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THE BARCLAYS

August 21, 2007

Woody Austin

HARRISON, NEW YORK

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Woody Austin, thanks for joining us here prior to the first round of The Barclays, the first event of the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. Fresh off a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship and you earned a spot on the Presidents Cup team. Maybe some comments about the last couple of weeks and playing in the FedExCup and the Playoffs.
WOODY AUSTIN: Obviously the PGA was a great week. Reflection-wise, obviously finishing second first time in a major for me was great. Competitive side, obviously I wanted to win; that was the reason I was there.
The Presidents Cup is the best thing that came out of it. I've always wanted to be on one of those teams, so that's the highlight of that week is the fact that I made the Presidents Cup and I can't wait to get into that format and be on the team, because that's what I did growing up is I was so team-oriented, I played so many team sports growing up. I missed that team aspect. This will be a lot of fun.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Entering the Playoffs, this is your 12th straight year playing in The Barclays and a little different at the end of the year.
WOODY AUSTIN: Yeah, you have a lot more people talking about this event. I haven't been out on the golf course obviously because of all this (rain), so I haven't seen the golf course. I don't think it's changed or anything. There's definitely a difference of electricity or talk. Maybe it's nice for people to talk about this event, as opposed to who is playing this event. It's all about it's the first event and all of the players that are playing understand that it's supposed to be the best field this tournament has ever had. So all in all, it's all good.

Q. What's been the reaction from fans since the PGA? Have more people recognized you or have your friends said anything?
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I always hear from my friend when I play good. So, you know, everybody was very excited. Everybody was real happy with the way I played and performed. I had a lot of people say that not only was the golf fun but they loved all of my interviews. (Laughter).

Q. What do you think the difference will be playing here in August, as opposed to in June when this event was held the last few years?
WOODY AUSTIN: Obviously not as hot and the rain still comes down in August as is it t does in June. It seems like it rains here every year, doesn't it.

Q. You sometimes hear players say their first time in contention in a major, it feels different from being in contention than a regular event and they get almost addicted to and it can't wait to the next time. Can you talk about being in contention in a major?
WOODY AUSTIN: That's a good question. I honestly don't -- I honestly couldn't tell if you there was at the time, if there was really any heightened difference. You know, they talk about being in the zone and whatever I was on Sunday in Memphis, so from that standpoint, it seemed more on cruise control. It seemed a lot easier. Whereas, at the PGA, I was still the whole day, I was behind.
So the whole day, I was trying -- I was grinding harder, I was trying harder. I was never on top. So I was always trying to get somewhere so that even show it was a great day, it was exciting and whatever, I never got to -- I was never in any kind of cruise mode like things were going smoothly, but the excitement of it all makes you want to get back there.

Q. When you talk about the Playoffs, and we're used to Playoffs and everybody plays it and it whittles down, with Tiger not here, what's your reaction to him not being here, just in general and in terms of what it does or doesn't do to the tournament.
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I guess it does the same thing as if he was never played here before. Maybe he just decided it's not a good golf course, I don't know. If you want to look at it from a Playoffs' standpoint, maybe he figured he had a first-round bye.

Q. Do you think it takes anything away from the player with the No. 1 player in the world not being here, especially with the first event in this Playoff series?
WOODY AUSTIN: No, because you still have the best field you've ever had. One person can't make the tournament. Would he enhance the tournament? Sure, because he's the best player in the world. But one person doesn't make the golf tournament.
The people, the tournament itself, the way it's run, that's what makes the tournament. So he can only enhance it, but he can't make the golf tournament. If that was the case, then the other, what, 30 tournaments that he doesn't play, would not be around, would they.

Q. How do you feel about the grind of four straight weeks and then with the Presidents Cup, five out of six weeks?
WOODY AUSTIN: Obviously when the Presidents Cup comes or at the end of this FedExCup, I'm going to be tired. Four weeks in a row is a grind for anything.
But I think the fact that we're looking forward to it, the excitement of it, the anticipation. If you can't get yourself hyped up, if you can't get yourself ready, then you shouldn't be playing. I mean, it should be pretty simple to get yourself fired up to win something for the first time it's ever been around. It's the first time we've ever had this.
So it could be, you know, be perfect for someone like me, I'm just a journeyman guy, I've been around for a long time, but I've never done anything spectacular or whatever. But if I was to go on and win, nobody can take that away. I'm the first one. So if you can't get fired up for that or excited for that, then maybe look for something else to do.

