BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 22, 2000

David Duval

DAVID DUVAL: Well, today was a day I played pretty well again. I seemed to stall-out a little bit out there on the back nine, and couldn't quite get the feel of the greens, it seemed. And then facing things -- made some good pars on the back nine. I can't complain too much. The score I put up is about where I should have been. I feel pretty good. I have a chance tomorrow.

DAVID DUVAL: I kind of felt like I did. But unless I make everything, I always feel like I do. You know, it's not so much that I feel like I putted poorly. I don't feel like I've putted poorly all year; it's just they haven't gone in. I lipped-out a lot, and I did again today, maybe two, three, four times maybe -- which, I guess, it's encouraging to see the ball hitting the hole a lot, and they are eventually going to go in. And, hopefully, that will happen tomorrow.

DAVID DUVAL: I think that is the advantage. Also, the greens today, you know, the speed, as well as the firmness of them was going to be very similar to tomorrow, if not the same. Whereas, back on Wednesday and Thursday, it might have been a bit different. So I've got a good idea of how it's going to be playing going into the greens, and, hopefully, I can use that to my advantage.

DAVID DUVAL: No, not really. It's been good. We've had fun. Everybody has played pretty good. I just saw the scores yesterday, I thought we shot a heck of a score. We shot 56 yesterday as a team at Indian Wells, and that wasn't even in the money for the day. I can't imagine a team playing much better. But I guess you kind of have to, here.

DAVID DUVAL: Do I feel like I have more than a chance tomorrow?

DAVID DUVAL: That might be fair. I believe I have a very good chance to win tomorrow. I don't know, you know, if I knew I was two behind, I could give you a better answer, but I don't know exactly where I'm going to stand when the day is over. But I think I have a very good chance. There's not too many people between me and the lead, and so I'll be -- I don't know if I'll be in the last group, but I'll be near the last groups, and that's helpful. And so, you know, hopefully some of the experience I have from being there a lot in the last few years will payoff tomorrow.

DAVID DUVAL: Without getting into it too much, I know you're going to be fighting cameras anyway, so that's irrelevant. I hit a bad drive. I just pulled it a little bit and it went through a bunker; it rolled up next to a tree. It wasn't, you know, wedged up against the tree, but it was close to it and it was impeding my swing directly at the hole. So, I had to aim -- I was 167 yards to the front of the green, and I don't -- I must have had to aim 70 yards right of the green, I don't know, and just hit a big, sweeping hook. You know, I tried it. I had 7-iron, and I looked to see if I had a chance to hit it out of bounds, which I felt like I had a pretty good chance of doing that (laughs). But at the same time, I was -- I had played six holes in a row, making pars and I wasn't making putts. It's almost like I was in a position where I had to try to force something a little bit. I figured if I hit a good shot I could -- I could get it up near the green. I didn't really expect to get on, necessarily and I thought, if anything, I would be a bit right and I could chip up and make par that way. But it turned out better than I expected; it rolled onto the green. That was on 16.

DAVID DUVAL: I seem what?

DAVID DUVAL: Well, if I had to choose, I would choose to be leading because that means everybody else would have to catch me. But, you know, I've won a few events from behind. I've won a few from ahead. There's a lot of different ways to do it, and I'm in a position now where I'm going to be behind; so, that's what I'll face tomorrow.

DAVID DUVAL: Thank you.

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