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MICHELOB ULTRA OPEN AT KINGSMILL

May 6, 2004

Kim Saiki-Maloney

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

PAUL ROVNAK: Kim, thanks for coming in and joining us. 4-under is a great score on this course. It played really tough last year. I imagine it's playing pretty difficult this year as well. Tell us what was working for you today and we'll take some questions from there.

KIM SAIKI: Today just -- it was just pretty basic. I hit the ball really solid. Gosh, I hit every fairway. Had birdies on 7, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 18. Just played solid golf; hit the ball in the fairway and hit the greens. And when I did miss the greens, I was able to get up-and-down. Just enjoyed the day. I putted very well today.

PAUL ROVNAK: We will go ahead and take some questions.

Q. When you are the first off the tee, what time do you have to get up to make that tee time?

KIM SAIKI: I woke up today at 4:45 which is a little late. I hit my snooze button a couple of times. But it's so convenient this week because I am staying at the Courtyard which is pretty close.

Q. You were awake when you hit the 1st tee though?

KIM SAIKI: Oh, yeah.

Q. Why is that late? Do you normally get up earlier than 4:45?

KIM SAIKI: I usually get up three hours prior to my tee time. And that would have meant 4:15. It's pretty hard to get out of bed when it's dark. And before 5 o'clock.

Q. How have you been playing coming into this week?

KIM SAIKI: I had a really breakthrough-week last week. I have struggled a little bit this year with an exception to a great round, the first round of the Phoenix event. I shot 64 the first round there. Then actually hit the ball very well the second day and the fourth round but since that event I have struggled. Last week was a great week for me. I had a little bit of a caddie change and ended up shooting 71, 72, 71, 73 and finished -- I probably finished about 40th. But I hit the ball very well last week, so it was extremely encouraging coming into this week.

Q. Did you make any kind of tinkering with the swing at all?

KIM SAIKI: No. In fact, I wasn't thinking about any technical things. Didn't work on any of that the last week, last couple of weeks. What I needed to do is I needed to free up my swing because after the final -- let's see, the second round of the tournament in Phoenix, I was barely breaking 80. And a lot of it had to do with me thinking too much about the technical part of the game and really was kind of paralyzed, wasn't able to even hit the ball out on the golf course. So on our week off, I just went out and played; didn't hit a lot of golf balls; didn't get too technical with anything. And it really freed up my golf swing.

Q. How did the change of caddies play into your breakthrough?

KIM SAIKI: It was huge for me. I mean, the guy that caddied for me was a great caddie, but our style of communication was quite different. So it was difficult. He's a great caddie, but it just wasn't working out. So we decided to part and I actually had a local caddie in Atlanta, and this week I am working with a Tour caddie Paul Gregg and this is our first week together.

Q. How do you like to communicate with your caddie?

KIM SAIKI: The least information the better for me. I am definitely a feel-player and I tend to work the ball both ways, so unless I vocalize what I am going to do, it's very difficult for a caddie to give me any input because I like to shape my shots, so I just like my caddie to support me and have conversation and we go over numbers. I am a numbers person and it's enjoyable for me to play that way.

Q. Just pull the club you tell him to pull?

KIM SAIKI: Absolutely. I pull my own clubs and call my own shots and everything.

Q. How about reading putts?

KIM SAIKI: I do it all on my own.

Q. What was your best shot today?

KIM SAIKI: Gosh, my best shot.

PAUL GREGG: Actually probably 14 was a good shot, or 15.:

KIM SAIKI: Sorry because I am really pleased with my whole round.

PAUL GREGG: 5-wood downwind from 214.

KIM SAIKI: Yeah, the par 5, that's reachable in two. I had 214 to the hole and hit a 5-wood. It actually trickled over the back of the green, but it was a fairly easy chip shot and I got it up-and-down. So that was probably the best shot of the day.

PAUL GREGG: Good bunker shot out of --

KIM SAIKI: No. 1. Yeah. Missed the green right and I was pretty tight on that right side and got it up-and-down for par.

