BANK OF AMERICA COLONIAL

May 23, 2003

Dan Forsman

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Like to welcome Dan Forsman to the interview room. Co-leader. Thanks for taking a couple minutes to come in.

DAN FORSMAN: My pleasure, Joel, nice to be here.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: A 66 today. The conditions weren't too tough, but is the course drying out a little bit?

DAN FORSMAN: Did you play out there today? Not too tough? What do you mean?

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Overall.

DAN FORSMAN: Oh, okay. No, I'm just kidding you. Yeah, not too tough when you're making putts and chipping in and doing some fun stuff. But it's still soft. Greens are holding yet. Haven't been as quick as perhaps they will get by tomorrow. I played well. Started out a little nervous. I missed the cut last week and even though you shoot 4-under, the cut's going to be even par and this is the kind of course where you go around the Horseshoe over there and have some trouble, you can spend some shots. And I was hearing horror stories about Mark Calcavecchia and Mickelson on nine and you hate to hear that stuff. But in the locker room you hear, "Did you hear what happened to so and so?" So I stepped out on 10 and hit it 6 foot from the hole and left a 6 footer about two feet short. So that wasn't a real confidence boost after my discussion yesterday about this great tap putting that I'm doing now that's going to bring me to the promised land. And it just didn't work out that way. And then on the next hole, the par-5, I hit it left in the bunker, it skips out, I hook a 3-iron in the left rough, pitch out short, or I mean chop out, pitch to 2, 3 feet and then wait, wait, wait, fine it's my turn. And then horseshoe lip-out bogey. There's two putts, 1-over.

And on 11 it's really arguably one of the only two birdie holes on the golf course, per say that you think of as one you ought to birdie. Number one is certainly one of those, the par-5 that you should take advantage of. There is only two here. So again now I'm behind the 8 ball a little bit and after last week and my putter and now I'm a little unsettled. So it was amazing the emotional sort of trials that I was going through at that point. As I walked to the 12th tee and I got there and I was standing there and they had a huge cottonwood tree there and all this cotton was swirling around. I put the tee in the ground and this cotton is going everywhere, it's tickling my throat, in my nose, in my ears. I'm just kind of going, wow, you know maybe it's an omen, just step up and rip it down the middle. Hit a 9-iron in left of the hole about 15 feet and made that for birdie. And that kind of settled me down, got me back to even par. Wiped the slate clean. Got me thinking birdie.

And then stepped up on the next hole, hit an 8-iron from 176 yards about a foot from the hole, hung it over the water, but I nailed it, it came right down off the flag. And that was a huge birdie. And now I'm under par and I got the momentum on my side and I'm starting to feel a little bit of those little, whatever you want to call them, those anxieties if you will.

So I parred around. That's a couple birdie opportunities missed, a couple close ones. And then just missed one on 18 which would have really been huge for me. Hit a good drive and a 9-iron just right of the hole and spun it back about 15 feet and left it hanging on the high side lip. Hoping it might just crawl in. But it didn't.

So I made the turn at 1-under. 5-under for the tournament. And at that point looked on the board and saw that 8-under was leading and I was thing, gee, I make some birdies coming in, get near the lead and have a shot at this tournament coming in the weekend.

So I hit a drive in the right trees on one, punched it out left of the pin. My third shot about 5 feet. And at that point you just want to get off to a good start on that back nine and certainly don't want to make a bogey, I already bogeyed the other par-5. And the putt when I looked at it, I said this is makeable. Because it kind of went up the hill at the hole. So it wasn't any fear of going, busting it through the line and all that past the cup. So I hit the putt and it goes right in the hole for birdie. So 2-under for the day.

And the next hole I hit it off the tee and I hit it, got underneath one those hanging trees that are unique to that second hole. Tried a knockdown shot, it goes to the back over the green in the deep rough. And this was the tournament, the shot of the tournament for me. I've been practicing this wedge shot all week. In fact I talked to couple of you guys over there, Jeff Rude came over and some of the other guys. And so I was talking about my short game, how it's been improving. And so I got in there and I got this deep lie. And so I'm thinking, well, if I'm really improving this ought to be no problem. Well I pop it out perfect, it lands it starts to drag right into the pin and in for a 3. So this was birdie, birdie now and now this is huge. Because finally all this effort on my short game paid off. Make this, and I'm not counting on chipping in, but that's a huge bonus on top of it. And then that's great. Great start again on the front nine.

Parred three. Four hit a 4-iron past the cup about 15 feet. And had a great read from Elk being he was right behind me. It broke about a cup. It broke right in for birdie.

