BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

March 16, 2002

Len Mattiace

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Len, for joining us. We appreciate you waiting and sorry about that.

LEN MATTIACE: No problem.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Great day out there. No bogeys. Why don't you just share with us a little bit about your round, and then we'll go into some questions.

LEN MATTIACE: Well, overall it was a pretty solid day today. I played really well on the front nine and only shot 1-under. I birdied No. 6. But hit the ball real well and I felt good about things.

And I birdied, what 11 and 12. And I made two good pars on the par 3s, 14 and 17. I hit decent iron shots; they weren't great iron shots, but decent, and they ended up just short of the green. The bunkers -- one was in the bunker, one was in the grass and I got both of them up-and-down.

17, I did make a 50-footer for that.

But overall, it was a good, solid day.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Questions?

Q. You mentioned "confidence" on the NBC interview, and there almost does seem to be a bit more swagger, I guess since you've joined "the club"?

LEN MATTIACE: Well, thank you there. Give me another drink, huh? (Laughter.) Swagger.

Stagger? That's enough drinks. (Laughter.)

Well, it's a little bit of confidence. It is somewhat confidence that I know that I've achieved one of my goals, to at least win, which is nice. But also, I've just been seeing good things, so that breeds confidence. I mean, I feel like I'm swinging at the ball better. I feel like I'm putting well.

Really, the first month of the tour, I didn't really putt the way I normally could putt, and it was frustrating. I was playing well but not shooting low scores and then it kind of all came together at L.A.; so I saw good things and I feel like I'm continuing that.

So, somewhat confidence, but think it's somewhat just another level of overall goodness.

Q. Tiger's got a one-stroke lead, just got done pretty much spraying it around the course; just played the last two days 10-under and you're one stroke behind. Who is in better shape for tomorrow, do you think?

LEN MATTIACE: Well, you know, that's here nor there. I mean, who is in better shape? Well, he's got a one-shot lead so I would think he's in better shape overall.

He's going to obviously go out and do what he's going to do, and I'm going to go out and try and do what I'm going it do. And there are 15 other guys that have a chance to win, as well. And anybody on this leaderboard can shoot a low round. I mean, what can you say about the result? I mean, it's just who is going to have probably the best day tomorrow.

Q. How good are you feeling?

LEN MATTIACE: I feel good. I do. I feel very well. I feel very confident about my game. I've been seeing good things, so I feel good.

Q. You said you played with Tiger in the third round at PLAYERS a few years ago. What did you learn and what do you take from that into tomorrow?

LEN MATTIACE: I learned a couple things. I learned three or four things. One or two, I could tell you about.

The one thing that I learned is that I played well with Tiger at that event, and that was the third round in my hometown. So there was a lot going on, especially the PLAYERS, that I've had a certain past with, and that was in 2000. So I learned that my game was very good at that time.

The other thing I learned is that Tiger kept that round going. I mean, I don't know what he turned, 2-under, and I think he shot 4-under on the back. You know, he continued through the round to play better and better. That was just a little bit of a something that I learned, to try to continue playing well through the round, not just part of the round.

Q. Why can't you tell us the other things?

LEN MATTIACE: Secrets. I'd have to kill you if I told you.

Just personal stuff that there's no need to get into.

Q. You recently won. You're one stroke off the lead, one round to go playing with Tiger tomorrow. You're from Long Island; you've probably played the Black Course somewhere between 20 and 75 times. How do you feel going into the Open?

LEN MATTIACE: Well, I'm not in the Open. I'm not in the Open. So how do I feel? I feel like I'd like to get into the Open.

Q. Really, you have to qualify?

LEN MATTIACE: Right now, I have to qualify. I have to go through the qualifying. So it would be great to play at Bethpage because I grew up ten minutes from there, no question about it. And that's a special place, for the guys playing in the Open they will love the golf course. It's a beautiful golf course, and with all of the back tees that the USGA put in, it's a very, very, very hard golf course, as well.

Q. Before Nissan you were 157th, I believe, on the world ranking and you are 57th now; and if you get in the Top-50 by end of May you will be exempt. Are you thinking about that at all?

LEN MATTIACE: Actually I don't know the world ranking number. I think winning two events putts you in, but that's -- that's, you know, I'm not up on all the stuff. I'm just trying to play. Honestly, I don't know.

I don't know if it's the Top-30, Top 40, I just don't know. I just know that I would need to play good.

Q. You said you are seeing things that are good. Is that just an expression of speech, or do you actually visualize things that come to pass?

LEN MATTIACE: Well, when I say I've been seeing good things, I've been seeing good things on the golf course. Like, you know, I've been seeing more drives in the fairway and I've been seeing more iron shots on the greens. So that actually -- the things that are happening, I've been seeing good things. I've been seeing putts go in the hole . There is some visualization that goes on beforehand, yes, and planning even before that, but I've been seeing the results; and better results and better results breeds more confidence.

Q. No clairvoyance?

LEN MATTIACE: Miss Cleo. (Laughs).

Q. You mentioned before that this is pretty much a free-for-all with these big guys that are right there. Is the nature of this course, assuming it remains rock hard tomorrow, lean more toward shootout or survival mode?

LEN MATTIACE: Well, what's Tiger at? What is he at, 10-under? So three rounds, 10-under, it's probably more of a survival mode, in a sense.

Guys had the opportunity out here, yes, to shoot -- I shot 6-under, Tiger shot 7-under yesterday. So it is possible to do that, but overall, you look at the scores and you say, yes, if you survive, you'll probably be doing well.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Lenny, can we go through your card, please?

LEN MATTIACE: Sure.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you. Beginning on No. 6.

LEN MATTIACE: Yes, birdie on 6. I hit an L-wedge to about six feet and made the putt.

No. 11, I hit a pitching wedge to about 15 feet.

12, I hit green-high in two and chipped it to about 15 feet and made that.

I got up-and-down on the bunker on 14 for par. Made about a 12-footer.

17, I hit a chip that came down the hill about 45 feet and made that for par on 17 at -- I 2-putted 16 from about 50 feet. I was in the back right of the green over about three swales and 2-putted for birdie.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Lenny. We appreciate you coming in.

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