FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 13, 1999

Jose Maria Olazabal

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Today was a wonderful round, up to 15, anyway, before the tournament was stopped. I really hit quite a lot of good shots. Made a few good putts. And that's the reason why I managed to score 8-under par. Obviously, playing with Miguel, I think helped me. It was a very relaxed day, since we started today. We helped each other. Cheering each other up on the course. And it has been a long day. Birdies, on the 2nd hole, I hit a 1-iron pitching wedge and holed it from 9 feet. On No. 3, driver 1-iron sand wedge about 3 feet; made it. On the next, 5-iron, I holed it from 12 -- 12 feet, more or less. On the next, driver in the trees right. Chipped it out, 4-iron; and chipped it in from 15 feet. And on 6, 3-wood, 6-iron and holed it from 15 feet. On 10, 3-wood, 7-iron; holed it from 12 feet. On 12, 3-wood, sand wedge and holed it from -- that was a long putt, 36 feet, more or less. And 14, 3-iron; holed it from 18 feet.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, if everything goes quietly tomorrow, I should be there tomorrow evening, not too late, anyway. That would give me two rounds of practice next week. Obviously, is not what we had in mind, anyway. But, you know, I came to play this tournament here, and if the tournament finishes on a Monday, I'm going to stay.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Don't make it tougher. It's tough enough already. Don't make it tougher. (Laughs.)

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I think from my point of view, how the course will be playing tomorrow, which will be pretty soft, I don't really think I have any chance to win tomorrow. I do have, you know, maybe a couple of birdie chances, maybe if I play well. But if I don't make any other birdies, I'm pretty sure that the guys that are now 14 under par, 13, they are going to score low tomorrow. I don't think I do have any chance.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: (Laughs.) Come on. Are you living in the real world or what?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I don't know. I'm not expecting to birdie the last four holes, anyway.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It had to really blow hard. I don't think that would happen. But anyway, when play was stopped, it was -- it was just at a bad time. It was the right time to keep on playing after birdieing 14 and hitting a tee shot on 15. Somehow you might lose that momentum. Tomorrow, I am pretty sure there is not going to be the same feeling when I reach that fairway on 15.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I was.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I'm going to have to rearrange everything for tomorrow. From what I heard, there is not going to be a charter flight tomorrow; so, we'll have to find our way.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Pretty much, yes. If you look at the putts I made, I made quite -- I made a bunch of them. I chipped it in on No. 5 and made a huge putt on 12. You know, if you don't make putts, there's no way you're going to score.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: You bring something positive with you for next week. Obviously, I've said it all week long: Next week is going to be a completely different tournament, different setup on the course. But, you know, I came here to play my best, and it's always nice to have a good round like this.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It will be playing longer, without a doubt. But at the same time, the greens will be pretty soft, and everybody will be attacking the flags. As you say here, it's going to be target golf. That's why I think tomorrow I have no chance. I mean, I will have to birdie, you know, maybe birdie the last four holes, but that's not being very realistic anyway. I still believe that somebody will win this -- with a score quite low, very low tomorrow.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Anybody up there can score really well. You have Ted, you have Tom -- anybody. I mean, there must be a reason why they are there. They have been playing very well all week long. And if they keep on playing the same way tomorrow, they will score low.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I don't like that. I don't like that. I don't like that at all. But, you know, those things happen, and, well, you have to take them. I have to find some way to feel comfortable.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It was a nice surprise. It was a nice surprise, yes. I knew I might have a good chance of playing with him because he was playing like 20 minutes behind me, something like that yesterday. And we finished both last week, 7-under par; so, I thought we might have a good chance to play together.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I think so. He's 5-under, too. We practice a lot together. As I said before, you know, we were very, very relaxed today playing the round.