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AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP

July 9, 2008

Chris Chandler

STATELINE, NEVADA

THE MODERATOR: Chris, first, why don't you tell us, we talked about it on the conference call and we were only a little bit joking: How has your life changed since you won last year?
CHRIS CHANDLER: My life is still the same. I still drop the girls off at school in the morning and play golf and then pick them up when school's done.
But as far as the golfing goes, it's kind of the monkey off the back. I've been close a lot of different times, and everything came together perfectly last year. As it kind of can for anybody. And it was my time last year.
So knowing that I can do it, I feel a lot more confident and a lot less pressure than I've ever felt coming into this tournament.
THE MODERATOR: Were the kids, the teenagers on the golf team, impressed; were they like heavily impressed?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Well, a little bit. They're all -- most of my guys on the golf team are really good players. There's one kid going to New Mexico. Three or four of them have full rides to different colleges.
So they thought it was neat. But they still think they're better than me, if that makes any sense, (smiling). They were mildly impressed.

Q. What did you do with the winnings?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Gave it to my wife.

Q. What did she do with it?
CHRIS CHANDLER: I don't know, (laughter).

Q. Do you think you can make any general observations about NFL football players, NBA players, hockey players, who make better golfers than other athletes? Are there any skill sets that are better for golf than others?
CHRIS CHANDLER: You know, I don't know. I think football players get to play their off season in the best weather conditions, you know, from pretty much the end of January, February, all the way through until July, until camp starts.
A lot of the other sports don't fall into that time of the year. So it seems like football players get to play a lot more golf in their off seasons. But not really. I think when it comes to a quarterback or a kicker, it's a very mentally kind of an individual position, especially at kicker.
And quarterback is kind of the same way. You really need to, when things are great, you have to stay grounded. When things are bad, you have to not get down. So you have to really be even. And a lot of positions in football, and even basketball, it's a momentum thing, when the crowd is going and things are going great, everybody's way up here.
And as a quarterback, you really have to be kind of the steady kind of influence. And golf's kind of the same way. Things happen that are just what you want and sometimes they're not. And you really have to forget about the good and the bad and just play the next shot.
That's kind of what the position of quarterback is all about.

Q. In general terms, you have one of the worst golfers in Barkley and one of the best in Michael Jordan; they play the same sport?
CHRIS CHANDLER: I think that might just be something that God gave them, (laughter).

Q. Or didn't give them?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Or completely took away from Charles and gave it to Michael.

Q. How has Brodie been feeling these days, and is he coming up this year?
CHRIS CHANDLER: J.B. and Sue are coming out tomorrow and John is -- about like it was last year. He has another stem cell treatment he's going to undergo here in a couple of months. And his attitude is as good as it's ever been. I spent the 4th of July weekend with him. And he is just in great spirits and couldn't wait to get up here.
I think he loves being around all the guys that he loves. And most of them --

Q. Any pressure for you for a two-peat for John?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Maybe. Fortunately he's not able to tell me that so I don't have to feel the pressure. But he's going to be out there, probably just like last year, following me around in a golf cart. And, honestly, when I see him around, it's kind of a calming influence for me, because we played hundreds and hundreds of rounds of golf together and we can't anymore. But just having him there, I kind of feel like we're playing at the same time. And it's kind of a calming influence for me.

Q. We'll be having the Fourth Annual Brodie Award on Friday. Chris, considering the way you finished the tournament last year, did you play a little bit more aggressive that final round and do you hope to take that into the first round on Friday?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Well, I hit driver on every hole last year but the par 3s, the first round, the second round and the third round.
Probably had maybe some better looks the first two days and made more longer putts the third day. But I also made some short ones, too.
I played pretty well and did a pretty good job hitting greens and having putts at it. And finally on Sunday it was like the perfect storm. Everything came together and just like everything went in.

Q. Have you played that well since?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Yeah, in stretches. And that's kind of what that was on that final, from 8 through 16, that nine-hole stretch was exceptionally well. But I've had a few, couple three-in-a-row birdies and pars and two more birdies. I've had some of those playing; but to do it on this stage, out here, has really made it special. And can I do it again? Maybe. I know I can do it, so I'm definitely going to try.

Q. Can you kind of handicap the field a little bit, who looks good this year?
CHRIS CHANDLER: You know, I think it's, as I say, the usual suspects. It's going to be Rhoden, Quinn, Billy Joe. Trent's not going to be here this year. Dilfer will be up there. You know them as well as I do, the guys. Pierre Larouche, if Pierre is even here this year. And the usual guys that are really low odds.

Q. What about Grant?
CHRIS CHANDLER: Grant, he was in the top last group I think going in the last day. Grant's great player. I wish I could name every one of those guys. There's 10 or 12 guys that could easily win this thing. And yet I think you could look them up and know who I'm talking about.

Q. As a former NFL quarterback, what advice would you like to give to Aaron Rodgers right now with the whole Brett Favre rumors coming back?
CHRIS CHANDLER: I feel bad for Aaron. He's been spending the whole off season getting ready for what's to come this football season. And this is just something that really, honestly, he shouldn't have to really be concerned with.
And what he needs to do is kind of easier said than done. But that is just do what it was that he was doing before all these rumors started and kind of expect and assume that come the first game of the year he's the guy and it's his job for the next, hopefully, 15, 16 years like Brett did.
THE MODERATOR: Chris, thank you.

End of FastScripts

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