BELLSOUTH CLASSIC

March 31, 2001

Chris DiMarco

CHRIS DiMARCO: I did. I played really solid yesterday. Yesterday, it was a tough day out there. It was really, really undulating, the greens, high spots. Got off to a good start. Birdied 10, that was good. Really good putt on 11. Lipped out. 12 I lipped out. 13, hit it about three feet, made birdie. 14, I played a good 2-putt for par. 15, I got a good up and down. Really, my only bad shot today, poor 6-iron right, chipped it up five meet feet, made it. Next hole, 7-iron into five feet, made that for birdie. Tough shot on 17. 5-iron about 15 feet, lipped out there. On 18, I hit driver, 3-wood on the green, about 40 feet away. Hard putt because I had to go over a slope. Had a good putt up there, three feet short, made that. Great par on 1. I hit it right down the middle. Then the wind started picking up. Plugged it in the bunker. Kind of got it out, short. Made about a 20-footer for par from off the green. That was kind of very nice. Parred 2. Parred 3. Parred 4. Hit a great shot on five. Flew it in the hole on 5. 6-iron from about 155. Flew in the hole, went up three feet, made that. Hit a wedge on 7 about four feet, made birdie there. Hit a really, really bad drive, came over the top on No. 9, pulled it left. Hit the cart path, went into some high, heavy stuff. Sand wedge out, five or six feet behind the hole, just lipped out for par. Pretty solid all day.

CHRIS DiMARCO: No. I mean, obviously I feel finally that I've gotten to the level, this will be my first full year playing all four majors, I'm geared up for that. I'm really glad that I'm playing good right now, for sure. I hope we play all of them tomorrow because I'm going to need -- I need all three days next week to get ready for that course. I've never been there, so I don't know anything about it. Yeah, obviously tomorrow is going to be a big day. A lot can happen tomorrow. Obviously, tomorrow comes before next week, for sure.

CHRIS DiMARCO: This is a really hard course, as it is, to walk. 36 holes, I'm going to be tired tomorrow night, I can promise you that (laughter). You know, we do US Open qualifiers every year, you do other stuff. You just know that by the end of the day, your legs are going to be a little tired and you're going to start losing some shots. For me, that's my norm. I just have to take that into account for tomorrow. Hopefully my adrenaline will be pumping.

CHRIS DiMARCO: No.

CHRIS DiMARCO: You know, I'm working on my (inaudible) putt like that, so it's nothing now for me. I lost my card in '95. The end of that year is when I started doing it. I started doing it in December of '95. It will be six years for me. For me, it just takes my right hand out. It just lets me stroke the putter. No matter the circumstance, whether I'm nervous, not nervous, just lets me stroke it. When I can stroke the ball, that's half of it for me. That's all of it. You're not going to make every putt. If you stroke it, at least you're going to give yourself a chance every time.

CHRIS DiMARCO: It was hard. I mean, it was hard. I knew I putted good with it, but it was hard obviously with my peers. I still get people when I walk off the green, they go, "What's he doing?" As long as I'm making putts, I've gotten over that. It was hard the first couple years, for sure. You know, when Calc is putting like me now. I remember, it was funny, I read an article last week, he saw me when I got back out in '98. "There's one grip I'll never go to." Sure enough, I think he's made about three million since he's putted like that. It really frees you up. A lot of guys try it on the putting green, "God, it doesn't feel that bad." Hardest part is getting over what you're going to hear about it.

CHRIS DiMARCO: No. I should be giving Skip a royalty. He showed me. It's working its way down. One of those pyramid things. Who knows in five years where everybody is going to be putting.

CHRIS DiMARCO: No, he doesn't. He just showed me. There was a rain delay somewhere. "I'm sick of it, I don't want to play anymore. The three-footers are just killing me." He said, "Try this." I looked at him, "You are crazy. What the heck is that?" Two days later I was playing, I had one of those putts I knew I wasn't going to make it. Lo and behold, it went in. Felt rejuvenated, felt reborn. Started all over again. It was great.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Yeah. I mean, I think it is. I really do. I played with Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazabal, played with Ernie the first two days. I've been kind of picking brains, asking questions, asking about certain places, getting good responses. Some people tell me not where to hit it, where to hit it. I feel like when I get out there, I'll know some places not to go, and to good. At least I'll have that. Won't be like the first time hitting to a green, "Where do I hit this?" I know there will be some spots you're not supposed to be. I'm hitting the ball really good. I'm hitting it at my target. My distance control is really good. I know that's what you need to do next week. Obviously, nerves are going to play a big part next week. Be pretty pumped up playing. You know, I'm excited. I really am. I'm trying to not look forward to next week, and concentrate on this week. But it's pretty hard not to do that.

CHRIS DiMARCO: That was just a mini tour event back in Florida, fall of '95, in the off-season.

CHRIS DiMARCO: I can tell you what. The greens, I was talking with Ernie, he said the greens here are almost more severe than they are there. The pin positions they've been in the last two days, if it rained, we could still play. I tell you, you're hitting a lot of putts from five or six feet that you're playing for the break. You know, they're fast, they're really fast.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Thanks, guys.