WGC NEC INVITATIONAL

August 21, 2001

Scott Verplank

SCOTT VERPLANK: My feelings on that? Well -- I'm pretty tired to be honest with you. I didn't sleep very good Sunday night, and then yesterday, yesterday was kind of a whirlwind day with lots of unbelievable number of phone calls and all that stuff, and just excitement. So, I'm looking forward to a good night's rest tonight. I'm just incredibly -- really, I'm humbled that he picked me to represent the United States. To me, it's just an unbelievable, honestly. Other than winning a major or maybe player of the year or something, to be a captain's choice for the Ryder Cup is at least in my pocket, it's right up there at the top of the list .

SCOTT VERPLANK: I knew that he was interested in me for the last couple weeks. I had actually talked to him a couple weeks ago. He called me and said he wanted me on the team, but I needed to show him something here the last couple times I was playing. I think he was a little surprised I wasn't playing the International and I told him I was just trying to get prepared for the Buick Open and the PGA. I historically play well at the Buick and I finished out of the Top-10 by a shot and ended up getting a few points at the PGA. Maybe he was going to pick me anyway, I don't know. But I did as good as I could do considering the circumstances. And like I said since, that day at the PGA was an important round to me. I don't know if it had any bearing or not. I had extra heat on me that I usually don't feel so, I performed pretty well, so I was happy about that.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Friends, family, a couple players. Several players have called me. Just kind of a little bit of everything, from all over the country. You know, just all the range of friends I have, some people saying they want to go now and other people just happy for me that they -- I think they all think it's pretty neat, too, just like I do.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I would have played in Reno. I was defending champion there. I was going to Reno. But when I got the call, he told me I couldn't go to Reno; I had to come here. So, okay, I'll sacrifice for you. (Laughs).

SCOTT VERPLANK: I've played in the World Series, I guess a couple times, in the late 90's. It's been ten years or so, but it looks to me like it hasn't changed. It's a pretty neat golf course. It's a good drivers golf course. You definitely need to hit it in the fairway. The greens were pretty fast for a Tuesday. That's fine with me. Actually, I think driving -- the driving part of the golf course is probably pretty similar to The Belfry. I know that you've got to drive thee ball there pretty straight. I had talked to Curtis a little bit about that. I know The Belfry is a little bit more of an American style golf course for over there. I think in some ways -- I don't know about the greens, but I know the tee shots and stuff over there are probably similar to some of these.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I'm taking next week off and then I'm going to go ahead and play the Canadian Open and the American Express and the only thing I'm doing different is, I was going to play that tournament in Pennsylvania and skip that and go home the week before and make sure I'm rested and ready to go.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I told them I had no idea what the ticket situation was. So, I haven't gotten that far yet to find out about it. I just had a lot of -- I've had a lot of people that have said, you know, congratulations and feel like they have told me that they have felt that I was deserving. You know, I don't know what everybody else thinks and it doesn't really matter. It mainly mattered what Curtis thought. I think part of the deal, although Curtis said it wasn't a factor and kind of the background in history of Paul Azinger and myself, but coming back from -- obviously, he's coming back from cancer which is extremely serious and the problems that I've been through, and dealing with that kind of adversity is -- I think it's beneficial to be playing golf in tense situations and I think he felt the same way.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I don't know what everybody else has been through, but it's been a lot. I'm actually very pleased that I've gotten this far. It's very gratifying to me that I've gotten back this kind of level of golf. I still feel like I can play a lot better than I can play up to this point. But to get to here, to be sitting here in front of you guys from where I was, with injuries and illness and no confidence and all that stuff, you know, I'm pretty happy about being here. It's pretty nice to be here.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I've just heard what Curtis has said. You know nothing would surprise me. It's not -- nothing is going to bother me. I mean, it's fine with me. If they are heckling, they are heckling. But I think the fans over there are a little bit different than ours. Playing in the British several -- quite a few times, I'm sure that there will be some guys that maybe have a pint or two too many and they come up with something. Our fans, particularly now in golf, are a lot more -- they are a lot more mainstream sports fans now. Tiger has brought a lot of new people in, and it's just kind of continually getting louder and louder and a little more abrasive. I haven't ever seen that over there, like at the British and stuff. You always have an odd -- oddball or something, but I think the fans over there probably appreciate the game. Golf is the game over there, like football or baseball is here; golf is the game. That and soccer, what they call futbol, those are the big sports. They have maybe a little bit more appreciation for the game.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, actually last week a heard a couple of nice comments. But I just --

SCOTT VERPLANK: I'm trying to think -- I'm pretty good at not listening to all that junk. I guess something like that happened to Phil a little bit. Some guy made a comment and he actually listened to it and it may or may not have affected him. Oh, on No. 11 on Saturday, I just hit a -- just a gorgeous 7-iron right in the middle of the lake. I mean it, was just perfect. (Laughter.) It was like where the flag was right in the center, the big round lake, it was dead center. It was a good 30 yards off line. Some guy, when I was walking up on the green, I guess -- Ernie Els was playing in front of me, and I heard a lot of heckling the night before when Ernie hit it in the water on the last hole and makes double and the guy goes, "Nice shot, Ernie." I'm like, get this guy another beer and get him out of here. You hear some comments, but it's not -- if that bothers you, then you know you're going to have trouble, not only in the Ryder Cup or -- that's just today's society, unfortunately.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah, I need a good night's sleep tonight.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I just need to guest rested, to be honest with you. Yesterday was an exciting day for my kids and my wife and all that. I just flew up here this morning and I'm not very good at jumping off an airplane and feeling very fired up about playing golf, but I'll be fine. I'll just get a good night's sleep tonight and I'll play 18 holes tomorrow. And I was really happy to see tee times don't start until eleven o'clock. I'll be able to sleep in a little bit more the next day. I'll be fine. I said it the other day, I have such a different outlook on playing golf, and I just appreciate it now. I don't know that I appreciated it before when I was a kid playing and playing great. I think I just kind of expected it and figured it would always be there. If you have something that you like do and they take it way from you -- you might be out there, you might be bitching and moaning about playing bad, but take it way from you, and you realize, hey, that's not that bad. And that's kind of what's happened to me in some ways. I still don't play great every day. Never have and probably never will, every day. But it's not near the grind and the strain and the -- you know, it's just -- I get more upset if I do start getting down on myself because it's like: "You dummy, you could be sitting back at home with your arm in a cast," or whatever else.