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MERCEDES CHAMPIONSHIPS

January 9, 2005

Stuart Appleby

KAPALUA, HAWAII

TODD BUDNICK: We'd like to welcome 2004 and 2005 Mercedes Championships champion, Stuart Appleby.

Congratulations, Stuart. You're the first player to repeat here in Hawaii at the Mercedes Championships, congratulations on that.

You open up the tournament with a 74 and three rounds later you're sitting here in the champions chair. Tell us how you did it.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't know, I would have thought if it was the start of maybe a U.S. Open, a 1-over par might not look too bad but seeing where Vijay started, I think he shot 7-under. Being eight shots back was a bit disappointing, because really, I guess in racing terms, I stumbled out of the gates and was last, almost.

But I wasn't discouraged. It wasn't a bad 1-over. I actually played pretty good. I got the game going straightaway the next day and just got on a roll, had a great opportunity to shoot real deep the second day and the third day. Today wasn't near as much, but I had an opportunity to get actually a low one in the conditions which I had not seen before. So I was very pleased with getting 4-under through the turn. I thought if I can squeeze two or three more out on the back nine, we'll see -- we'll sort of see how the cards will lay.

I was not really observing what was going on too much because I knew I was moving up the leaderboard and there's no point observing where I was. In a low-scoring affair like this, you've got no time.

A great week. I think you could go long odds on me winning the tournament after seeing round one. Maybe someone put a bet on me, I don't know. That would be a bit silly, but it was a great week. I can't complain. I hit the ball great. I liked the way I was hitting the ball before I came here and I liked the way I was putting. So to go from playing in Australia late last year and not playing that good and not putting that good to turning out a round, really, in less than a week on the range just in the start of January, end of December, start of January was really encouraging and that's the main reason why I decided to stick it out and come here.

TODD BUDNICK: You played the last 55 holes without a bogey, and that was a big part of the win today.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't think I've done that. Obviously here it's not a U.S. Open course or anything. So doing something like that at the U.S. Open would be world-record breaking. But that just shows, I played consistent. I played consistent, I hit the ball well, I rolled the ball well. I didn't really hit a lot of greens. And I putted well, so I didn't have to do much chipping. I guess I got my rhythm going and that was critical.

This is, you know, this stuff is enjoyable. When you get to do this sort of stuff you get to learn a lot more about your game and about yourself. That's what I want to do. That's what I want to keep doing.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll take some questions, please.

Q. You said yesterday, we were talking to you down at the scorer's tent about what Vijay is doing, has been doing, it's no surprise. Is it a bigger surprise that you won or that Vijay didn't win?

STUART APPLEBY: Well, that's probably a good question. I think if I was physically in good shape, probably at my best, it would have been -- well, look, I've never done this before so you'd have to say it's slightly surprising. You look at where I was after round one, you would not have put any money on me. And Vijay, playing the way he has played, yeah, there was two scenarios there, two shifts. Mine where I played really solid for three days and Vijay didn't play as well as what I wanted. With this type of field out here, again, every tournament seems to come down to always a shot or a playoff, it's so tight.

Q. Obviously there was some things that happened. How aware were you of those things and is there any rational explanation to how the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the world would sort of not get it done to that magnitude?

STUART APPLEBY: I think you're the No. 2 and 3 in the world over a period of time because they consistently play well, but it doesn't mean every event it's like that, but over time, that shows that. So everyone has little hiccups at the start of the year. You are bound to see some good seasons out of a lot of players in this field this year. You know, the secret is when you don't quite play at your best, how do you get back to playing top-quality golf and that's what makes, you know, the guys top players.

Q. Were you aware of what was happening?

STUART APPLEBY: Not really. I guess I was a guy, really on a roll and just trying to -- I was working my way into contention and I just had to keep focused on doing that and try not to get absorbed on what was going on. The weather was very difficult and obviously the greens were tough to read and here I was making my share of putts and getting opportunities but I'm not going to make everything as much as I want. I was really doing my own thing and really just hoping that -- well, that's all I could do, run hard across the line and see if I get my nose in front.

Q. Jonathan was referring to both Vijay and Ernie drove it in the gunk.

STUART APPLEBY: Ernie on 18?

Q. Ernie on 18 and Vijay on 13, made triple there.

STUART APPLEBY: That's unfortunate. Every player has been in that position. It's not a lot of fun at all. I was not aware. What are you going to do, start laying up coming in? If I had started laying up, I would have lost by a shot or two.

