BELLSOUTH CLASSIC

March 30, 2001

Scott McCarron

SCOTT McCARRON: Yeah, you know, it's finally nice to play some golf today. We had a little late day yesterday. Played pretty well today. It's a course that I really enjoy playing. Won here in '97. Just a golf course that -- probably one of my favorite golf courses on TOUR. One of the most enjoyable ten-mile walks we have (laughter).

SCOTT McCARRON: It's not quite ten miles taking that shorter route. I heard it's ten miles from the first tee to the 18th green.

SCOTT McCARRON: Well, it's one of the golf courses, there's not a lot of rough here usually. For me, I feel like I can really just get up and bomb it on a lot of holes. If you do miss a fairway, it's really not that penalizing. Usually when it's playing faster, I really enjoy it because I can carry to a lot of the downslopes, get a little extra roll, 20, 30 yards extra. Today it's difficult to do that - playing so wet. It played pretty long today. The golf course just sets up real well for me off the tee. I really enjoy playing here.

SCOTT McCARRON: Well, I think it will be pretty difficult. It's not an easy walk out there. Then being so wet out there, it's like walking in sand all day long. I think whoever's going to play well here is going to have to be in pretty good shape.

SCOTT McCARRON: Not necessarily it has more to it. I play well on a lot of courses. This just happens to be one of them. There are certainly certain courses for certain (inaudible). This is one of the courses I really enjoy playing at. It's not the only one I play good at (laughter). I'd play good at the one next week (The Masters), if they just let me in again (laughter).

SCOTT McCARRON: It does. I think it definitely favors the longer hitter whether it's wet or dry, just because of the fact that a longer hitter can carry to it a lot of downslopes and get a lot of extra roll. When you have wet conditions, the ball is not going to miss the fairway as much. Obviously, the longer you hit it, the shorter into the green, you can be more aggressive.

SCOTT McCARRON: I had a couple good chances. I bogeyed the par 5 there, No. 4. Out of all the changes they made, I didn't particularly care for that change at all. I thought it was a great hole before with the tree. Now they moved the bunkers down, and for me, I don't really (inaudible) the ball a lot, so I have to hit 3-wood off that hole because 3-wood is going to go through the fairway, the bunker. The way they made the bunkers with such steep lips, if you're in the bunker, you could have no shot. That's what happened to me. 3-wood in the bunker, no shot. Had to hit sand wedge out, 200 yards. I don't think that's right. I think they should shave those bunkers down a little bit because it's such a difficult layup, with the creek going down the left, you don't have to lay it up 200 yards from the green for your third shot.

SCOTT McCARRON: They moved the tee back a little bit. I think the bunkers are okay. Just don't put the severe lips on them like that to whenever you hit it in the bunker, quite possibly you're hitting a little sand wedge out. I didn't think they needed that.

SCOTT McCARRON: I don't know. I don't care for that, that's all. That's just my opinion. Other than that, I love this golf course. They changed it. I liked the way it was before.

SCOTT McCARRON: Do I think what?

SCOTT McCARRON: Well, you know, if we have to play 36, we have to play 36. That's just the way it goes. We have no idea what they're going to decide right now. I wish they'd let us know. You know, there's nothing you can really do until you have to play that 36. You can't really prepare for it, except maybe get on the treadmill and run a couple extra miles or something. Other than that, you can't really prepare for it, so.

SCOTT McCARRON: Sure. I think, certainly, if a guy has been on his workout program, if he's in pretty good shape, I think he's got a better chance than a guy that hasn't, if you have to play 36 on this golf course on Sunday.

SCOTT McCARRON: I wish it was. It should be. I really think they made a huge mistake by taking away a win and not getting into Augusta.

SCOTT McCARRON: That's an event that I went to my first time after I won here in '97. Actually, I went there in '97, then won. Seeing those kids and the smiling faces, it's just something that I really look forward to every year. My wife has kind of been helping run that event for The TOUR. She was president of the association the last two years. She had me go. It's something I really look forward to. It really puts things in perspective for me. Last year I actually dropped off a couple dozen balls and had the kids draw and color the golf balls, played with them for the week. You know, you're walking down the fairway with almost a tear in your eye thinking about those kids. It's something I'll continue to do.

SCOTT McCARRON: I think my game's better than it was in '97. I feel like I'm swinging a lot better than I was in '97. You know, I'm a lot more confident now even than I was in '97. My game's progressed quite a bit over the last six, seven months. I had a difficult year and a half. I think a lot of players go through that, wondering, "What am I doing, missing my wife, the kids, not playing well, trying to make changes." I feel pretty confident. I played well for the last six, seven months, played well the start of this year. I think my game's a lot better.

SCOTT McCARRON: Yeah.

SCOTT McCARRON: Birdied 10. Hit driver and a 3-wood, pitching wedge in there about 15 feet, made that for birdie. Birdied 15. Hit a 3-wood and a 7-iron to about 12 feet. Big left-to-right breaker. Made that. 18 hit a good drive down the right side, 250 to the front, 269, 270 to the hole. Nailed a 3-wood right at the pin, never left it. About 35, 40 feet just behind it. Birdied No. 3. Hit a good 3-wood down there. Kind of a downhill lie. Hit sand wedge in there about eight feet. Made that for birdie. Then bogeyed No. 4.

SCOTT McCARRON: Thanks.