MCI CLASSIC

April 15, 1999

Per-Ulrik Johansson

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Sure. Driver, obviously, really windy today. Driver 4-iron on 10 to about 20 feet, made that. Then on the 11, playing pretty much the same driver, 4-iron to about 30 feet. So it was a nice start. 15, the par 5 I hit a great drive. Actually only had 245 to the hole. But it was lying in kind of a hole. I had to lay up. Hit a sand wedge on my third shot to about ten feet. Then on 16 I hit a 3-wood, sand wedge to three feet. Birdied 2, the par 5, hit a driver, 3-wood up there pin-high off the green, chipped it down to about a foot. No bogeys?

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: That is nice.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Quite a few. Tough to get it close to the pin because of the wind. It is a lot easier on 16, 17, 18 because it is open, so you know, that is like Links over there because you know exactly it is not going to swirl there because there is no trees. But on the 15 other holes it is in the trees, really tough with -- the wind is really swirling a little bit like Augusta as far as windwise, you know. You know, the wind map and, you know, the wind direction, you stand over the ball, it turns around in the trees. That is really difficult.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Been about the same all day. Because we hit driver 4-iron on 10. Driver 8-iron on Tuesday into 10. So it plays really long. I think this is the better wind. It is nice to have downwind on 18. It is a long hole into the wind so --

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah. How did you know? (laughs). I love it. I am just happy to be able to get invited this week after The Masters. I am really pleased that they gave me invite. It is nice for them to do that. I am just trying to get as many as I can. Obviously Europe is a big focus this year as well because of the Ryder Cup, so, I am trying to blend it up a bit; play more in Europe than here though, but because it is tough to get all the invites I want, but we will see next year what happens if I am going to play a little bit more over here maybe than I have been in the past.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: I could. Maybe -- I haven't made that decision yet, but I am just going to try to play as well in the ones I play. I am in the Memorial as well, and US PGA, got an invite as well. So the problem right now is the U.S. Open. I have to somehow qualify for that.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah, but I think -- I mean, the European Tour is such a strong Tour right now. The problem we have is like the stretch before The Masters where we don't have such strong tournaments as you have over here. That is why the Europeans want to come over to the Florida swing, sort of Doral, TPC, Atlanta, that is what is really strong. It is nice for the European players to come over here and prepare and get adjusted and play similar courses. That is where our schedule is a little bit weaker. After that, it is picking up. So, it is nice to do the mix, I think. The tournament in Morocco was cancelled which was two weeks three weeks before The Masters or two weeks cancelled, they moved it up to about June, so, it would have been nice to play that. I didn't get into any tournaments, you know, I didn't play three weeks at all before The Masters. That was tough, but that is the way it worked out.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: I was down in Spain. I live down in the south of Spain. I practice at Valderrama. They let me come up there and practice when we had the Ryder Cup couple years ago. That as close as you get to Augusta greens pretty slopey and quick so that was good preparation. I played with some members and I wanted to play with had a few bets so I could score the ball and try to prepare as good as I can without playing a tournament.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah, I was entered for that. I got really sick at the World -- Kiawah Island. I never found out what was wrong were me. I think I was just tired. I think I played so much golf that fall everything leading up to the Ryder Cup got into the team, a lot of pressure there, played in the Dunhill Cup, then World Cup, travelling all over the world, and I think that is what the doctor said, I was -- just had to calm down a little bit. They never found anything wrong with me. They did a big test to my health and everything. I was healthy.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Kind of in my head for a while - little worried what it was. I tried to -- I wanted to find out what it was, but it is over now. It took, you know, gradually I got better and better. Got over it, so, I am trying to listen a little bit more to my body. Now if I am tired, I rest, and not play just because everyone else says you should play because it is an individual game; it is all up to me. As long as I can fulfill the sponsors' obligations, playing 25 tournaments a year, I think that is enough. I am trying to calm down. I am getting little older 33 now, this year.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Last year.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: I am not sure what -- I had two good rounds, I think, didn't do that well. Finished around 50th or something.

PER-ULRIK JOHANSSON: Yeah, definitely. Kind of nice to come here because it is a lot of pressure at The Masters last week, and get a bit tense and it is a lot of mental and physical around there, and obviously it is a major so you pretty -- anyway I am very tired after that week. So it is a nice week to come here and, you know, I didn't play in the Pro-Am which was kind of nice this week not to because I played a practice round Tuesday. I rested a bit yesterday and I felt like I needed that. Just very nice week to play, good golf course and they really take care of you over here in the players lounge and nice food and driving the same Caddy from last week, so it is nice.