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THE BARCLAYS

August 19, 2008

Rich Beem

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY

STEWART MOORE: We'd like to welcome Rich Beem to the interview room here at The Barclays as we start the second annual Playoffs for the FedExCup, great weekends, back-to-back 63s at Greensboro last week and you moved up to 114 in the standings coming into this week.
You've played extremely well here last year and at Deutsche Bank, and now with this new points system being a little bit more volatile than maybe it was before, certainly a good chance for you to move up in the next couple of weeks.
RICH BEEM: Yeah. You said it. (Laughing).
With the points being re-set this year, it certainly gives a lot more guys an opportunity to come from the back of the pack. When the Playoffs were first presented to us as players, they said, "You know, if you qualify for the Playoffs, No. 144, mathematically you have a chance, but in all likelihood, it's not going to happen."
But now it's possible. Lee Janzen, No. 144 has a chance to win this week, and Boston, obviously have a legitimate chance of winning the entire thing.
So I think one of the things that sometimes people look at when they think of the FedExCup, you're trying to determine, it's a season-long race, but it's not like we're deciding the Player of the Year or anything like that. This is just a separate portion of it. Padraig Harrington and/or Tiger Woods is still going to win the Player of the Year, there's no doubt about it.
This is kind of a secondary portion to the TOUR finish. It's nice that you give everybody an opportunity that makes the Playoffs to actually win, just like in every other playoff event, in the NFL or baseball, the guy that barely gets in has a chance to win, and I think that's nice.
STEWART MOORE: You haven't played the course yet, but what have you heard about Ridgewood from other players?
RICH BEEM: It's fantastic. My caddie was out there this morning and said it was a very, very tough and fair golf course. And it's going to be longer than what it was at Westchester, but it's tough out there and I'm looking forward to seeing it actually.

Q. Since you just mentioned it, say, Padraig doesn't win a tournament the rest of the year, who wins Player of the Year, Tiger or Harrington?
RICH BEEM: When you ask most players, how do you judge your careers, especially Tiger and players like that, they are judging their careers by how many majors they have won. I think two majors by Mr. Harrington, I think that's very, very impressive. I don't know, to be honest with you, I don't know what he's done the rest of the year, but winning both majors in the hardest conditions I've ever seen on both golf courses, that's toughness defined right there, and I think he's got my vote.

Q. Zinger has talked about he wants the hottest picks as his captain's picks. Is that in your mind at all?
RICH BEEM: Probably somewhere in the back of it, yeah. But I was asked that question earlier today, and my response is, I've got to get through this week first and maybe I'll be on his radar screen a little bit more.
Right now, it's just one week and these guys already on The Ryder Cup, they have pretty much performed all year long and even at the end of last year. It would be an honor to be considered for it, and if I can play well this week and show Paul that I'm actually playing well right now, then maybe he'll take a look at me, but as of now I have no expectations of it. Would I like to? Without a doubt. Any time you get a chance to play for your country, there's no greater honor and I haven't had that opportunity yet but I would certainly embrace it if it was thrown at me.

Q. How much different was your mind-set coming into the tournament this week as opposed to last year?
RICH BEEM: It's about the same. I know I have to play well to continue on to Boston and then on to St. Louis, and then if all things fall into place, on to Atlanta. There's a lot of work to do between now and then but I'm encouraged by what happened last weekend, and last week in general. I barely made the cut, and then kept my head in it and went out there and had two really good days.
Same thing here, much tougher golf course and scores are not going to be as low, so just keep your head in it and don't let the golf course get you down.

Q. When you were in school, did you wait every semester to cram for exams?
RICH BEEM: Isn't that what everybody did? Are you kidding me? I graduated, baby.

