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WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2004

Miguel Angel Jimenez

KILKENNY, IRELAND

JAMES CRAMER: We have Miguel Angel Jimenez with us with a 5-under par 67 in the first round. Miguel, if you could get us started maybe with some general comments about your play out there today.

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: Well, I played very well, very solid, and that's it. I had a chip-in on the second par 3, the 6th. I hit a 5-wood from the tee there and just a bit high on the left and I make this little chip in the hole there.

Then on the next hole, I made birdie on the 7th, missed an eagle on the back right, missed the fairway, and then I hit it in the bunker and I holed it from the bunker.

I started with a birdie on the first par 3 hole, No. 3, hit a very nice shot there.

Then I tried for a birdie on the next one and I make three putts.

The rest is very solid and lots of chances for birdies. Then I make another birdie at the 11th, par 3, had to put it very close, like three meters, then a birdie at the 16th and 17th. I hit driver on the 16th like three meters.

17, I hit driver and with two putts from about 14 meters for birdies.

In general all day, solid from tee to green.

Q. You didn't join the wild celebration after the Ryder Cup. What have you done since that night?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: I was anxious to get home and enjoy it with my family and rest because at the Ryder Cup you get very exhausted.

Q. Did you practice much this past week?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: No, the only thing I hit was a few balls on Thursday morning, and then the weekend I got to the golf course and I had to make some changes.

Q. When you saw the boys celebrating, did you think it was the right decision not to go out on Sunday night? When you saw the rest of the players at the airport on Monday morning, did you think it was the right decision not to go out? Did you do the right thing to stay in?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: No, we went out the Sunday night of the Ryder Cup. There's not much around there anyway. It's not like you can go anywhere that's not full of people all over the place. This is much different. We go to an Irish pub full of people, and we really enjoyed the time there. We were on the top of the bar --

Q. Were you on the bar, as well?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: Yeah, and Lee Westwood. I stayed like a half hour, 45 minutes, and then I said, okay, let's go to the hotel. We enjoyed it and had a couple of drinks there and we had to pack everything and wake up at five o'clock in the morning, you know. That's it.

Q. But the rest of the boys looked as if they had sore heads?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: Yeah, me too (laughter).

Q. Was that the best week of your golfing life, just in terms of enjoyment of an experience?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: Well, lots of nice weeks. You try to compare the Ryder Cup, the Ryder Cup is probably one of the most satisfactions you can have, you know, but I always say that the more important world is the one that you live in. You compare something, someone is going to win, someone is going to lose. Your world at that moment is the most important one because it keeps you where you are, and then I think I prefer not to compare anyone, just give the value -- the most important value is the moment you live.

Q. Do you know why you played such great golf this year? This has been your best year this year.

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: I think because of that, I just enjoy myself more.

Q. Is that something you decided? Was it a change of attitude?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: Something that I miss and I found again. You can live in the future, you can live in the past, but if you live in the moment you enjoy yourself, otherwise you're just hanging yourself.

Q. Did anybody else help you find that?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: No, I found this by myself many, many years ago, but sometimes coming and go, coming and go. Sometimes you think you have to say something and maybe you lose the basics and you start to want to say things and you forget the basic things. You look at the mirror and see what's going on.

Q. Miguel, do the people in Churriana know what the Ryder Cup is?

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMEMEZ: They don't see football, only Ryder Cup that week (laughter). Of course.

JAMES CRAMER: Enjoy the rest of the week.

End of FastScripts.

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