CANON GREATER HARTFORD OPEN

July 3, 1998

David Duval

DAVID DUVAL: I started on the 10th hole and hit a seven iron about eight feet.

DAVID DUVAL: Then I birdied the second. I hit a sand wedge about five feet. And then I birdied, I hit a four iron to about 20 feet. I birdied the sixth. I hit IN bunker in two, hit it about three feet. Hit a nine iron to about four or five feet.

DAVID DUVAL: What do you mean?

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah, a little bit. It always surprised me of the scores issue Here, kind of like in Michigan at the Buick up there, close to 20 under par up there. You have a chance, I don't see that in here. I'm usually surprised how good the scores are. I always thought this was a hard golf course.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't feel too bad. It's just my throat. My throat doesn't hurt, I just lost my voice for one reason or another.

DAVID DUVAL: No, it actually played very similar I thought this morning. Teeing off on ten might make the first few holes that much longer. There was a little dew and such. I actually hit it the exact same spots all throughout the golf course there.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah, I played very -- I played kind of mediocre yesterday, had some good putts that I didn't make. Today I hit some shots and struggled a little bit, kind of came up with some good pars. I really started to hit it well the last five or six holes. You know, if I can continue making contact like that, you know, at least I'll have a chance, possibly. Obviously, it's dependent upon making putts.

DAVID DUVAL: It's pretty long and hard, I think. It's -- the course maintenance staff has done a heck of a job. I remember this course as being in good shape, but I guess I've always found the holes to be pretty -- a lot of long ones. You look at three, four, five's a long hole at par three, six, par five, is tough to reach; seven, seven is not quite as long. Eight is a tough par three. Then you have 10. You kind of go through it and where you get 14, 14 is not long. It becomes more difficult because of the downhill, you know. 15, you know how that is. 17 is the tough tee shot. 18, it depends a lot I think.

DAVID DUVAL: Yeah, I do, obviously, and I don't forget Ted is the one that gave me my first start. I hadn't been back in a few years. He always asked me, you know, never with kind of pressure put on it, but are you coming? I said -- I tell him like last year doesn't fit in my schedule. I saw him this year. I said, I'm not sure if I'm coming or not. I'm not saying no this year. It works out such for me it fits in a lot better in the schedule and the fact that he asked me, you know, if I was coming, whereas another tournament didn't ask, that makes a difference.

DAVID DUVAL: A lot of it is just pacing yourself, making sure you have good breaks, but I have my schedule set now just about through the end of the year. You know, there's a tournament in there I'm not sure if I'll play or not, but usually I try to break it up. If I -- I don't like to play the -- I don't like to play the week after the U.S. Open because that is just such a tough week traveling back the week after the British. I don't like to play again. It's tough to get adjusted.

DAVID DUVAL: My preparation is right here. Well, you know, back in '95 I went over and played the week before. I played in the Scotish Open, which is at Carnustie where the Open is going to be next year, which is Links Golf, but now that tournament has kind of gone by the wayside. There's a tournament called Lockloman (phonetic). It's an American-style golf course. It does, you know, good as far as getting used to that type of golf. That's going to be demanded in the Open, and if I was to play the week before I'm not going to play -- I want to play American-style golf the week over here where it counts for our money. This is my preparation.

DAVID DUVAL: I'll be home for about five days and go over Saturday and arrive Sunday morning.

DAVID DUVAL: No. No, you don't. I mean, certainly you notice the crowds and you try to interact a little bit. But whether I'm considered a tournament favorite or a big name, that is not something I get concerned about. You know, I'm there to try to perform well and give the best show I can through my performance. You know, we had actually a nice group with Vijay and Scott Hoch, we had a sizable crowd following us, that was nice.

DAVID DUVAL: I have gotten that a last few days. It makes you feel better about coming here and go back.

DAVID DUVAL: I don't know.

DAVID DUVAL: Tuesday night.

DAVID DUVAL: Pretty much, yeah.

DAVID DUVAL: No. That's why I'm going to see a doctor. I think it might be -- I don't know. It might be strep, you know. Don't write that, I'm not a doctor.

DAVID DUVAL: Hopefully -- apparently there's one on sight and all here.

DAVID DUVAL: I'm not -- I've been hoping it would go away, don't like to take medication, but I don't want it if that is -- it can turn into scarlet fever, so...

DAVID DUVAL: No. Tuesday night I had a little bit of a fever, not much of one where you kind of wake up in cold sweats, just a little bit, and then I got up on Wednesday and was really not feeling too well. Didn't sleep much that Tuesday night got out here and talked to the officials about the Pro-Am. I thought it would be best if I didn't play. I want to play the golf tournament so my voice is probably actually a little better than yesterday, right, Bruce? It is, isn't it?

DAVID DUVAL: I just tired it out, didn't I?