EDS BYRON NELSON CHAMPIONSHIP

May 13, 2003

Shigeki Maruyama

TODD BUDNICK: We have Shigeki Maruyama, the defending champion joining us today.

Why don't we start with a few comments coming from the defending champion.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yesterday I went through the hole pro-am yesterday and then on the 11th hole Mr. Nelson, Byron Nelson was there and greeted me. That was very impressive.

It's been a year since I won this tournament and I feel like this tournament was a big tournament because I noticed in front of a locker, there were some pictures of me, or some of the statues that even had my name engraved, therefore I feel this must have been a huge, very meaningful tournament.

And also I run into those people who have red pants on, and they come to me and say, well, make sure that you win this year, and I feel very happy and fortunate to hear from them, too.

TODD BUDNICK: You're 82 on the money list right now, you got one top-10 and you have been playing some lately.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: That's right. I was away. I was out for about three weeks because last March I played the Ford Tournament and at that time I have injured my neck and ever since I have not been able to play too well.

I did take three weeks, like I said, in Japan and I went to see the doctor, but there is no accurate, or adequate cure to my injury right now ever since my finger, the last pinky finger and the fourth finger, they are not functioning well on my left hand, so I feel that from this time on, again, that I need to try hard to comeback.

Q. Shigeki, you were injured at the end of last year is that the same injury, was that a shoulder?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: No, it doesn't have anything to do with my shoulder injury on my right side. I did that last September, like you mentioned. This is a new thing to do with my neck. The shoulder pain happened like 9 years ago and I feel I recovered from it. This is a typical symptom of the sportsman's injury. I don't want to say it's an old man syndrome but the sport's man is to have this kind of syndrome. Especially my cervix, the C5 and C6 area, my bones on the back, they are, you know, the nerve is pinching, so that seems to be a syndrome and symptom so far.

TODD BUDNICK: Any other questions?

Q. After winning Milwaukee a couple of years ago, you said early last year that you won't win again, it would be a fluke, did last year make any change in your life for you?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you too well.

TODD BUDNICK: Did the win here kind of do anything more for you career-wise since you already won once?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Nothing much changed, or nothing actually happened because remember in Hawaii, The Mercedes Tournament I did pretty good, that was the World Cup thing, and I was in the best 10, but this neck started to bother me and that was more like a huge explosive, exploded on me, and I don't feel good ever since. I feel like I'm kind of depressed and I'm in the mood of depression right now to tell you the truth.

Q. Yesterday, Vijay, said he was very much opposed to Annika Sorenstam playing at the Colonial next week, he said he would withdraw, what is your feelings on that, would you withdraw?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I would play with her. I want to see her. I would play with her because I haven't seen her. I would like to play with her. I have never seen her play in front of me. If I played with her I would be shocked.

Q. Are you playing in the Colonial next week?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yes.

TODD BUDNICK: Anything else? Everybody else is good. Thank you.

End of FastScripts....