Q. Do the people in South Africa understand why you and Ernie aren't playing your national open this week or have you got some criticism for skipping it?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, it is sad we couldn't play it this year. Unfortunately, last year the open was after this event. This year it's during the same week. That's one of the reasons why I decided not to go back. Last year I did the trip back there, 36 hours or so to get back from here. You are a little bit tired when you get there.
This year I decided to make my traveling a little bit easier, try and stay a bit longer at one time.
Q. What was your routing? Did you go east or west from here?
RETIEF GOOSEN: LA, LA to Atlanta, luckily going that way from Atlanta it's just a direct flight to Johannesburg, 14 hours. Coming up you have to stop four times, takes a bit longer.
Q. What's the equivalent of a million dollars in Rand?
RETIEF GOOSEN: The Rand is getting stronger against the dollar, which is nice. It's about eight million Rand.
Q. As you look at Ernie out there, 13- or 14-under, where do you want to be at the end of the tomorrow to be in striking distance?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Ernie likes this course. He's done very well here in the past. You know, I probably got a feeling I'm probably going to be four or five shots off the lead going into tomorrow. So tomorrow is quite important. Apparently the weather is not going to be all that good. If you can get a good round in tomorrow, you've got a good chance of getting up a bit closer going into Sunday. I don't think you want to be really more than three shots behind.
Q. Do you think it will be any easier for you here, maybe more familiarity with some of the courses you'll be playing? Does that make much of a difference?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I'm playing next week the Sony, then Phoenix. Those are courses I haven't played. Those are new for me.
You know, otherwise the rest is pretty much what I've played. There will probably be one or two more that I haven't played. I'm trying to sort of stick to the same schedule as last year.
Q. Why the change this year? Why Phoenix, for example?
RETIEF GOOSEN: I just feel like I'll get three going in, then I'll take a couple of weeks off, go back to London, then down to Australia for the Johnnie Walker Classic, then to Malaysia for the Malaysian Open, then the other way around to Carlsbad. Then I'm taking three weeks to a month off then during the time when Tracy is expecting, then try and be back for TPC.
Q. Where is the child going to be born?
RETIEF GOOSEN: England.
Q. Do you have two homes or three? You have sort of a temporary base in Florida.
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah. London is pretty much permanent.
Q. When is the due date?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Middle March. Week of Bay Hill, I guess.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Can we go through your birdies.
RETIEF GOOSEN: On the 2nd hole, I hit a pretty poor shot, missed the green right, chipped it in. That was sort of a good run.
Next hole, I hit 2-iron, sand wedge to about 10 feet.
The par 5, I hit driver, 4-iron, to about 30 feet, 2-putt.
9, 3-iron, 2-iron into the bunker, short right, then out to about five feet.
10, I hit 2-iron, lob wedge to about three feet.
14, I hit driver. Hit a good driver. Ended up probably 10 feet away from the flag, missed that for eagle. So 2-putt. Driver, 2-putt birdie.
The par 5, I hit driver, 3-wood to about 30 feet, 2-putt.
Next hole, driver, sand wedge to about a foot.
18, I hit a good drive, but it just kept on rolling down the hill. Ended up in the rough. Hit an 8-iron, got a bad flyer, missed the green right.
Q. You're getting The Presidents Cup in the southern hemisphere this year. Do you think you'll get an official money event, World Golf Championship, because of the American's lack of travel?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, it would be nice to have one of those maybe a week before, maybe the week after The Presidents Cup. If the guys can make it a two- or three-week trip, I think it makes it worthwhile coming out.
Just a week, they might feel that it's not something they want to do. But the plan is to make the million dollar the week after that a bigger field, see if we can get those 24 guys to get in to play in a million dollar. That would be the biggest first prize in the world. I'm sure once the guys are down there, they would love to play in Sun City. It's a great place to play.
Q. You flew 36 hours to get here, 36-hour trip?
RETIEF GOOSEN: From there to get here. From Atlanta, it would be just 13 and a half hour flight straight down there. You know, I don't know, if they can put up a Concord or something, half the time, down there quickly.
Q. Stuart Appleby said the Americans are like hot prawns on a Sunday. They don't travel well. Do you agree with that?
RETIEF GOOSEN: The guys, you know, don't feel -- all the money is over here, why should they travel? If Europe had all these prize money that they have over here, the guys would probably travel like we do. At the end of the day, we all are trying to make a living, we want to come where the money is. If it was in Europe, they would travel over there.
At the end of the day, it's their decision.
Q. Do you think still they have some kind of obligation, the top players, to go to different areas, kind of expand the game?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I mean, Tiger knows he has to do that. He does that. He travels all over the world. He's played in South Africa. He's played everywhere, just about. He knows that it's good for golf where he goes.
Phil Mickelson and David Duval, unfortunately, they don't really travel. But I think the rest of the world would like to see the guys play a little bit more worldwide, yes.
Q. Just after turning pro, you played in the European Tour, you won there, you even won in France a few years ago. Was the US tour in the back of your mind or you were just thinking of the European Tour primarily?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I enjoyed Europe. All my friends, everybody was there. I felt comfortable in Europe. Money is not really that big of an issue. There's more to life than money. I kept on playing Europe. I always said I would play the US tour if I get on it straightaway. I wouldn't go to Q School to try to get it that way.
It's gone well for me. I try and work my schedule out so that I do play over here a little bit more. Next year I'll try and play a little bit more.
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