THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2002

Craig Perks

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'd like to welcome Craig Perks to the media center.

Thanks for coming in. Third round, 69 today, 8-under for the tournament. You are now in second place. How did you feel out there today.

CRAIG PERKS: That was fun, quite a stir. (About 17) it's obviously a difficult hole, and I kind of misjudged the wind. I thought it was more right-to-left. It was actually a little bit more in, and, obviously, to get it on the green is an accomplishment.

Then like I said, when I walked up there I just for some reason I had a really good eye on the line and I just made sure to hit it hard enough, left-to-right up the hill. I hit it real solid, it was tracking. It was going pretty fast but thankfully it went dead center.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: An NBC announcer said they knew it was in the whole time from the minute you hit it, pretty exciting moment. Started out, birdies first two holes. Let's go through them.

CRAIG PERKS: No. 1, I hit a good hole - was playing more into the wind and I had a good tee shot. And I just knocked down a little 8-iron probably to about 10, twelve feet, and that was a good putt. That was dead center.

Then two, the wind was a little bit more out of the left and I hit a good tee shot, kind of got a nasty little kick. It went into the first cut of rough. Sitting right down and I was kind of contemplating hitting 3-iron. I choked down a little 3-wood, hit a great shot that landed in the middle of the green, went up the back and came back down probably six or eight feet behind the flag. And I thought what I hit was a great putt and it just kind of wiggled to the left. So that was another good birdie there.

5, I hit good tee shot down the left-hand side and hit a 5-iron probably to about 20, 25 feet and another really good putt. That one was going pretty fast too but thankfully went dead center again.

6, I hit a 3-wood and a sand wedge to probably about 12, 15 feet, and again another good putt.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: The only miscue on the front side was a bogey on No. 8.

CRAIG PERKS: Yeah, that's a funny little story. I hit a great 4-iron in there that was just covering the flag the whole time and it finished about, I don't know, maybe six, eight, ten feet behind the hole. And when I marked my ball, or when I remarked my ball, when I took my coin away the ball rolled forward. I hadn't addressed the ball or anything like that. We called the official and they said, "You had to play the ball from where it laid," -- now it was down in a pretty good hole. So I remarked and putted it. It seemed like it just jumped left, and it went about, kind of jumped left and took off and went about three and a half feet past.

Then I did hit a poor putt. I missed that one coming back. I kind of turned a two into a four there, so that was a little disappointing.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You made a lot of pars, which never hurts you out here. Then on 17 you made approximately a 45-foot putt, that we talked about. Then bogeyed 18.

CRAIG PERKS: Yeah, I hit a poor tee shot there yesterday, and I wanted to be a little bit more aggressive with my line off the tee, and I just -- I basically bailed on it. I didn't want to hit it left in the water. Obviously, I was there trying to make a par. It's obviously a very difficult hole. I said, if I am going to miss it, you know, I want to miss it right. And I hit a poor tee shot there, and all you can do from the rough over there is lay it up, and, you know, I didn't hit a very good third shot in there and 2-putted for bogey. So it was a disappointing tee shot more than anything else. I really wanted to just rip one down the center and make a good solid 4 to finish off a good day. But again, I missed it in the right spot. I think that's what you have to do sometimes out here.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Did you have any extra adrenaline after making that birdie?

CRAIG PERKS: I tried to calm down on the tee. I felt pretty good on the tee shot, really did. I had a good line; I felt good over the ball. I -- basically I just bailed on it, and, you know, I guess all I can say is I missed it in the right spot.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Questions.

Q. What was your feeling like this morning and on the 1st tee because if you had any jitters or nerves, you sure couldn't tell it from us?

CRAIG PERKS: No, I really felt good. I had a little trouble sleeping last night, but I got up and worked out a little bit. Got a little yesterday excitement out, and -- no, I felt great. I had a good practice session. I felt great on the 1st tee and that birdie on the first really settled me down, and had a great -- like I said, great opportunity for eagle at the next. So really did get off to a good start, and really wasn't until the 3-putt at 8 which kind of through me off track a little bit and then I hit some good -- had some good opportunity on 9, 10 and great opportunity on 11 which I missed, and so I just apart from 8 and then the tee shot at 18 I really played rock solid.

Q. Did you spy the dots for tomorrow's pins and if so how do they look to you?

CRAIG PERKS: I saw a couple of them and they are brutal, really are. And the greens are very firm and they are kind of crusted up a little bit. Kind of browned out. I think tomorrow, especially on the greens is going to be close to where they wanted it at the start of the week before the rains came.

Q. What is your approach going to be for tomorrow going to be thinking about winning this championship or just going to go out and play golf?

CRAIG PERKS: I am going to try not to think. I think it's human nature to -- when you are in the last group on Sunday is to think to win. About what would happen if you won or how you'd win or whatever. But I have done a good job of just staying in the present and in the now and concentrating on each shot because one bad shot can kill you out here. I think if your mind starts to wander a little bit you can like I said, it can get away from you pretty fast. So I think it will be -- like I said, human nature I will think about it a lot and I will try and enjoy -- I will take it as a positive more than a negative. This will -- would be an incredible golf tournament to win. I hope to do it. Hopefully when I get out there warming up on the 1st tee all those thoughts go away.

