WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

November 5, 1999

Mark James

MARK JAMES: Didn't play particularly well. I putted a bit better today. That's about it, really. That sums it up perfectly.

MARK JAMES: You've got to ask me clever, concise and witty questions.

MARK JAMES: I would, without question, I would go out and buy a new stereo, because I've got friends that are telling me that mine is not good enough. I may do it anyway, bugger the expense, but that would clinch it.

MARK JAMES: Who knows.

MARK JAMES: Well, as I say, I didn't play quite as well today, but my putting was a little better.

MARK JAMES: No, I'm not overly confident. I know what this course is like. I've been here often enough. You can be first on Friday or last on Friday and first on Saturday.

MARK JAMES: I can answer that with a definitive no, I don't have a cunning plan. But it's nice to be thought of as maybe possessing one.

MARK JAMES: I think, as I said yesterday, the jury is still out a little bit. And it may be that the desire of the top players to play against each other more than five or six times a year may have been exaggerated. But I think this is a good tournament. I think it's around a course which is similar to a major. And which does test the players. From what I saw of the match play, that course did not look to me of a high enough quality. I wasn't there, and I may be wrong, but that was my impression, although the World Series, I guess that was pretty good. That was the regular Tour, but I think this is a venue that is suitable.

MARK JAMES: I don't know, I think we're just going to have to see how they evolve. For some guys over in the States coming over to Spain the week after THE TOUR Championship is difficult. And if this was in North Dakota the same week, then I think some of our guys might not have been jumping up-and-down with delight. But I think there's a place for these tournaments, and I think they'll find their level, as it were.

MARK JAMES: It is. But I think it's probably a good time. Yes, it's not great for Europeans to have a big tournament at that time in February. But you can't have them all to suit us. And I think it fit quite well into the schedule then. It wasn't really a match play type of course, was it? At least I didn't see any fireworks.

MARK JAMES: I would think a number of players might go. It starts from, what, the third or something? We'd have to set off in the middle of November from Europe to get there in time. So you don't really want to travel over New Year's Eve.

MARK JAMES: It's not something that -- no, not really. I was dreaming of a four figure check.

MARK JAMES: It hasn't been burning on my mind, particularly. I mean it's all very well to get on that, but you don't want to wish your time away.

MARK JAMES: Four. But, yeah, I might. I don't know. But we'll see what the European Senior Tour is like. See how my game is. You just hope you're in good health and able to play when you get to such a venerable age.

MARK JAMES: I can see that point of view. But if you're going to have these World Golf Championships, and if you're going to try to put them on a level close to the Majors, you can't play them for threepence.

MARK JAMES: Between first and second in this tournament, is it different breakdown than normal?

MARK JAMES: One million and 400 thousand dollars.

MARK JAMES: I hope I haven't got a three-foot putt to win.

MARK JAMES: I hope I haven't.

MARK JAMES: Is that the breakdown in all the World Championship events? I don't know -- what's the normal breakdown on the U.S. Tour?

MARK JAMES: It's a bit more gradual in Europe. I think it would be a million, 650, 325, that sort of thing. I don't know. I think our breakdown is probably better. But I guess they want to make the first prize that grabs peoples' imagination.