And then played the last leg of the Horrible Horseshoe with a beautiful 3-wood and had 100, 200 to the hole. Came over a 6-iron, landed long on the green in that thatchy Bermuda. And so I had a long pitch and run, it was a tough lie. And I was hitting my practice stroke and the club was really stopping into this, into the grain of this Bermuda, you know, first cut. So I knew it was going to be tricky pitch. And again, I just kind of trusted it and went ahead and hit it, hit a great pitch shot, rolled out two and a half feet away and made par.

So again this is sort of symbol like as to how important the short game can be. Particularly on a course like this where the greens are small and it demands great iron shots. And if you don't, you got tricky little pitches with the slopes and hills.

So I parred the next hole, a good drive and a sand wedge, but I blocked it right and it looked like a pretty poor shot even though it was on the green. I hit the best putt of the day and it horseshoed, lipped out from about 30 feet. Good par.

And then I parred in. And the biggest chance for birdie was probably on 8 when I hit a 6-iron from 205. The ball landed on the top shelf and released about 8 feet left of hole. And I saw Elk's ball. I hit a great putt, it didn't turn in.

Drove great on nine. The pin on nine, I never seen it there before, I hope I never see it there again. Just kidding. I mean it was that's tough. But Gene Sauers birdied it, so it could be done. But my thoughts there were just, after hearing these horror stories, and getting myself in position here, hit it with plenty of room long. Hit it long. Spin it back if I could. And I left it on top a little bit about 25 feet and maybe 30 feet away, rolled it down about two feet away and knocked in for a 66, 8-under, tied for lead.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: It looks like you'll be paired with Kenny Perry tomorrow, another veteran. Talk about his game if you could.

DAN FORSMAN: Kenny is one of my dear friends out here. I've known him a long long time. We have done things with his family. His family used to travel. I have great respect for Kenny Perry, he's one of the nicest people on TOUR. He's, to me, has the most beautiful swing, one of the most beautiful, well rounded, power games in golf. He's just a genuinely nice person. He's a past, a President's Cupper, has he been a Ryder Cupper too? But he in fact he and I long ago we went over and we weren't in the pro-am and it was one of our early times. We went over to Mira Vista, is that the name of it over here and we just went out there together. I'll never forget that day it was just two guys out there, young kids trying to envision some day having a chance to compete and maybe win a title like the Colonial. And here we are tomorrow playing together. And it's going to be a great paring. And I know that we both will be eager to play and a little bit anxious I'm sure. And the rest of the players, the cut is going to be what, even par or so. 1 over. You're only nine back, similar to what happened last week with the cut score. And anything could happen on this golf course. You get hot you can shoot 6, 7-under. And a guy is a little bit off, he could shoot two or three over. And you can see how the complexion can change and change dramatically. But we're in the driver's seat right now and as for me personally it's a huge step forward. I happened to miss the cut last week but I went out and watched Vijay on Sunday I walk the whole 18 holes I saw how it's done he made it look easy even though we know better but I learned some things and I'm eager to go out there and hopefully show the kind of game I'm capable of tomorrow, along with Kenny.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'll take some questions.

Q. How will this tournament change with Annika not being here on the weekend?

DAN FORSMAN: Good question. Disappointing she didn't make the cut. It would be huge to have her here. I guess in some respects I feel for her, for the tournament and for her personally because it would be great to have her here. On other side of the coin, I think this sort of is what makes the PGA TOUR to me one of the ultimates in professional sport. The fact that you can come here, earnestly practice and prepare and get yourself, play the pro -ams, get yourself mentally and physically ready do everything you can possibly do. And if you shoot 2 over, you're going to go home without a paycheck.

Q. I was going to say, a lot of golfers are realists, you know, you are what you shoot and you get in the hole. What's the general, what do you think the general tone will be in the locker room that she missed the cut, that didn't just didn't play well enough or she played great, but not good enough? What do you see as the general consensus?

DAN FORSMAN: Well I guess some of them will say I told you so, others will say, she had a heck of a tournament. Give her a huge kudos and congrats for the way she played. Others will say she's just nothing but class. And frankly I'm in that camp. The way she's handled herself and the style and the grace the that she has along with her talent. It's a kind of a sad ending, I suppose. It's sad to say what could have been. I want to see the rest of the story, if you will. To use an NPR slogan there. When you see another gal like her play, I think what you're seeing, I said this over there, is that I think Nick Price and Vijay and some of these guys are saying, we don't mind having a gal play our TOUR, it would be great. But at some point there's a lot of kids and a lot of young men, if you will, talented young players who would love to have a chance to play here who have the game to play here. And honestly I'm not saying she didn't have the game, but they could qualify to get in it. And I suppose in that sense that's where the some of them have said, I told you so, and, it's not right. But I thought it was a great historic occasion. Certainly Colonial has a rich traditional history with Ben Hogan and all the great tournaments of the years. That Wall of Champions I looked at that time today as we waited on first hole I was amazed at the caliber of champions that they have had here through the years, including Meg Mallon. And I guess it would be more than miraculous I suppose to see Annika's name on that board as a Colonial champion. But it's Hogan's Alley, I think it's Annika's Hill. And as a metaphor for her climb to Mount Everest. And so I think that we can add that along with Hogan's Alley. Yes.

