THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY DYNEGY

November 3, 2001

Ernie Els

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, I hit a five iron on number five just right of the green, and I chipped it up and tapped it in for birdie. On six I hit a three wood and a 9-iron a little short, about 30 feet. I made that one for birdie. Nine I hit a drive and a six iron, 3-putted from about 30 feet for another birdie. And then 13, Par-5, I hit a drive in the right rough, four iron, 3-putted from about 50 feet. 16 I hit a seven iron to about 12 feet. I made a great up-and-down on the next one. I plugged it in the right bunkers, got it out about 45 feet and made that for a par. And 18 I hit a 3 wood and 8-iron through the green about 15 feet and made that for birdie.

ERNIE ELS: I'm not sure what Scott's doing. I think he's 14.

ERNIE ELS: Seems like he's playing well. He's been playing well all year. So he's playing with a little bit of confidence. It's going to be tough to catch him. But other really good players have also come into the group now. David played great today, I see, he's 12-under. Bob Estes is playing great also this year. I'm three behind and I feel I'll be three behind by the end of play today and I'll have a chance.

ERNIE ELS: Well, you know, even if I win tomorrow, obviously, it will make my year a lot better. And if I don't, if I don't, then I wouldn't say it's a failure of a year, but I made it to the top 30 this year so it's not too bad. But the way I played last year and the way I played this year, it's been a little bit different. Last year I was in contention quite a few times, and I would say this year I wasn't in contention too many times. And I haven't played too much golf this year. I had a couple injuries again. I think that the latter part of the year I've played a lot better than, let's say, around the U.S. Open. I really didn't play well, and that's normally my favorite time of the year to play. So it hasn't been a great year, but it hasn't been terrible either.

ERNIE ELS: No, I shouldn't even mention the injury. It was just a little back snag that happened in June. I've had a bit of a history of a bad back, problem with my back. But right now I'm perfectly healthy and I'm in pretty good shape right now. Who knows, if Tiger Woods can have a back problem, I mean --

ERNIE ELS: Anybody probably can. So I've had my share of it. But I'm over it now.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, that's what -- I kind of felt that way yesterday. I felt like it's almost better yesterday than today; I really didn't make my share yesterday. And you know you got to shoot something better than 68; otherwise, you're going backwards. I shot 65 today, and I think that I've probably moved up maybe two spots. So when the course is this perfect and we have perfect conditions like we have had the first three days, you're going to see the best players in the world shoot at the flag, and on these putting surfaces the guys are putting well. So me, personally, I feel it's the urge of, you can't make enough birdies out there, kind of a thing. So I think yesterday I got in my own way and today I made some putts, thankfully.

ERNIE ELS: I think if we can have a bit more breeze, maybe like we had the first day, it will really make it a little bit tougher for the guys. And shooting 68 becomes really a good score then, like it should be around this tough course. At the moment there's no breeze at all, so as I say, we're just shooting at the flags. They're probably going to tuck the flags tomorrow and with a bit of breeze, it will make it a little bit tougher.

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, it's been difficult this year. To be honest with you, I've been in a little bit of a down this year. And it's the nature of the game sometimes. You don't always play the way you can play and the way you want to play, and that's kind of been my year this year. A lot of times I've got in my on way and been trying too hard sometimes to win. When you see guys -- there's a lot guys out here this year who's won twice, and I'm still trying to win one. So it's a little frustrating. It's always been the case with my game where I felt that when I'm on my game, it just feels kind of easy. And this year it hasn't been that easy.

ERNIE ELS: He played unbelievably for 18 months. The whole year last year he was unbelievable. And at the start of this year again he was unbelievable again, until after the Master's. And he's won the World Series since then, not playing very well. But coming back to your question, it's difficult to say. When he's on his game, he's still going to be tough to beat. He hasn't been on his game and he hasn't played maybe as much as he wanted to, I guess, with all this stuff happening in the world. So I think everything in perspective, I think he's had a brilliant year. And guys like David, I must say, has come on strong. He's been a great player for five years now, but a guy like Phil Mickelson, unfortunately for him, he hasn't won a major, but he's definitely up there with Tiger at the moment probably.

ERNIE ELS: Well it's been on my mind since I have come over here, and last week I missed the cut, so that wasn't much of a help. And I feel like I'm swinging the club well, and today I made some putts. But it's been a good run since '94, and if it comes to an end, that's one of those things. But I've had my chances to win this year, and I didn't take advantage of my chances, definitely. So if it doesn't happen, it's one of those things. It was a good run. But I'll just start all over next year.

ERNIE ELS: I've got the World Cup in Japan with Retief Goosen. Then I am playing the Australian Open and The Million Dollar in South Africa, and I might play one tournament before Christmas in South Africa off the tour.

ERNIE ELS: I just kind of had my four weeks off in September. I went back home and I was kind of -- it was actually five weeks, including the American Express tournament. So I've had my off-season, and I'll have about three weeks off in December and drink some beer.

ERNIE ELS: I feel like I'm swinging the club, I know what I'm doing with the golf club now a lot better than I did in '97 or before that. So I think I understand my game a little better. Maybe that comes with aging a little bit. The way I'm playing -- I'm not scoring the way I'm playing. Let's put it that way. I think I've hit the ball a lot worse and scored a lot better and walked off the 18th with smiles on my face and nowadays I feel like I'm playing, I'm hitting it that good, and then I walk off the 18th green feeling frustrated. So that's a bit tough to take. But maybe I'm a little bit hard on myself. But it's also okay, I guess. But I feel like definitely I'm a better player than I've ever been. And it's just a matter of putting everything together at the moment. I'm not too far off.

ERNIE ELS: Well, at first I thought it was a good putt and then realized that I lost the tournament. (Laughter.) And I just kind of -- that's just kind of the way it's been going, I guess. It's just -- you can't do much more to win a tournament and then he holes it from the valley of sin. So it's one of those things.

ERNIE ELS: Next year.

ERNIE ELS: All right, guys.