THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 29, 2003

Corey Pavin

Q. Tell us about your round.

COREY PAVIN: Do you want birdies, bogies?

Q. No, just general.

COREY PAVIN: Well, it was kind of a strange round. Started off and played the first 11 holes very well, I thought. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. I could have been more under par, and then I missed a couple fairways and struggled a little bit coming in, but my short game pulled me through it and I made some good putts. I didn't really like the way I finished necessarily, but I know that there was a lot of good shots that I hit out there on the golf course. I am going to do a little bit of work on the range after this and see if I can iron that out.

Q. Did you feel coming into this week that your game was in order that you could compete here?

COREY PAVIN: I always feel like I can compete here. I actually felt like in Los Angeles and Tucson the last two tournaments that I played I played pretty well. I didn't get that much out of it. L.A. i was up there a little bit, but Tucson I played really well and just didn't score. I knew my game was in good shape, I felt okay about it, but coming in here, you never know on this golf course. You really have to play smart golf out here, controlled golf. I knew I was hitting it fairly solidly and that's a good thing for me coming in here. I felt good. I took three weeks off before this, but as I say, I worked real hard last week. I was out here Thursday working for a whole week before the tournament, so I put a lot of good work in and prepared very well.

Q. Golf and controlled golf, that's your forte. Have you always liked this golf course and what it presents?

COREY PAVIN: I don't know if I've always liked this golf course. This is a very demanding golf course physically and mentally. To my eye it's not real good. I don't see things real well out there. I think everybody has that problem. It's a very deceptive golf course off the tee and into the greens, a lot of hidden areas. It's very difficult to get a good rhythm out there because that's the way the golf course was built. It's very hard in that regard and you have to be mentally tough to hit some shots out there. That's very good for me in general, but it's a very difficult course and it seems like I either play really well here or I don't and this is one of those weeks where I seem to be playing okay.

Q. Since you've been in contention on Sunday in a big event, will you feel comfortable in that position again?

COREY PAVIN: I don't think I've ever felt comfortable in a way. I enjoy the situation, I like to see how I react to situations where I have a chance to win golf tournaments whether it's Ryder Cup or TPC or PLAYERS Championship. It's fun for me. Obviously I like to come through and do well and then go on from there and keep learning. It's always a learning experience. I enjoy it, though. I wouldn't be doing this for a living if I didn't enjoy it.

Q. The conditions are supposed to be absolutely brutal, wind, rain, awful.

COREY PAVIN: Sounds like fun.

Q. How will that change your plan?

COREY PAVIN: Everybody has got to play in it. Nobody enjoys it but you have to go out and play in it. I've had plenty of experience in weather like that. I'm sure everybody else hates it just as much as I do, but if I go out there and hit balls, hit it good, hit it solidly, that's the big thing on a day like tomorrow, be patient, hang in there and see what happens at the end of the day.

Q. You mentioned working very hard. What exactly is that?

COREY PAVIN: Basically I've been trying to work on getting the club not as steep on my back swing, get a little more inside type feel for me. That's been really the biggest thing I need to do. That's been the focus of my swing the last week.

Q. A little more solid hit, I take it?

COREY PAVIN: Yeah, it is, definitely. I'm not coming at it from such a steep angle, I'll hit the ball with more power, getting it up in an air a little better.

Q. With all the technology, everybody is longer, the ball is longer, et cetera, do you notice that?

COREY PAVIN: Sure, I notice it. You know, I think it's a combination of a lot of things. I think it's a combination of the ball being better, I think it's the combination of the clubs and shafts are better. The athletes, us, are in better shape. We're better athletes than we used to be, too. You combine those thing and you've got some tremendous distances the ball is going now.

Q. How are you in comparison to other guys?

COREY PAVIN: I hope I get the same percentage as other guys. I didn't hit it as long to start with. My actual yardage isn't as great, but I feel like I'm hitting the ball 10 to 15 yards longer than last year. I think my driving stats actually show that. The new Titleist X ball, the one I'm using, is going further. I'm sure the others are going further, as well. When you add in being able to get on launch monitors and putting together all kinds of combinations of shafts and club heads together, plus everybody is in better shape, you're going to get people hitting it longer and further.

Q. Is there actually a big key to why you're playing well here this week?

COREY PAVIN: Basically the equipment is all even. Everybody has access to that stuff. Everybody has access to working out and getting in better shape, et cetera, as well. As far as I'm concerned, a lot of that just evens out to me and it still comes out to playing golf out there. There are certain courses that are better for players and certain courses that are better for other players. When I'm on my game this golf course is very good for me. That's why I either play really well here or I don't. When I'm playing well, I do well here. When I'm not playing well, this course will eat you alive. It's simple as that.

Q. How does it make you feel when you see yourself, Jay Haas at the top of a leader board at a tournament like this?

COREY PAVIN: It gives me hope. Jay has played great this year. Jay's a great guy. It's fun to see him do well. It's fun to see a 49 year old playing out here competitively with everybody. I think it inspires everybody else that's in that age group, whatever it is, to realize that we can go out there and do it, too.

Q. The motivation behind the 18 first-time winners last year among the older group of players to maybe dedicate themselves more? Some of the guys are talking about the swings or working out or whatever? Is there any motivation for the older guard, quote-unquote, on Tour from all the younger winners last year, first-time winners?

COREY PAVIN: The young guys winning making you get out there? I don't think so. If you don't have motivation within yourself to start, you're not going to have it. My motivation has always been to go out there and compete and to win golf tournaments. I've always said if I can't do that, then I'm done. It's not fun for me. It's not fun for me to come out here and finish 50th every week. That doesn't do me any good. It's not satisfying to me from a personal standpoint at all and I'd just as soon do something else. If you don't see me out here that means I don't feel like I can win, but I'm out here now and I feel like I can win golf tournaments.

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