THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 25, 1999

David Duval

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I think I played quite well. I did. I hit the ball. I expect a lot of myself, so I am not going to say I hit it better than I might have expected after a break, but I was very pleased starting out like I did. So it was a good day.

DAVID DUVAL: No, because the wind wasn't really a factor on the first nine holes. But then it really picked up right now. So on our front 9, our second nine holes it was, you know, I don't know how to -- a club, club and a half -- it was going pretty good there. The greens really dried out rather quickly, and it became a lot more difficult after about 10, 10:30 in the morning.

DAVID DUVAL: I imagine it will. I don't think you will see much, at least not much lower than that.

DAVID DUVAL: Any specific ones?

DAVID DUVAL: No, they seemed pretty typical to me, actually. You know, only one I would have -- they are places that are used historically. They mix them up, obviously, each year, but I wasn't real surprised by anything.

DAVID DUVAL: The fairway. (laughter).

DAVID DUVAL: It didn't. It didn't hit the wood. I mean, because my golf ball wasn't marked up. I got a little bunch of "ooh's" and "ah's" behind us on the tee, but I think it just hit on the edge of the rough, the cut, and kicked in the air. I mean, it carried at least five steps past the water. It was -- it did carry well up there.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah, I did. Actually, if you would have asked me that after the 12th hole, I might have said, no, but because I had some very good chances early that I missed. But all and all, I feel like I putted rather well, and I have been putting in some work on it, because a few things have gotten out of whack at the end of the west coast swing. So I was pleased for the most part.

DAVID DUVAL: Just my ball position had moved way forward; and therefore, my weight has moved to my left foot. So I have been trying to settle back in and distribute the weight in my stance evenly. That is what was out of whack.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't think I am -- I don't mind them being very fast, because I feel like I putt short putts well. And when you are on very fast greens, you are going to face many three-, four-, five-foot putts. And I feel like I handle those well, so, it doesn't bother me. But when you get, I think, at times when you get on greens like, you know, maybe like at the Bob Hope is a good example where they are perfect, but only rolling about 10. You really have to be really -- got to get aggressive; then to try to make more putts, because a lot of people are going to make putts. But I kind of enjoy the fast greens.

DAVID DUVAL: Very little. But to start out like I did it kind of, you know, you jump right back in the mix and aren't struggling. I wasn't struggling at all, so, I had some reasonable putts for birdie and hit some really good golf shots. So it just kind of felt like it was a bit of -- wasn't as much of a break.

DAVID DUVAL: Well --

DAVID DUVAL: Basically what happens, I don't -- I think they all know that I am pretty straightforward and I don't tell them I might be coming when I am not. Good example, the director who runs the Hartford event, I told him three or four years. He keeps asking me: Are you going to come up? Can't make it. I am not going to be there. Like last year he asked me again. I said: I might make it this year, looks like a lot better; and ended up going. But they just ask you if it might work in your schedule. At least that is what they do to me. I don't know about the other players.

DAVID DUVAL: I think you have to be a little more conscious when you are at home of treating it like a tournament, of being aware that you are competing - especially since it is this one you are talking about, a major events. I think you have to be a little more conscious of that.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't know.

DAVID DUVAL: Not this week, no. I am a very, very small part of that. I mean, everybody thinks I own this place, but --

DAVID DUVAL: Good. Excellent service there, I think; hammering out those problems. As much as we all eat out travelling, you want good service, so -- but I think it is getting better.

DAVID DUVAL: No. I think what you -- I don't want to -- I don't know. I prepared a little bit last week. To what extent, I don't -- (laughs). I don't want everybody to think I probably didn't hit a ball last week (laughs). That might not quite be true. Those type of breaks, when you take a week off, you can do that, I think. You can kind of forget about it for a week, head back to the next event, and get back into it. When you take three weeks off, I think you need to pay a little more attention and put in some time.

DAVID DUVAL: Yes.

DAVID DUVAL: Yes.

DAVID DUVAL: (laughs) Might have even played 27 another time.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, strictly playing golf was more than I normally do, but practice-wise, it is typical for an end-of-the-year November-December type preparation for the start of the new year.

