THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 8, 2002

Neal Lancaster

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'd like to welcome Neal Lancaster to the media center.

Appreciate you coming in after a long day of 33 holes, Neal. If you could, just maybe get us started with your matching rounds 68, a few comments.

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, actually, I went out and I didn't expect a lot. I had not been playing well all year. Actually, I've been playing great, but I've been putting poorly. The greens were a little slowly today so, that probably helped my stroke, you know.

But we got started and I played with John (Riegger). John just played unbelievable. We were all getting tired coming in. I can't even remember what I did ,it was so long ago, the first 18.

Yesterday, I played three holes and I birdied one hole yesterday afternoon. I birdied 12 -- no, it was No. 11, I'm sorry. Today I birdied -- I honestly I couldn't tell you. I was just trying to have fun, enjoy it, relax. And I was actually taking it as a practice round because it was going to be so many holes ,and I thought if I got wound up early, I would probably self-destruct on the second 18. So I was trying to just relax and have fun. I bogeyed 17 and 18 to turn at even par and I kind of gave up a little bit.

Then I shot 4-under the last nine holes. I 2-putted nine for birdie, my last hole of the first 18.

And I birdied 7. Hit a lob-wedge about, oh, eight feet and made it.

I birdied 3 both times, I think. Both times around.

But there was nothing fantastic about it. I made a few putts. I drove the ball really well the last ten holes I played. I didn't drive it well the first round at all. I drove it well the last ten holes, and actually, I made some putts and I struggled from five feet -- I actually missed 4- or 5-footers today, but I feel more confident from 25 feet which is kind of crazy.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Playing with John, obviously, he had it going today, but does that help your game?

NEAL LANCASTER: I've known John for a long time. Yeah, you watch him swing, and he swings at it pretty good. He's got a really classic swing. So you watch him, and he was really putting well. Really putting well the first 18. Actually, he could have shot a couple better the first 18, I think. But coming in, I think he got a little tired. I don't know, he'll be in here in a minute.

But you just kind of feed off each other. When you've got a good group, and we had a great group. Grant he didn't have much fun today, I'm sure. I think he shot even par or 1-over for 33 holes. But if you get it going and you're stuck out there and you're going to play every hole, 36 holes in a day, if you get it going, you can just keep going. And if you're not playing well, it's not any fun, but it was a long day.

I was really surprised at the course. The course was in the as wet as I thought it would be, with as much rain as they had yesterday. I looked out of the hotel yesterday afternoon and the fairways were flooded. But we never took a drop today for casual water starting at 8:30 this morning.

So you have to commend the people who are working on the golf course, because it's unbelievable. They got it where we could really play it like that.

Q. When you've got a good round going, is it better to go right back out there, than to be the other way where you have a good round and you've got to wait for everybody else to go and start off late in the day?

NEAL LANCASTER: If you're playing well, it's probably better to keep going. If you're not playing well -- well the only thing about it, if you're playing well, you don't get time to enjoy it; and if you're playing bad you don't get time to get disgusted about it.

We had 25 minutes. So it was actually a good thing to go on and keep going. If we had like an hour and a half to wait and then tee off, it would not have been any good to us. Because once we walked off the ninth green and had to go right back to 1 tee, at least we were still loose and we didn't have to loosen up again or anything like that. So we got it going. So it's definitely an advantage for us.

Q. You said you've known John for a long time. His bio indicates that he's kind of a fanatical duck hunter. Do you share that passion?

NEAL LANCASTER: No. I don't kill anything. I don't kill anything. Destroy a few golf clubs every now and then, but I don't kill anything. I like all animals.

Q. Do you see any difference with John? He said he's been working with a sports psychologist for two weeks and he's able to focus early in the round better.

NEAL LANCASTER: You can tell he's really into his routine. He's into his routine real well today. He putted real really well the first 18. I think he missed a couple 4-footers the first 18 and shot 63. But if you drive it on this course, it sets up the whole course for you. He obviously drove the ball really good except the last two holes of the day. I think he drove it in the rough or the bunker the last two holes but I think we were all just anxious to get to the clubhouse with about five holes to go.

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