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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 7, 2007

Steve Stricker

LEMONT, ILLINOIS

JOE CHEMYCZ: We welcome Steve Stricker in, Steve with a 5-under par 66 today, and the only hiccup being the double bogey there on 4. Maybe just talk about the rest of the day. I noticed through the statistics that you were making short birdie putts through the first 11 holes before you drained that bomb on 14. Maybe just talk about your fine iron play today.
STEVE STRICKER: It was a good day. I gave myself a lot of opportunities, I hit a lot of greens in regulation, and I drove the ball well again today, too. Overall pretty much every aspect of my game was pretty good today, and under tough conditions. It was tough.
I mean, it was tough to pick the clubs, it was tough to figure out which direction that wind was blowing, but we did a good job of it and got it on the greens and made a couple of putts, a couple of short ones and then threw in a bomb at No. 14, which is always a bonus.
But yeah, an overall good day.
JOE CHEMYCZ: You didn't get to start before the rains came. How did that change your approach, or did it?
STEVE STRICKER: It didn't really change my approach at all. I mean, I was just about to go -- I think when they called it, we were about 15 minutes short of our tee time so had gone through my whole routine, warming up and all that kind of stuff, and we ended up sitting in the locker room there for a good probably two and a half hours, three hours.
And it really didn't bother me. We're used to it out here and we have dealt with that before, so no big issue, kind of used the time just to relax and wake up a little bit and get ready to go.

Q. Can you talk about the double on 4? Did the wind take it off the tee and how did you manage to take off and make a bunch of birdies after that?
STEVE STRICKER: My caddie and I, Tom, we weren't quite sure what the wind was doing early on. It felt like it was southwest but it was mainly out of the west. West on No. 4, which we learned after I hit, I mean, we thought it was still southwest, so it was more left-to-right, but it was more right-to-left. I aimed down the left side and the wind took it over in the left rough.
I had a decent lie, really. I had one little branch, probably an inch-round branch, that I figured if I go over or under, it really didn't matter, what are my odds of hitting that thing, and sure enough, I hit it dead square and it fell straight down and into a worse lie, really. I hacked it up short of the green and didn't get it up-and-down.
I was disappointed, but I still feel -- I don't know, I think that's what's been better about my game lately is I'll kind of let that stuff roll off my back and kind of keep going and not really get down and let that bother me because I feel like I'm hitting it well enough to make some birdies on the way in.
You know, it was disappointing, but I still had confidence that I was going to make some birdies coming in.

Q. Just talk about the condition of the course. How wet was it? How windy was it? It was kind of a tough day. Just kind of describe the difference between today and yesterday.
STEVE STRICKER: It was a lot wetter today. It's taking big divots out when your ball landed on the green and in the fairway, a lot of mud on the balls, and the conditions were tough with the wind mainly.
I mean, the course is really in good shape, but the wind was difficult to judge at times today. You know, sometimes when you're down in some of those lower little hills, you know the wind is up there but you can't feel it. Sometimes when you hit one really low coming out of one of those holes, the wind doesn't affect it very much.
So it's tough. You've just got to get it -- on days like today you've just got to get it on the greens, maybe 20, 30 feet, and hopefully make a putt or two. But the course is in great shape, really. It should dry out I would think the next couple days. We're supposed to get some cooler and drier weather, so hopefully it'll dry out a little bit.

Q. If a guy saw you win here in '96 and saw you now contending on the weekend, a lot different player? You were more of a power player then and maybe now more of a control player? Can you talk about the differences of then versus now?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah, I think back then I definitely hit it a little bit longer, was a little bit more wild, I think, than I am now. Other than that, probably fairly similar.
You know, I think my iron play is a little bit better than back in '96. I think I probably putted pretty much the same, maybe a little bit better back then.
But overall I think the biggest difference is my driving distance and the accuracy part. I think I'm shorter and a little bit more accurate now compared to '96 when I was a little bit longer and a little bit more wild off the tee.

Q. As good a relationship as you seem to have with Tiger, have you guys talked at all over the last couple days about the Presidents Cup, possibly being paired together, and how would you feel about that?
STEVE STRICKER: You know, no, we haven't talked about it, for one. When I first made the team, I had that cross my mind, or maybe my wife said, you know, would you play with Tiger, or who would you like to play with, would you like to play with Tiger or Phil or any of those guys.
At first I didn't really think it would be a good match, good fit. He hits it a lot longer than I do, and it's just different. He plays with a different ball than what I do. And I wasn't sure how I would handle it, either, if I'd be comfortable with him out there or not.
But after the last couple days, I don't know if our games match up to maybe play like an alternate shot or anything like that, but I feel really comfortable with him and I think he plays comfortable with me, too. We had a good time out there the last couple days. I wouldn't have a problem playing with him at all.
But again, he and Jim Furyk played a lot these last few Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups, so I imagine they'll probably continue with that. But I wouldn't have a problem playing with him, no.
JOE CHEMYCZ: Steve, thanks, appreciate it.

End of FastScripts

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