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BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 10, 2004

Craig Barlow

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO

PGA TOUR: Thank for joining us for a couple of minutes this afternoon. Started off 67 and 69. You played 29 holes today but you had a great day. You are right in the mix going into the weekend. Start with some comments then we will take some questions.

CRAIG BARLOW: Sure. Played good. Putted well. I only got to play seven holes yesterday. Made all pars, played solid. Windy, I was actually kind of looking forward to coming out. It was a beautiful day today. Greens were soft. I got perfect weather. I played well, and I took advantage of my scoring position.

PGA TOUR: Questions.

Q. How much easier was it today than yesterday when you came out. I don't think there was any wind this morning.

CRAIG BARLOW: I got a huge break with the draw. I was definitely on the better side of the draw, but I played seven years out here and I have had my share of the other side. So I am glad I took advantage of it. I definitely -- it was quite a bit easier for us than it was for them. So bad luck -- Bad luck for them. Good luck for me. You just don't know.

Q. Can you just talk about your approach when you know you have got to play more than one round in one day, does it change the way you come in looking at the day?

CRAIG BARLOW: It only changes in the sense that I try to be a little bit more patient. It's like a marathon. If you get off to a bogey or double-bogey, you just -- fortunately I didn't do that, but I think all I try to do is stay patient on a day like today. You know you have got a lot of golf, you are going to hit a lot of shots, hope you catch a run. I started off birdie birdie, par, birdie to start my morning, kind of a good kick to the day. I hit a couple of loose shots at the end, probably a little fatigued; putted well all day. My putter bailed me out.

Q. Does it make it that much easier to play when you are actually hitting well, when you have got -- when you got that much golf to play, things are going your way you want to get it --

CRAIG BARLOW: You can definitely -- it's an advantage if you are playing well to have to play 29 holes because you are in a roll. So I seem to do well on days that have long days. This is my third 31-hole day, probably last six weeks and I have done well, Reno I played 31 holes, and I don't remember what I shot. But I played well. Denver we had to play 31 holes also. It's definitely nice if you can catch a roll and run with it. And I did a little bit of that today.

Q. You and Mike Weir are real good friends. Are you not?

CRAIG BARLOW: Yes.

Q. Talk a little bit about that?

CRAIG BARLOW: We came out on Tour the same year, went to the Tour School. I played mini tours against Mike. I knew him a little bit. He was probably only one of the -- only guy that I knew in our graduating class of Q-School. We had a four-day seminar in Florida. I hung out with him a lot, and we played all of our practice rounds together our rookie year so we didn't know anybody. I watched him grow into a superstar which is pretty fun. Definitely real excited to play with Mike this weekend if it works out that way.

Q. Tomorrow looks like it's you, No. 1 in the world and Weir in the Canadian Open. How much fun is that and are you going to feel kind of like the brown shoes with the tuxedo, no disrespect?

CRAIG BARLOW: If it works out that way tomorrow that would be the highlight of my life. Mike is my best friend out here. Vijay is the best golfer in the world. I mean, why else do I play the game? I would be -- that would be a dream come true. Obviously I want to contend and compete in the golf tournament, but to put yourself in the position to play with great players like that, yes, I would be the underdog. I am the person that most of Canada hasn't heard of, but it doesn't change the way I am going to play golf. I am just going to try to put the ball in the hole.

Q. Did you play Mike's event last year?

CRAIG BARLOW: Yeah, I played it in the last three, four years. I didn't play this year because of a conflict in my schedule, but like I said, Mike and I, we have been good friends and I help him out any time I can and he helps me out. I look forward to doing it for years to come.

Q. (Inaudible)?

CRAIG BARLOW: It will be crazy. If it's Vijay and Mike it's going to be insane tomorrow.

Q. Talk about your relationship with Mike. Have you talked about this course and his -- I mean, he missed eight straight cuts here. Have you talked with him about his former dislikes for this course and what changes you see in his game that make him more suited to it now?

