THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DYNEGY

November 2, 2001

Scott Verplank

SCOTT VERPLANK: I did. Were you there? (Laughter) I hit it just -- actually, I putted it in from off the green, I was about 15 feet from the hole, nice drive, 6-iron, just pulled it just barely about A 15-footer and made that. 2-putt on No. 5, I hit a 5-wood from about 240 up there about 230, I guess up there pin-high, putted up a foot. Made that. No. 9, I clanked it off a tree on the corner, dropped down and I kind of punched a 3-wood and I just missed the fairway by just a yard or -- it rolled all the way up the front of the green. Anyway, stayed in the rough. I hit about 50 yard chip shot, up and over the moguls and then had about a 10-footer downhill, made a nice putt there. No. 12 I hit a 5-iron about a foot. 14, I hit a nice drive with a 7-iron about 15 feet below the hole, which was a good spot, and then the next hole I hit a pitching wedge about 18 feet before the hole, which was not as good, but it was -- I made a really nice fast putt there. 16, par 3, I laid up off the tee there to the right. (Laughs). It was a 6-iron but I think I hit a 9-iron. I don't know what happened. (Laughs) Anyway, it went like a 9-iron. I just -- I was -- I felt like I was just a little quick today hitting shots and I was really trying to slow down and -- you know, I think sometimes you get to thinking a little too much. I just kind of lost focus of where I was at and just hit-I don't even know how to describe that shot other than that it was pathetic. Just hit it on the toe. It was horrible. Came up short of the bunker on the right, in a bad lie, and I was not going to be that disappointed with bogey when I got up there and saw where my ball was. I hit a great kind of flop-shot and it actually came out better than I thought I could and it ended up rolling about eight, ten feet from the hole and made a nice read and knocked it in the middle. That was, obviously, a great save for me. Like I said, I wasn't going to be that disappointed if I made bogey after that first shot. I am not sure I deserved par there. But then the last two holes I was okay. Just hit it on and 2-putted. Neither one of them were great shots.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I think on the back nine I started hitting a little bit, other than that one shot I hit on 16, I felt a little more comfortable and I was a little more consistent with hitting the ball at the hole. But I am not striping it. I know -- I can tell you that now. Hopefully -- fortunately, I am pretty good at slowing down and finding a little feel -- if I can get just a little more rhythm off the tee and just with my golf swing I think I should hit a little better than I have hit it so far. Not that it's been terrible, but you just some kind of take what you got and go from there.

SCOTT VERPLANK: No wind, yeah.

SCOTT VERPLANK: I think it is just no wind. There were some pins that -- tougher than yesterday and some that were similar, but, you know, the golf course is perfect, fairways are perfect, the greens are perfect. And no wind, you -- if you get going today, you can hit it at a hole and make some putts.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, there may be. But to be real honest with you, I never got a chance to really even let that soak in after -- the way it went, I got home late on Sunday. I played in an outing on that Monday at my home course for one of the kids that was on the Oakland State basketball team that got killed in that plane crash. I am friends with his mom and dad, and we did an outing for him. It was actually a great day, to remember him and raise a lot of money for scholarships in his name. But I was tired from winning the day before and doing all that. Then the next morning I am trying to get up and go to St. Louis, and you know, the world changed. So be honest, but I haven't had a great time -- maybe after this week is over, I will sit back and, you know, think about all the great stuff that happened to me there.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, not yet. I won't know until this week is over, but I am close. Obviously, I have had -- at least money-wise and all that good stuff, it's the best year I have had. But I am definitely happy with how my game has progressed over the last couple of years. At least I feel like I know I am doing the right stuff and I am going in the right direction. I have gone in the other direction. It's not nearly as much fun.

SCOTT VERPLANK: The Ryder Cup deal, to me, was -- I mean, I was disappointed that we didn't get to go, like everybody else, but it is just not that important. In the big picture I just -- I haven't lost any sleep over us not -- or postponing it for a year because with the way everything is going, it's just a golf tournament and I can wait to play. I hope we get to play next year. I will be as excited as anybody to be there at that time. But right now, like I said, it's just -- I mean, it just pales in comparison to what has gone on around the world.

SCOTT VERPLANK: No. I don't do that. Like I said, I feel like I am on about my third or fourth year, so I kind of forget -- I try and forget as many of the other careers as I can remember. No, I mean, there's no telling. I don't know that if all that stuff would have happened, I may not even be playing today. There's no telling. I know I am a lot better player than I used to be and I am a different person and I have a lot different outlook and attitude. The way I was before, I was a lot more of a grinder and I may have ground myself to the dirt before, but now I -- I look a lot -- I have looked forward to playing a lot more than I used to and I am a lot less worn out when I get done than I used to be. Today was just another day, a great day to get to go play golf on a great golf course. It so happens I am playing in a huge tournament against the best players in the world, and all that doesn't mean that much to me until Sunday. Hopefully, I will have a chance to win, and if I do, I will probably be excited about it. Up until that point I am just looking forward to playing.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, when I play around Texas I can. I had two guys call me an asshole in the locker room. No, (laughs) I didn't know that they were all excited about me. I am just kidding. Listen, most guys -- yeah, I have some close friends that, obviously, are happy that I have turned it around and played good, all that. But most guys are so into themselves, and rightfully so, that they probably are happy that I am doing okay, but I don't think that they are raising the glass or anything for me, okay? I look at it more as I am just -- I am playing good. I have done some neat things here in the last couple of years that ten years ago didn't look possible, so if they are happy for me, I am thankful. If they are not, then I don't care. (Laughter)

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SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah, particularly when I play around Texas and places like this. I have my mom and dad here and I spent a lot of time in Houston as a kid. My grandparents used to live at River Oaks, so I have played this golf course as a kid and played all around Houston and know a lot of people in the golf business here and in the golf community. So that makes it special. And I didn't know anybody in Montreal and the crowd was great there. Maybe they are catching on. I hadn't noticed until you said that. (Laughs).

SCOTT VERPLANK: Biggest thing -- in what way?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah, obviously, I was a very fine player in college winning on the Tour, turned pro and didn't play as well as I thought I could have. Then I got hurt. Then I came back and then I got hurt again. And then, also, this is -- the last four years have been the time after I got hurt again. So I have played pretty well since. Other than 1999, I have played pretty good in the last four years. And that was kind -- I attribute that to feeling so sorry with being diabetic that now I have got that straightened out and I am so much better that it just makes golf that much easier.

SCOTT VERPLANK: No question. Yeah, like I said, I have lot different attitude now. I look forward to playing. I have been -- when you have something that you like to do and you have it taken away from you, it hits home, you know, it hits home a little bit deeper than, you know, if a guy is just playing bad and he's down in the dumps about his game and feeling sorry for himself. Well, if you took it away and made everybody, you know, sit out for a year, then they probably wouldn't be so worked up about it when things weren't going so well.