BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 18, 2000

David Duval

DAVID DUVAL: I was here for the Skins Game -- in Palm Springs you mean? That's the only time I've been in the area.

DAVID DUVAL: No, no. I left that day and haven't been back.

DAVID DUVAL: No, I've done that. It's time to do something else, right? Got to go a little lower.

DAVID DUVAL: My thoughts on Casey Martin? Haven't thought about it.

DAVID DUVAL: Not that I can recall. I remember how I felt, too, yeah, that morning when I was warming up, I kind of felt almost spaced out a little bit, almost out of it. And certainly looking back, obviously wouldn't have expected something like that to happen. You know, as the day went on and as the year has passed, I can't think of anything else to tell you that I haven't told you already. It's just a day that, well, it all came together, I guess, is the only way to put it. You know, it was amazing. It really was. It was a great time. I still look back on it, obviously, very fondly, but also in a bit of amazement. It seemed like each time I pulled a club out, every time I hit the ball, it ended up next to the hole. It didn't matter if it was a 5-iron or a sand wedge. They just all went up right close to the hole, and, you know, to have a day like that, to have happened to me, is wonderful.

DAVID DUVAL: Probably not. You know, I wish I could. But, you know, I've had some days where I've really played good and hit it really well and hit it close. You know, I had a day very similar to the one when I shot 59 when I was out on the Nike Tour. I think I shot 66 that day. I had a day at Pebble Beach where I shot 62, I think, and probably could have very easily shot 59 that day. I didn't make any putts -- you know what I mean; I missed a lot of short putts. But for everything to come together like that is -- is -- was really, I don't know, unexpected, it's fair to say. Like I said, the thing that amazes me the most was the fact that I hit it five feet here, a foot there, two feet here, three feet there, six feet there. You know, I've seen it in the papers written up, and I think I've actually gone back and thought about it. I think I made -- the total length of all the putts I holed was in the neighborhood of 50 feet, 52 feet, something like that. And I think the days when you have scores like that, even when it's 60, 61, 62, you usually make a 50-footer or two. That's not the total length of all your putts. You might chip one in or hole out a shot, even.

DAVID DUVAL: That's absolutely true. Everybody can say that. I've had -- I've just gone through, what, four days I feel like I should have busted 60; only did it once. There's a big difference between talking about it and thinking you could have done it, and doing it. You know, I think -- like I said, most everybody out here has had days where he shot 62 or 63, and they think about, "I missed this putt or that one," but they don't think about where they chipped in for par, either. They don't list that. And that's kind of the -- I can't really go back when I shot 59 here and say I missed this or missed that. I think the only hiccup, if you want to call it that, I parred a par 5, which, you know, but other than that, everything else went -- everything else happened. Everything else went the right way, and I didn't have to chip-in or hole-out because I hit it up close, but I did make all the putts. You know, I think it's kind of like, you know, in Hawaii, I played well enough to be in that playoff, too, to be three or four better shots better than I was. But I can promise you that Tiger and Ernie felt like they could have played well enough to be two or three better than they were, as well. If "ifs and buts" -- what's the old saying, right?

DAVID DUVAL: That's probably as big a barrier as any. I believe just shooting very low in general, it's a psychological thing. I've said all along, I got to watch my dad shoot very low scores at Timacuana and other places around the city. So I just learned from him not to be afraid of it and not to be scared of shooting low and to keep going. The days you have things going as well as you do, all like that, you've just got to keep going on and not worry about it.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I'll say it again. I said it at Kapalua. Those are my intentions, period. This year, I have set out -- I have every intention of winning the Masters when it comes around in April. That's my first aim for this year. It's a little bit of a change maybe from the past. But if you want to talk about it some more, we can, but that's my goals -- that's my goal for the first four months of the year.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I believe I've done a pretty good job the past few years getting ready for Augusta and even get into the U.S. Open. I don't believe I've done as good of a job heading into the British Open and the PGA. Right now, I have a schedule set up such that I feel like I can work around those events, at least the first few, first two, at Augusta and at the U.S. Open, and I will then -- it just so happens that the schedule works out very well for me through those events. That's why I know exactly what I'm going to be doing. Now, for the British Open and the PGA, after the U.S. Open is over, I'll then sit down and figure out the schedule best on those, for those events, to prepare for those. But after having won numerous golf tournaments the last couple years and been a part of a couple of great events like the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cup, having played in -- having won The PLAYERS Championship and having played in some world golf events and having had chances to win some of the majors, that's what I want to do now. And so that's what I'm trying to -- those are my intentions. That's what I'm trying to accomplish this year.

DAVID DUVAL: Oh, absolutely. I think that's -- yeah, that's -- that event in and of itself are -- as far as strictly based on competition, is as difficult to win as any. So any time I play in the U.S. Open or the Masters or PGA, whatever it may be, I can say, you know, I faced them all before and I beat them. So you have that kind of in your -- in the storage banks that you can draw on.

DAVID DUVAL: Certainly, I think that's a legitimate concern. I don't believe it applies to me, because as I've said before, I believe that, you know, this week is a big event. Next week is a big event. Each week, this is their one time a year the TOUR comes to town. There's a lot of money raised for local charities, and if I'm not here with the intentions of playing well and doing the best that I can and I don't show up here prepared, well, I'm doing a disservice to myself, but also the event and the people who come out and pay their money to watch. I have an obligation that way. You know, along with -- those are my -- I ask my -- what I told you about the majors is my goals. Those are my big goals for this year. I think I've won -- I've won three times in '97, I guess, and four last year -- four in '98. So, that's a nice streak. I have intentions of keeping up at least three or four wins again. That's kind of a nice streak, too, to keep going. So I understand what you're asking me, and it's legitimate, but I've said all along, my notion of those events and the importance of them has not changed. I just want to win majors now, too.