Q. When your ball was in the air on 18, did you think it was in the hazard?

STUART APPLEBY: Not really. I tried to hit it too hard. Physically I probably should have just tried to give it my swing and not try to ask for something extra. The swing has not been able to quite -- been able to kill it. It's been a bit risky. I thought it was in the rough. I didn't expect it to be as tricky as that. And then I really was looking to try and get an iron somewhere down, somewhere close and when I had that 40-odd-footer, I was thinking I would rather be 20 feet putting for a chance for birdie instead of trying to make a 2-putt from there. That's the beauty of golf, you're always learning something about your thought process and your tactics and everything.

Q. Your club on the third shot?

STUART APPLEBY: Just nailed a 5-iron. Probably a four, but not the right club, but at the time I thought I was accurate.

Q. When you walked off with par, were you kind of bracing for a playoff?

STUART APPLEBY: I had no idea, I really didn't know.

Q. You didn't see a leaderboard?

STUART APPLEBY: I didn't need to. What was it going to tell me? I knew that this was -- if I had known or sensed that I was three shots ahead I might have had a cushion. I could have done some relaxing but there was no time for me. You know, I was really running hard for the line, and I just knew there wasn't much going on behind, it was very quiet in the crowds, and I thought I sort of had a target in mind, a score in mind. I thought if I can shoot something like - what did I shoot, 22 last year - that, would be a hell of a comeback after being -- that's 23-under in three days, that's good. I thought maybe without this storm, I'd have to get somewhere maybe even get to 25.

I mean, I was still a day out, with Vijay playing well and the others and Jonathan and all that and Ernie and who knows what someone else could shoot. I still felt like I had to shoot a low score on Sunday and then the weather forecast came in and I knew that wasn't going to happen seeing where we were on the first tee.

I just had to just keep my head down and do my thing. I've never really been a player that's had enough experience to run from that far behind, but it's nice to know when the dice is rolling good, you just keep throwing.

Q. When you said a day out, you mean after 54 holes?

STUART APPLEBY: Yes.

Q. You thought you still needed --

STUART APPLEBY: I needed a low score. It only took one person out of the bunch of guys that were right behind Vijay. And I could lose, shoot a 5-, 6-, 7-under and say, hey, great, well played, but you lost by three or four.

Q. Going back a little earlier on the sixth hole when you had the eagle, can you talk about your approach there and did you at that point at least look at the leaderboard?

STUART APPLEBY: Not at any stage there. That was too early in the round. Great drive down there. I didn't really -- I've never driven that green. I've driven short right and had some tricky chips, but to be there and make the putt was great. That was really a bit of a boost in there because I just made birdie on the hole before. Really got to capitalize on the par 5s and I didn't seem to do that well enough here this week, I didn't think. Certainly on 9 I didn't do it well enough, and certainly I didn't on 15.

Q. Did you feel like you were in the fray at that point?

STUART APPLEBY: I knew that if I kept going and playing that sort of golf, if I kept going, then, yeah, I was going to be moving well and truly up into the leaders definitely.

Q. With the hip situation you were dealing with, how close were you to not coming here. And then how much extra time did you have to take every day before you played to get loosened up?

STUART APPLEBY: I'm not sure exactly what day it was. I guess it would be Tuesday, must have been late in the week before that I went out and tried to hit balls and couldn't really hit, couldn't really hit a ball any good at all. There was just no way I could play any golf. Then I had to actually see my trainer at the time and just do some stuff, not golf-related at all. I told him -- he said, "How are you doing?"

I said, "I'm struggling, I don't think I'll go. It doesn't look good. I can't hit balls. I can't consistently put in two days where I actually hit the ball."

He said, "Well let's have a stretch here and let's see what's going on."

Had a stretch and I went out and hit five balls on the range, a different range than I was practicing too, and that got me pumped enough where I drove back another 30-odd, 40 minutes to where I was practicing in the morning and go down to the range and hit it almost pain free.

I thought, "Well, that's good, that's enlightening." I can see the light now. I reckon if I can get a another day like that in with another stretching session, I reckon that treatment will carry me through to Hawaii and I will do the same stuff in Hawaii. That was the scenario and I was hitting well and I was putting well and I liked every part of my game. I had the ability to stretch and get better and the game was there, so I knew if I could get the body to keep up, I reckon I could be a go.

Q. What was your trainer's name?

STUART APPLEBY: Vern McMillon. Vern was my trainer normally and I have Steve Adams here this week. Steve was a big help in getting me on track.

Q. What was the hardest part of today condition-wise?

STUART APPLEBY: I guess the course playing out of another direction, very difficult. Not maybe being able to see the grain as much because the grains were sort of wet, so it takes away the shade. So the green becomes very dark and the strength of the wind at times, and a bit of the rain slapping around and hitting you in the face. So it was all areas: The wind was there, the rain was there and the direction was there and trying to get the green speed right.

