BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 24, 1999

David Duval

DAVID DUVAL: I will do my best. First hole, I hit pitching wedge to about five feet. I drove it on 1, hit pitching wedge to about five feet -- just the holes I birdied? The next hole, hit a driver, hit 4-iron left of the green, chipped to about three feet with a sand wedge. The next hole, I hit a 6-iron to about three feet. No. 4, I hit 2-iron, 9-iron about 15 feet behind the hole. I didn't make that one.

DAVID DUVAL: 15 feet. No. 6, I hit a drive, laid up with a 5-iron -- I am sorry skipped a hole, didn't I? 5, I hit a 5-iron to about five feet. 6, I hit driver, laid up with a 5-iron, hit a sand wedge to about 30 feet, and 2-putted for par. 7, I hit 2-iron, 7-iron to about 40 feet and 2-putted for par. 8, I hit 3-wood, sand wedge over the green, and played a little bump-and-run shot with a 3-iron, and made about a 6-foot putt coming back for par. 9, hit a 3-wood, 8-iron to about eight feet, made that for birdie for 31. 10, I hit 3-wood, sand wedge to about four, five feet. 11, I hit driver, hit 4-iron left of the green, pitched to about four inches. 12, I hit a 6-iron to about two feet. 13, 3-wood off the tee, 7-iron to about 12 feet and missed that. 14, I hit driver into the bunker, laid up with a 5-iron and hit a sand wedge to about ten feet, made that. 15, I hit 8-iron to about a foot and a half. 16, 2-iron and then a sand wedge to about six inches. 17, hit a 9-iron to about 20 feet right of the hole and 2-putted. 18, I hit driver, 5-iron to six feet. I missed that -- no, (laughter) I made it.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't know.

DAVID DUVAL: I missed a couple probably. Hit it in the bunker on 14 or 13, whatever that hole is, and I may have -- I didn't miss -- I don't know. Missed No. 6, someone is saying? I missed 6 too. Hit it in the rough there on 6, yeah.

DAVID DUVAL: What holes?

DAVID DUVAL: They were reasonable putts. I came kind of close, but they didn't go in.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't know. I don't know if it will. It is kind of a terrible thing because I am sitting here and I know you all want just everything, and I don't know what to tell you, you know, I just don't. It is something that you don't think about. You might get some wild hair out there one day when you shoot 63, you know, but to do it, it is just not really something, I am sure, I expected to do in my career. Certainly not in tournament golf. But at the same time, those kind of rounds you just couldn't go out and do. Things have to go your way. I thought about it. I felt pretty good about it. I just had five on the front, and I just kept telling myself, I need to make six really. I need to get 11 for the day to have a chance. I got those 6 with two to play, and so you never know.

DAVID DUVAL: I didn't actually see the putt. I was out there watching, I couldn't see. It was blocked. I didn't really know what to think. In a sense, I feel bad for Steve because I absolutely stole the golf tournament from him. You know it happens. It has happened to me. But, I mean, you tell a guy he is starting the day like a shot behind, to shoot 6-under and gets beat by a 59 and he's going to tell you your crazy. It was tough. It is tough. Tough situation.

DAVID DUVAL: In what?

DAVID DUVAL: You tell me. I don't know.

DAVID DUVAL: I am 9 for 28? (laughs).

DAVID DUVAL: He was the first, right?

DAVID DUVAL: Not any time soon, no.

DAVID DUVAL: Gee, I wonder why? I am kidding. Oh, yeah, I was more excited about the score -- I am not going to sit here and lie to you. I was more excited about the score than having the chance to win the golf tournament. I mean, you know, kind of like a double bonus. I certainly had aspirations of winning, but the 59 was first and foremost in my mind.

DAVID DUVAL: When you are turning 5-under, 59 is kind of out of the question, really. You don't expect to pick up 8 shots in nine holes. So I didn't -- might have been a blessing, I didn't even think about it.

DAVID DUVAL: Fine, thank you.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't ever remember them. I don't.

DAVID DUVAL: I have no idea.

DAVID DUVAL: I am sure he does.

DAVID DUVAL: I am two or three hours from believing I shot 59. I am not going to sit here and belittle the other two. I don't care what day they were done on. It is impressive. There might be some justice in that, some truth, but I don't know. Who is to say? Just something where everything is going your way.

DAVID DUVAL: Sure, I hit -- I hit a big drive, and it was a lot further than I expected it to be, really. I got down, had 177 yards to the front of the green and 218 to the hole, and obviously I am a little juiced at the time, and normally on these hard greens, I would probably hit a 4-iron, try to pitch it about 206 or 7 and let it release, but it was just -- hit a 5-iron and, you know, my main thought was to knock it on and have a putt for it. I didn't -- wasn't positive I could get it all the way back to the hole. But I felt pretty good about that just because of the adrenaline really, and you know, it just looks so good the whole way, and I just was screaming, had to be up, be back there and it did.

