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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2005

Chris DiMarco

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

BILLY MORRIS: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We're delighted to have Chris DiMarco with us, current recently leading the tournament, 13-under. Had a very fine 69 today.

Let's begin with questions.

Q. Do you still need to keep attacking with a four-shot cushion from this position?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Well, yeah, especially with Tiger behind me, no doubt.

Again, I'm going to go out and have fun tomorrow. I'm hitting the ball really good. I'm putting really good. This course, if you stay patient on it, you're going to have birdie opportunities, and that's what I'm going to try to do.

Q. Is it any different, do you think, sleeping on a lead overnight Saturday to Sunday with 18 holes to go or with 27 holes to go?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Well, I mean, the good thing about tomorrow is I'll get a good feel for how I'm doing, early. You know, I'll get to play the back nine. I'll get a feel of the greens of the day, it will kind of break my morning up. I won't have to sit around all morning like I did last year and wait for seven hours to play.

So it will be a good thing from that aspect. You know, any time you've got a lead, I'm happy with a lead any time I've got a lead.

Q. Speaking of last year, was that the toughest part for you last year, waiting all that time to play?

CHRIS DiMARCO: It was tough. I'm certainly a Type A personality, so it was tough for me to just sit around and wait for -- I was up at 8:00 and I didn't tee off until 3:00. That's a long time to wait seven hours.

You know, it's going to be fun. That's the one thing about it. It's going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it. I've got a lot of great players behind me that are trying to win, too. I'm going to have to keep the foot on the accelerator for sure.

Q. Would you rather be paired with Tiger tomorrow so you can keep an immediate eye on him, or how do you feel about that?

CHRIS DiMARCO: It doesn't really matter, to tell you the truth. It all depends. He's going to shoot his numbers whether it's in front of me or whether it's with me, it doesn't matter. If I just worry about my own game, it really doesn't matter.

Q. Is there any sense of dread at seeing the move that Tiger's making today or are you simply in a position to relish?

CHRIS DiMARCO: No, I'm fine. I think, you know, he shot 32 on the front; is that right? 31? 31. You expect that, don't you? I mean, you've got to expect that.

So if I shoot 36, I'm only one shot up, and I went out and shot 33, so I played a good nine myself. If I go around and make a few birdies on the back, we'll be fine.

Q. You've talked about it before, just what you learned the last year here on Sunday and what you learned at Whistling Straits on Sunday?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Well, I learned -- I watched how it was done. I watched how it was to win. If anybody had sat back and had the best seat in the house, it was me. Did I enjoy watching them win? As a friend, yes. As a competitor, heck no. I wanted to do it.

So I sat and I watched. And you know when he did? He had fun. That's what he did. I don't know whether he was laughing, he was getting pumped up, he was getting the people involved, and he was also playing some really good golf and he was being very aggressive, and that's what you have to do.

Going out and trying to hold onto a lead isn't going to do it. Go out and step on it. That's what Ernie did last year, that's why he almost won and that's why Phil won on the back nine. That's what you have to do around here. If you look in the years past, '80s and '90s, you watch the guys who won, they won on the back. Somebody came from behind to win the tournament, or if they were ahead, they shot a good number on the back nine.

Q. Did that surprise you to learn that?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Did it surprise me?

Q. Having gone through it, did it surprise you to figure it out?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Well, last year I think they set the pins up better. I think they put them in a better place more accessible for that, and that was good. I think you'll see that tomorrow, too.

Q. You've got a great par streak going; you saved one on 6. Were there any other great saves that you made that kept the streak alive?

CHRIS DiMARCO: You know, I made a bunch of good, 5-, 6-, 7-footers for par all day today and that's what you have to do around here. Putting is the key around here, putting yourself not in a bad spot. I knew the bunker on 4 today was better than the right bunker so I went right at the pin and I pulled it a hair, but I had a pretty easy bunker shot.

5, I really did not want to putt below the hill and I was aggressive with my second shot and knew if I got in the back bunker, I would have a 6- or 7-footer for par, which is what I did. You have to pick and choose your spots. I had a poor drive there, so I had to figure it out. It was going to be a hard shot to get it on the green. I just had to figure out where I wanted to get it down from.

Q. Even when you got in trouble, you never seemed too bothered. Are you as comfortable as you appear to be out there?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Well, I'm certainly nervous out there. I don't think anybody who would be in that position is. I'm sure Tiger is even a little nervous himself.

It's just part of the game. That's what we strive for. That's what you want. The feeling that you have out there is what you want. That's what we are all striving for, to be in that position and have the adrenaline going and see how you react. That is what, as competitors and professionals, that's what we look for.

BILLY MORRIS: Chris DiMarco, congratulations and good luck for you tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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