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THE INTERNATIONAL

August 5, 2005

Corey Pavin

CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Corey, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center.

COREY PAVIN: My pleasure.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Strong finish.

COREY PAVIN: Birdied the last hole.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Why don't you just talk about your day a little bit and then we'll go into questions.

COREY PAVIN: Okay. It was an interesting day. It was very cold this morning when we started and a little windy. It played a little unusual for out here. Then it warmed up. I think it was a little easier to play out there, got loosened up. But it was tough to start today. It was difficult to get off to a really good start.

Once I made a few birdies, made a good birdie on 13, then made four out of five or something like that, got it going. I hit the ball well today and was pretty pleased with my day.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Questions, please.

Q. You come here every year and you hear the same talk about how this is a long hitter's golf course.

COREY PAVIN: That's why I did so well today (laughter).

Q. Explain why it isn't necessarily that.

COREY PAVIN: Well, I mean, it helps to hit it long. Anywhere it helps to be long, but you have to hit straight. You know, the whole deal here is to keep the ball in play and give yourself a lot of chances at birdie. For the really long hitters, they get more opportunities to make eagles, and the eagles are obviously really important out here.

But, you know, if you get out there, like I did today, I think I made six birdies and two bogeys. That's a lot of birdies. I figure if I can make six birdies every round the rest of my life, I'll be all right. Doesn't really matter what format we're in or what golf course we're playing, six birdies is a nice total. I was very pleased with that.

This is not a golf course that really suits well for my game. But when I am hitting the ball well and things are clicking, I certainly can do well here.

Q. I was wondering, you hit a great shot into No. 5, I think it was, very long shot. What club did you hit into that? It looked like on 5, 6 and 7, you missed putts by a little bit. Did one of those stand out as being especially agonizing?

COREY PAVIN: They're all agonizing. You know, 5, I hit a 5 wood in, to answer that part of your question. Seems like I always have a 5 wood into that green. It's really hard for me to get it up over that ridge, to carry it. You know, in some ways that's a blessing for me to have a 5 wood in there instead of a 4 iron or 5 iron. For me, it's actually an easier shot to hit a 5 wood.

All those putts, I hit good putts. You make some; you miss some. I just had a few in a row that I missed. But I made a good putt on 9 to finish the round off. You know, made a putt here and there earlier in the round. Maybe it all evens out.

Q. Your thoughts about the upcoming Presidents Cup and possibly playing your way into it or being selected?

COREY PAVIN: I hadn't even thought about that. I haven't thought much about The Presidents Cup at all. I'm not that high up on the Money List or points, is that what they call it? I haven't really thought that much about it because I haven't been close.

Obviously, I hope the team does well. I don't see why Jack would pick me. There's no reason (temporary loss of audio).

Q. You've been out on the TOUR for a very long time. Have you thought about when your career might end?

COREY PAVIN: I thought you were going to give me a cane or something (laughter). I hope it never ends. I love playing. I don't really want to stop playing. If I have to, obviously I will. You know, I still feel like I've got a lot of game left in me. The Champions Tour is ahead. Still five years away for me. I see myself probably playing there.

I don't want to stop playing. I enjoy it. I love playing golf. It's frustrating, just like it is for everybody else. But when I do play well, it's a lot of fun.

Q. Could you talk about the course conditions today and how well it drained after all the rain we've had.

COREY PAVIN: I thought the course held up very well. I didn't see a puddle out there on the golf course. There were a few soft spots. The fairways were relatively dry. Maybe a couple places where there was a little bit of casual water. For the most part, the golf course looked great today.

The greens were soft, but they weren't to the point where you'd walk around and they would get really bad from your footprints and stuff. I imagine the afternoon is going to be a little different than this morning.

I thought the course was in really good shape. There wasn't really any bad areas out there at all.

Q. We won't talk about the possible end of the year, but let's go back to the beginning.

COREY PAVIN: Ancient history.

Q. That little boy that came to Colorado a long time ago. Was that little boy thinking someday he would be this big boy?

COREY PAVIN: I was hoping. You know, I think we all have our dreams. Certainly at that time I think let me see. How old was I?

