THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 15, 2003

Billy Mayfair

JOHN BUSH: Billy, thanks for coming by. 17-under par, 199, and 8-under par 64 today. Great playing.

BILLY MAYFAIR: Thank you very much. I had a real good day. Got off to another good start on the back side again and shot 31 on the front and shot 30 yesterday on the back. Really didn't get it going all that good yesterday on the front, and bogeyed 4, but then after that made some real good birdies, birdied both the par 3s on the back and front side and birdied nine after the rain delay. I hit the ball really good and made a lot of putts.

JOHN BUSH: How tough is it with over a two-hour rain delay and coming back with one hole to play?

BILLY MAYFAIR: I had already hit the hardest shot on the 9th hole. I had 240 yards to the hole and I actually had 4-wood in my hand ready to go. I was just getting over the ball when they blew the whistle. We got back out and the wind was the same and I thought the air was getting heavier and the clouds were there, so I went to a 3-wood, hit a high cut and hit it on the right edge of the green pin-high. So, it was the right club.

Started on the back. I think first birdie came on No. 12. I hit a 3-wood off the tee, 5-iron into the green from 180 and made a 12-footer for birdie.

13, it was downwind. I hit a 3-wood off the tee and hit 8-iron 25 feet from the hole and made that for birdie.

15, the par 5, I hit driver off the tee there. Hit a real good 3-wood just to the left of the green, probably 20, 30 yards from the hole and chipped it up there about eight, ten feet from the hole and made that for birdie.

Next birdie came on 17. I hit a real good driver off the tee and hit 4-iron about eight feet from the hole and made eagle there. I was happy with that.

Bogey on 4. I hit a real good drive, only 120 yards to the hole and the wind was blowing left-to-right. I left the ball out a little bit of the hole about ten, 15 feet, thought it was downgrain and left it about three feet short and lipped it out on the next putt. I basically 3-putted from about 15 feet, which was really my only bad putts of the day.

The next hole, the par 5, I hit a 3-wood and a 5-iron to about 100 yards to the hole and hit it in there about six feet from the hole and made that for birdie.

On 6, the par 3, I hit a 4-iron into the wind about 15 feet below the hole and made that for birdie.

Next, I hit a 9-iron, the hole was playing 144 yards and I hit it in there about eight feet from the hole and made that for birdie.

On 9, I hit a real good drive, 240 yards to the hole just ready to get over the shot and that's when the whistle blew. I had 4-wood in my hand, went back out after the rain delay, hit a 3-wood and hit it about 20 feet to the right of the hole just off the edge of the green and chipped it down about four feet from the hole and made that for birdie.

Q. What do you think you're going to need to have shoot tomorrow to win?

BILLY MAYFAIR: Obviously, I'm going to have to go low again, there's no doubt. I think the weather is going to be pretty much the same. I don't expect it to be much different. We're going to go as early as we can, they are telling me, in threesomes. Teeing off the 8:30 to 10:30 the wind will probably be down, so you'll have to shoot low to keep up there. Those guys have now got 6 or 7 holes that are hittable in two, no wind. So there may be birdies and eagles coming in, too, so hopefully I don't fall too far behind.

Q. What was the toughest hole yesterday? Was it any different than it's been, I heard 18?

BILLY MAYFAIR: Actually, I thought really one of the hardest holes on the golf course was 12. 12 has been playing downwind. It's been a 4-wood or a 3-wood off the tee and 8-iron, 9-iron. All of a sudden the wind got into our face and I had to hit 5-iron into the wind over that water. It was a tricky shot.

Both par 3s on the front side played tricky, was a 4-iron, when we've been hitting 7-irons into all week.

Then 9, they have the pin up on the very front edge. They had the golf course set up a little bit different today and not seeing the golf course set up, you're still learning the golf course.

Q. Last week you had a really good third round and didn't have a great final round; this week you had a great third round. What will you take from last week going into tomorrow's round?

BILLY MAYFAIR: Well, obviously, I try to forget that Sunday round there at Doral. I really felt I was playing good. I loved Doral. I loved the golf course. I was really excited about Sunday but unfortunately didn't play very well. I felt I could hit it better this week than I did last week. Really struck the ball horribly on Sunday. Got it up-and-down from everywhere to shoot the number how I did, so I feel like I'm hitting it better this week than I did last week.

This is a different type of golf course. I think you play more aggressive here. The rough is not nearly as high, obviously, by the scores. So tomorrow you've just got to go out and be more aggressive like normal, like you have the last three days and try to shoot low.

I feel like I'm hitting the ball a lot better this week than I did last week.

Q. People are looking for Davis to break through; he has not won a whole lot the last few years. Can you talk about what other guys think about him, can you see him getting on a roll?

BILLY MAYFAIR: I think Davis is one of the Top 5 players in the world. I don't know what his World Ranking is, but I think anyone out here would agree he's one of the Top 5 players in the world. When he gets on a roll and starts putting good, he's pretty hard to beat.

Davis, I've known him since he was in college, and he has a great short game, but I think he's just a great ball-striker. He drives it a long way, he hits long high iron shots all the time. I think he's just an all-around great player.

Why hasn't he won more? Sometimes you've just got to be at the right spot in the right time to win more than he has. I would want Davis on my team any day, trust me.

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