THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2002

David Toms

DAVID TOMS: I am 4 back, it was a wild day today. I had five birdies, an eagle and 5 bogeys. And my short game just wasn't there, I wasn't able to get the ball up-and-down but I hit a lot of good golf shots. I hit some real close, thank goodness because the putter just wasn't there.

Q. (Inaudible)

DAVID TOMS: Depends on how everything finishes up today, if I can hole a few putts. I had a chance to shoot a really low score today. I wasn't able to get the ball up-and-down. When I missed the green I missed a lot of good birdie putts, too. If I can hit it like that again tomorrow and make a few and get close and put some pressure on the leaders, maybe I will have a chance.

Q. (Inaudible)

DAVID TOMS: It kind of tricked us out there this afternoon. I played five holes this morning and I think the greens this afternoon were about three feet faster than they were this morning when I had already played a few holes. So the first six or seven holes was like a shock to us. Everybody was running the ball behind the hole but I'd like to see it set up like that again tomorrow. Why not? Two days in a row and I think whoever is playing the best this week will come out on top.

Q. (Inaudible)

DAVID TOMS: The whole day, you can literally bogey every hole out here. It's a lot pressure on the tee shot and then on the second shot the way they, you know -- these greens are all divided into three or four different greens and you can short-side yourself and you just don't know.

Playing with the lead those last few holes, other guys behind you have a chance for eagle on 16 and then, obviously, anything can happen on the last two.

Q. (Inaudible) guys at the top of the leaderboard have never been in this position before. (Inaudible)

DAVID TOMS: Craig Perks and Carl Paulson, I played with both players and they have very good golf games, both of them. They have obviously held up well today so there's no reason why they can't continue to play well as long as they believe in themselves. I think that's what finally got me over the hump, being able to perform under the gun when I had to and then you get that confidence. And whether they win or not, if they can just play well and have a chance, it's going to go a long way for their confidence.

Q. Now that you have been through that you know that you can react --

DAVID TOMS: I don't know if it's an advantage but I will feel good tomorrow if I get a chance to contend and get really close. I will feel comfortable there. I have won on hard golf courses before and major championship type conditions and, for sure, I can do it -- just whether or not I can execute the shot and make the putts.

Q. (Inaudible)

DAVID TOMS: I birdied off the bat; then bogey 3 then birdied the next hole; then bogeyed the next two holes, birdied No. 7. It was a rollercoaster ride there for a while just didn't feel very comfortable on the greens as well. I don't know if it was the extra speed. Then I missed a few, lost my confidence there midway through the round and just never able to get it back.

Q. Tricky position on No. 10, I didn't go out there, Phil Mickelson's 5-putt there.

DAVID TOMS: No. 10 I hit it over the green, chipped up to about six feet, didn't touch the hole from six feet. Late in the day the greens they were getting spiked up and they were very difficult, crusty and we hadn't seen those conditions this week. So I think we just weren't quite used to them yet.

End of FastScripts....