DAVID DUVAL: Mm-hmm.

DAVID DUVAL: I believe it's as important as, you know, hitting balls for an hour, whatever, or putting. It's just to be fresh and to be excited about being in Palm Springs or be excited about being in Scottsdale next week, AT&T the following week. I think doing the things that I want to do away from golf certainly helps, and I think it's just as important as any other part of preparation.

DAVID DUVAL: 93 -- I don't know, how could I tell you? My pointing -- 93 out of 100? Is it 94 out of --.

DAVID DUVAL: Right, yeah. I probably don't love it as much as he does. I mean, I love what I do. I feel very fortunate to be where I am and to be -- to have had the things that have happened to me, but a lot of -- there's a lot of hard work that goes into that. And obviously, I love what I do very, very much, because -- it's -- it takes a lot of time. It exposes you to a lot of different things, most of which is good, but certainly some is bad. I couldn't envision not participating in the game in some way. I mean, I don't -- maybe that's the best way to answer it.

DAVID DUVAL: No. But I probably sound like anybody else who, you know, I'm sure Tom Watson and said that, all these other -- Tom Kite and Lanny Wadkins, Hale Irwin; I'm sure they weren't going to play, either. But no, I don't -- I imagine I'll probably play some here and stuff. But I won't be playing 20 events a year then, no.

DAVID DUVAL: I think as much as anything, it takes, you know, basically because now -- I mean, why ask me again, you know, as opposed to getting asked about it several times : "What are your goals, what do you want to do?" And just saying, "Well, obviously I have the goals of improving, which are obviously what I want to do." But, you know, it kind of -- that's just what I intend to do. Those are my goals. Those are my intentions. Everybody knows now. Okay, let's talk about some other stuff. That's kind of why.

DAVID DUVAL: (Laughs).

DAVID DUVAL: Maybe I'll give away the secret to everybody, but, hopefully, they won't read everybody's articles. But just embracing it, really as much as anything. I know there's going to be hassles with the galleries. I know there's going to be hassles with the celebrities. It's not going to be a normal tournament where there's two or three pros, you're moving along fine. I know it's going to be slow. I know we're going to have to wait. My point being, I know what's going to happen; so it doesn't bother me. It doesn't upset me or fluster me or anything like that. I know people -- I know some amateurs are going to step on my line. You know, you're going to be in divots. You're going to get in their way because you're going to be ahead of them at times, and they are going to be back over here in the trees, and the ball is going to come out. And so I just know what's going to happen and what to expect. I enjoy it. We don't do it but, I guess, for me, I've only done it once a year here, because I haven't played in the Las Vegas. And AT&T isn't quite the same because there's only two pros and two amateurs in each group; so, it's not quite the same. I have a great time here. I enjoy -- I enjoy being out there and seeing all these stars and these other athletes. It's really neat how -- I get a kick out of the fact that, you know, we as pros -- the pros are kind of forgotten for the first few days. You know, when they get to choose between me or Roger Clemens, you know they are going after Roger to get an autograph. They are not going after me. I get a kick out of that. It's fun. I enjoy that. And I think it's a neat, neat event.

DAVID DUVAL: Have to. Didn't Tom Kite shoot even par at Indian Wells the first day when he shot like 35-under or something? Certainly you kind of feel that way. It's not necessarily true, but it certainly helps to see yourself when a 67 is next to your name each day.

DAVID DUVAL: Bigger deal of --.

DAVID DUVAL: There again, I can't speak for anybody else. To me, is it a big deal that he's playing? No. He earned his way out here. He went through Q-school, went on the Nike Tour, finished Top-15. He earned a shot out here. As far as the other stuff with a cart, like you said, it's pending and it's in court. I have no say in the matter. So I haven't thought about it. I saw him -- I've actually been speaking with him for the last 10 or 15 minutes, but I don't necessarily see him as something different. He's a player and he has status out here and he's eligible, and so it's no different seeing him than it would be seeing Billy Andrade, who I just saw on the range an hour ago.

DAVID DUVAL: I'm very pleased with how I played at the Williams event, and also in Kapalua. I feel like I played well, and I feel like the only thing that didn't happen for me that is -- I don't believe I made as many putts as I usually do. Simple -- simple as that, really. I hit the ball well. I did have several penalty strokes because it seemed like each time I hit bad shots in Kapalua, I hit fat, low hooks.

DAVID DUVAL: Trying to hit it too hard. They were all in the par 5s. They were all over the gunch on 15 and on 5. You know, that's just being stupid, hitting bad shots. Just not thinking it clear -- clearly through. So those were really the only bad shots I hit, and those cost me, you know, each time I did it. I did it -- three times I can think of right now, that's two shots.

DAVID DUVAL: I think there's less than has been written about. You know, I -- he's playing very, very well. There's no -- you can't question that, and if you do, you're stupid, you're silly. You're being silly. I think for six months, a year, year and a half, I clearly played better than anybody else. So now, it's a matter of catching up, whatever you want to call it. I'm ready to go. Let's try and see what happens, let's play. I certainly think he's been playing better than everybody for the last, however long. I don't think he's here, and everybody else is here, though.

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