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BUICK CHAMPIONSHIP

August 27, 2004

Kirk Triplett

CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

LAURY LIVSEY: We'd like to thank Kirk Triplett for joining us today. You have a little bit of distinction at this golf course. Your 61 is still one of the three guys who have shot 61 here, the 18 hole record. Not quite that good today but not bad after two rounds.

KIRK TRIPLETT: Yeah, 5 under. We'll see what happens in the afternoon. You know, Friday you can walk in here thinking you're the leader and real close, and everybody else goes out and plays well in the afternoon. I have my idea if the weather stays the same and they set the course up as they have in the past, I think I know the number you've got to get to, 12, 13, somewhere in there, and I'm not there yet, so I still have more work to do.

LAURY LIVSEY: Are you satisfied where you are right now?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Yeah, I don't feel like I played my best golf the first two days, but I managed my game pretty well, and at 5 under, didn't throw too many away. I had a few chances I let get away, but overall very happy.

Q. Can you talk about the birdie today on the par 5, 6th? It seemed like everything fell in place for you.

KIRK TRIPLETT: Well, I had bogeyed the 4th hole, hit it in the bunker on the 5th hole and made a nice par saving putt and then hit a very nice shot into the green on No. 6 just about two or three feet away and rolled that one in.

Q. You talk about managing your game well today. I think you're one of the guys who has managed this situation well with so many guys taking this week off after playing the last couple. I mean, do you feel like this is the opportunity to come in and as a veteran player maybe steal one?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Well, I don't necessarily I don't set my schedule like that. I mean, I set my schedule for the events that I want to play in, and I missed this event last year, and it was killing me to watch Peter Jacobsen win this tournament last year (laughter), because I've had some success here in the past here, the course record, a number of Top 10s. I actually think I've had more chances to win this golf tournament than any other tournament on Tour, and I've shot some very abysmal back nines but I always feel good coming here. I like the course. There's lots of different ways to play. You don't have to be just one kind of player.

When you watch that tournament next week at Boston, there's only one kind of player that can do well there, a long hitter, that's it. This course I think you'll see Hank Kuehne on the leaderboard, you'll see Corey Pavin on the leaderboard, and that's opposite ends of the spectrum. I enjoy coming here to a course that awards me a little bit more precision.

Q. If that's how it turns out would you like to sit and watch that?

KIRK TRIPLETT: You're going to see both ends of the spectrum and most of us fit somewhere in between, and people can learn a lot from watching that. Whoever plays their own game the best is going to win the golf tournament.

LAURY LIVSEY: Talk about your close calls. You tied for 2nd in '95 and then you had your 61 in 2000 and ended up 3rd.

KIRK TRIPLETT: Yeah, some of my close calls really weren't my best chances. A couple of times here, I think the year Lanny Wadkins won, I was within two or three of the lead starting the back nine and had a horrible back nine, drove it right up against the tree on No. 10 and just lost it. Then the very first year I played here, I played very well. Wayne Levi won, I believe, 1990 maybe, and came down the stretch and made a couple of mistakes near the end and finished 15th or 18th. There have been three or four times playing this tournament when out there on that 12th, 13th, 14th hole I felt like if I birdied made some of those birdies coming in, I would have a chance to win this event. That's why I look forward to coming here, because that's the feeling that you want to get. That's when you really find out how good you are.

Q. You've scattered your birdies across a number of different holes in these first two rounds. Do you think that puts you in a good position going into the weekend where you feel you're not stumbling over any one hole, where every hole is beatable?

KIRK TRIPLETT: I probably don't analyze it quite as much as you do. You have a little bit more time, but I've played here 12, 13 times, maybe more, so I've played this course I was talking to my caddie about it today, 50, 60 times. It almost has a home course feel to it. I get good scores on most of the holes. I strive to have a selective memory, forget the bad scores that I've made, so there aren't holes out there where I feel like I absolutely can't play them.

LAURY LIVSEY: For the record, this is your 14th. You've played every year but '03 last year.

Let's go over your card.

KIRK TRIPLETT: 4, I drove it in the left rough and played it up just short of the green and hit a very poor pitch, had about a 25 footer for par and missed that.

I birdied 6, hit driver, 3 wood into the first cut of the left rough and had 75 yards to the back pin and hit it about two feet with a sand wedge, made that.

12th hole, hit a driver and a 7 iron about 15 feet short of the hole, made that.

14, I hit driver, 9 iron about six feet right of the hole, made that.

Then 15, I drove it in the back fringe maybe 50 feet away, two putted.

The course is set up reasonably well. A lot of the pins are accessible. I'm actually surprised the score is not a little bit better. I think guys had a little bit of adjustment. Yesterday was a crisp, windy and warm and the ball was flying pretty good. I thought early this morning that the ball wasn't flying real well and maybe guys are having trouble judging the distances. But it's there for some good scores. Somebody will shoot a good one this afternoon.

LAURY LIVSEY: Thanks for taking some time.

KIRK TRIPLETT: My pleasure.

End of FastScripts.

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