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BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 21, 2006

Scott Verplank

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

JOHN BUSH: Another great round for you today, an 8-under par 64, if we can get some comments on how it went.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, it was a tough day -- no, just kidding (laughter). Obviously I played very well. I hit the ball close to the hole a lot of times. I really didn't ever have to work for a birdie. I think the longest birdie putt I made was probably six feet, maybe -- yeah, probably was, six feet.

I had a couple one-footers and about three 2-footers and a 3-footer and then I made about three five- or six-footers. Missed one of those. I guess you can't have them all.

JOHN BUSH: Can you take us through your card real quick.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I made a 6-footer on No. 1, the par 5, chipped up and made that.

No. 3, I hit a nice drive. I hit an L-wedge about two feet.

5, I hit a nice drive. I hit a 9-iron about six feet.

8, I was just short right of the green in two and chipped by about six feet, made that.

9, I hit a pitching wedge about two feet.

10, I hit a 7-iron about two feet.

11, I hit a pitching wedge about three feet.

12, I hit it about five feet from the hole and missed it with a 9-iron.

Didn't get up-and-down from just short on 13.

Then 14, I hit a 9-iron about three feet.

Then 18, I hit just off the back edge of the green and chipped it up about a foot.

17, I hit a poor tee shot. I hit it in the front right bunker with the pin on the back and left my bunker shot about 15 feet short. Hit a nice putt but it didn't go in. That was really the only poor iron shot I hit all day.

Q. Tomorrow you're back over here. You seemed to have a pretty good day yesterday here. Are there any unknowns at the Classic Club, or are you ready to handle it?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Oh, you know, I've only played one tournament round on that golf course; the same as everybody else. I'm sure that the pins will be a little tougher tomorrow and the golf course will play a little bit -- probably a little more challenging. Hopefully the weather will be good.

You know, golf courses are all relatively similar for me. I've got to drive the ball in the fairway and try to hit nice, solid irons and make putts. I'm not going to overpower this golf course or that one, but hopefully I can beat it to death with hitting it in the fairway and hitting it on the green and putting for birdie.

Q. Is there an adjustment period that you guys go through or is one round enough?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Oh, I don't know. I think the more you play a golf course, the more familiar you get with it, and that probably makes it a little more comfortable.

Like I said, if you drive it in the fairway and hit it on the greens and one or two putt every hole, you can play about any golf course.

Q. Do you think there's any disadvantage to Chad having been tied for the lead last week and then kind of being passed by Toms or do you feel that was a good learning experience for him and he got something out of it?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, you've got to ask him that. I can't answer that for him. Obviously he's playing well, so I would sure think he would take confidence that he's been right up around the lead, all year (laughing).

Q. Can you talk about your off-season, did you do anything differently this year than you normally would?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah, I didn't play any golf. I played two days, two 18-hole rounds in two months. I played a little bit, but not extensively. I just figured I needed a break, my body needed a break. I spent two months -- really, the only thoughts I had about golf were just get refreshed and just keep reminding myself that I can play, that I can play pretty good. I was just trying a little different approach. So far, it seems to have helped.

Q. How do you usually prepare for the season, do you usually play much more golf than that?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Not a whole lot more. You know, not -- yeah, I went out last week, I was out last week for about four or five days in Arizona playing, obviously getting warmed up for here. From the last round of THE TOUR Championship until the middle of the first week of January, I only played those two rounds of golf in Vegas.

But I figured I wanted to get fresh and try to kind of just pump myself up instead of -- you go through the whole year and you get tired and you get worn down a little bit, you get worn down mentally. So my goal is to get recharged mentally and try to come out with some confidence in myself.

Q. You knew you had to probably shoot fairly low today to make up some of that deficit. You don't have to have that same mindset tomorrow though, do you?

SCOTT VERPLANK: If the weather is good, you're going to have to make birdies. Yeah, you know you have to go out and play solid around here and try to shoot a low score, regardless of what day it is and what golf course you're playing.

There's a few guys a few shots further back, one of those guys could tear it up. I think you've seen it in this tournament before where guys come from further back than you might imagine and they shoot 59 or 60 or whatever. Anything can happen.

JOHN BUSH: Scott, thank you and we'll see you tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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