PGA GRAND SLAM OF GOLF

November 26, 2002

Rich Beem

Justin Leonard

Davis Love III

Tiger Woods

JUSTIN LEONARD: I felt like I hit the ball really well today. A little disappointed with the way I putted. I felt like I left at least three or four shots out there today. A little disappointed about that, but pleased with the way I hit the ball, and hopefully I can make some more putts tomorrow.

DAVIS LOVE III: I started off fairly well; I was 3-under and then finished poorly. So I'm disappointed with the way I played the back nine. I missed a little putt at 11 and 12, and after that, I kind of struggled my way in, trying to force it a little bit. But, you know, it was a good day, a fun day, and hopefully get it going tomorrow.

RICH BEEM: Well, after I had the lead on the first hole, I was pretty confident in my chances and all of a sudden it went downhill from there. (Laughing.) I didn't hit the ball particularly well all day and didn't putt very well either. Basically, nothing really exciting happened for me out there. My lifeline out there for the most part was watching these guys make a lot of birdies , so finally decided to get it going and got off to a great start on 16 and just kind of dragged it in from there. Not too exciting of a round today for me.

TIGER WOODS: I thought I really hit it well. Didn't quite hit it as good on the back nine. But I putted well all day. I hit a lot of good, solid putts. I eagled 2. Hit a driver, 8-iron to about 20 feet. Made that. 4, I hit a driver and a sand wedge to about six feet and made that. 6, I hit a driver and another driver into the right bunker. Blasted out to about ten feet and made that. 7, I hit an 8-iron up there to about 20 feet left of the hole. Made that. 14, I hit a 3-wood straight right in the right bunker. Hit a 6-iron and then hit a sand wedge to about eight feet and made that.

JUSTIN LEONARD: It's disappointing. I don't know how to quantify that. I think I'm disappointed in not taking more advantage of the opportunities that I had. 16 and 17 are two perfect examples, and then there was some putts on the front nine that I had really good chances at. You know, it's disappointing not to be any closer, not to have shot a better score.

TIGER WOODS: Well, you know the front nine is going to be the easier nine going out because it's downwind, and you have got to take advantage of those holes. I really did that. On the back nine, when you play 15 on in, you just need to try and hang off of it, and I was able to do that as well.

DAVIS LOVE III: Well, I hit terrible wedge shots all day. I have my old wedges that I kind of wore down that were in the locker, they are going to go back. Have to find something else. I didn't hit good wedge shots today and that's all there is to it. I drove it pretty good starting out and then drove it in the rough coming in, trying to get up-and-down for pars and trying to hit them in there close. I was getting it farther and farther from the hole. So it's a little disappointing to not get a better score out of it. It was my wedge game that cost me a lot of strokes.

RICH BEEM: He's really good. No, I did actually. I watched quite a bit, actually. I did learn some things out on the golf course, and hopefully I'll be able to utilize sometime in my career. I watched him quite a bit today. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun out there.

TIGER WOODS: It's great they have a chance to participate in this because it is a great event, and those guys get a chance to get out there and enjoy doing something other than their normal routine. I think that's always welcomed, at least in my dad's experience, what he used to tell me. These guys, they do a fantastic job each and every year, and this year, they have done a hell of a job.

TIGER WOODS: We'll see. (Laughter.)

TIGER WOODS: I've got to go play a tournament this weekend down in Palm Springs.

RICH BEEM: I'm staying here. I may never go home. (Laughter.) I'm staying until Sunday night and flying out Sunday late to L.A. to play in Tiger's tournament next week.

JUSTIN LEONARD: I'm headed to Dallas back home on Wednesday night and I'm going to be off until I come back to Maui.

DAVIS LOVE III: Same as Rich; I'm going to Tiger's tournament next week.

TIGER WOODS: Well, I put this driver in play last week in Japan. Didn't really hit it -- I hit it good on occasion. Didn't hit it great. But I went back to my old steel shaft and I didn't feel comfortable. I went to this new head because I could putt a little bit more spin on the ball, and for me, I was actually knuckle-balling a lot of shots because I didn't have a lot of spin on it. This one puts about the spin that I used to put on my old Titleist driver. So consequently, I'm driving the ball a little bit straighter.

TIGER WOODS: I love coming back. For one thing, I've had a pretty good year to come back. But each and every time I've been here, I've always enjoyed it. It's always been a lot of fun to come back and see the same people here, and you actually become friends. It's kind of cool. This facility here, the Hyatt, is absolutely fantastic, all of the amenities that they have. It's a pretty great place to come back to.

DAVIS LOVE III: Can we all use that answer? (Laughter.)

RICH BEEM: Ditto.

DAVIS LOVE III: I think that's how we all feel. It's an honor to be here, to play in the golf tournament, plus the hospitality of the PGA of America and everybody here at the Hyatt and the golf course is just incredible. We are happy to be here, unless we are making bogeys on the back nine. (Laughter.)

RICH BEEM: You really want to get to the pool, don't you?

DAVIS LOVE III: I'm going to the range. I'll be by myself, but I'm going to the range.

RICH BEEM: Inspiration for my attire? Fits my personalty a little bit. Outgoing. Just got into the spirit of coming over to Hawaii and playing in the Grand Slam.

TIGER WOODS: Got dressed in the dark. (Laughter.)

RICH BEEM: Red is not my favorite color. (Laughter.) I had some fun with it. I talked to TaylorMade and they made about four different driver head for me and that one worked the best. The shoes, kind of thought that up a couple of months ago and thought, hey, that might be fun to do. And Hawaiian shirts, everybody around here wears a Hawaiian shirt. Except for the shoes and the driver head, I think I fit right in.

TIGER WOODS: As far as being three shots ahead, there's a lot of work still ahead for me tomorrow. I need to go out there and post another good number. As you can see, we all played pretty good on the front nine. It can be had; so I just need to get off to a good solid start tomorrow and hopefully continue from there.

TIGER WOODS: I'm going to be in L.A. with my parents having Thanksgiving there and then head on out to the Skins Game. But I'm just thankful for having my family and friends and having good health with all of them. Especially after what my father had gone through the last few years, I'm awfully thankful just to have him still here and still kicking and fighting.

TIGER WOODS: You know, I really don't know. All I know is I'm going to continue to try and get better, obviously, in the golfing department. But as far as trying to make a difference, I'm trying to do that right now with my foundation. We have some great things going along right now, the Start Something Program, which is a mentoring program for kids in school. Right now we are going to build a new learning center back where I used to play my high school golf. So these are things that we are trying to do, trying to make a difference, trying to give these kids hopes and dreams, and also be able to accomplish them; give them a basis to go ahead and try to accomplish these things. We are trying to do that now. I don't know what the future holds for that. Hopefully we are going to do bigger and brighter things in the future, but right now we are headed along a great path.

TIGER WOODS: Well, hopefully I can go out there and play as well as I did today, especially starting out. I really played well starting out, and I just need to play that way the entire round tomorrow and hopefully make a few putts and get the momentum on my side.

DAVIS LOVE III: It's going to take a real low score out of me and Rich.

RICH BEEM: Them not to show up. Davis and I are going to be in the lead, so we are going to set the early pace.

DAVIS LOVE III: Just have to come out like Tiger said, get off to a great start on the front and have a great back nine as well.

JUSTIN LEONARD: I have to do that, too. (Laughter.)