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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 15, 2005

Shigeki Maruyama

HONOLULU, HAWAII

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We'd like to introduce the 54-hole leader at the Sony Open in Hawaii, Shigeki Maruyama.

Shigeki, congratulations. You are the winner of the CRESTOR Charity Challenge this week. $50,000 will go to the Waianae Coast Comp Center in your name, as well as from CRESTOR, and $50,000 will also go to the charity of your choice. So congratulations and we'll go ahead and start with some opening comments.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I had a double-bogey on the first hole and it was a really bad start. But I didn't think negative. I just tried to think positive things. I could have two birdies some more easily and I could come back. That's what I was thinking after the double bogey.

Fortunately, I had a hole-in-one and that saved my game, really saved my game today, all day. Then I could really think positive after that and could play my golf. I don't know what was going to happen if I didn't have a hole-in-one out there.

Q. When is the last time you made one in competition?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Colonial, 2003.

Q. How many for your career?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Six times.

Q. You had double-bogey, hole-in-one, in the lead, out of the lead, almost eagle, birdie. Yet you start the day the same way you finished yesterday. Does it feel like a long, wild day?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: It was really very difficult to keep leading the tournament in one stroke in this really strong wind conditions. So I'm just trying to come back, like after the double-bogey, the first hole, just try to make a few more birdies to make even par, the scores. That's all I was thinking.

Q. Are you tired, mentally tired?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: No. (Laughter.)

Q. When did you first realize the ball went in on the fourth hole, the hole-in-one? You didn't see it?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I knew that was a good ball after I hit the ball, but no one, even me, I wasn't expecting that ball to go into the hole. So I should do more overreacting after the ball went in the hole, but I wasn't expecting it, so that was my disappointment to me, no overreaction for ESPN.

Q. Are you disappointed to not win last year?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Of course, to win a tournament is one of my goals every year to, and to play in, Kapalua, of course. I had a really good result last year, even though I didn't have any victories, but I still am always wanting victories, playing tournaments. Next year, I would like to start from Mercedes tournament. That's always my goal.

Q. Inaudible?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I watched Mr. Aoki win the tournament here when I was 14. I think I was in school, and I saw his picture in the news.

Q. Can you be more specific? You saw a picture on TV, newspaper?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: In the TV news.

Q. Were you aware Mr. Aoki was walking the fairways today?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yeah, I tried to not look at him because he's always putting me on pressure.

Q. How is this tournament regarded in Japan, given the sponsorship and just given the location, this island close to your island, a fifth major?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: It's more the PGA TOUR. They think Sony is a very powerful, big sponsor. There are two Japanese broadcasts in Japan now, NHK and Fuji. Usually there's only NHK playing golf in Japan. And Hawaii is, well, a lot of Japanese tourists spots here, so everybody -- it's more the PGA TOUR that everybody is very keen to have a look.

Q. So when it's broadcast on two networks, Fuji and NHK, there's all of a sudden a bigger, greater interest?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: That's right.

Q. Do you like playing in the wind?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I'm not good at playing in the wind, but this week is going well. If the wind dies, everybody -- well a lot of players are making big numbers, big scores, lower scores here. So I'd prefer playing in difficult conditions and lower scores. I think I should have more chances in that kind of condition.

Q. Tell us what happened with the double-bogey.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I just didn't have any, like, pressure on the tee box. First shot wasn't good because both sides had an out-of-bounds hazard area. So try to hit it straight, but that ball went right and I was aiming for the green. There was a gap above the trees, so I was trying to put the ball through over there but wasn't successful. Just no more double-bogeys. I was just disappointed to make bogey over there.

Q. Vijay is four shots behind. Is him being kind of in the leaderboard at four shots behind as intimidating as Tiger used to be?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I knew Vijay was coming up on the leaderboard while I was playing. Of course, Vijay is one of the best players in the world, but we have more -- we have a lot of players just one stroke, two strokes. So it's not only the Vijays; I have to try to just play my golf and get my rhythm.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Shigeki, thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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