U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 17, 2004

David Duval

MODERATOR: Joining us on the podium, folks, David Duval.

DAVID DUVAL: Most definitely, I had a good time. I enjoyed myself today immensely. I really felt good about all the shots I hit, didn't feel too bad about some of the bad ones I hit. You know, if it was an event other than the U.S. Open or maybe the Open championship, my score would have been a little bit better.

Q. Talk about the first three holes.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I just hit -- your first hole back for a lot of months, you know, I'd love to always hit 3-woods like I did off that first tee and then played it smart, hit a nice shot short of the hole and made the putt. It was just exciting because I felt like -- I feel like I want to do it and I feel like I know what I'm doing again. You know, there's some kinks to work out and some rust, if you will, to get rid of, but at least I did a lot of the things I wanted to do today, and most importantly, I enjoyed being out there.

Q. How much of your score was tournament readiness versus the golf course?

DAVID DUVAL: It goes without saying I'm not tournament ready, that goes without saying. Then add the U.S. Open golf course in the mix, and that adds some more shots to the score, as well. How many, I'm not sure.

I really don't know, I think I made four double bogeys, maybe even five. I think it was four. Probably at least two or three of those wouldn't have been double bogeys if it wasn't a U.S. Open.

In general, I'm very pleased with what happened today. I felt like I conducted myself well, which as you all know is very important to me, and I felt like I hit some really nice shots. I putted really good. I hadn't seen greens like these in quite some time, as well. All in all, I would call it an enormous victory for me today.

Q. Talk about the reaction, especially on the holes where they had a lot of people in the bleachers. What were you thinking when you got those ovations?

DAVID DUVAL: I don't know what I was thinking. Huge appreciation obviously for me. I think that I may be entirely wrong with what I'm going to say, but I just feel like maybe a lot of that comes from people are excited to see players who carry themselves well, who act like professionals, who pout, very little at least, and who are just excited to be doing what they're doing and appreciate where they are.

I've always tried to do that and I've always tried to conduct myself in a very forthright and standup way with everybody, and I think that that's where that comes from.

Q. The human side of things today, you played as a married man. Generally and specifically, how did you feel walking around there in terms of sense of completion in terms of a human being, and also, any specific times you looked over and saw her?

DAVID DUVAL: It was hard for me to find Susie in the crowd, but I found her a few times and waved. It was just nice. I stand here a blessed man. I've said that on numerous occasions in the past, but what's happened to me in the last six, eight months is far greater than anything I've ever done for the last ten years around here.

Q. What you felt on the golf course, will that help get you back to the Tour full-time? Did you feel like you want to do this on a regular basis?

DAVID DUVAL: Well, yeah, I would like to say so. I would like to hope that's the case. I've got to take my time and play when I feel like I'm ready and play when I want to. I think that's the biggest key for this year. There's no reason to bombard myself or my wife or kids with lots of golf tournaments just for the sake of golf tournaments. I didn't take all the time off to do that. I did it to try to feel like I was ready to play and to be excited to play.

Next time I feel like I'm ready to play is when I'll show up.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: I think this is one of the greatest -- two greatest golf tournaments in the year. You could argue this or the Open championship. What more fitting place to come when you're exempt into your national championship, of which so many thousands of people try to qualify. I'm not one who I feel backs down from a challenge, and I just felt this is where I needed to be.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: Oh, yeah. I mean, if you saw me play today, you would see that it's kind of right there. I'm right at the cusp of doing that. I'm right on the edge. Some of that involves being out here and playing and getting comfortable. Some of that involves building confidence and belief in the way I'm swinging and the work I've done. It just takes a little time. The only thing I want to do right now with my golf swing is just smooth it out just a little bit more, and man, watch out, it'll be good then.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: I can't wait to go play tomorrow. I think tomorrow is going to be a better day. I felt like today was going to be a really difficult day. I felt like I was going to be nervous, scared, all that stuff, and that was more so the case yesterday than today. I just kind of felt pretty darn good today and as comfortable as I've felt in a long time.

Physically I'm feeling pretty darn good, too. I don't have any huge ailments at the moment, and both my shoulders feel great. It seems to be the case that I don't know if my back will ever be 100 percent again simply because I've done all the things everybody tells me to do, the rehab stuff, and that didn't do it, and I've done things on my own and that didn't do it. I did nothing for the last eight months and that didn't do it.

I feel good, though. Every now and again I'll wake up and I'm stiff and it hurts, then walking down a hole something will shoot down my leg where it hurts. I'm fine, I feel great, and golf shots today, even the ones I hit off line, have nothing to do with injuries.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: Those were trying to be smart and just not even -- try to hack out of some of that thick grass.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: I guess that's something you could probably say, but I think what it shows is that the fan of the game of golf, the people that come out here to watch, is that regardless of how well I've played, regardless of how well anybody plays, this is a very hard game, and the way I've played, it bears that out for the last however long.

Everybody who plays has those days, and so to see the top players struggling at times, because we all do it, you know, I think it helps them identify with the fact that, you know, it is a very hard game, and if you're not out there acting like a jerk and slamming golf clubs around, then I think that's when people get behind you.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: Well, the game of golf is always, to me, been about hitting really nice, solid golf shots.

As a kid I always dreamed of playing on the PGA TOUR and being a pro and all those things, but as I went through all that I had to really keep my focus on that. I get the most fulfillment out of controlling the golf ball.

For the last little while I haven't controlled it so well, and that's what I'm getting back to now. I mean, as far as the game of golf, the competition of it, you know, it has certainly taken -- moved way down the ladder of importance in my life. That's what's most important to me right there, my wife and the kids at home and family and friends.

You know, I want to play, but I say now and I've said it a few times that if I had to make a choice I'd go home and stay with my friends and family and you'd never see me again.

Q. (Inaudible).

DAVID DUVAL: The best? You know, it would probably be the reception on 18 green and the reception on the first tee, and then the execution of the first hole. Just kind of a lot of what I've done in the past, just solid, solid and then make a putt.

Q. How many times did you hit drivers -- (inaudible)?

DAVID DUVAL: I think that's a good play for me. If I'm playing the shot the way I want to with a little left to right, that's a really good hole for me to drive the ball. I think I hit it on 5 -- I think I maybe hit it three times, four times. I hit it on 16 and 18, so I think it was four times.

I'm going to play here tomorrow and then I'll go from there, and if there's one golf tournament in this world other than this one I don't want to miss, you know which one it is, so if I play twice this year, it's probably going to be here and there.

End of FastScripts.