BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

March 20, 2003

Brad Faxon

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Brad, for spending a few minutes with us today. It's pretty tough out there today with the wind conditions, and I think they got worse as the day went on. Why don't you make a couple of comments about your round, the conditions and we'll go into some questions.

BRAD FAXON: I worked out early this morning with Joan. (Laughter.)

Q. And you still had something left?

BRAD FAXON: It was unbelievable, the inspiration.

It was very hot today. It was windy. It was kind of a strange wind. We don't see -- I guess it's a straight south wind but straight down 1, 17 and 18.

I thought the officials did a good job on the eighth hole where it was straight into the wind. The ninth hole, the tees were up a little bit. Par 3s were very tough. No. 2 downwind and No. 17 downwind, I don't know how many balls were on those greens, but it was hard. I played well, drove it pretty well. It's nice to be the in the fairways here because the rough is up and it's pretty uniform, it's pretty thick.

Q. Did you find any problem with consistency of the greens in terms of some would roll and some would rocket?

BRAD FAXON: They were all pretty firm. I don't remember one of them that I said, "Boy, that's soft." (Laughter.) All three of us, Huston and Langer, my other two partners, we left a lot of putts short, overwhelmingly short all day long.

I think the reason why is they are at a nice speed but they look so much faster than they are. I don't know if -- it's a poa tif overseed, but it just seems like it would be faster and they really are not. With the firmness and what they look like, you would think they are very quick. They are a nice makeable speed putt, but we had trouble getting close to the hole, especially early.

Q. How much harder is this course the last couple of years than when you used to live down here in the neighborhood?

BRAD FAXON: It's gone through so many changes from when I first started playing out here. The routing, 4 used to be a par 4, I can't even remember what some of the holes were. 4 was a par 4. 16 was a par 4. I think the par 3s here really make the course tough.

The par 5s are all in the right conditions are all reachable and you always feel like that's a chance to make birdie, as it probably should be.

The par 4s are tougher. 8 is longer. 9 has always been tough. I think 11 is a great hole. That was straight downwind today. We saw some differences.

A lot of times when the wind blows the other way, you are playing 17, 18 into the tee, it makes it a lot tougher.

Q. You've been around for such a long time, what's your take an Els and Tiger and how anxious are players to see them square off?

BRAD FAXON: It would be nice if it were the last round and they were together. A lot has been made of Ernie's great start and Tiger's great start, and I'm sure everybody wants to see the two of them paired together for the last round of the tournament. It's been so hyped up and they have only played together one time. I think the golfing world probably wants to see that. Everybody wants to see someone take on the favorite in every sport. Right now, Ernie is that guy.

Q. The favorite?

BRAD FAXON: Ernie is the guy to take on the favorite, just clarify myself. You know exactly what I meant. (Laughter.)

Q. As a veteran on the Tour?

BRAD FAXON: You mean a guy that's been out here a long time?

Q. Yeah.

BRAD FAXON: A very long time.

Q. I don't think it's all that long because I remember when you were a junior. Do you feel like Els and Woods, is everybody talking about that?

BRAD FAXON: Well, there's a lot of other guys that play pretty good that can compete. Who is to say those guys are going to play their best golf during the same week, too? Everybody wants to see that but they have still got to go out and do it.

Q. Is too much made of that type of situation?

BRAD FAXON: If I was doing what you do, I'd probably do that, too.

Q. Most people are saying it's perfectly fine to play in the midst of a war that's just starting, so when would it be appropriate not to play a golf tournament or basketball game or any kind of game?

BRAD FAXON: I would say a situation like we had September 11 when it's on our home turf. I haven't really thought about that.

In the history of wars in the history of sport, we stopped competing in some things during world wars, but, I don't know. I read Jim Calhoun's quote yesterday saying, NCAA basketball, that's an American tradition, it's got to go on. I think the people want to see that.

I don't know. The bottom line is, we really can't do a whole lot for what's going on over there but we can wish the soldier's the best and pray for them. But for us not playing, does that do any good? I don't know. That's a whole -- that's a different part of the newspaper.

Q. Are you surprised at the turnout today, given last night and all that?

BRAD FAXON: I didn't want to go to sleep. My TV only gets CNN but I wanted to see what was happening. I'm sure everybody does. It's just intriguing. It's hard to believe that it's really happening, so far away.

Q. Given that, is it tougher to focus on a round of golf?

BRAD FAXON: I think it helps you put things in perspective a little bit. This is a golf tournament. You hate to see any of that happen. God, I feel like a politician.

Q. You sound like one, too.

BRAD FAXON: Yeah.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Can we go through your round?

BRAD FAXON: Oh, sure.

2, I hit a great shot onto the back fringe and it was a monster first putt and I hit it about eight feet by and missed it. So I made 4 there.

6, driver, lay up, sand wedge to seven feet.

The two par 5s, 12, I hit it pin-high in two and made a good up-and-down from ten feet. I hit a 9-iron to a foot on the next hole.

5-iron short in the bunker on 14, another great par 3, and missed about a 12-footer there for par.

Birdied 16. Made a nice putt there from 20 feet.

Q. Your 9-iron, where did it land?

BRAD FAXON: Back fringe, sucked it down -- just kidding. Actually that landed pin-high. It bounced up and it came at me because I was looking for the pitch mark short of the green and actually --

Q. Five steps short of the hole?

BRAD FAXON: Yeah, and it was a perfect full 9-iron and the wind was right-to-left. It was spinning. There was really no shot.

Q. Is that what makes the par 3s so hard because they are all -- well, three of them are 200-something and the greens are rock hard?

BRAD FAXON: No. 2 and No. 17, they slope away from you. It's not -- I don't know if 2 slopes away from you; it might as well, it's so shallow. It's hard to hit a shot there. I would like to know how many guys hit it on that green.

Q. What did you hit on 17?

BRAD FAXON: 5-iron. There's no shot because you could hit a 6-iron in the gap left, I can't carry it 210 -- probably could have today. I don't know.

Q. Do you measure success by how far off the green you are?

BRAD FAXON: I said to Tommy, I could be chipping out of the rough uphill into the wind.

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