BUICK CLASSIC

June 5, 2002

Retief Goosen

TODD BUDNICK: Retief has not played in the United States since the Masters Tournament where he finished second. This year, he's 7-for-7 in cuts on the PGA TOUR. He's ranked 10th on the Money List and fourth in the world.

Retief, what have you been doing the last few weeks, how have you been playing?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I've played a few events on the European Tour. Last week I didn't play. I had a week off. Unfortunately, didn't do any good. Missed the cut in one and finished way back in the Deutsche Bank. I just not have been putting really up to standard. I've been hitting the ball okay, but just not making anything on the greens.

TODD BUDNICK: I'm sure next week is going to be a big week for you as defending champion. What do you look for this week in preparation?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I think it's going to be similar sort of greens. I think it's the same grass. I think it's a good week to play this week. You have to hit a lot of different sort of shots into these tiny greens with a lot of slopes in them. I think that you can learn a lot this week, and just get back into the swing of things. I'm looking forward to the week here, to try and do well.

Yeah, next week is going to be a great week. It's hard to believe that it's been a year, but you know, see if I can defend the title.

Q. How many rounds have you gotten in on this golf course? Can you give us your impressions?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I played a practice round yesterday, and then obviously today in the Pro-Am. Hopefully there's no delays. But with two rounds, yeah, I think it's pretty much enough. I had a good walk around with Ernie yesterday. So, yeah.

Like I said, the greens are very tricky. Some of the flags will be very difficult to get close to. It's a very old-style sort of golf course, with a lot of blind shots here and there. So, yeah, local knowledge does help, especially on those blind shots. But overall, it's a great course. It will be really tough when it gets hard and fast.

Q. Did Ernie or anybody else tell you about this course, or how did you decide to come here instead of just playing on the European Tour and then jumping over to Bethpage? Why this course before the Open?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I always try and play the week before the Majors over here, to get over the jet lag a little bit and get used to the firmer and faster conditions. That's really why I come and play. Plus, it sort of works out on my schedule, to play the 15 events on the Tour this year, I have to play these events. But I've always been told that it's a great golf course, and really, you know, good shot-making around this course wins it.

I like the sort of courses that you've really got to grind your way around and not very low scores will win the tournament.

Q. Do you particularly like courses that reward shot-making rather than courses that really reward big, long, bombers?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I like this sort of course. It's a little bit of everything, a lot of 3-woods, irons off the tees, drivers. It's not just driver on every hole and trying to hit it as far as you can. It's a lot of imagination that you have to use around this course.

Q. What significance does this tournament have with the U.S. Open next week for you?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, it's great to have two tournaments in a row here in New York. I think it's great to lift the spirits for everybody around here a little bit. Next week, especially, will be a bit of an emotional week for a lot of people. It's great to come and play. I've only been to New York once before some time ago.

I'm really looking forward to the two weeks. It's going to be great fun.

Q. Being the defending champion of the U.S. Open, does that preoccupy you at all, getting you ready for this tournament, with that one right around the corner?

RETIEF GOOSEN: It's been a busy year for me. There was one stage where I was playing a little bit too much and getting too tired, but I've had a week off now last week and I sort of feel a little bit more refreshed now for the next couple of weeks to play hard.

Overall, I've enjoyed every moment of it this last year, being the U.S. Open champion. You never know what's lying ahead. I'm going to try my best to try and defend the title.

Q. How does it come into play? How is your life different after winning the U.S. Open?

RETIEF GOOSEN: It doesn't really change. Like I said, it's been very busy more off-course than on-course. It's a lot of functions, this and that, interviews. That's been the more tiring part, I think, about it. The playing schedule was obviously a little bit more busier towards the end of last year, suddenly getting into events that I was not into before.

Overall, everything has been very busy, and I'm sort of pacing myself a little bit, not more, from now to the end of the year. I'm not playing quite as much.

Q. In terms of winning the Open now, in terms of being out in the public, are you finding you are stopped and asked for autographs off the course, are you more recognizable?

RETIEF GOOSEN: No, I didn't have any of those sort of problems. (Smiles).

It's still great just going anywhere that I want to and not having any of those problems. It's been here and there that people have recognized me and asked for an autograph, but in general, it's still been great fun.

Q. Does the difference in the yardage with Bethpage and here,500 yards, does that diminish some of what this tournament would do as a warm-up?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I would imagine this week you are not going to hit nearly as much drivers as you do next week. But, I think you can learn a lot about iron play into the greens here this week. Obviously, next week, driving is going to be like really a priority. You're going to have to hit the fairways, especially on the long par 4s, to get on the green.

I suppose a lot of players just feel like they want to play this week because it's similar sort of conditions. You don't have to travel a long way to get there. And the greens, I think you can learn a lot.

