WGC ANDERSEN CONSULTING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 27, 1999

Andrew Magee

ANDREW MAGEE: Well, the match -- I was three in after three. The turning point was -- for me it was the 4th hole where he made a bogey and he flinched and showed signs of -- he wasn't going to just go out there and shoot 62 and send me packing. I think he got a little aggressive probably on the 4th hole ON the second shot and hit it over the green without any green to work with, and made a bogey there. I made a nice par and I was only 2-down after that point; so I really felt like it was -- the momentum swinging right there. 2-down is a lot better than 3-down. It kind of reminds me of a hockey game -- I'm good friends with Jerry Roenick. He says: When you're 3-down and you make a goal, you've still got two more goals to catch up; if you're 2-down, you've only got 1, so it's lot more -- it's like you're a lot closer. So I really thought about that when I got to 2-down. I felt like I was -- now I was in command and I was still 2-down. So I was trying to trick my mind a little bit into pretending I was really 2-up instead of 2-down. It was a momentum swing. I played pretty good golf from there on in. I don't think I made a bogey from the 5th hole on, today. He probably wasn't on his game all the way. He didn't make a whole bunch of birdies like John Huston is used to. The greens were tough today, a little firm. His shots were a little lower and firmer, hitting and rolling off the edges. It was to my benefit; I hit kind of a softer shot. Jeff hits a similar kind of shot as John Huston, kind of a lower, running shot.

ANDREW MAGEE: I was shocked. I think he hit shot fat or -- I don't know what the heck he good. I was shocked he didn't put it on the green at that point. I didn't have a very good lie on the left rough and I was pretty happy with the bunker where he ended up. I would have rather have it on the front of the green where I was aiming, but the bunker shot wasn't the most difficult shot I've ever had. I was just -- he had a couple bad shots in a row, and then he hit a poor bunker shot. That was huge from being 1-up to all of the sudden 2-up with two to play. You know, I think the wind went out of his sails a little bit going into 17, because the same happened to Maruyama yesterday. He hits it in the right water on 17. They are probably the only two guys all week who have done this, and these are the two guys I'm playing with. As my friend yesterday said in the gallery, "That shot by Maruyama may be the prettiest shot I've ever seen." (Laughter.) That's what my buddy said. I'm going, Wow, hard, hard guy.

ANDREW MAGEE: I don't think we really care.

ANDREW MAGEE: We look at Tiger's life and it's difficult. You guys are chasing him every week. He can't go out at night. He can't do anything without someone bugging him because of all the press he's got. I enjoy my life. I enjoy being a little bit obscure out there. Nobody recognizes me when I go out even in my hometown of Phoenix. That's nice. I don't think I would trade that for anything. I've been out to dinner with Greg Norman and see the people that bug him and hound him out night for autographs. It's -- you know, to win this tournament, I don't think -- it's still wouldn't make any difference for me. I'm going to go and hide and try not to be recognized.

ANDREW MAGEE: Yeah. I like money. (Laughter.) Money is a motivating factor in this tournament. A $5 million purse and $1 million for the first-place guy, it's a big deal. I'm sure it's going to make all the other guys who didn't qualify very upset when Jeff and I just pass everybody on the money list with this Match Play tournament. If I was in Tuscon I would be going, just, these guys played six or seven rounds and they just killed us. These $5 million purses, this is the wave the future I guess. And I've got to thank Greg Norman for setting it up. I was at that meeting a couple years ago at the Shark Shootout when he announced that he was going to start this new world tour. And it was a quiet meeting, and it was like, this is the starting of something; secret -- close the doors please; no media allowed. So I think this is probably the culmination of maybe something that he started. He definitely put the pressure on the world -- the world. How do you put pressure on the world, Lee? That's big, isn't it? This is what I think -- this is what's become of maybe what Norman started.

ANDREW MAGEE: It's my favorite golf course in the world. I love this course. I told my caddie in practice rounds -- I've only had this caddie for two years. I came here -- what year -- I played in the Tournament of Champions four times; I've won four times. I led one year, I think, after the first round. I said, "Last time I played here, Eric, I actually led this tournament." He goes, Oh, really? I was trying to give my caddie confidence. I'm the only one out there trying to boost his caddie's ego. I'm comfortable with the course. It sets up nice for my tee shots and I can fade it off every tee. There's not a single hole that I have to hit a draw on. I'm a fade player, which is very comfortable for me. Usually there's one or two holes on every course where you have to hit a draw. And I don't have a hit a draw on any tee. That settles me down; doesn't give me anxiety about having a draw. I can draw if I have to but I don't really want to.

ANDREW MAGEE: It came down to the last hole. It was pretty close. I played a guy that played pretty bad, Darren Clarke, and I played pretty bad. So as my friend Jimmy Vicker said to me after the round, "the first rounds are the hardest ones," and I was very fortunate that I drew No. 15, Darren Clarke and he didn't play very well. I could have been at home in Phoenix watching this thing on TV three days ago. I'm sure everybody that's played has had some luck, and Jeff has got some luck this week -- but here we go, that's Match Play. You get good breaks and bad breaks.

