DORAL-RYDER OPEN

March 6, 1998

Raymond Floyd

RAYMOND FLOYD: I'm as happy as I can be to go out there and play both days under par, I couldn't have asked for very much more. I feel honestly as if I left a little bit on the golf course. I missed some fairly short putts. I 3-putted 18 this morning, after hitting two nice shots on the green, and I missed a couple of other birdie opportunities, but shooting 4-under around here, I'm very, very pleased. It's in fabulous condition, as would reflect 10-under par that Jim Furyk shot. That's an incredible score, that might be the lowest round, I don't know how you ever say what's the lowest round on the best condition or the hardest golf course you've ever seen, but that certainly has to be right there in the top two or three. I can't imagine someone shooting that low, with the wind blowing, and it blew hard this morning. But the conditions allow that. The golf course is in perfect condition. But it's still mind boggling to me that someone shoots 10-under par out there.

RAYMOND FLOYD: I never saw it until I got on the 8th hole, which was my 17th. I looked over and it showed Furyk 10-under. I thought someone was playing a joke. But, no, I didn't ever see his name. But I do look at the scoreboards. They're there, and people that say they don't look at scoreboards, I don't know how you miss them, they're up there. So every time you go by one, you look.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Actually I don't. I feel pretty much the same, it's a golf tournament, and I think your mental preparation has to be pretty much the same, even with a major championship I don't see that I feel too much different. I mean I'm more aware and I probably work harder leading into it. But I think you should probably approach every tournament and every round the same. I think if you can be consistent that way you'd be probably a better player. Now, that's the optimum, I'm not saying that that happens every time, but I think that's what I'd like to say I could do.

RAYMOND FLOYD: I know I can't beat them, so that's not in the equation. That 10-under par out there, I just played one of my best rounds and he beat me by six, now you think -- we can't put the points up high enough to get me even. I know where I belong.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Well, he's long, for certain. And that's an asset playing golf. But most of these kids today are, they're all long. I think Robert is a very good player. He's been at the top in every level that he's played, but now he's coming into the major leagues, and he's now playing with the best of the best from all of these levels. So he's out there trying. He's got a full Nike Tour card, and of course, he's playing this week here, and he's just missed the cut. But I think with a little experience and a little time under his belt, I think Robert will be a very good player.

RAYMOND FLOYD: No, my dad and I were, while he was young, were his only coaches. Now he sees Butch Harmon.