MCI CLASSIC

April 16, 1999

Per-Ulrik Johansson

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah, I mean, it was pretty much similar to yesterday, I thought, both the way I played and the way the conditions were. It wasn't quite the same direction. It was probably turned around about 45 degrees, the wind. But it played pretty tough out there. I played solid. So I am very happy the position I am in. Only mistake was on 17. I hit a great shot there. Only had 158 yards to the flag, straight into the wind. Hit a punch 5-iron, just right of the green and didn't get it up-and-down. That was the only bogey in 36 holes, so I am pleased with that.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: No. 2, driver, 3-iron to the front of green, chipped it up to about ten feet, holed it. No. 6, driver, wedge, 30 feet.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah, that was a fun one. I got a little bit disturbed on the backswing there, hit it right in the trees only 145 yards left, sort of rolled the 4-iron on the ground, it hit the flag and just finished three feet from the flag, so...

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: I got a bit disturbed. Someone was -- it was like a house behind the tee box, and I think they were like doing the ice or something. I don't know what they were doing. I stood over the ball, they are not going to do it again, they just got me. I was a bit upset there. But it was a nice bonus on that hole.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: A wedge to about 20 feet.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Well, I think I asked for this invite because I played in The Masters last week and I got it last year and I got it again, and I really appreciate that. I don't know why, but turned out good. And it is just very appreciative to get that. It is a nice tournament. So I am going to try to mix it up a bit to play a few over here and a few in Europe.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Well, yeah, I usually call a guy from one of the biggest papers and they will follow it. They followed Jesper Parnevik a lot and Gabriel Hjertstedt who has done pretty well. It is followed pretty well. Probably make some calls later.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: No, I don't want to take advice from him. Then I will be in trouble. No, actually, I am staying with him. His family's here this week over at the Marriott here, so it is nice. We get a bit of home cooking from his wife, and it is fun. Only thing you get is like 6 o'clock in the morning the kids are screaming. But got to get used to that. Maybe it is my turn in the next few years.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: It could. I am in good position now to sort of have -- I definitely got some ambition to play in the weekend now. Whatever happens, somehow I will get in there, either qualify or do well here. And obviously they are playing Pinehurst this year, which is the course I never played. And I heard it is a great golf course, so I'd love to be there.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah, I think it is not that -- you don't have to know exactly everything about the golf course. Look at Tiger, he won The Masters. That is probably the course you probably have to know; the more you play it, better you do. And he won it first time as a pro. It helps, but it is not necessarily true all the time. If you play well you have confidence, you know, I think that is enough to do well.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: I probably would not give up membership of the European Tour, but I would like to play more over here. I would like to be able to play -- split it up a little bit. It is possible now with the schedule being so strong over here early and I could play in Europe maybe in the middle of the summer and play here in the beginning of the year so...

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: The hat thing? When Payne saw me wearing this the first time he said if I was younger I would wear it the same way, but he wears it this way. Makes me 20 years younger wearing it this way. The thing was I signed a new contract with Cobra; only way I was going to sign it was to wear a hat. I never liked wearing a normal baseball cap so looked around for a few different hats and Cobra thought this was a good idea, and it has got some -- some people think it is a bit much, but most of it is pretty positive. It definitely gets the recognition and people recognize me. It is good for me; it is good for Cobra and I think it is fun for golf. Everybody doesn't have to look the same and I think this maybe makes the young people look at you; maybe make them play more as well. It is just one of those things.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: No, not really. Although his reason -- you know what his reason was?

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: To get the sun tan because he was playing in Florida and he never got a tan. He turned it up to get a tan in his face. That really wasn't my intention. It is fun, though.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: No. Just this one.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: I could wear a baseball cap; turn it around after skiing, when you are done skiing, go down have a beer that is when you turn the hat around. That is the only time. But I will just wear it like this. Usually wear -- we have thicker hats in Sweden, you know, ski hats because it is so cold I use that when I run in the winter, but I don't really like wearing hats.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Funny thing was a player in Sweden called Peter Hedblom, he plays on the European Tour. His sister plays on the Women's Tour in Europe and she wears one of those. I got one from her. So I tried it on; looked in the mirror go, well, so, sort of ran around town asked friends, what do you think; what do you think. Well, I don't know. I called Cobra and said, listen, I want to do this, and they are okay. It was cool.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: This is a Kangol hat. I think it is made in Britain. Now I got this little my trademark too: "PU." It is a special hat now. Maybe we will make a business out of it.