BELLSOUTH CLASSIC

April 4, 2002

Steve Elkington

TODD BUDNICK: Welcome Steve Elkington 8-under, 64 to hold the first-round lead here at the Bell South Classic. You got off to a great start with six birdies in your first seven holes. Can we go through each of those holes.

STEVE ELKINGTON: I had a very unusual start in that I birdied the first two holes; then I made double bogey on No. 3. Then I hit it close on 1 and 2 and then 3 I was in the fairway bunker and I left it in there, I hit the lip; then I had to play out. I made a 6. But then I was on in two on the fourth. 2-putted for birdie on the fifth, hit it about a foot. 6, I was just short of the green in two and made another birdie there. I hit a beautiful drive at 7. Hit a wedge to about six feet. 8 I parred. 9 I hit a beautiful drive and a 7-iron about six feet there. So had seven birdies on the front 9. Just hit a lot of real -- played real well; hit a lot of good precise shorts. It is a real precise course; especially on your second shot, real driver's course. You really can lay back and -- that's the wrong terminology, you can really let loose with your driver here, really give it -- get some distance.

Davis Love who I was playing with I think he was 6-over on the front and 6-under on the back. He and I together I think we were like about 16-under, something like that. With a double. 15-under with a double.

So it was a nice building-block for me. I have had some good rounds this year. I haven't been playing too bad of late. I just haven't been able to put it together. Today it seemed things fell my way today. I putted well and hit some very good iron shots today, really hit those well.

TODD BUDNICK: How about -- we have 3 other birdies on the backside.

STEVE ELKINGTON: I parred 10, 11 and 12 I was just off the back edge, chip, played a nice little pitch just from the back edge, holed that one.

Parred 13.

14 -- 16, I hit a nice 7-iron shot to about ten feet to the right, made that one.

The last I was over the green in two and made a nice sand shot to about two feet.

TODD BUDNICK: Questions.

Q. First of all, your thoughts how this course has matured; how it's developing and where it stands now?

STEVE ELKINGTON: I think this course is real nice. I have played it now I think this is my third year and the last two years we have had rain which kind of spoiled the event, but as I said earlier, it's a real driver's course. I know Greg Norman designed it, but seems to me that he had in mind that you can really drive -- really let your drive out there, very generous tee shots. Then he has a very precise iron shots. But I think it is a fabulous course, probably one of the best courses we play, and the greens are exceptional right now, very firm, there's not much rough so I think the scoring will be low. But it is a very good golf course.

Q. Davis Love, is he playing way below what he should do; you are playing so good; then you combine for 14-under maybe...

STEVE ELKINGTON: We had a 14 to 15-under with a double -- we both had a double bogey on the same hole, yeah. Davis had an 8 on No. 3. That really got him to slow it down, after a double on 2 and then a triple on 3 -- no, a double on 3 and triple on 4.

Q. Last week (inaudible) -- you like to play in Houston. To play this well after missing the cut last week is not one that you would expect after that?

STEVE ELKINGTON: Well, Vijay Singh missed the cut at TPC and shot 22-under last week so I suppose that theory is all out the window. Darren Clarke missed the cut at TPC and he finished second. These days, I don't think that's relevant. I missed the cut by one but it was one of those weeks where I could have just done what I did today on the next day. So just today was a real good building-block for me. I have some good rounds this year but I just really haven't been able to put things together four days. I did play well at Doral this year, but other than that, I don't have much else -- not much else going on there. But I am playing well. It is very encouraging.

Q. How is your health?

STEVE ELKINGTON: My health is very good. I haven't had any problems at all this year. I really -- one of the best starts I have had health-wise, I think, for ages. I made a few changes in my diet and things, I am on some different medicine and stuff and I feel pretty good. Although this is a real test here with the pollen here this week.

Q. Allergies?

STEVE ELKINGTON: Yeah.

Q. So many guys are concerned about in the back of their mind are thinking about Augusta next week. You are not in the tournament; can't get in the tournament. Does that make you -- allow you to concentrate more on this tournament?

STEVE ELKINGTON: Not really. I think it is a little bit of a strange loophole there with someone could win last week and this week and not be in. I think, to me, it's real strange that this week here, you know, means nothing for next week. Certainly this field here, I mean the winner of this tournament in my opinion should be or last week should be in the field, like this two week gap there, where there's a real distinct loophole to me, why aren't those two people in the tournament if they are not already in it. It seems odd to me.

Q. Last year's winner here, he wasn't in the Masters either?

STEVE ELKINGTON: Yeah, to me, that's crazy.

Q. Clamor in the clubhouse, players talking about that a little bit?

STEVE ELKINGTON: No, I don't think so. I just think it is obvious. I think it's obvious that that's the case, somebody could actually win both tournaments in a row and not be in the tournament, they could win Houston and here and not be in. Could be a double tournament winner, two weeks prior to the event, with a two-tournament victory going into The Masters and not be in it. To me that just doesn't make any sense. I think every tournament winner should be in The Masters, or any of the, you know, any of the tournaments particularly, but I think all major championships should follow THE PLAYERS Championship have the Top-100 players in the world.

Q. Back to this course. Does this acquire -- is this really a good fair test of golf, require a wide diversity of shots in your opinion?

STEVE ELKINGTON: I think so. I think it was -- I think if you were prepare for the Masters I think this would be a good place to prepare. As I said before, it is a real driver's course, you know, you can really drive the ball here and as I say you as you know plenty of holes out here that you have to hit very precise iron shots, 7 comes to mind 9, 18 comes to mind, 11 comes to mind. A lot of real good precise iron shots. And it is a fun course to play in that regard because you do have some interesting holes like 11 where it's short. Then you have the 13th where you can drive in on one. Last hole is always drama. I always like the dramatic finishing hole, I do. Where anything can happen.

Q. (Inaudible)

STEVE ELKINGTON: I think -- I just like anything can happen, you got a 7 and 3, there's a four-shot swing, someone could make double and someone could make 3.

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