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MERRILL LYNCH SHOOTOUTDecember 7, 2007Woody AustinMark CalcavecchiaNAPLES, FLORIDA THE MODERATOR: 8-under par 64. Mark, great round out there. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Thanks, it was. We both played well. As Woody said in other interviews, it was really pretty easy. We were never in trouble off the tee. Always right in the middle of the fairway and didn't miss but a couple greens all day, so that made it easier. We had that one bogey on 8, but even then he hot a good shot and the wind stopped on him. So, you know, it was a good start, especially in this format, because you can kind of -- in the past I've gotten off to slow starts in the alternate shot by shooting 1- or 2-under. Somebody usually shoots 7 or 8. But it was nice that we shot the 8-under this time. We're in good shape for the next few days. THE MODERATOR: Woody, your comments on your first day at the Shootout. WOODY AUSTIN: Like I say, I couldn't have been happier with my partner. I got somebody that plays -- even of though you would think we have different styles, we really have a lot of similar games in that we hit the ball pretty much the same distance and both drive it really well. On an alternate format that's what you want. Two guys that are always in play, and we were in play all day today. Only problems we had were the wind switch on No. 8 where I thought I hit a really good shot and we ended up making 4. Other than that we really weren't in any trouble at all. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. Do you think the go for broke attitude is fabulous for this tournament, for this format? MARK CALCAVECCHIA: I would like to think so. Elky and I won it back in '95. Same sort of thing. We played at Sherwood and had some other good finishes with partners here. Historically I'm usually up there in the birdie list, so that bodes well for best ball. You know, hopefully I'll make a bunch of them tomorrow. I just enjoy the tournament. I don't know how many times I played in it, but it's fun. Do your Pro-Ams your two days and then you have a nice dinner and then it's a lot of fun to play with a partner because we don't get to play this kind of stuff very often, and three different formats. So I've always enjoyed the tournament. I was really happy when I saw Woody was my partner. I knew we would do well. I really did. Q. (No microphone.) MARK CALCAVECCHIA: No. Not in any sort of -- we played a lot of golf together over the years, but never as a team in anything. Q. Woody you kind of became the world's sweetheart after the President's Cup. How has that changed your life? You kind of could walk around semi-anonymous, and then all of a sudden... WOODY AUSTIN: I'm still pretty anonymous. The only time I'm ever noticed is actually at the golf tournaments. The only thing that changes is I get called more names now. I get ridiculed or harassed even more. I'm still not recognizable off the golf course, not where I'm from anyway. Q. If he's Aqua Man, what are you this week? MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Pillsbury dough man. I don't know what I am. I need to get out here and do some sweating. Sitting around for a month just kills me, so I'm glad to be back to work and get some exercise. Q. Lots of accomplishments for you this year, but would you say this is your first post-season -- WOODY AUSTIN: This is the first time I've gotten into any sort of silly season tournament in -- like I said, when I finally got the call during the President's Cup, it's like I finally arrived after 13 years where I'm good. If Greg told me all I had to do was dive in the water before to get in I would have done it a ling time ago. This is a perfect format. It's a great opportunity, because you get to play with someone you enjoy playing with on a regular basis out when it's a serious grind -- not that this isn't a grind because we're in contention so you're going to grind it out. But what a great format to be with somebody who has pretty much the same personality and game as I do. I knew it was going to be a great week no matter what, because it's just perfect to have Mark as a partner for this event. Q. Fred and Jeff were saying the course was playing a little long. Do you share that as well? WOODY AUSTIN: It certainly didn't play short. Like we always said, we were in the middle fairway on every hole. You know, other than a couple 5-irons and some 3-irons on the Par 3s, you know, some of the Par 3s really played long. Two or three 3-irons and some middle irons. Like everybody always says, from the middle of the fairway the game's a lot easier. Q. Talk about who you're tied with. It ties into what you guys were saying before. You want somebody that's got the ball in play in Jeff and Fred. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Were they playing senior tees? Were there some whites out there that I didn't see? No, those two guys were in the middle every fairway, too. I don't think Fred Funk could hit miss a fairway out here if he tried. Everybody here is a heck of a player, so anybody could win. You know, Slu and Freddy have been great players for a long time, so it will be fun to play with them tomorrow. Q. If one of them is undersized, what are they together as a team? WOODY AUSTIN: What do you mean? Other than the Smurfs? MARK CALCAVECCHIA: The oldest, shortest team in history. WOODY AUSTIN: There you go. When you combine the two that's probably true. