ADVIL WESTERN OPEN

July 4, 2002

David Gossett

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, David, for joining us. Let me see here. Last time I think you were in Illinois, you finished out by winning the John Deere Classic and now you're back in Illinois and you shoot 65.

DAVID GOSSETT: Yes. It was a great start to my first Western Open today. I had an exciting round of 9 birdies, 2 bogeys and it was an eventful day, for sure. I played with Justin Leonard and Mike Weir, great group, and, you know, it was a calm this morning and I just tried to be patient out there. This course is in great shape, and with the thick rough and the greens really firm, I was just trying to hit the center of the greens a lot of the time. Fortunately, I made a birdie on 11. Do you want me to go through them?

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Sure.

DAVID GOSSETT: Birdied 11, made about a 25-footer.

Hit it in the bunker on 12, made bogey, hit it out to about 6 feet.

Then on 14 I had a great shot in there and made a great putt, a 12-footer that broke about 3 feet.

The next hole, a par 5, hit it just left of the green in two and made about a 15-footer.

And then the next hole, 16, I hit a 3-wood and an 8-iron in to about 20 feet and made that for birdie. That was a nice three in a row.

Parred 17 and 18.

Number 1, our whole group birdied No. 1. Hit an 8-iron in to about 3 feet.

Parred 2, then birdied 3, hit a wedge almost in the hole. Whole crowd was going wild on that one.

Parred 4.

Birdied 5, hit a great iron shot in there in two to about 10 feet, just missed it, rolled it by a little bit and made a birdie.

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: What iron did you use?

DAVID GOSSETT: Oh. Hit a 6-iron in to the par 5. Then a 4-iron in to the par 3, and hit it to 6 feet and made birdie.

And then 7 I hit in the fairway bunker, hit it short on the green, 3-putted from 45 feet, made bogey.

And then parred 8. And then birdied 9, hit a drive, laid up, hit a wedge to about 4 feet and made it for birdie.

So all in all, it was a great day's work on Independence Day, and I tried to wear a little red, white and blue out there, and I was enjoying the day.

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Questions?

Q. You mentioned the fact that you played with Justin and Weir and you're the guy in the interview room. Does that signify something?

DAVID GOSSETT: Well, I love that. It means I'm here because I'm doing something right on the golf course. You know, the great thing about winning last year is the fact that I get paired with champions each and every week. This has been a great year for me. Not only did I start off the year playing in the Mercedes Championship in Maui with all of these winners, I'm getting paired a lot of winners every week: At Dural with Ernie Els and he ends up winning it, Tiger at Bay Hill the first two rounds and he ends up winning, and I've played with Phil Mickelson and this week Justin Leonard. You know, to be able to be around those guys week in and week out and have that, you know, best player in the world pairings, that's helpful to me.

Q. What do you get out it of it, what are you able to see?

DAVID GOSSETT: Well, I'm you're able to see the best employers in the world play, their mannerisms, their poise, their shots, and the challenge to be able to block it out. Whoever it is, Tiger Woods or Justin Leonard, I have my game to go play. It doesn't matter who you're playing with, so to speak, from my frame of mind. I enjoy playing with those guys, but trying to complete against them, I have to block them out and play my game.

Q. Would how you describe the way your year has gone so far?

DAVID GOSSETT: I would describe it as a wonderful learning year. The first half of the season I didn't have any great tournaments, but I learned so much. I was working on my game, becoming more comfortable out here and didn't play in a lot of tournaments the first half of the season but I'm really pleased with the way I'm playing right now. I almost won at Westchester, finished 2nd place just a couple weeks ago and it's coming around. I'm pleased with that.

Q. Unlike a lot of the other younger guys out here, you've won a tournament. How does that affect you do you feel like you're hungry to win another?

DAVID GOSSETT: I'm hungry for winning, period. Whether it's first win or second win or eighth win, winning is what it's about for me. I enjoy competing and I'm enjoying that, you know, I'm developing myself as a person and as a player out here. It's exciting to have already won, you're right. Winning does a lot. Not only do you get paired with a lot of great players, but I think it's important coming down the stretch to know I've already pulled it off, I've already won.

Q. How often have you played this course before?

DAVID GOSSETT: I've probably played this course 10 times. My uncle lives in Westmont, and I came up here and played the U.S. Amateur in '97, missed the cut, played several practice rounds and came up several months before that to practice, so I know the Chicagoland area. I qualified up here for the U.S. Amateur at Naperville Country Club in '99 when I went on and won at Pebble Beach and spent some time in Chicago.

Q. So much is made about Tiger and who can beat him, and it's always the young guns, and your name appears on that list. Is that something you're comfortable with?

DAVID GOSSETT: Sure. I love competing, like I said, and I want to go out and win tournaments and if that means, you know, Tiger Woods' name is up there or Justin Leonard or another buddy of mine, another young gun like Jonathan Byrd, so be it. I mean, that's the challenge. I love the challenge of the game and I know that Tiger has played some phenomenal golf, and to be able to beat him or the other great players in the world, I just have to work on my game and work on David, so certainly.

Q. David, you talked about being paired with some of the big names. Is there a comfort level at all in seeing college rivals up there, seeing the guys you've been competing with your whole life up there?

DAVID GOSSETT: Definitely. It is a comfort zone when you see Luke Donald and Charles Howell and Jonathan Byrd and Jess Daley and Matt Kuchar, all of these guys out here who are doing well and I've played and beaten several times in junior golf and amateur golf. It does add to the comfort, no question.

Q. So does it also tell us there's a changing of the guard starting here?

DAVID GOSSETT: Well, I think that's been apparent certainly for several years. There's been a changing of the guard. Certainly, you know, the way these young guys are playing and were able to do well in some tournaments, it's showing that a golf ball certainly doesn't know how old you are, and if you can go out there and make some shots and if you have the poise to be able to handle the pressure and focus your mind on what you want to do, the sky is the limit. You can go out and do well.

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you.

DAVID GOSSETT: Thanks.

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