CRAIG BARLOW: Mike is a world-class player now. I think his eight straight cuts, I think he is mentally tougher now than he's ever been. This course favors a lot of left-to-right shots, which is a draw for him. Augusta is the same way. So I mean, if Mike can lead Augusta there is no reason why he can't play great at this golf course.

I think he put a lot of pressure on himself and I think he's played it under the limelight for long enough now that he can handle Glenn Abbey and the pressure that the Canadian Open puts on him. I think he is just coming into his own. To answer your question I have not heard him say anything, dislikes about Glenn Abbey. He hasn't had any success here, but I think it's -- he is maturing enough as a golfer to handle the pressure now.

Q. I think the answer might be obvious, playing as many holes as you did today, does it change your approach a bit, will you still go to the range?

CRAIG BARLOW: I am going to go to the fitness trailer and stretch a little bit. Maybe get my back worked on a little bit. I am calling it a day. There is such thing as too much. I am definitely not Vijay.

Q. You have been together with your caddy now for a couple of years. What has he added to your game?

CRAIG BARLOW: This is our fourth year together. He is a great caddie. He's helped me mature as a player myself. This is my 7th year on Tour. We worked very good together as a team. Actually the first time we ever worked together was this tournament in 2000 when Tiger won, and he was caddying for Notah at the time and Notah didn't play this week and he lives here in Toronto, and I had just let my caddie go so it was -- in fact Mike's caddie hooked us up. We have been together ever since. So it's been a good teamwork and he's helped me mature as a player.

PGA TOUR: Touch on your round; then we will take one final question. Back side birdied No. 11 par 4.

CRAIG BARLOW: I drove it right down the middle, had a pitching wedge that I hit about four feet. Again there was -- the wind was very, very low at the time, so if you can drive it in the fairways at this course with the greens soft with all the rain you are going to make some birdies.

Only thing the course is fighting us on is the rough. If you drive it crooked you are not going to score well. With the perfect weather and the soft greens, guys can make birdies out there, but you have to drive the ball straight.

PGA TOUR: 15 par 3 bogey.

CRAIG BARLOW: Hit a great shot there, landed about five feet from the hole and sucked it back down the ridge. I had a 50-footer up and over the swell. I left it eight feet short and missed it.

PGA TOUR: What club did you hit there?

CRAIG BARLOW: 9-iron. That is just the golf gods paying me back for some good breaks that I got.

PGA TOUR: Birdied 18.

CRAIG BARLOW: About eight feet for eagle. Lipped it out and in the morning round I hit driver, 5-iron about 15 feet made it for eagle. I am playing 18 well right now.

PGA TOUR: Birdies on starting with No. 3, par 3.

CRAIG BARLOW: I hit the pin. I hit a 9-iron and just a nice controlled little 9-iron, it hit the pin in the air. It hit the flag actually not the pin. It just caught it dropped it down like just like, it was an easy putt.

PGA TOUR: The only other bogey of the day par 5.

CRAIG BARLOW: Yeah, chopped that hole up. Drove it right in the tree had a tough shot. Had a puncher underneath the tree, hit it under the left rough underneath another tree, hit it over the green, didn't get it up-and-down. I don't like bogeying par 5s. I think I bogeyed No. 13 in the first round, so I bogeyed two par 5s, which you can't do that.

Q. Came right back with a birdie on No. 7?

CRAIG BARLOW: 7 I hit a little 6-iron about five feet behind the hole. And a little touchy putt that I knocked in.

Q. (Inaudible)?

CRAIG BARLOW: 1 was back where yesterday it was up. 4 was back, 5 was back. 6 was back. 7, back. No, they were all back. The only tees they moved up is 16. We played from the closer tee in the second round and No. 1 yesterday we played up. Those are the only two tees I have seen different so far in the first two rounds.

End of FastScripts.

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