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THE INTERNATIONAL


August 7, 2004


Chris DiMarco


CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO

TODD BUDNICK: Welcome Chris DiMarco, tied Crestor Charity Challenge winner for this week. Chris, they're going to donate $50,000 to the University of Colorado Hospital on behalf of the tournament and you're allowed to donate $25,000 to the healthcare charity of your choice.

CHRIS DiMARCO: That's nice.

Q. Let's talk a little bit about today. I know you're very disappointed.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Yes. For all the good bounces I got and the good swings I put on the ball out there today. I drove it okay. But I hit some poor irons. 4 and 5, I was lucky, believe it or not, not to make a couple of doubles out there. I made a couple of good 10 footers for bogeys on 4 and 15, and then hit it in the water on 9 and was able to make bogey there too. It could have been worse.

Then obviously because I played so well the first two days, I had a little cushion, so I'm still where I want to be, tied for the lead. And hopefully all this is out of me and we'll go do some good tomorrow.

TODD BUDNICK: How do you regroup after that?

CHRIS DiMARCO: You know, you just try to remember the good shots. I hit the ball really good on the back nine. I missed one fairway and hit a lot of greens. It looked like I was going to make the putt on 10 and one other hole on the back nine that didn't go in. 13, I think it was, so those two putts were going in yesterday and they didn't go in today, and if those two putts go in I end up being +6 on the back side and it wouldn't have been terrible, or +5 on the back side.

And obviously I didn't like missing the putt on the last hole, but that hole was on such a slope and I really took it for granted. I played it right center and hit a solid putt that just snapped and it lipped out. Obviously not the way I like to finish, but I know I'm putting good. It's not going to affect me in any way. I made a lot of good putts out there to save my round today. The putting kept me in it today.

Q. It looks like you actually saved a little disaster on both 8 and 9.

CHRIS DiMARCO: I did. Obviously 8, that was the only one I'd like to have back. I'd like to go back to the fairway there and lay up to a good yardage. My L wedge and sand wedge play have been good this week, and at that point I was only, I think, minus one for the day. So I mean, lay it up and put it on the green and give yourself a chance for a birdie. Then I'm +1 and have a better mindset going to the 9th tee. I made a poor shot and made a bogey.

Q. You pulled it back together after that?

CHRIS DiMARCO: I did. 10 is not my favorite hole in the world, and to be able to hit a good drive and 8 iron on the green and be able to almost make birdie is nice, and obviously making the birdie on 14 helped. And then I made a great bogey on 15. I hit it in the water right and dropped and made a good 10 footer for bogey, which is like a birdie at that point.

Q. What was your club and yardage on 8? And did you consider not trying to hack it out of the trees?

CHRIS DiMARCO: No. I mean at that point, I had 233 yards to the hole, but we subtracted 23, so I only had 210, and I tried to cut a 2 iron but I hit it thin and right and once it was in there I had a backswing and my only play really was to at that point I played a provisional for a lost ball, and since I found it, if I was going to take an unplayable I would have had to go all the way back. I had an opening and I thought I could get it back so I could get on the green with an L wedge, and if I had to go back it would be a 2 iron. I hit an L wedge in there to 15, 18 feet behind the hole.

My theory on this course and in this format is bogeys are not terrible. Bogeys will not kill you. Doubles really kill you. Minus 3 points are killers, and I've been fortunate to where I stayed away from them all this week. To make eight bogeys today and not throw a double bogey in there is pretty good. My shit stayed afloat today, still being in the lead. I've got a lot of good memories about this course. I'm going to go out a little more relaxed tomorrow, I think.

I think I was a little anxious today, having that big of a lead. I've never sat on anything that big and I didn't know how to react to it. I think I was a little overly nervous about it and it showed and I didn't play well, so tomorrow it will not be like that. I'm going to come out with a lot more confidence and play well tomorrow.

Q. How much scoreboard watching did you do today, and were you aware of the fact that so many people were within 7 or 8 points of each other?

CHRIS DiMARCO: It made it a good tournament, huh? Well, I watched it all day, and that's what was keeping my head up. I kept telling my caddie, we keep making bogeys but we're still leading, a couple birdies here and there, who knows.

Again, I'm sitting at the top of the board still and if you would have told me that before my round on Thursday I would have taken it. Thursday, Friday were two rounds where when it's going your way, it's going your way. And today was a round when it's not going your way, it's not going your way. Usually when you have two days it carries on through the week. It didn't happen today, but hopefully it will tomorrow.

Q. There are 15 people within 9 points going into tomorrow. Do you look for anyone in particular or do you play

CHRIS DiMARCO: I'm going to play my game tomorrow. I know if I go out and make five or six birdies and play consistent like I did the first day, being in the lead, that guys from the back are going to have to shoot a really low number. You can get them early. The birdies are there early. There are a lot of birdie holes to give yourself chances. I'm going to play aggressively tomorrow and I'm going to shoot at some pins and I'm going to try to make a lot of birdies.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's go through your card.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Hit driver and 5 iron and L wedge to about 6 feet, made it for birdie on the first hole.

3, I hit it right into the trees, chipped it up to about 8 feet short, missed it.

4, in the bunker, left it in the bunker, got it out to about 6, 7 feet and made that for bogey.

5, I hit a terrible 5 iron second shot left, and at that point I knew if I wanted the pin I could have hit it down into the bunker. I 2 putted for bogey.

8, I hit the drive down the middle, chipped on, 2 putted.

9, I hit it in the water off the tee, 6 iron in there to about, I don't know, 20 feet left of the hole and made a good 2 putt there. There was a lot of break.

12, chipped right in the rough, bad lie in the rough and hit it short of the green, actually left it short of the green after that and was able to put it up to 2 feet and made that for bogey.

14, I hit driver and 3 iron and an L wedge to 3 feet, made that for birdie.

15, I hit driver, 3 wood, and sand wedge, hit it on the green and it spun in the water and was able to get up and down for bogey, 10 footer for bogey.

16, 6 iron on the green, and 2 putted. I had about a 60 footer and putted up to a foot and a half.

18, driver right down the middle, 9 iron that came up short, good putt to about three feet short and misread it, played a little left break, and caught the left center and it spun out.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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