WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 21, 2002

Jose Maria Olazabal

SCOTT CROCKETT: Jose Maria, well done. Before the last putt, did you think that might not be a victory today?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, it looked very close at the very end. I was in control for the first 10 holes, and that was because he missed a few short putts on the front and did not play all that solid.

On the back nine, he made pretty much on the back nine, and birdied 11, birdied 12. He had a good save on 14. Birdied 15 and birdied 17. He really played very well on the back nine and he was closing the gap, obviously. I'm just glad that I made that putt on 18.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Is it fun to be involved in a match like that? It's fun to watch for us.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It might be great for you, but it's not good for my heart, that's for sure. (Laughter.)

Q. The lower seeds, it seems, are winning every match, and we have only two people, I believe, in the Top-10 left. Does the seeding mean anything in match-play?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, not all that much. I think especially playing 18 holes, it would be a different story if every match was played to 36 holes. That, you could trust the seeds and their relation between the players, how they are seeded. You could trust that. But not just playing 18 holes.

Q. Do you like people, no matter what tour they play, so infrequently match-play, but yet Tiger is saying does he like it; do you like to play match-play?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, it's a different format. You have to have a different approach to the green. In that sense, I like it. I don't think it allows you to make any mistakes. It's not like when you play medal-play, stroke-play tournament, where you might have an off-day and you still have three more days to recover. Here, you have a so-so day, and you're out of here.

In that sense, it's tough, I think. But, you know, it's still quite interesting, anyway for everybody, I think.

Q. When you get a big lead like that, do you tend to get a little bit more relaxed, I know he made birdies to come back, but did you quite firing at pins?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: You still know that you have to keep playing solid golf. You cannot allow, you know, to relax yourself or to give any room to reaction.

In that sense, you have to really, still play, you know, as solid as you can.

Q. How has your driving been today and yesterday?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Today it was better. I hit a bad one on 13, but that was pretty much it. I drove the ball better today than I did yesterday.

Q. How important is experience playing match-play?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I guess, you know, like everything in life, experience is always important. I'm pretty sure that Retief has played a lot of matches, he has played the Dunhill Cup a lot of times. His record in the matches is very good. Even though he was 5-down, I think experience helped him in that sense. I mean, he knew that you still have to hang in there and maybe make a couple birdies here and close the gap from 5 to 3 and then it's a different match.

I think experience always helps.

Q. What were you thinking walking to the 18th tee after he birdied 17 and got back even?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I knew I was -- I had to play great golf. Very simple. I mean, you don't have many choices, do you. That's what I was thinking. I knew I needed a solid tee shot to give myself a chance to go for that, and I just played the best I could.

Q. How long was that last putt of yours and how did the wind factor into play?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, that was pretty much something between 15 and 18 feet. We were playing 17 downwind and we were standing on the 18th tee, when Retief hit, it was pretty much down off the left and I hit my tee shot -- I hit it solid and then the wind changed and came back a little into us, and that's how we had the wind with the second shot. It was a little bit off the left into us.

Q. Were you really pleased with that drive?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yeah, it was a very solid one. Actually, it was a 3-wood, thinking that because the wind was helping it, we had like 300 yards or 259 or something like that to reach the ditch. And that's why Retief hit a 3-wood also and that's why I choose a 3-wood. But it was a solid 3-wood.

Q. So you were pleased?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yeah.

Q. You won Torrey Pines and decent showing at Nissan and you are playing really well here. What has changed in your game in the last year?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, pretty much the driving has been the key. That has been the difference between last couple of years and this start of the season. Even though it's still not like it should be, but there has been some improvement, and that allowed me to hit more fairways, and once you start hitting more fairways, the game of golf is a little bit easier.

Q. Are you thinking about playing more tournaments in America now or are you going to pretty much stick to what you had planned?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No, I'm going to do pretty much the same schedule. I intended, early in the season, to play around 18 tournaments around here and that's what I'm going to try to do.

Q. What changes have you made with Butch to improve your driving?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, pretty much it's the backswing, obviously. I was very closed on the top of the backswing. Hands were very close to my shoulders and, what we are trying to work on is to get more weight on the backswing; so the hands are farther away from my shoulders, and that will allow me to get the club down on impact with a better angle.

Q. Did you mention the club and yardage on 18?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: 156 yards, 7-iron.

Q. Do you now have two swings?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: No, I still have one swing. I try to do the same with the irons, anyway.

Q. You've always been a great iron player and successive coaches have worried about affecting your iron play while changing your driving?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Correct. But I'm sticking to the same swing all through the set.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much.

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