Q. You talked too fast or I listened too slow.

STUART APPLEBY: I know which one that is. (Laughter.)

Q. Anyway, on what date did it not look good?

STUART APPLEBY: Probably -- you did listen correctly, I didn't say a day. Late last week. I don't think it was the weekend. Maybe it was the weekend. But just quote me as -- "only days before I came to Hawaii." How is that? (Laughter.) Just say that.

Q. When is your baby due, and was there any chance if you got a call that it was on the way?

STUART APPLEBY: The only time I got a little nervous -- it was the only time and that was really funny, because even back in Australia, I said to Ash the other day, I don't even have the doctor's number. I don't even have any phone numbers. What if you decide to go -- I guess you're competent and know how to get to the hospital, but I don't even have any phone numbers to call the doctor.

So I get home from one of the rounds in the week and I see my mobile, my cell phone as you call it in America. The cell phone has got a message on it and my flashing light has a message on the hotel phone. I look at the two -- oh, shoot. That better not be. So I didn't know which one to go for so I grabbed the cell phone, it's so-and-so. Ooh, better go get that one, and that was someone else. That was the only time I felt a little edgy that I got a call that it might be the call.

But she's not due. We'll be bringing junior out on Wednesday I think next -- well, if I can make the flight tonight, I should be able to do that Wednesday, which is the day after I get back.

Q. If the baby decided to come a little bit early --

STUART APPLEBY: It doesn't look like it physically. It doesn't look like it's in the slot, so to speak. (Laughter.)

Q. Would you have left here?

STUART APPLEBY: Oh, I would have left in a heartbeat if it was serious. But at the same time it would have been a pretty long labor for me to have a chance. The only reason I came here -- well, three reasons. One, baby did not look like it was to come early, was not in the position where it looked like it was going to drop. Had not showed any signs of coming in quickly. Two, physically looked like I could get better with some treatment over here, and three, I was playing good. Ashley said, "Look, go over there, have some fun, wish I was there." So it was all "tick, tick, tick" on every one of those. If she had have been borderline and I was, you know, not able to get physically, I would not even -- I just would have really been disappointed and I would have pulled out easy.

Q. Boy or girl?

STUART APPLEBY: Don't know.

Q. What's the travel? Do you have a flight tonight and where do you go, etc., etc., to get home? How long does it take?

STUART APPLEBY: It's probably -- flying west is always a bit slower, isn't it? So probably Honolulu to Sydney, probably be ten hours to that direction.

Q. Tonight or tomorrow morning?

STUART APPLEBY: Tonight, 10:30 tonight.

Q. Out of here or Honolulu?

STUART APPLEBY: Honolulu. Nothing international goes out of here.

Q. What city?

STUART APPLEBY: What's your question?

Q. In what city is the baby going to be born?

STUART APPLEBY: Melbourne.

Q. How did that work out, you're pretty much in Orlando most of the year; is that right, or no?

STUART APPLEBY: Probably two to three months of the year probably in Australia, mixed spasmodically a couple different sections, and the rest of the year basically the U.S.

Q. Any pre-planned decisions to have the baby in Melbourne?

STUART APPLEBY: The cutoff for flying was actually mid-November, and what that sort of meant was THE TOUR Championship. I literally had to stay in Orlando for infinity right through, and I had tournaments to go back to in Australia that I wanted to go to. I wanted to get home and see my parents. Ashley loves Australia. In a heartbeat could live there, great place to hang out. And she had no qualms at all. She had a lot of friends that had kids there, and she just wanted to get the right doctor and get the right place and work it all out.

It was a bit of doctor work in Orlando, you know, see the doctor there and then back to Australia. That was the only sort of weird portion. But from September we spent a lot of time in Australia in September, so that was getting into October, November we are just here for a little bit and then Australia, I said predominately everything worked out fine. She did not have a problem having a baby in Australia; it was her decision. And then yeah, it will be a bit of a bitzer, be part Aussie and part American?

Q. Have you spoken to her since you've won?

STUART APPLEBY: No, I've been too because I talking to you. (Laughter.) How is that flight looking?

Q. There's been a lot of talk this week about so many top players at the top of their game, and also on Tiger and his swing, coming back together, questions about can he do a 2000 again; and one of the things he brought up is it depends on everyone else. So I'm wondering if you could speak to recent play, and he especially this week with you winning and Jonathan Kaye being right there, Stewart Cink, etc., even if Tiger were to get his game back to where it was in 2000, if the competition is such that that makes that year more unlikely than anything he does. Long question, I'm sorry.

STUART APPLEBY: Long question.

Q. Did you hear it all? Did I talk too fast?

STUART APPLEBY: No, you didn't.