Q. Do you need the adrenaline or the sense of urgency, or what is it that gets you going?
RICH BEEM: I wish I knew. It's really strange. I have no idea. But last week when I was playing well on the weekend, I didn't really think about much besides that I knew that I had to play well to get into the Playoffs. I was focused on that but it wasn't really at the top of my brain.
I don't know, I wish I had an answer for it. I wish could I do this at the beginning of the year because I would rather be 50th on the points list as opposed to 114 and knowing that I've -- knowing exactly where I'm playing. But like last week, I had a flight back to Austin ready to go, and I had to make last-minute adjustments to get up here.
And I'm not even going to make any plans to go to Boston yet, either. I'm just going to wait and play my way in there and when Sunday nights rolls around, I'll call up Providence and stay at the Westin again and go from there. It worked last year, so I'll have the same attitude this week. I'm not going to make any plans for next week until I know exactly what I'm going to do.
Yeah, I did cram a lot in college at the last minute, very much so.

Q. You haven't played this course yet, but you said your caddie has walked it. What has he told you about the fifth hole and what have you heard from other players?
RICH BEEM: Nothing. I haven't heard anything.

Q. Are you for drivable par 4s?
RICH BEEM: Absolutely. Why wouldn't you be? It's a lot better than 520-yard par 4s. (Laughter) The cure to all our problems, lengthen the golf course, lengthen the golf course; that's what you need to do.

Q. What do you think of this, Padraig was saying that now he sill quote unquote lives in fear and fear, is driving him at this point; he's never super-confident, even now. Do you want to say to him, "buddy, you can relax now," or is that something to you?
RICH BEEM: That makes complete sense. I think that's what happens to some golfers when they play well and they lose -- they lose their edge a little bit because they get complacent. And I don't say complacent, I don't know if that's the right word or not. We are out here week-in and week-out grinding it and making a hell of a living doing it, so at what point in time can you live easy? It's hard to.
If you start living easy on the PGA TOUR, you lose that attitude and lose that edge, and you get run over because there are a lot of kids coming up, and they will absolutely hammer you. What Padraig said is absolutely brilliant, because you don't want to lose that edge, and you don't want to lose ground to your fellow competitors; and if you get too relaxed in what you're doing, it's harder to get that back.
I think that's well-put by him, and I think he certainly knows what is he's doing, winning three majors in the last 18 months, he's tough as nails, and I don't expect him to lose form any time soon.

Q. How many putters do you go through in a typical year and how often do you change and why? I think I know the why.
RICH BEEM: How many putters?

Q. How many do you own?
RICH BEEM: How many do I own? I've got about five or six bagfuls of them at the house. That's the big staff bagfuls, by the way, not the small carry bagfuls, and not including the ones I've given away to kids on the putting green after the 18th hole on Friday or Sunday, depending.
You know, putters, they are evil. (Laughter) Sometimes they are your best friend, and sometimes they betray you; when they betray you, you have to show them, you can being replaced in a hurry.
I go through them quite a bit, because it can never be me. I've never hit a bad putt in my life. It's got to be the putter.
If you're not putting well, you've got to change it up every once in awhile. You've just got to look at something different and whatnot. That's what I do anyways, because it's hard enough being out here going crazy enough. You've got to do something to change it up.

Q. Do you have any long ones?
RICH BEEM: Long, short, mediums. You've got it, baby, I've got them all. I've tried them all.

Q. Cross-handed? Claw?
RICH BEEM: Yes, yes and more yes. I'm an equal opportunity.

Q. What did you do with the one you won the PGA with?
RICH BEEM: It's sitting in my house somewhere.

Q. Did you go back to it?
RICH BEEM: Yeah, I tried it out this year a little earlier. It was okay for a while, but it started to betray me again so I had to put it away. I tell you there's not a single one out there that's safe.

Q. Not even winning a major?
RICH BEEM: No, no, and drivers. Now, 3-woods, once you find a good 3-wood, you have to stick with it, and wedges same thing. But putters and drivers, no, they are not safe. I tell you, you've got to change them up.
STEWART MOORE: Okay, Rich Beem, thanks for coming in, good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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