BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

March 16, 2000

Duffy Waldorf

DUFFY WALDORF: Started on No. 10 today and got off to a good start. I mad a birdie on the 1st hole, which was NO. 10 for me, about a 30-footer right up the hill. And then I went to No. 12 and hit a good wedge shot in there about -- made it, about an 8-footer for a birdie there. And then I went all the way to 15. I made a bogey on 15. I missed the green to the left and didn't get up-and-down. And 16, I laid up. It was playing long, into the wind and I had about 110 yards, 9-iron, hit in there about 20 feet and made it. Then on No. 2, I made a bogey missed the green in the bunker and didn't get up-and-down. No. 3, I hit a good shot, 140 yards, pitching wedge downwind. Hit it about 15 feet and made it for birdie. And then the next hole, No. 4, I hit a bad drive, but I laid up good and I didn't -- I hit a nice wedge in about 25 feet and made it for birdie. The par 5, I went for the green in 2 and hit it over the green, just short of the bunker and had a long chip. Chipped a good chip about four feet and made it for birdie. And then I had a nice save on No. 9 for par. It was a nice 30-footer for par on that hole.

DUFFY WALDORF: Well, I thought it was -- the conditions in the air were tough. The ground was nice. The ground -- the greens were holding, for the most part. Really had to be careful on the downwind holes. The downwind holes were very hard to hold the ball. Even though the into-the-wind holes were playing longer, you knew you could at least hold the green on them. So I mean it was playing hard because you had to put the ball in the air to get it there but -- if you hit a good shot, it seemed to hold really well and the greens were pretty nice.

DUFFY WALDORF: Last year, I've been playing really well, probably pretty close to as well as I've ever played. Obviously, I've won a couple tournaments, and the reason why is I'm shooting lower. But why am I shooting lower, right? The reason why is probably I've been hitting the ball pretty well the last three or four years, but now I'm just getting a little bit more out of my short game, chipping the ball well and making extra putt a round on average. I've been putting really well the last six months. That's made a difference. Since that Buick Classic win I think I've been putting a little bit better and I think that's really made a big difference.

DUFFY WALDORF: Yeah. Probably the main change mechanically is I went cross-handed a year ago. In fact, it was a year ago at The PLAYERS Championship. And I putted pretty well with the cross-handed. Mentally, a few adjustments in the thinking, but cross-handed was a major mechanical change. And just getting adjusted to hitting the ball the right speed has been the main thing with that. The cross-handed seemed to have gotten me lined up pretty well and aiming well. It's just a matter of getting the speed right.

DUFFY WALDORF: Well, just wasn't happy with the way I was putting. In fact, I remember working real hard on it before I came out to The PLAYERS Championship last year. I worked on it -- I was home for I think two weeks before and I worked with my coach on my putting, and I putted -- and I got out there at TPC and played a practice round on Monday and Tuesday. I'm like -- I think played another practice round it just wasn't happening. Man, I'm just not making putts not making putts, and started experiments with the cross-handed on the practice green. Which is something I practice with quite a bit just for fun. And I just decided that the way I was putting Monday and Tuesday, I thought it couldn't be any worse if I went cross-handed, and it was quite an experience the first three holes, though, I tell you, I was scared. I was scared when I made those first few putts. But I rolled in a putt on I think the 3rd hole at The PLAYERS; rolled in a long putt. So I guess this might work; so I'm going to stick with it.

DUFFY WALDORF: In the tournament or just in general? At the Andersen Consulting? Played really well. Played really well. Totally different conditions. Really wet and cool. But I think today, the big difference was I putted. I putted quite a bit better than I did at the Match Play. The Match Play, I was putting well, but just a couple more putts fell in today and that was the difference. I think I did a little better today. You know, match play obviously it depends on how the guy you play against plays. I was playing well tee-to-green, and my third match to Hal Sutton, I didn't quite make enough putts to win the match and that was the difference. If I had putted like I had today, I probably would have been pretty competitive.

DUFFY WALDORF: I guess that's up to them. I wasn't surprised. I knew I'd go out and play well, but you can't really -- you can't really decide what your opponent's going to do. You hopefully will put some pressure on them and make it harder for them to beat you. That's kind of what I did the first two days. That wasn't surprising to me. I think in match play . I felt a little more confident because I feel like I can beat any player in a one-day situation. If I play well, I can be tough to beat. Four days, things happen over four days. And one day, I think a lot of guys have a pretty good chance to beat another player.

DUFFY WALDORF: I have found over the years that you are constantly doing little adjustments and I found that making small adjustments are good. And I have the luxury of changing things. But I think all I needed was maybe just little adjustments and that's kind of what I've been doing, just working on the little things. And, you know, as far as maybe the confidence you get from two wins, I think it's important and I've pretty much decided you've got to be confident first before you win. So I kind of take the confidence -- the wins kind of boost your confidence, but I think there's times where you have to just go out and be confident, even if you're not making the putts or even if you're not playing as well as you think you should. You've still got to go out there and be confident, and that's the only way you're going to get to the place where you want to be, which is contending and winning in tournaments.

DUFFY WALDORF: No. I was very happy with the way I played last year, and I think I entered this year with expectations that, you know, if I play well -- I don't really put a lot of importance on how I finish overall. I mean, I look how I'm playing, how I'm driving, how I'm hitting my irons, how I'm chipping and putting, and I feel like if I keep my focus on that the finishes will come. And I don't know if I'm going to have five wins or -- I might be happy with my year and not win at all and just have some good finishes. I feel if I tend to the things, the parts of my game that need work, I'll be competitive.

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