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EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

March 15, 2004

Deane Pappas

TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas & Cottonwood Valley Course, Irving, Texas

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Deane Pappas, thank you for joining us. Three rounds in the 60s so far this week puts you at 8-under par and in good position right now. Sergio Garcia is leading at 10-under par, but you're going to be in great position heading into the final round. If we could start with some opening comments.

DEANE PAPPAS: I've been playing solid now for a few weeks, I just haven't been able to kind of get any momentum going in my rounds.

This week has been a little better, still hitting it pretty solid, you know. I haven't really made too many putts. If I hit close I'll make the putts, but I haven't really made any long ones, so hopefully tomorrow I'll make a few.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Talk about the conditions out there. The weather a little breezier this afternoon than this morning, I believe, but overall pretty favorable conditions?

DEANE PAPPAS: Yeah, the wind switched around a little bit today. The last couple of days have been blowing in one direction, but I think this is the best conditions I've played in today for the whole year. We've had some horrendous weather, but yeah, it's nice temperature out there. The wind wasn't much of a factor at all today. The course was in great shape.

Q. How do you like the feeling of standing here at 8-under obviously going into tomorrow in contention against a really strong field? There are a lot of guys bunched up.

DEANE PAPPAS: That's what we worked towards, so I'm happy about it. I've been playing pretty solid, and I just -- I'm just happy to be up there. Hopefully I can put in a good performance tomorrow.

Q. You talked about your putting, that you hadn't made long ones. What's been going so well for you this week?

DEANE PAPPAS: Just very consistent ball striking. I've hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. Yesterday was a bit of a struggle and I mad some good par saves yesterday, but the first day and today I played really solid, a couple of good saves today that kept the round going. You know, I felt like I could have made a few more birdies.

Q. How would you assess this year? How have you played do you think?

DEANE PAPPAS: I've played very solid. I think I've played -- I've only got into five, maybe six events. I've made all the cuts, and I just feel like I haven't had much luck on my side. Whenever something can slow me down, it has, so so far this week, everything is -- the momentum has stayed on my side, so it's been a good change.

Q. As far as slowing you down, has it been injury stuff or a mis-hit shot here and there or --

DEANE PAPPAS: Just a mis-hit shot at the wrong time and maybe you don't save a par when you need to to keep the momentum on your side, so a couple of bad bounces here and there, but it's been going good for me this week, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Q. The last time you were in contention to win a tournament here, final round got rained out and you never got a chance to see what would happen. Do you look at that as a lost opportunity at that time? What's your frame of mind now that you've got that chance you didn't have?

DEANE PAPPAS: Well, I feel like if I'm playing anywhere near my capability, I feel like I should be in contention a lot more, so yeah, I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I haven't been in contention and played in a long time. I've struggled for two, three years now, so I'm happy to be where I'm at and we'll see what we can do tomorrow.

Q. Is there any motivation to break up -- everybody is going to look for Tiger and Sergio tomorrow but you're right there with them. Is there any motivation for a player such as yourself to sort of crash that party?

DEANE PAPPAS: I hope so. I'd love to crash that party. Yeah, hopefully I can get a little silly tomorrow and start out real fast and keep going and see if they can go with me.

Q. What would you consider the best win you've ever had?

DEANE PAPPAS: Probably the South African PGA. I think that was back in 2001 maybe or 2002, I can't even remember to be honest with you, but as far as a quality field, it was a pretty good quality field, and then I've won a few on the Buy.Com Tour.

Q. Just to follow up on Terry's question about motivation, what do you do to kind of motivate yourself? You said you've had a run of bad luck and bad things happen and you haven't been able to get into tournaments. Is it just a matter of just keeping working?

DEANE PAPPAS: Yeah, you've got to work, there's no doubt about it. Everybody else is working, and I've always had a good work ethic, and I've been working harder this year than I have the past two years. My game has been real solid, and I'm hoping to be in contention a lot more this year and maybe win a couple of events.

Q. I guess my question is how do you -- what sort of methods do you use to keep yourself going when even when you play well you don't see the results?

DEANE PAPPAS: Well, it's just a belief in yourself that you know it's going to turn around for you. You know, I just figure if I work myself, it's going to have to happen, otherwise I might as well go and do something else. I'm glad to see some results coming my way.

I've said at home, I don't think I've played once this year in back-to-back events. I normally play an event, sit out a week, play an event, sit out two or three weeks. It's kind of been a stop-and-start, but I've used those weeks to work real hard and get ready.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could go through your score card, touching on your birdies and bogeys. First birdie came on par 4, No. 6.

DEANE PAPPAS: 6, I hit a drive down the middle, 7-iron from about 165 maybe, hit it to an inch.

Par 5, 7, just short of the green, chipped it up to about three feet maybe, made the putt there.

Bogey on No. 8, missed the fairway there. It was a tough shot to get on the green, but I missed the green on the wrong side and just had no chance, so made bogey there.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Then came back with birdies on 10 and 12 and 14.

DEANE PAPPAS: 10 was out of the rough. I had a half decent lie out of the rough for a change. I hit a 7-iron in probably about 15 feet.

12, I hit a wedge to a foot and a half.

14, nice tee shot down the fairway, 9-iron that kind of -- the wind was swirling around a little bit and I guess we caught a gust from behind and it went about 40 feet long, and I made the putt. That's basically the first long putt I've made all week, so that was nice.

16, hit driver, 2-iron just over the back, chipped it down about five feet, made the putt.

17, bogey, hit a 6-iron, pulled it left of the green. It was just in a real gnarly place, couldn't hope for anything but get it on the green and take my bogey and go to the next hole.

Q. You talked about keeping that belief in yourself, and I'm wondering, you played college golf with John Daly, and a lot of the guys you played against in college have gone on and done well, and I wonder how much seeing those guys do well has to do with your belief in what you can do.

DEANE PAPPAS: I played with Phil Micks and Justin Leonard, Lumpy, David Duval. I mean, those guys have been superstars for years now, and I guess I'm just a late bloomer (laughter).

Q. At that point in time, how did you feel you were compared to them? Did you feel like you were their equal at that point?

DEANE PAPPAS: Definitely. They won tournaments, I won tournaments when we were playing together. We were definitely the top of the -- we were all first team all-American players, so we were all up there beating each other up every week. You know, I don't see why I can't do it now.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Deane Pappas, thank you.

DEANE PAPPAS: Thank you. Hopefully I'll see you late tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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