ANDREW MAGEE: Let me ask you, Larry. 5 million or 2.3: Which one do you want to play for, with a $25,000 guarantee, or nothing, in Tuscon.

ANDREW MAGEE: I think everybody wants to play in these events. It just remains to be seen over time if it's going to work or not. You know, I think with this Match Play tournament in Australia in two years, it's going to be interesting to see how many of our guys -- I mean a lot of our guys get appearance fees a lot higher than $25,000 to go overseas. So let's just see what happens with that. I'm interested to see how many guys are going to pull the Jumbo act (inaudible). So let's just wait and hang in there and find out.

ANDREW MAGEE: These are La Costa socks. 10 bucks, baby, for these.

ANDREW MAGEE: Put them on my bill. I think I got them free.

ANDREW MAGEE: La-Cost. It's all the same. I just -- I didn't expect to be here. I packed for the L.A. Open, and I packed for, you know, maybe get me halfway through this week and then I was going home and have a nice weekend off. But I've got to play now. I'm thrilled about it. This is great.

ANDREW MAGEE: I didn't ask them. It's easier to walk up and grab some socks. Come on, a million dollars? (Laughter.) Think about it. Think about it. They are good. They are not that good of socks. They are not like anything sporty. They are kind of formal.

ANDREW MAGEE: I have another pair for tomorrow. I bought two pairs. At that price, I didn't even ask for a discount.

ANDREW MAGEE: I don't know. I'm just anxious to find out, you know, 25,000, a lot of guys get bigger appearance fees than that to show up. It may leave a bitter taste, and if they didn't play well next year at this event, it fits really nicely for me and my tour, our guys -- our TOUR is on right now. We're on the west coast. It's a two-hour drive from the L.A. Open down here. It's a perfect fit to fly all the way across the ocean and play. I think a lot of people may think twice about it. Middle of winter or summer? I'd consider taking -- that's one week over there is like taking three weeks off of our TOUR, the week before and the week after because it affects because of the traveling. It's a three-week adventure.

ANDREW MAGEE: We only made each other putt out -- he made me putt about a 2-footer on 11 and I made him putt a 2-footer on 14 and afterwards -- when he had the 2-footer to putt, he looked at me I said, "You made me putt that one on 11." (Laughter.) So I think we had a conversation of maybe 20 seconds, which is the longest conversation I've had this week with any opponent. And it was all in good humor. It was legitimate. Neither of them were gimmees. He hasn't seen me make a putt yet. So, you know I had to make one. I think that's probably -- he shouldn't -- you shouldn't be too good of friends out there.

ANDREW MAGEE: No. I'm not that kind of guy. I didn't know Darren Clarke that well. I didn't know Thomas Bjorn. I knew Maruyama a little bit better. But I consider them all peers, and friends. There was no animosity at any time in any of my matches. I don't like -- I don't like any kind of confrontation, basically; so I'm probably going to shy away from it anyway, unless it's really dirty.

ANDREW MAGEE: Let's see, I birdied No. 9 to go 1-up -- or 1-down. Excuse me. That's my first birdie of the day. I went to 12 and got up-and-down from the bunker made a birdie on 12.

ANDREW MAGEE: On No. 9 I hit a green, 3-wood up there 20 yards short of the green and pitched it up about six feet past the hole and made it. And 12, I hit it in the bunker again -- what am I saying. Hit in the bunker. Hit it about 9 or 10 feet and made it for birdie. Didn't make another birdie until I chipped in at 17 to close the match. So I only made three birdies.

ANDREW MAGEE: The chip total was probably 20 feet.

ANDREW MAGEE: It was a good lie. I was thrilled to see the lie. The grass was growing with me.

ANDREW MAGEE: I'm not drained. This is a spa. (Laughter.) After my rounds, I go in and have a little steam, you know, just take it easy and lay back and relax. It's been very nice.

ANDREW MAGEE: He birdied 1 and 2 and parred 3. I hit it over the green on the bunker and didn't get up-and-down.

ANDREW MAGEE: I felt like I was ready to play the consolation match tomorrow, and then it quickly -- 10 minutes later changed when he bogeyed 4 and I was only 2-down. So I mean, things -- things really fluctuated out there, and I fluctuate probably more than most guys a lot of guys who are probably more even-keel. I'd say Steve Pate and I probably fluctuate a lot more than Huston and Maggert do. I was thinking, it's kind of ironic if Steve Pate and I are in the finals because we definitely have more temper than the other two. The other two gentleman are very even-keeled guys.

ANDREW MAGEE: Yeah. He did. He is generous. He didn't want the money. You know, it's the game of golf. No one goes out there and plays 18 perfect holes and makes 7 birdies and no bogeys every day. That just doesn't happen. You know, I've been fortunate that this week I haven't played guys that have just gone nutso. "It's his calming persona." They get around me and they just calm down. They just don't want to do anything drastic. They just go out there and shoot a have a nice day and shoot even par. I put the evil Ray Floyd stare on them and they are done.

ANDREW MAGEE: I'm about 10-under.

ANDREW MAGEE: No. How old is he?

ANDREW MAGEE: He went to Oklahoma State and got kicked out early. I think I was one year at Oklahoma State and he was a freshman, but we have not played against each other much.