DAVID DUVAL: They just kept saying good shot. (laughs). There was a few jokes and Jeff said something on 16 or 15: I didn't realize we were playing par 2s today because I hit it -- basically kick-ins on the first four par 3s. Then I guess when we got on 18 just asked if I minded if he putted out and I told him no, please, go ahead.

DAVID DUVAL: Absolutely. Yeah, I was obviously nervous. I was in a situation now where could you almost -- you'd never prefer -- you'd prefer if you miss, but you want to have it close, but if you miss it from six feet, you would have preferred to have been 30, then you can say: Well, you don't ever make 30-footers anyway. Now all of a sudden, if anything, there might be a little bit more pressure and we got a bit of a good read off of Bob Tway's putt, and you know, when you get over it, you just kind of do your best to just do what you normally would do. I am not going to say that you stop trying to think about it because you can't. I took -- take a couple of deep breaths and just hit it and see what happens.

DAVID DUVAL: I have no idea what would have happened in a playoff. I think if you are a betting man, I think you'd probably have to bet against me in a playoff after doing that because your the emotions are so high so.....

DAVID DUVAL: You know, (laughs) I am playing quite well. I certainly hope -- I mean, if you remember talking about today's rounds? No, I probably can't play better, but if you remember talking about overall in general, I certainly hope I can improve. That is one of my big goals still.

DAVID DUVAL: Not necessarily. It just depends. A couple of times earlier in the back 9, I am still juiced, but I still played normal type shot. But I am not going to try to hit some cute cut 4-iron, you know, in that type situation.

DAVID DUVAL: Here it comes.

DAVID DUVAL: I had the best round of golf here today. You know, I have told everybody before I certainly want to be considered that at some point in my career and if I am considered that now, I am flattered and excited, but however I still have to keep trying to improve. Got to keep trying to you know, get better and try to add some U.S. Opens and PGAs and such to my resume.

DAVID DUVAL: Today is the worst day I felt, actually, on the range. I just really was a bit lethargic and just didn't -- I didn't feel like I had a ton of energy this morning. As I got over to the putting green, it all kind of disappeared.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I am not -- in all fairness to what has happened this week, Steve Pate played better golf this week than I did. Fred Funk played better golf all week than I did. I played an exceptional round of golf today, something that doesn't happen very often. That is the only reason why I won this golf tournament not because I played better than they did starting on Wednesday. I certainly feel it, yeah, I am in a bit of a groove, yes, to answer that part. But, let's -- don't make any bones about it, I didn't play until today the best golf. I was way behind and, in essence, in a position that I couldn't win the golf tournament, but as it turns out, I have to shoot 59 and did. Those guys, from Wednesday to Sunday, played better than I did - Wednesday through Saturday.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, I don't get the score card. I am sure somebody already has their hands on it. We just head to Phoenix and check in and unpack and do it all over.

DAVID DUVAL: Going to Phoenix, AT&T. Going to go skiing again and then L.A. and the World Golf Championship.

DAVID DUVAL: The most important shot of the day was a putt on the first green. With the exception of Indian Wells where I shot 64 I really didn't -- I was struggling with my putter. I really was. I hit a beautiful wedge like I said, up there probably five feet and I holed it and I really needed to make that just for me. Not to think about shooting 60, but just to keep kind of making -- make a putt now. I had some chances that I let slip away. That was the most important part of the day.

DAVID DUVAL: I shot 62 at Pebble a couple of years ago that you -- you never say, should have, but certainly could have. I missed a 3-foot birdie putt, a couple of 8-footers, a 10-, 12-footer, and then that is about all as far as getting close to even thinking about 59.

DAVID DUVAL: 1997, I think it was, yeah.

DAVID DUVAL: As a golfer, every round you play you leave shots on the golf course because you always think that you could have made this putt or that putt. But when you take a step back, you realize you are not going to make every putt and I had some putts that I would -- I certainly expected to make that I didn't make, but they were at the same time twelve feet which you don't make a whole lot of them. If you want to say that I left those on the course you can, but I don't think so.

DAVID DUVAL: I would disagree with you there. I don't know what -- the one in November?

DAVID DUVAL: That is a long ways still then.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah.

DAVID DUVAL: Well, yeah, a little bit, I guess I was -- tried to cut it and I didn't. Just missed it through the back of the green and the rough, left of the bunker actually.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah.

DAVID DUVAL: No, I won I believe 720 at THE TOUR Championship, I think? 7 something.

DAVID DUVAL: Oh, yeah. Isn't it a great game?

DAVID DUVAL: Time to go ski again.

DAVID DUVAL: It wasn't a contest. That was just something I told him.

DAVID DUVAL: I enjoy it. That is why I keep coming back. I have always played a pretty full west coast schedule. I think it is important too, at least, for me. Then to come here, it is typically 75 degrees, 80 degrees and sunny. As you can see, the golf courses are always perfect. So it really helps to get kind of get your game going at the start of the year, I think. It gives you the opportunity to hit some putts in tournament conditions; on greens that you know if you hit good putts, they are going to go in; they are not going to be knocked out by poor conditions on the greens.

DAVID DUVAL: Thank you.