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VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 14, 2004

Fredrik Jacobson

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Q. Congratulations on the year you're having so far.

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Thank you very much.

Q. Coming in this year, did you kind of have a feeling that you might be able to do pretty well on the American side this year?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I was hoping to. I had my first opportunity last year, and I managed to do well in most of the tournaments I played last year. I knew it was going to be tougher for me than it was last year. I came over and played a few on an exemption trying to gain my card here and got off to a very good start in Europe, so I could kind of spin on that a little bit, focusing more on playing here this year, that it was going to be more often -- it would be new courses for me this year, new tournaments, new places, and also moving to a different country and having a baby, so I knew there was going to be a few more things around me this year. I expected it to be tougher, and I'm happy with what I have achieved.

Q. Of all the things you've named, what's been the biggest adjustment as far as professionally and personally?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Well, on the golf side, I think the toughest thing is to choose which tournaments you're going to go to because you don't really know which courses suit your game or which places you really like. That's something that's going to probably take two, three seasons. I haven't nearly played all the tournaments yet, haven't played all the courses. It's still going to take time before I get there in the right places. It took a while in Europe to find that out, and I think it'll take a little time here, as well.

On the other side, I think moving over went quite smoothly. We enjoy it a lot in Florida and we've had a good time there. That didn't become as big of a factor as I thought.

Baby-wise I think is what changes your life the most on the private side. My wife has been great, and they've stayed during the summer quite a lot of time in Sweden, so I've traveled a little bit on my own some weeks, which has actually been kind of nice sometimes, to just be able to go into the golf more, even though you wish you could do both. It's been good.

Now they're with me for a few weeks, which is also nice. We've alternated, both for my game to be able to have sometimes a bit more rest when I'm out, and also for them to be in one place for a longer time sometimes, too. It's easy to create the right routines and all that.

Q. It's got to be tough with the newborn on the road and the hotels, kind of a difficult adjustment?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: It's a bit more hassle to travel, a bit more luggage. It is different compared to traveling yourself, no doubt about it.

Q. Tell me about the birth. I was reading a quote that you had where you said you felt really bad about just missing out on the birth. How close did you come after the birth?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Two hours after.

Q. You said you were pretty disappointed missing that one chance you had. How disappointed were you, and I read that you were really trying to get there, just trying to get a private jet?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I did that. I think I was disappointed that the flight was late. That probably was one thing, and I showed up an hour and a half late and that disappointed me because if I had showed up at the time they promised, I probably would have had the chance to make it there. I probably could have waited 15 minutes or something if I was on the way.

I think I was more disappointed at that time than I am about it now because I was so nervous, as well, at that stage and didn't know what was going on. My wife had some problems, a high fever when she went, and there was a lot going on.

Looking back how it came out, since I know everything went fine now, it's not a huge a deal. When I did get there I was so tired from not sleeping all night, not being able to do that, so it took me two hours before I passed out and probably slept for six hours on the couch there. The main thing was that everything went well.

Q. What's it been like having a child, as far as a lot of people talk about when they have a child, it gets them to focus more and sort of look at a bigger picture. Has that been the case for you having a child? Are you looking at life a little differently now?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Well, I guess you do. The first month or two is tough to understand it at all what's going on, so I don't really think it sunk in in the beginning anyway. As I said, I was so nervous in the beginning. Luckily Erika was calm about it, and I don't know whether it's something that we don't get -- we don't feel the same, but it's just -- one day you're playing a tournament, you're into that, focusing there, and it's what it's been up until then, and then you get a phone call and you fly back and you're a father when you come back. It's kind of tough to just snap out and understand.

I think gradually you get into it more and more, and I guess another perspective in a way. One more person to care about, that's for sure. It's all been good so far, very good.

Q. Have you gotten a chance to look at the course at all?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I walked around it this morning.