Q. A lot of players are bogeying 11 today already. How tough is that hole playing?

KIM SAIKI: It is a tough hole. I bogeyed that hole. Today I hit driver 9-iron. I had -- actually I just misjudged it because I hit a good second shot but I had 131 to the pin. 118 to the front edge and normally I hit my 9-iron, a full 9-iron 130 but it came up way short. Just misjudged it. But it was so early. You are kind of -- your muscles aren't quite as loose.

PAUL ROVNAK: Take us through the rest of the score card, Kim. Birdies and bogeys. 10.

KIM SAIKI: 10 I birdied. This is where Paul is going to have to help me out. 5-wood in. I had probably 25 feet.

Next hole I hit the driver, 9-iron short into the front bunker, made bogey.

Next hole I parred, the next hole I birdied 13. I hit 141 to the pin. I hit 8-iron. It was probably twelve feet, made that. Pin-high left.

14 I had 124 to the pin, and I hit a pitching wedge and I was probably ten feet. Made that.

Then 15 was the par 5.

PAUL ROVNAK: You said you hit 5-wood back of the green, chipped up. Do you know how far you chipped to?

KIM SAIKI: Two feet. Made that.

Then the next hole I parred, I actually came up way short of the green and my chip shot hit the pin and it actually helped my shot and then I made -- I 1-putted for par.

Next hole I parred and then the 18th hole I had driver, 9-iron from 121. I made probably a 30-footer.

Q. Were you on the same shelf with the flag?

KIM SAIKI: Yes. I was on the lower tier.

PAUL ROVNAK: Bogey on 4.

KIM SAIKI: I hit a good drive, really good drive down the left side and I was kind of on a downslope. I hit -- I had 146 to the hole. It was against the wind and I used a 7-iron and hit a great shot. Hit the back of the green probably four paces behind the pin and it just bounced over into the back bunker - combination of the wind dying down and the downslope, it went over the green into the bunker and then I hit an okay bunker shot and then just missed probably an 8-footer for par.

On 7 I had 195 to the pin and I hit a rescue club which is -- it's like a 7-wood, 22 degree rescue club. I missed the green right, chipped it past the hole about 15 feet. I made the putt for birdie. That's basically it.

Q. You are a numbers person, aren't you?

KIM SAIKI: Yeah.

Q. So you are walking down the fairway with your caddie, what numbers-oriented discussions are you having? Is it all yardage or are you playing numbers games?

KIM SAIKI: Just the yardages. So I know my carries, you know, over bunkers, or where I am going to carry the ball. That's basically it. Yeah, I get up to the ball I say the front number, the pin, the total, and then I make my decision based on that. If there's anything else that we have to factor in as far as wind, uphill, downhill, I will discuss it with Paul and then I make my decision from there.

Q. You talked about -- you described yourself as a feel-player but yet you said that earlier this year you almost got to the point where you were a little paralyzed. Is that the first time in your career that you have ever kind of experienced something like that?

KIM SAIKI: No, it's happened in recent years, just because I have made some changes in my swing and it's very difficult for me, it's difficult for any player once you start getting too mechanical, it is difficult to function on the golf course. But I became too technical, I was trying to be too perfect, and it paralyzed me. I can't play that way.

Q. Did you play here last year?

KIM SAIKI: I did.

Q. Did you come away from here with a pretty good feeling or something that might have given you a sense of momentum for this week?

KIM SAIKI: Yes, I love Williamsburg. It's a great golf course and it's a great event. I feel very comfortable here.

Q. When you say that about Williamsburg, are you referring to Kingsmill and the golf course or the entire Colonial area?

KIM SAIKI: Yeah, it's quite nice.

Q. Did you go take in the sites at all?

KIM SAIKI: I did last year. I haven't had a lot of time this year. But I am definitely going to make an effort this year too.

End of FastScripts.

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