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: They're not even ten feet tall. 5'8", not even 12 feet tall. WOODY AUSTIN: You got the shortest guy and the second shortest guy. Don't even have anybody in between the two. It's not like you have Fred or Slu is the shortest and then you got like a middle of the road guy, you got both the shortest. You can't go any shorter. Q. Fred said they were the, what did he say, mental midgets? Mighty Midgets. If they are the Mighty Midgets, what are you guys? WOODY AUSTIN: I don't know, what are we? MARK CALCAVECCHIA: I don't know what we are. We don't know what we are. Q. (No microphone.) MARK CALCAVECCHIA: We'll rustle up a name for you tomorrow. Q. You coming in here tomorrow? MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Absolutely. Why wouldn't we? As long as you're going to be in here we'll be in here. THE MODERATOR: Take us through your birdies. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: First hole, fairway 3-wood was up there. Woody hit a great little pitch from about 35 yards, to four feet, and then I yipped it in. There's a story behind that, but anyway, I yipped it in. WOODY AUSTIN: It was a hell of a first hole. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Well, Fax hit it 50 yards right. Justin hit the fairway. Fax (indiscernible) the lay-up in the water down there in the hazard. Justin chunked it out short of the green, and Fax made a 75-footer with a rescue club. (Indiscernible) through the green, through seven sprinkler heads and went in like it was a six incher. It was dead center. WOODY AUSTIN: And now Mark's got to putt his -- MARK CALCAVECCHIA: I'm like, You got to be shitting me? WOODY AUSTIN: They were never in the hole. They were never in the hole, and they had us beat. It was amazing. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: It was wonderful. Q. (No microphone.) MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Yeah. WOODY AUSTIN: Four holes later on No. 5 he makes it from five yards short of the green. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: But anyway, fourth hole I bombed a drive out there and Woody stiffed a wedge or 9-iron, whatever it was six, seven feet right behind the hole and made that. Then we let a few opportunities get by and then we bogeyed 8. But then after that we both played great. Woody hit a great iron on nine to about six or seven feet above the hole, and I just tapped that down the hill. We birdied 10 with about a 20-footer. I made a 20-footer on that hole. Take it over, Woody. WOODY AUSTIN: Like I said, we were in such good shape every hole and looked like we had some momentum going. I hit 3-iron to about 15, 18 feet on 12. We're going for four in a row and it just came up about a half a roll short. Got up to the next hole and hit a perfect 3-wood lay up and Mark tried to hit it on the green. I thought he was in it a good spot, and when we got up there it was tough little pitch for me. He hit sand wedge to about 15 feet behind the hole and I finally made one. That was the first one that I had made for the team, so I at least felt like I was back in the game. Then again we let a little one get away on 14. I had a pretty poor chip on the Par 5 after playing the hole perfect. Then 15 he hit a sand wedge in there about ten feet left of the hole and I make it. And then 16 he hits one of the best 5 irons to six inches maybe. I think I could make those all day, so I wiggled that one in. We played a beautiful hole on 17. Hit perfect drive and hit a nice little high cut 3-wood I thought was really close, but it came up short on the fringe. He wigged it up there about six feet to make me make it. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: Last few holes I made him make them. WOODY AUSTIN: So I wiggled that one in and wiggled the one in on the last hole. Q. (No microphone.) WOODY AUSTIN: Last hole was probably four or five feet. Q. Woody, do you think now that you're doing well here you'll consider any more silly season events. Is there significant you've had in mind that you'd like to play in? WOODY AUSTIN: I've always wanted to play. It would be nice fro me to play in a couple, because this time of year I don't get to play too much in Kansas. It's a little too cold and way too windy for me. So it's nice of me to get out of here. The wife said it was 32 degrees and sleeting, so I don't get a chance to prepare for the beginning of the year. So it's nice to play in one of these events, because this is the only preparation I've got for Maui. I'll show up at Maui after three weeks off, so it's nice to get some preparation in. That's why I've always struggled at the beginning of the year. I never get enough time to prepare. Q. (No microphone.) WOODY AUSTIN: Well, our whole family is going to Maui, so keep them is school and they'll be there at Maui. So it's just not feasible for them to come down for the weekend. Q. Woody, how comforting is it to have a partner like Mark who is absolutely not afraid of any shots? WOODY AUSTIN: Like I said, it's a perfect pairing for me. Knowing that even if I was playing bad -- and I didn't know how I was going to play. I played a hell of a lot a better than I thought I was going to play not playing much. But I know that he's not going to hit too many bad shots. His bad shot is still going to be in play. And in this format, in alternate shot format, you want to know that -- especially when you're the first guy to hit. I don't want to get up there and hit such a terrible shot and put too much pressure on somebody you may not think is a good driver or whatever. Knowing that he drives it so straight I never had any pressure. It made it easy for me to be hitting first, because I knew even if I hit a bad one he was going to hit a good one. I don't think I missed a fairway. MARK CALCAVECCHIA: No. WOODY AUSTIN: So I hit it good all day. It just made it this much easier. End of FastScripts |
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