DAVID DUVAL: I think you probably look at it a little bit, but you don't pay much attention to it. As much as anything it kind of -- I use it as a reassurance on days when it is difficult like this that I am seeing the same thing everybody else is, I am seeing the same difficulties and tough playing conditions. You can use the scoreboards for a good measure of that. But other than that first couple of rounds, I am not real concerned.

DAVID DUVAL: 13, 7-iron about three or four feet away from the hole. 14th hole, hit 7-iron about twelve feet away. 15th hole, hit 7-iron out of the fairway bunker over the green, chipped to 20 feet, maybe little bit more. 2-putted for bogey. 16th hole, hit 8-iron just left of the green, chipped up to about three feet, made birdie. And 18th hole, I hit a 9-iron to about 18, 20 feet.

DAVID DUVAL: No, that was -- I hit a drive there; that's where my ball ended up, I was very happy with. I hit it right on the line I started with, but instead of the ball going straight or falling a little bit right, it went left, I know it hit a tree because it had a big mark on it, but I think it must have just kind of bounced forward even because I mean, it was only 157 yards from the front of green so it was right up next to the crosswalk in the left rough.

DAVID DUVAL: You might have thought that, but if they did, they could have given me a little better lie. It was a very good lie, but it could have been a little bit better.

DAVID DUVAL: No, that was not even close to being a hook. It was a little bit of a draw when I expected to hit a little bit of a cut. The first hole I hit 2-iron into the right rough, pitched out, hit a sandwedge onto the green about 20 feet short of the hole, 2-putted. The second hole, I hit a 2-iron over the green, chipped by about 20 feet, made it. The fifth hole, hit 8-iron onto the back fringe on the left, not like on the back of the green, but the fringe left behind the hole and, you know, was dead, I mean, I am 20 feet and I just got it started and it rolled about eight feet by the hole, I missed that. The 7th hole I hit an 8-iron to about twelve feet. And then the 9th hole I got up-and-down. Isn't that all?

DAVID DUVAL: Which part of that nine holes are you trying to get at?

DAVID DUVAL: It never really occurred to me until the -- about the 16th hole because I knew I was way under par and I mean, I knew I was, whatever it was, but although I feel like I am pretty capable at shooting low scores. I just don't think about shooting 59. I was watching the scoreboard trying to catch up. I am rocking and I am rolling; I am making birdies; I am trying to catch up. I just keep -- seeming like I am staying one or two behind; then I think I birdied about the -- I think I birdied 14 or something, that got me to 23 -- I don't even know. Anyways at some point I got 24, got on top of the leaderboard or something after I guess, 16; now all of a sudden I have caught up. When I had that -- I had knocked a sand wedge like this (indicating a foot) so I had a tap-in putt that put me 11-under par with two holes to play, you know, one of which, if you hit two good golf shots more likely going to make a birdie. Other one is 17th hole par 3, although it is just a 9-iron, it is still a difficult hole because it is a very, very narrow green. At that point I thought I've got a good opportunity here to do that.

DAVID DUVAL: (laughs)

DAVID DUVAL: Well --

DAVID DUVAL: I remember him winning the PGA; he won this event as well that same year. I played -- having watched what transpired the last couple of years, his game coming back and having such a wonderful year last year and then I start out the year -- his first event of the year I played with him in Phoenix, I don't know where he finished, but he really played beautiful golf first couple of days and, then again, today, he did the same thing. It make you curious as to exactly what happened. But Hal is the type of player that, really, I think because of being the next Nicklaus and then not quite attaining what people thought he would attain, that he was -- they stopped talking about him. I watch him play when I am playing with him. He is just a marvelous, marvelous player. You can see exactly why he was touted for that.

DAVID DUVAL: I think the weather is going to dictate a lot of that as far as how the golf course is going to play. From what I understand, it may rain tonight. If it does, that is going to make the golf course probably a little bit easier because the greens will soften up a bit. But if it doesn't get much, I think the way the golf course has been prepared and it is playing such that it is going to be a low scoring affair. You are talking a single digits probably; maybe even something like what happened with Lee Janzen when he won a few years ago.

DAVID DUVAL: I beg your pardon? Very few low scores. I don't think it will -- I just don't see how that is going to happen. Just don't see it happening.