Okay, now, Tiger plays his best golf, you know, he's a pretty formidable opponent. There's nothing knew about that. I'm not enlightening any readers there. The question is; when everyone else plays their best, what's happening, what's going on? Who are those players? And it's obvious to think the World Ranking shows a pretty good gist of what's going on when Ernie Els plays his best and what Vijay is like when he plays his best. So Tiger will play his best again and so will many other players.

You will see a formidable change in Tiger this year. I think you'll see a guy that will go back to maybe a little bit of the basics of what made him or makes him a great player, and he'll just do that and just build that again. Not that anything had crumbled, but he knows and then people say about, oh, drive to be No. 1. He's like, no, no, no, if I just worry about my next shot and practice how I need to practice, I will let that take care of itself, and I think that's the best attitude. It's certainly what I use today, just one shot at a time. It's a bit monotonous, but I tell you, it's the only thing you can actually really control.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's go through your card real quick.

STUART APPLEBY: First hole, what a nightmare hole that is, getting on top of that hill. 3, I stiffed it on 3. 4 is up the hill. I had an opportunity there, 2-putted there. The par 5, knocked it on two, putted there, 3-wood, driver 3-wood. Next, drove it on, obviously 2-putted -- one putted from about, I don't know, it was about four yards, so what's that, 12 feet.

Q. Did that play 398 as listed on the card?

STUART APPLEBY: No, the tee is up a bit and play is dramatically downhill.

8 was playing tricky. 9, I missed a good opportunity there. Good putt, just a tad less, not enough speed. 10, poor second shot, 2-putt.

11, 2-putt from right. 12, had about a 15-footer there, pin-high left and made that, wedge.

The next hole, had a great opportunity there from about eight feet, six or eight feet and missed it, just didn't hit it hard enough. One of those fast-breaking putts -- sorry slow-breaking putts.

I missed a good opportunity next, the par 3. Short drive on the par 4. The par 5 had another opportunity there, but hit a poor third shot and didn't really run up the hill.

16, wind really started to Howell on 16. Thought I hit a great drive down the right, had it in the rough and hit a great second shot to 20-odd feet and thought I hit a real good putt there and 2-putt.

17, made a long one there, probably would imagine somewhere around the 30-foot mark. Have to check ShotLink or something. It was pretty long. I had a feeling I could roll that 1-down. I had a good feeling that I could get this one -- I don't know, you have a feeling, not always that you're going to make it but you have a feeling and that hole was -- never looked like missing a couple meters out.

Q. What was the club again?

STUART APPLEBY: I hit an 8-iron, tried to hook an 8-iron into the middle of the green. And then I hit a poor drive on 18, pitched it out, and then a 5-iron onto about I would imagine 40, 50 feet.

Q. Just real quickly, I know that obviously they are going to change all of the greens here and back-to-back wins, you may have a different feeling than other guys about them changing the grass on the greens?

STUART APPLEBY: Oh, not really. Guess if you wanted to be picky, I wouldn't mind leaving them the same.

Look, one week a year, I don't know what they are like the other 50 weeks. They might not be up to scratch. Look, I don't think -- I think the speeds -- I think the players are too concerned about the breaking grain and what have you, because the grain is pretty consistent if you can read it properly. Just the first day they were really, really slow, and I don't know if that's because the rain stopped them.

But they did get quick yesterday and they were much more like I remembered them. Maybe it's just a matter of getting the grass cut down with a bit of sunshine.

Q. Last year when you sat there, you talked more philosophically about your approach to the game. Is that something that in today does that extend through the last 365 days?

STUART APPLEBY: I don't know what I said last year; I don't know.

Q. You had read some book; you talked about Tiger at the earth owned of the range in Orlando?

STUART APPLEBY: I don't we will you what he does at the other end of the range. (Laughter.)

Golf's a simple game that's made very complicated through a lot of thought processes and actions. You know, you've really got to simplify it and keep it simple. And I guess watching Vijay last year was a great example of how simple he made the game look, just bang, bang, bang put. And that's when you play good quality golf, the game does look simple, it's not difficult.

I'm very much looking forward to this year, as any year. I think every player comes here and thinks, wow, this is fantastic, I had such a good year last year, kick off with a good tournament. Well, I've done that and I'm very happy, and thankful because last year, I was really playing in the tournament and was one of the leaders. I really was leading in the final day. Rest of this week, I spent chasing the leaders fortunate enough they just had their tricks and stumbled.

But I think there's certain principles about that that I've taken in my life, and just knowing that I've always had that mentality that it's one shot at a time, one shot at a time. That's an attitude that I did have last year, I know that. I don't win tournaments unless I have that mentality.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Stuart. Congratulations.

End of FastScripts.

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