SEI PENNSYLVANIA CLASSIC

September 11, 2002

Chris DiMarco

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Chris DiMarco, the defending tournament course champion here.

Chris, the win here was pretty much a springboard for you in your career, I think, and why don't we talk about the feelings coming back to this event.

CHRIS DIMARCO: It was. It was really neat actually driving in last night, coming up the drive, seeing the 18th green, just remembering what I did there. There was a lot of nostalgia coming back. It was pretty awesome. Obviously you like to go back anywhere you've won. I have a lot of good memories. Today I played really good out there today. I really hadn't been playing spectacualar, maybe it was the course or something. I think I shot 3-under in that stuff out there. It was blowing pretty hard. So I am looking forward to tomorrow.

TODD BUDNICK: You're 16th on the money list, you've made 21 straight cuts, second longest on tour, let's talk a little bit about your game and coming into this week.

CHRIS DIMARCO: Certainly, obviously winning here the confidence to know you can win here gave me, and even though I haven't been playing as I did in the beginning of the year, which was a lot of top tens, my poor weeks were still top 25's, so it shows me I have become a lot better player. I'm not finishing 68th and stuff like that anymore, I'm getting up there, and my poor weeks I'm still finishing 25th or 30th or even in the top 20. So it's close.

I really made some good strides there. The PGA and NEC I just made too many double bogeys at those two tournaments. I have to limit my mistakes a little more and I'll be right back where I was earlier in the year.

Q. Any prevailing memory from 2 years ago that particularly stands out?

CHRIS DIMARCO: I remember once I tapped in, and my family running on the green giving me hugs, my kids and my wife, that was pretty.

Q. And the fact you had such a big lead, were you able to enjoy it more?

CHRIS DIMARCO: Without a doubt. Walking up 18, and being able to kind of soak everything in and not worrying about finishing business because it was pretty much done. It was cool, being able to look at everybody, and give them fist pumps and know that it was over. My other wins, I didn't have that luxury, so to do that the first time was pretty special.

Q. Chris, how well did you putt and how important is it going to be to whoever wins this week to putt well?

CHRIS DIMARCO: You know this morning the wind was blowing but the greens were still a little bit soft, a little moist, so the greens weren't that fast. As the day went on, the wind blew them and dried them out. They really got a lot quicker. So last year, starting out, until this morning last years were quicker but by the end of the round they were getting pretty close. I see with the wind blowing and this afternoon 40 all day, they are firming up a little bit. I know my iron shots early in the morning, my 6 and 7-iron were spinning back. Now they are releasomg 20 or 30 feet and that's what makes this course really tough. If you get the greens hard here the scores are going to be way higher than last year.

Q. Chris, is there something specifically about the layout that particular caters to one aspect of your game as to why you do well?

CHRIS DIMARCO: I kind of like the fact that you have to hit shots off the tees. Not necessarly bomb it ball. You got to hit certain shots. Hit some draws, hit some cuts, put the ball in play, and the greens are really tough. I am a really good field putter. I can see breaks. A lot of times it doesn't matter what you are doing. It doesn't matter what you're doing. You can't use your line. I have a line for my short putts mostly. Out here for long putts you really can't use it because your playing 8, 9, 10 feet of break sometimes. That's all feel and touch and just about everybody has it out here I fell that's a strong part of my game.

Q. Holes 9, 10 and 11 they played the 3 toughest last time out, is it tough having it right in a row and is there a different mindset that you have making the turn there?

CHRIS DIMARCO: All 3 of them if you put them in the fairway aren't that hard. Today I hit an 8-iron, I missed the 10. 7-iron on 11. The greens are what makes those holes really hard. You are just not going have a flat put on those greens. Obviously if you play those holes even par for the week you will be up there on Sunday.

Q. 2 years ago coming into here, did you sense you were close to getting that win?

CHRIS DIMARCO: You know it's funny, I played the Canadian Open and I played good and I missed the cut by a shot, and I was really PO'd coming in and I knew I was playing well there. I came here and played a couple of practice rounds and played solid, and I hung in there and had a great round on Saturday that propelled me into the lead. You know when I'm playing good and putting good. You know you can just draw off of that. You don't think about negative things when that stuff is going on. I knew I was hitting the driver straight. I knew I was making all of the putts. I was really looking forward to Sunday last year. And obviously it helped on Sunday making that eagle. I held in there good. It was nice to walk up 18 with 5 shots.

Q. Speaking of dispointments, have you gotten Saturday out of your mind from the Florida/Miami game?

CHRIS DIMARCO: No.

Q. Still bothering you?

CHRIS DIMARCO: No, that's not a 2 or 3 day forgetfulness for me unfortunately. Especially when you get drummed 41 to 16. But thanks for bringing it up.

Q. Chris, are you the kind of the guy that looks to see what other players are in the field, have you looked at this field?

CHRIS DIMARCO: I haven't even looked at the field. Everybody that's out here can win a tournament. You are seeing it. I don't know how many first time winners we have.

TODD BUDNICK: 13.

CHRIS DIMARCO: There are guys that are going to win tournaments that will be winning in the next year and a half. I don't think that it diminishes the tournament at all. Like where I was 2 years go, I never won a tournament and now I won a couple of more since then, and kind of elevated my game and used that as a stepping stone.

Even John Rollins winning last week, he had a solid year all year. Nobody will say that about him, but the guy almost won a million dollars up until then. So you got to learn. You are not going to just come on out and win.

Charles Howell and these guys, they are feeling the pressure to win. You're not going to go get right up there the first or second time. You got to learn how to win out here.

Q. Chris, if the tournament doesn't come back here for the future because you won on this course?

CHRIS DIMARCO: I would love to see it come back. It's a great venue. Everybody that play here agrees with that. I kind of like the fact we go one here, one back. Laurel Valley is a great golf course. Obviously, I prefer this one. I would like to see it stay here. I know that the tournament sites are trying to get one particular venue so they can kind of do it that way but hopefully they will stay here.

Q. Chris, last year, you guys played right after the 11th and this year one with the tributes and the flags and all, is that something you can (inaudible)?

CHRIS DIMARCO: They did that moment of silence at 8:45, and I was on the tee at 8:50. I was there during that moment of silence. That's what life is about, that kind of stuff. I think every year you see 9/11, we are probably going to make it a holiday. I think we should as a country recognize it every year, like July 4th. I think it was a year that united the country. It made us a lot stronger country, I think, by doing that. Everybody kind of got behind each other.

Q. Chris, do you think you can find yourself after your round tomorrow comparing that to your first Round 2 years ago in the back of your mind, saying I shot this that time?

CHRIS DIMARCO: If it blows like this tomorrow, then that's out the window. If it's nice out tomorrow, you know, certainly who knows, last year at Flint I shot 24 under and lost by 2 and this year 17-under. So you never know. It's all conditions. If the greens are firm up and get faster, it's going to be really really tough out there. And they are firming up.

TODD BUDNICK: Anybody else? All right. Thank you.

Q. Where are you going to watch the Tennessee game next week?

CHRIS DIMARCO: I'm going to be in Ireland.

Q. How will you pull that out?

CHRIS DIMARCO: We'll have a direct feed from ABC for us.

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