Q. When you come to a tournament like this the week before, what part of you wants to win the tournament, but what part of you also wants to prepare your game? In other words, is there a point during the week where you say, "Okay, I'm going to start working on things," or do you just use the same mindset?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Oh, definitely. Any tournament, I think I try and win the event. If you're working on something, it will be even better for you if you can win the event; and if you've worked on something, if it doesn't quite go your way, you know that maybe you'll be a little bit more prepared for next week. No, you're definitely out here to try to win the event.

Q. You won the week before the Masters this year, the BellSouth?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah.

Q. Could you revisit last year, the final green in regulation, and how you gathered yourself for the next day and pulled it back together, how important was it as far as talking to your sports psychologist?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I obviously was upset that I didn't 2-putt or even 1-putt from there.

But, I felt pretty confident with my chances the next day. I knew I was playing very well. I wasn't going to let something like that upset me, because I knew the next day, I only had one player to beat, except to what it was on Sunday where you have quite a few players.

I felt confident on Monday. I felt more relaxed probably on Monday than I did on Sunday. I picked up a lot of experience on medal match-play playing the Dunhill Cup in the past. Who knows, if I didn't win it, what it would have been like. But on Monday I managed to win it, and it was great.

Sunday night, like I said, I was upset but I wasn't really down about it. I knew I played really well. I had one mistake, unfortunately, but me and Jos were pretty okay about it. He asked me how I felt and I said I felt good. It wasn't really any sort of really bad feelings about the event.

Q. And you went on to win a number of tournaments after that. Did it kind of open the door for you in some way to a great year?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, I was playing really well before that. It was just a matter of it all starting to fall together and something happening for me to really boost your confidence.

It happened for me and my confidence was really high over the last year and I played really good golf. It all comes down to self-belief at the end of the day in this game. If you believe that you can do it, you can do anything.

Q. What type of role has working out and weightlifting played?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I work out quite regularly in the gym. There was one stage that it really got so busy, January, February and March, that for three months I didn't manage to make it to the gym.

I did start working out in the gym again about three weeks ago and trying to get a bit of strength and loosening up. I'm feeling pretty fine at the moment. My back and everything feels good. So I'm keen for the next two weeks.

Q. Do you use the on-site facility at all, the mobile workout facility?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, normally I don't, no. But I'm not here enough really to use it all the time. Normally just the hotel gym or I try and find a good gym around where the hotel is.

Q. Do you feel like you almost have to because everybody else is working out so much and is in such good shape?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, it's really become an athlete's sport now. Everybody is getting really fit and strong, and that's really one of the reasons why everybody is starting to hit the ball so far. I think everybody is so much stronger and fitter than they were in the past. So I think that has a lot to do with why the guys hit it so far. I think the clubs have helped towards it, but really the clubs have brought more consistency into the game than what it was in the past. But mostly I think it's because everybody is stronger and fitter.

Q. Other than playing four rounds of golf, is there anything that you plan on doing in New York City, anything that you're going to do or is it just all golf?

RETIEF GOOSEN: My wife is in New York today, strolling around, looking at the shops. She is always going out and looking at things, but unfortunately, we have to pay for it all and you just don't have time. (Laughs). If it was maybe a little bit closer to New York, you could go in in the afternoon or so, but 45 minutes or an hour's drive is quite a long ways to go.

Q. Same thing next week?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, next week is obviously going to be a much more busy week. So, we'll see if we can get a chance of going in one evening.

Q. Are you looking forward to going to the Open, and obviously you have a name for yourself in Europe, but are you looking forward to people recognizing you as the golfer that you are?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, that's really changed. I think I'm a lot more known now coming over here. It's been a good feeling, yeah. Just feeling like just one of the guys out there that nobody knows. It's been great, every time I come back here, to have the support and people looking out for you. It's been great.

Q. Do you have any feelings of pride, defending your opening title; the focus is so much on Tiger, do you ever feel like, "why not me"?

RETIEF GOOSEN: It's pretty much like that in any event that Tiger tees it up. But how many times is he going to win it. It's just a question of somebody coming along and maybe taking it away from him. But that's pretty much how it's going to be every tournament he tees it up in; it's just who can beat him.

Q. There was a time not too long ago when golfers were thought of as bad dressers. I'm wondering if you think golfers are more aware of fashion, and how much do you think about putting a uniform on, if you will, when you're out there playing or dressing nicely when you play?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, in general, I think golf is still a great gentlemen's sport. 99% of the players dress very well. There's so many good clothing out for golf, as well. Here and there there's some guys that have some funny stuff on, but in general, it's still a great game. Everybody seems to be well-shaven, short hair. It's great that the sport still has so much in it.

Q. Have you ever tried to wear anything like Parnevik, just for a practice round or anything?

RETIEF GOOSEN: No, I don't think I'm skinny enough to get into his stuff. (Laughter.)

I don't think I would feel comfortable in it like he does. Jesper Parnevik I think would look funny when he's got normal clothes on. It's when he's got his funny stuff on that everybody thinks he's now back to normal.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you very much for joining us.

End of FastScripts....