Q. Sophomore or freshman in college.

COREY PAVIN: I don't think I was that young. I think I came here I think I was maybe 20, 21 when I came. I was in college.

Q. You were still carrying that little blue and gold golf bag.

COREY PAVIN: I think I was right around there. At that time, you know, I certainly wanted to play professional golf. I didn't know where I'd end up or even if I'd be able to make it out on TOUR at that time. My goal was to get on TOUR and stay on TOUR as long as I could. I guess I achieved that goal.

It was great playing at Hiwan. It was one hard golf course to play. Very tricky. Great memories up here. I love Colorado. I try to get out to Colorado as much as I can. To play this golf course, really isn't suited to my game especially, but I just love coming here. I like Colorado. I just love the way everything looks up here. If it's not in the summertime, I like to come up in the winter and do a little skiing, too.

Q. Do you have a favorite place you go skiing when you come into town?

COREY PAVIN: Well, I skied a few places up here. Most recently I go up to either Vail or Beaver Creek to ski. I've skid at Loveland Pass. Somewhere else up there a long time ago, too. I spoil myself and go to where all the nice powder is, groomed slopes, try to stay off those moguls as much as I can. I don't want to come back in a cast.

Q. Was your round today more indicative of the way you're playing of late or were you surprised a little bit at how well you hit it?

COREY PAVIN: I'd say that I hit it today probably as good as I have all year. I played reasonably well this year. I've had some good spurts where I hit it really good like I did today. I'd like to sustain it for a long period of time is what my goal is. It was nice to shoot what I did today. I haven't honestly prepared as well as I would have liked to have prepared for the last couple weeks I've played. I was obviously more pleased than usual with what I did today.

Q. Can you go through your round?

COREY PAVIN: I can. I got up this morning (laughter).

10, lovely hole this morning when it was 48 degrees into the wind. I hit a pretty good drive. Debating whether I should even try to go for the green. Went ahead and hit 3 wood, hit it just short of the green left. Chipped it up about 10 feet and lipped out for par.

13, I hit driver and a 4 iron. That's how long that hole is playing. I hit that about seven feet. Made that for birdie.

17, I hit driver, 5 wood up there about seven feet behind the hole, lipped out for eagle, tapped that in.

18, I hit driver, 5 iron, I don't know, foot and a half, foot, tapped that in.

Then 1, I hit am I going too fast? I hit driver, 3 wood, pitching wedge, about 15 feet, made that one.

Then 3, I hit driver, 8 iron about four and a half, five feet, made that.

8, I drove it right into the trees, chipped down, chipped out, straight sideways, hit rescue club up there, hit sand wedge about 15 feet, 2 putted, made bogey.

Then 9, I hit 3 wood, rescue club maybe 9, 10 feet, made that for birdie.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: 8 feet.

COREY PAVIN: Pretty good.

Q. When did you start thinking about No. 10, knowing that is your first hole of the day, morning, cold, long? Yesterday?

COREY PAVIN: Right after I leave the tournament the previous year (laughter). It seems like I always I mean, I shouldn't say always. But it seems like often you end up on 10 in the morning Thursday or Friday. Just seems to work that way, which isn't really a great hole to start on early in the morning. It's a very hard hole anyway. But it's nice to get to that hole when you're loose.

You know, that's the way it is. I was just kind of glad I didn't make double there more than anything today. I'm sure there are going to be a lot of high numbers in the morning on that hole.

Q. Long?

COREY PAVIN: It played really long. The first wave, it would be interesting to look at, but probably the first quarter of the field I should call it going off 10, interesting to see what the average score is on that one. It played very hard, that hole.

Q. What is the shortest club you can recall having into that hole?

COREY PAVIN: 8 iron. It was one of the first years we played here actually. I was in a playoff after Wednesday or Thursday's round. I hit driver, 8 iron, front left, made the putt for birdie to advance. Probably more information than you wanted. I could have just said, "8 iron." That's the shortest club I can remember.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Corey.

COREY PAVIN: Thank you, everybody.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Appreciate your time.

COREY PAVIN: Just glad to be here.

End of FastScripts.

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