Q. What did you think of it?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: It's a hard walk.

Q. It's a monstrous course, isn't it, a lot of hills?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Especially after the rain. Once the heat came out and all that moisture is coming out, it was sweaty to make it around, and I didn't even play. I walked around just chipping and putting. The greens are in tremendous shape, running very well. I'll play the course tomorrow, but it looks like it's going to play well. It's in good condition with a few wet patches on the course, but I'm sure if it stays dry, it'll go pretty quickly.

Q. How do you feel like the course sets up for you? Do you feel like it's a course you can score pretty well on?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I mean, I didn't play it today, but it looks -- it has quite generous landing areas. It looks like the rough is not a big factor. I mean, it would be if you hit a really bad shot. There's bushes on the outside and a few houses -- a few holes where you have those ditches before, a couple par 3s that would require good distance on a few holes, but apart from that, I think the course is quite generous.

There's a few undulating shots where you're going up hills and down hills where you have to really judge the distance well and try to calculate how much those hills are going to affect the shot.

Q. I have to ask you as far as with the Ryder Cup, coming so close to making the Ryder Cup, being here this week, is your mind going to be on the Ryder Cup a lot this week, as well? Have you thought about it this week, what might have been?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I mean, the more you see the ads for the Ryder Cup and the more the atmosphere builds up, the tougher it is not to be there. I thought I came out of it pretty strong. I've handled tough situations before, and I'm sure I'm going to move on fine, but the more you feel the atmosphere is building up, the more you want to be there, that's for sure.

That's going to be case unless I get injured, and I'm not up for that. Definitely it would have been great to be there, but at the same time that was one of my goals this year. I've got other goals that I'm chasing at the moment. I'm trying to get my first win over here. That would be great if I could do that before the year is over, and I'm working now trying to get into the Tour Championship, so that's a couple of big goals for me, and I've got a bit to go there. That will keep me motivated.

Q. As far as the Ryder Cup, some people are saying the Americans are favored but Europe has a pretty strong team. How do you think it's going to go? What are your thoughts on the Ryder Cup?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I mean, looking in the past, most of the times it's looked like America has the strongest team and probably has the strongest individual team I would say if you write it down player by player. It's not an individual tournament. In that case it's been very even and many times it often comes down to one or two matches.

What I have noticed in the past, I don't know whether it's going to go that way, but it seems like Europe has been the stronger team players when it comes to foursomes and better balls, and America has been the stronger one when it comes to the singles. That's what I've noticed.

A lot of times I think it's important for Europe to try to take that advantage and get in front before -- what happens, the future will tell, but it's certainly going to be interesting. Both teams are very strong this year.

Q. I was also going to ask you as far as growing up, did you play hockey growing up? Are you a big fan? Are you still a big fan, still watch a lot of hockey?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yeah, I was hoping for Sweden to make it last Saturday to Toronto. I would have watched that game. That would have been fantastic if they played Canada there. That didn't happen.

I try to watch when I'm in Sweden, go to some games every winter. I don't get as much time anymore to spend there, but if I do good there, I try to catch one or two games at least.

Q. Are you disappointed with the possible strike lockout of the NHL?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: The Swedes, we can't really be disappointed about it because that means all the players are coming to Sweden to play. I think it would be great for the Swedish hockey fans to get a close-up on the NHL stars that we have because they don't really get much opportunity. As soon as a very good player comes up in Sweden, he's just ready to move over here and start playing here.

I think it would be a lot of fun in Sweden. I'm sure there's a lot of disappointed people here and everything and it's not what you were hoping for, but a great league like the NHL would need something like that.

But for the Swedish people and my point of view, it's obviously great for our people to get to see our own players play in the Swedish league.

Q. The last question, as far as when you're out there, are you noticing has your gallery been growing? Are you noticing more people following you? What's it been like out there at the tournaments for you?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: When I came back, Canada was really good. I don't know if there's been something going on on TV when I wasn't here about the Ryder Cup or something, but there's definitely a lot of people cheering on. No, it was great. It's been very good. I enjoy it. It's very different from the European Tour. It's more people following every week. It's a lot of fun.

Q. I'm sorry, you said your wife and your daughter are here this week; is that right?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yes.

End of FastScripts.

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