Q. You mentioned -- get off of Annika for a second -- you mentioned that you followed Vijay around for 18 holes yesterday or not yesterday last Sunday. And that you learned some things. Could you kind of give us some insight on what you learned from watching him?

DAN FORSMAN: I learned a number of things. Okay. Here they are. First of all, he's a tremendous ball-striker. So I needed to elevate my ball striking. Because with the way he played the golf course, very few fellows, excluding Tiger and a few other guys, Ernie, perhaps, who hit the ball prodigious distance, he was straight, he was relaxed. You could just sense that he was in command. There was no rush to get it over with. He made bogey, it was like as though brushing a mosquito away. He was really beautiful. I'm a little bit more high strung at times. And get a little anxious, oh no, you know, what's going to happen. I just need to just forget it. Play the next shot. And I need to be in good shape too. I tell you this. You know, it's amazing to me that you go out and play 18 holes of golf out here you don't sit down from the moment you get out of that locker room -- I beg your pardon, you sit on the cart that you drive back to the first tee here. Other than that you're standing for five hours of golf and the practice tee, etcetera. So you got to get in condition. And Vijay was talking about his conditioning. Some of these veterans guys are talking about their conditioning. So that's another thing I learned, because as I walked out there I was looking down about half the holes, because I don't know what these people, and I am a huge fan of the public, who comes out and supports these golf tournament's, because it's a whole different perspective. 3 dollars for a bottle of water. It goes to charity, but that's fine. So, but this is real world. But yet as I watched it unfold and saw him come up 18 and Byron Nelson is coming out of the cart and the cane and came forward and it was really a celebration of all that is good in golf. And I suppose for me because I thought about why would I go back out there? The officials are like, you're here again? Why are you here? If someone said you got free passes to the tournament, when I was a kid, player parking, you can go in the club house, you can go right out and follow your heroes, now it's different because I play against them so I'm a competitor so it change, I realize. However, it's still a great celebration of sport and of talent and I don't ever want to lose that. And so in a sense my going there was to say I missed the cut, I want to get out of here, but never be around this but at the same time how many more years is Byron Nelson going to be around? How many more years am I going to be able to be in this tournament? I don't know. I hope many more. But I went there and used that as sort of a motivator to kind of plant some seeds for myself to kind of get fired up and excited about playing this Tour and not just sort of saying, screw it, it's it was a waste of week. I miss the cut. Screw it. Been there, done that. Let's go to the next one.

Q. Did any of that help you today after second hole?

DAN FORSMAN: Absolutely. No question.

Q. What is it like on the back nine on Friday when you pretty much know you're not going to make it you got to grind it out and get something out of the round and the weekend?

DAN FORSMAN: You mean like last week or for Annika or?

Q. Both.

DAN FORSMAN: That's a good question. I suppose it's you're trying so hard and you're just there's not room for everybody, unfortunately. 114 players, this week, 70 plus ties. Someone's got to go home. Obviously we tried to do everything we can to be on the plus side of the ones who continue to play the weekend. But when you're, when you just can't get the ball in the hole, when you're trying -- I guess the only consolation you really get when you miss a cut is that hopefully when you go back to your hotel room alone, anonymously, in my case last week laundry stacked this high (Indicating) because I didn't want to do it. Pro-am letters that I need to sign or write to the guys who I played with on Wednesday who I, the tournaments are expecting me to write a nice letter to them. Just going, am I really going to write a now that I missed the cut? Yes, I am going to write the letter. Because it is my responsibility. But when I look at myself in the mirror, after I shower, did I give it my all out there or did I dog it? And I guess the way I measured my week whether it was a success is whether I can say I gave it my all. And if I did, that's I'm proud of that.

Q. Two part question about Annika. You had said that this is obviously her coming out here there's not room for everybody. Would you say this illustrates at all the gap between the women's game versus the men's game and also two rounds clearly doesn't define a player. Would you like to see her give it another chance or would you like to see her play with her own group?

