That basically was my mind-set going out today.
I didn't expect anything. I didn't particularly play any particular way. I tried to keep my thoughts to a minimum and just played golf and played the shot and that was basically how I played today.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Just one bogey, eliminate your mistakes, just that bogey on the par 3, 8th hole.
STEPHEN AMES: That was it, gust of wind hit it, fell short in the bunker.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Finished up strong, three birdies.
STEPHEN AMES: I was actually standing up on 18 going, you know, I haven't birdied a hole. I haven't birdied a par 5 for the day, so I birdied the last hole and that was nice.

Q. Worst wind you've played since?
STEPHEN AMES: Probably since 2003 British Open. That was strong. That was the third day when the whole field was lopsided --

Q. Muirfield, wasn't it, 2002?
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, I thought it was 2003. Okay. Yeah, that was the worst I've played in a while. It was windy.

Q. 35, 40 today?
STEPHEN AMES: Easily, times 50.

Q. Did you enjoy it?
STEPHEN AMES: I did, yeah. (Smiling).

Q. Why?
STEPHEN AMES: You've got to play 5-irons from 150 yards, that's great. How often do you get to do that? (Laughter).

Q. Every day.
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, sorry. (Laughter).

Q. Where did you do that? Did you do that on a specific hole out here?
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, 13, I had 152 to the hole and ripped a 5-iron.

Q. Your off-season, last year, you didn't play a lot in the winter and you came out; this time, you came out right out.
STEPHEN AMES: Well, after the Canadian Open, withdrawing there, I took another three weeks off; and then going to the U.K., withdrawing there because of my back; and then taking another two months before I played the Skins Game, which was my first outing, I've had quite a bit of time off.
I haven't played a full round of golf from August until November -- I don't know when the Skins Game was, the 25th, 26th, Thanksgiving. So I've had quite a bit of time off, yes.

Q. And since then?
STEPHEN AMES: I played the World Cup in Barbados, and then one round prior to starting this round, two rounds, practise rounds and the Pro-Am.

Q. So you're sharp?
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, yeah, real sharp. (Laughing) Sharp maybe this way, lots of Mai Thais (arm lifting).
The last time we were here, basically felt the same way I have now. Golf kind of gets in the way. It's a wonderful vacation; my whole family is here. We spent Christmas here. We've obviously enjoyed it, so much so that my wife has enjoyed it so much that she's taken the kids out of school next week and we're going to Sony.
So we're going to be here for almost a month, which is great. How often do you get to do that, especially when you live in Calgary.

Q. Looking at the roster, are you surprised at how you played today?
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, yeah, definitely, especially in this weather. I thought my swing would break down a bit, which it didn't, which was nice.

Q. That what was the flipside of the 5-iron from 152?
STEPHEN AMES: Sand wedge, 135, yeah.

Q. Do you touch a club in Calgary in the off-season at all? Guys go home and work on their games, do you?
STEPHEN AMES: No, swing a speed stick maybe, maybe a club in the mirror, that's about it.

Q. What do you do up there?
STEPHEN AMES: Just look at the swing positions.

Q. No, when you're not even looking at the swing position, like what's your day consumed with up there?
STEPHEN AMES: Dropping the kids off to school, getting them ready for school at 8:00. From there, it's go to the gym, work out for a couple of hours, come home, go to a couple of restaurants. I own a couple of restaurants at home; my friends call it my hobby.

Q. You're an owner?
STEPHEN AMES: Part owner.

Q. What are they?
STEPHEN AMES: One is a chop house and the other is Rustic Grille, family restaurant.

Q. How long have you had those?
STEPHEN AMES: The chop house has been three years, and the Rustic Grille opened up six, eight months ago.

Q. Good media rates there?
STEPHEN AMES: Very good.

Q. What's the name of the chop house?
STEPHEN AMES: Vintage.

Q. So what made you get interested in restaurants?
STEPHEN AMES: Something to do. I enjoy restaurants. I enjoy good food. Don't you?

Q. Yeah.
STEPHEN AMES: You eat around the world.

Q. But they say it's hard to make money in restaurants.
STEPHEN AMES: And a lot of it is due to the fact of management. If the guy who is running it for you is not involved financially, yeah, it wouldn't make money. If the guy who is running your restaurants has got a chunk of it himself in there, he's basically doing all the work for us.
So he's using me as a media tool, also. So I do a lot of promotional stuff in the restaurants and stuff, so that's how the restaurant does well. It's paid itself off in three years.

Q. The Vintage?
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah.

Q. When your friends say, what is your hobby, going to restaurants, eating at restaurant?
STEPHEN AMES: Being entertained in restaurants, being in Calgary. It's home; everybody knows who I am. So you get to socialize, have a couple of drinks with friends, stuff like that. It's fine. You learn a lot, the good wines and stuff, so when you go out, you know which wines to pick and stuff like that. It's just a learning experience in life, I guess.
Is it Mai Thai time? (Laughter).

Q. Are you fully healthy now?
STEPHEN AMES: Probably about 98 percent now.

Q. Today?
STEPHEN AMES: Really good. Yeah, today. We'll see tomorrow. No, it's been good. It's been very good. The back has not been bothering me so much. I've changed a few things so that's taken a big strain off of it in that sense. That's swing technique-wise, I've had to change that.

Q. Have you thought about your schedule, early part of the year, anyway?
STEPHEN AMES: I have, yeah. Hawaii, Hawaii, two weeks off, Phoenix, L.A. and Tucson. Big fan of the West Coast.

Q. That was the whole thing at The Match Play last year, you were saying after your match with Tiger, you were saying you never play well out here.
STEPHEN AMES: No. Well, look at the events that I'm picking, notice that all of them except L.A. have sun. That's it.

Q. How much do your friends bust your chops after that, whatever it was, 8 & 7, whatever it was?
STEPHEN AMES: 9 & 8. No. I got busted -- somebody busted me, I think it was the PGA.

Q. I mean, good friends.
STEPHEN AMES: No way.

Q. Who got you at the PGA?
STEPHEN AMES: Some guy, some kid. I forget who I was playing with, I can't remember who it was I was playing with. Might have been Chris Couch.

Q. One of your playing partners?
STEPHEN AMES: No, it wasn't a playing partner; it was Joe Bloke, just watching, it got him kicked out.

Q. But that's different than one of your friends?
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, the friends, no. My dad. (Laughter). He had a little comment, I can't remember what it was, but he did. And it was in the club with all of the other friends at home in Trinidad.

Q. I've never seen you red-eye faced before, so it must be good.
STEPHEN AMES: It was pretty good actually. I was killing myself laughing. It was a good one. I can't remember what it was. I've got to call him now and find out what it was.

Q. How about Tiger, any interaction with him after that?
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, normal, hi, how are you, that's it. Same as everybody else I guess.

Q. You can just kind of mention Shaun Micheel to him, first round at Wentworth.
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, what did he win, 2 & 1, 3 & 2, something like that.

Q. But I think he was 4- or 5-up through 18.
STEPHEN AMES: It does happen. It does happen. Match play, you know.

Q. At La Costa.
STEPHEN AMES: Fun event.

Q. Do you look forward to going to Tucson?
STEPHEN AMES: Very much so, rather than playing in Carlsbad again, or wherever it is we play. Great golf course, great event. (Laughter) How many times has it rained there? It's been under water all the time. Very unfortunate.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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