Q. Just curious with regard to some of your press conferences at the PGA, what were some of the comments you heard from friends and people around?
WOODY AUSTIN: I just think everybody finally understands -- you know, I mean, the common public, I think everybody gets what I'm trying to say. It's hard to get you guys in the media to look at things on an even keel. It's such a double standard. I think they finally -- or at least my word, or they heard me and at least got out there that it is such a double standard, and it was nice they finally got to hear it, as opposed to being ridiculed about it I guess.

Q. Do you think that people enjoy your refreshing candor?
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I'd like to think so. Yeah, I'd like to think that way. We live in such a society that's so politically correct and everybody is so excuse-oriented. Everybody is into making excuses. They think it's fine to make excuses. If they have valid reasons for making an excuse, then it's okay.
I don't make excuses. I've never made any excuse for anything in my life. I am who I am, and I think, you know that, is the refreshing part of it. It's easy for me -- it's easy for somebody to say that "it wasn't my fault." The hard thing is to say, "yeah, every bit of it was my fault." Well, that's how I am. I know my limitations and I know my strengths and I'm not afraid to tell you my limitations. I think everybody else hides, everybody else gives you -- you know, like I said, if I could give you a political answer, you'll take it. But I think that's a cop-out.

Q. Do you feel like you're embarking a little bit on a second or third career after Memphis and after Tulsa? Obviously players in their 40s now, there are a lot more opportunities to continue playing well than maybe 20 or 30 years ago.
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I'm just starting -- like I said at the PGA, I don't think I'm a better player than I was in my earlier days. I'm just coping with it better. I'm understanding how to deal with my nerves, how to deal with the situations better.
You know, Tiger talked about it a lot about how he is so -- he has so much experience, and he does. He has so much more experience than I do. I'm 12 years older than him, but he played junior golf; I didn't play junior golf. He played so many amateur events; I played like three.
So he has all that experience. So I'm just getting to that point now after 12, 13 years on TOUR where I'm finally gaining that experience of being in the hunt more and getting in that position. I'm learning how to deal with it better; I just got started later.

Q. How did you deal with your nerves at the PGA?
WOODY AUSTIN: I think I did pretty good, really. Obviously I played pretty well. So I didn't do a good job on Saturday and I didn't play well on Saturday, but I scrambled and got it around. I think on Sunday, you know, I did a pretty good job. Unfortunately like I said throughout the week, I was too far behind and you can't ever play in it from behind.

Q. Did you have a method for doing it?
WOODY AUSTIN: No. No. I just tried to do everything that I normally do. Like I said, I just think as I've gotten older, I'm just better at it, that's all. We are all wiser as we get older.

Q. Where do you think the PGA performance will take you from here? How much of a boost will that be for you as you move forward?
WOODY AUSTIN: I hope it takes me as far as it can. You know, if it takes me as far as it can go mentally, then that will be great. Let's face it, physically, you've still got to be able to perform, you've still got to be able to hit the golf shots, and that's never been the big issue with me.
But as I get older, like I said, Father Time doesn't just stop for you as you get older; it makes it harder. So from that standpoint, I know that I've only got so much time as far as physical, but if I can be that mentally tough like I was that week, then that can only be good things for me because that's always been the biggest problem.
I think physically, I can hit any golf shot anybody can; but mentally, I'm as far down as it gets. So you have that big gap, and that's where I'm trying to close that gap, and obviously at the PGA I closed it and if I can continue to close it, maybe you'll see the fact that I am as good as I think I can be.

Q. I had a similar question, just to follow up, how do you hope to profit from in a experience going forward into this format?
WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I don't think this format does me any favors as far as the PGA or whatever. You still have to go out and play four good, solid tournaments. If you don't win one of these tournaments the way this format is, you're not going to win. I've just got to take my good play from Memphis and the last couple of months and continue to do it, and then I've got to hope that come Sunday, I'm not so far behind so that when I play a good round on Sunday, it's to win, not just to chase.

Q. How does this course set up for you, I guess maybe of the four, is this an excellent one to start on for you, do you feel?
WOODY AUSTIN: If you look at my track record this week and next week are not good tournaments for me. This is not -- I've never -- I think I've only got maybe one Top-10 in 12 years here. So not a good event for me. Next week, also; I've only played it like twice. It's not a good event for me.
But if I can get -- if I can play well, which is what I'm capable of doing, and hanging there for this week and next week, Chicago is a great golf course for me. I've always played good there. I've never played East Lake in Atlanta, but based on what I've seen in the past, it such a really good test of golf. I've always said, the harder the golf course, the better. Once we get to those hard golf courses, I'll be in good shape.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Woody Austin, thank you.

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