DAN FORSMAN: I suppose in the perfect world for Dan Forsman as co-commissioner of the PGA TOUR if you will, I would say the best LPGA player is exempt as many times as she wants to play the regular TOUR. That's how I would solve it. If they, the LPGA star is going to be the best, she's a celebrated star of their tour and she wants to play the men's TOUR on occasion, I would say bring her out. But I'm probably in the minority of that. So what I would hate to have happen and we talked about this a little bit this morning with my caddy, when she got done on 18 the players were hugging her and saying well done. That's a very unusual scene here in the men's TOUR. And it's usually, you know, you're a jerk or I'm going to kick your, your you know what next week. Or, your caddy is moving when I'm playing. Or, you know, there's some real stuff that goes on out there. I mean it's competitive. And so this huggy, touchy feely is not the norm on TOUR. But I know Dean Wilson well, because I am from the same hometown as him. Where he went to school. And everybody had that sense that this week was different. We were pulling for her. We want her to make the cut. We wanted to be a great experience. As far as the gap is the question on the gap, can you imagine the Dallas, whatever the women's team, NBA is going up against Nowitzki and these guys, the Mavs in a playoff game? I mean, is there a gap? Of course there is. Is that to say that the women can't beat a PGA TOUR player? Of course not. They can. Can they do it on Colonial Country Club? That's a tall order. If she was given more chances to come back and do it again could she make the cut? Probably. Would she want to continue on that basis and then have it go, oh, there's another cut, there's another cut. Just sort of going on a slope that way? No.

Q. What about when people might say this says for the LPGA, obviously one round yesterday was great, today had some troubles on the back nine, but as far as the LPGA itself, in regards to her playing here.

DAN FORSMAN: Well, again my measure for the LPGA players is that they're a tremendous talent, group of talented young women. And they can play this game as well as a lot of top amateur players and the bottom rung of TOUR players, perhaps. Guys that can't get out on TOUR. Maybe even, I don't know, some other tours. But it's clearly there is a gap and yet it's probably unfair to judge this on one week. So you got to give her that. Give her another shot. Suzy Whaley, it will be interesting to see how she does in Hartford this summer. And if Wie plays in the Nationwide, you know, again it will be interesting. But what I would hate to see happen is people get so critical of this and get to where they just really make it an issue and make these girls feel like this is really ridiculous. Because I don't think it is.

Q. One more Annika question, I apologize. I think the debate tomorrow is going to rage if Thursday was the aberration in her game or if Friday was. What's your take on that?

DAN FORSMAN: I didn't see where she played from today. I don't know. I read the stats in the paper this morning about her round yesterday and they were frankly superb. Most of us out here would like to have those kind of stats, fairways, greens, wouldn't want the putts, I've been there, that's no fun. But I think that was huge. I think the bogey on the last hole kind of deflated her a little bit. I think if she made that putt and shot even par I think today would have been different. I personally do. And it's funny because we have all been there and when you see that and you let that momentum slip a little bit, it puts you a little bit more behind the 8 ball. Then you got to get more aggressive and then it backfires and then pretty soon you lose that momentum. So does that answer your question? Okay.

Q. When was the last time you watched a golf tournament walked 18 holes and watched?

DAN FORSMAN: I watched Davis Love in the Players Championship.

Q. This year?

DAN FORSMAN: I missed two cuts this year, Players Championship and Byron Nelson. And both tournaments I was going the next week, so it's prohibitive for me to fly all the way out. I don't have that Netjet share, I don't have one of these air flying time, so I stayed on. And I want to learn. So.

Q. Did anybody recognize you fans?

DAN FORSMAN: The Players Championship they did quite a few, actually. They thought it was curious, what are you doing out here? Are you following somebody? But I just guess I have a real love of the game and I love this -- the Players Championship to me is one of the great events ever. And to see Davis Love battling it out, Couples was playing well. And I played with Tiger for two days and missed the cut with him and I wanted to watch his game, see how he handled four rounds with that course. It's one thing to see him play two days then you go out -- sooner or later Pete Dye is going to catch you and he's going to twist it a little bit. It's how you handle some of those challenges and learn from that. And I was impressed. I learned a lot there.

Q. Back to Annika for a minute. Now that she's not around, how different will the weekend be? I mean is it going to be easier for you to focus or less fun?

DAN FORSMAN: My weekend won't be different in any way, shape or form without her around. Because I have to go out and play this golf course two more rounds and play well. And so I have everything right in front of me. So I can't worry about her not being here. But personally I'm disappointed she's not going to make the cut. I would like to see her stay. I would like to see her, invite her up to the booth and be with CBS if you will. I know that's probably crazy, but have her be a part of this event, show some highlights talk about her experiences and just sort of have it be a real positive that she was here. Not have her just go off in the night and disappear. So that's me.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Anything else?

DAN FORSMAN: Thank you very much. Have a nice evening, we'll see you tomorrow.

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