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BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 11, 2004

Cliff Kresge

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, cliff, for joining us for a few minutes in the media center here at the Bell Canadian Open. You had a great finish with two birdies on your way in. Great position going into Sunday. You don't know what's going to happen out there. It's been kind of crazy.

Why don't you just talk about that position a little bit and then we'll go on to questions.

CLIFF KRESGE: I'm going to try to draw on some of the things I did last year. I'm sure if I end up playing with Mike, it'll be similar to playing with Tiger last year in The Western. Hopefully I can draw on those experiences and learn from that and do all right.

Q. Were you a little surprised that there aren't more lower numbers being shot today? It just seems that the conditions are fairly pristine if you ask me.

CLIFF KRESGE: Well, the wind started picking up a little bit for us. In the beginning it wasn't too bad, but as the day went on, the wind picked up. The pins were tough so it was a little tougher to get the ball to the hole. The rough is tough out here. If you miss the fairway, you're looking at laying up and trying to get up-and-down for par, and if you miss the green you're going to have a tricky little chip shot. It's a good challenge.

Q. You mentioned the possibility of playing with Mike tomorrow, the madness that would bring. Was there a sense on the course today of the roars coming from that group and the gallery? You maybe crisscrossed a little bit.

CLIFF KRESGE: We were laughing about it on No. 9 when a huge roar went up on No. 9. I said, "I didn't know Tiger was playing this week." It's just like Tiger Woods really.

Q. For people here in Canada that haven't seen people Tiger play, is it a similar feel to the roar?

CLIFF KRESGE: Very similar. The crowds out here have been amazing, even from day one. Even after the weather we had before today, for people to still show up, it's been incredible.

Q. It says in the PGA TOUR media guide that you work without an instructor. Has this question been asked previously?

CLIFF KRESGE: I never really had lessons growing up. I kind of self-taught myself. I've been working with the guy who's caddying for me this year and we've been trying to work on some things, get things back in order, but I really taught myself how to play golf since I was a kid.

Q. Are you going to call Butch if something goes wrong?

CLIFF KRESGE: No, sorry.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Just go through your birdies and bogeys.

CLIFF KRESGE: No. 2, I hit a 3-wood and then a 9-iron in there to about six or seven feet, made that.

Then hit a great shot on 3, hit a little punch 6-iron in there that caught the slope, rolled down to about six or seven feet again, made that.

Par 3, it wasn't a birdie, but I made a heck of a par putt on No. 8, about a 25-footer for par on No. 8. That kept the momentum going.

I think I only made two birdies on the front.

I came around, parred 13, hit a nice drive, knocked it in the front bunker and hit a good bunker shot to about two feet, made birdie there.

Then 16, I drove it left and had to just kind of punch it out, got it in the front of the green, got a funny lie. I chipped it on, it was a tough chip. Chipped it to about 15, 18 feet, made bogey there.

Then 17, hit a nice drive and a lob wedge in there to about eight feet, made that.

Then 18, I hit a decent drive, and it was playing pretty good into the wind and I didn't think I would have a chance of getting there. I had like 226 and 236, and I thought, what the heck, and I hit it solid right down the left edge of the green. I was surprised it even went as far as it did. I thought it might go in for a second. It hit the pin and I had a pretty easy birdie putt.

Q. I've got to ask you, how long before you got out on Tour did you stop taking grief over the Q-school incident?

CLIFF KRESGE: I'm still taking it, see? (Laughter.) Every time I do something good, somebody asks me about it.

Q. Every interview you've been in?

CLIFF KRESGE: Almost every time. I was thinking about it on 18. I was thinking everybody in the crowd is laughing at me thinking about it. Not everybody really knows the story but the media people do.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: They will tomorrow morning.

THE WITNESS: I was just kind of laughing about it between me and my caddie, looking back there, saying, hey, don't let it go too far back there.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you for joining us.

End of FastScripts.

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