Q. You said you got up and worked out. What time was it? What did you do?

CRAIG PERKS: It was about 7:30. I basically work out everyday, so...

Q. It was morning; not in the middle of the night?

CRAIG PERKS: No, no, I just -- I mean, I do -- usually I work out 6, seven days a week. It just a good release for me. And it wastes time when you are teeing off at 1 or two o'clock in the afternoon or whatever it's a productive waste of time.

Q. How many Tours did you play on before you got to this one?

CRAIG PERKS: I spent four years on the Nike Tour and three years on what is now called the Hooters Tour. I worked for a couple -- I was -- finished my college. I graduated in 1990 and I worked for two years, I couldn't get up any money to go play, and then in 93 I turned pro, I guess, and started to play mini-tours.

Q. What did you do workwise?

CRAIG PERKS: I was an assistant golf pro at a club in Lafayette Louisiana.

Q. Not to make you actually think about winning this tournament but I mean, can you imagine a harder tournament to try to win your first event at?

CRAIG PERKS: No, not at all. I obviously haven't played in any majors, but it would be nice to win you know, a smaller event to kind of get some experience, but you know, I learned a great deal playing with Tiger in the second last group on Sunday at Doral, and I took that experience and I finished fifth, so it was a good week, and not that I have been in this situation and have won before but I will take that situation, sort of saw how he acted and reacted to things and I will try and learn from you know, use that to my advantage tomorrow.

Q. Did you win on either of these Tours you played previous Tours?

CRAIG PERKS: I won four events on the Hooters Tour. I lost in a playoff and I think had a second -- two seconds or I lost in a playoff and one second on the Nike Tour, so it's been a long time since I had won, but you know, I had a second at the Honda last year. And fourth at Canadian Open the year before that. So I am getting closer.

Q. When was your last victory?

CRAIG PERKS: '95.

And I lost in a playoff to Michael Campbell in the New Zealand Open in 2000. I put myself in that position a lot. This would be a great one to finally go ahead and do it.

Q. What did you see in Tiger that you took note of?

CRAIG PERKS: Obviously I don't think you know, very few of us have his physical skills, and very few has his mental skills but that's what I took from, his focus, I mean, people were absolutely screaming after he birdied the first three holes, screaming on every shot. It's like he was -- he was nearly playing in a dome where there was no sound, and you know, I enjoy the moment. I enjoy seeing all these people screaming obviously 17, and today and stuff like that. It seems like he doesn't see any of that. It is straight ahead, and that's why he has been so successful in the lead or around the lead. It's just -- it seems like nothing bothers him. We're all going to hit bad shots, and if we can just make physical mistakes and not mental ones, I think that's why he has done so well and hopefully I can do that tomorrow.

Q. What was your course knowledge before this week of the stadium course?

CRAIG PERKS: Zero. I mean, I love watching this golf tournament on TV, but like many of the golf courses that I watched on the PGA TOUR on TV, they are not even close to when you play them in person. I mean I think I have got a little break at the start of the week when the rains came, and softened up the golf course. I think if the golf course played like the back nine did today all week, probably be a different story because I think experience would play a huge part in getting around this golf course. But I think you know, playing competitive rounds on a golf course is very, very beneficial, so I have played three, and now and I have been in the hunt so, hopefully I can take those experiences from the last three days and use them for tomorrow.

Q. Do you know Carl Paulson?

CRAIG PERKS: Yeah, I know Carl. We were on the Nike Tour together and we kind of -- came up through that way, so that will be a good pairing. It will be -- it's kind of like with Michael Campbell today, obviously Michael is from New Zealand; I am too so that really helped. We talked a lot, and I think Carl and I we're both obviously in the same boat and we're both trying to win our first golf tournament, and I think that will be -- it will be a helpful pairing for the both of us.

Q. I noticed a lot of Irish names in your family. Are you of Irish descent?

CRAIG PERKS: In my family?

Q. The children's names.

CRAIG PERKS: Well, my wife is Irish, my wife was a McCarthy, so, and Nigel is my son. Nigel is a family name, so, I married a good Irish Catholic Cajun girl. (Laughter) that's a real -- she's a real beauty. She's a great girl, and hey, I mean, she has been real supportive and I don't think I could be where I am today without her support.

Q. There's a nerves standpoint. Do you think it will help at all tomorrow to be playing with someone like Carl who is going through the same thing you will be going through tomorrow?

CRAIG PERKS: Definitely. I think that will be -- I think if it was Tiger Woods or Carl Paulson I would be nervous anyway, but I think knowing that we're both in the same boat and we're both trying to win a very, very prestigious golf tournament, you know, it will be a little easier than it would be with the pandemonium playing with Phil, Tiger or Ernie or somebody like that.

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