JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 28, 2002

Kirk Triplett

TODD BUDNICK: Kirk Triplett, third Top 5 finish here in four years at the John Deere Classic. I know you always like a win, but you have to be pretty excited about that.

KIRK TRIPLETT: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I felt like today I wasn't -- I never really got up near the lead. A couple of other times I have here, but I had my chances yesterday to get a little bit closer. I left the golf course, I was 12-under yesterday and I had kind of left a few on the course the last five or six holes. But I felt pretty good because the leaders were at 14. I read the paper this morning the leaders were at 18. All of a sudden I knew I had to shoot 8, 9-under today and I was 1-under at the turn. Kind of eased up and made some birdies. Hit some bad drives and made some birdies.

Q. Did that kind of take some of the steam out of you this morning knowing what your position was?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Well, I think it surprised me. I think I thought the lead might be at 16. I figured I might be four back. But as it is 2, 4, 6, back, I probably don't get too worked up either way. Just try and go out and play my game.

Q. You know JP at all?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Sure.

Q. Shed some insight as --

KIRK TRIPLETT: I don't think he's going to make an 8 on the last hole. (Laughs). Insight as to what?

Q. Into what kind of a frontrunner he is and what he has been able to do this week.

KIRK TRIPLETT: I don't think he's had the lead that many times. I knows he's had it a couple times. I also know -- seems like, correct me if I am wrong, he has been playing reasonably well last the couple of years. So it is not like any of us who are out there playing against him are man, look, this guy caught lightening in a ball for a week, I don't think any of us feel like that. This guy is a solid player. He has been working on his game. You see him out here doing the stuff you are supposed to do. To me it's no surprise.

Q. Maybe a little bit about like yourself in that persistence and persistence and persistence?

KIRK TRIPLETT: We just keep doing what we're doing, and all of a sudden you have those weeks or months where the putts drop in and you start scoring well and you hit a bad drive and on a par 5, make a birdie instead of a 6 and off you go.

Q. Knowing --

KIRK TRIPLETT: Small difference.

Q. Is there ever a surprise?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Oh, yeah.

Q. Playing who wins or whatever?

KIRK TRIPLETT: I think so, yeah. Yeah, I think you have a number of guys over the years who have won the tournament and then have struggled up to that point and then struggled after that point. So bunch of tournaments, bunch of guys have gone through that.

Q. JP, does he fit that demographic?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Not so far, no. (Laughs).

Q. What is the key to your success in this tournament?

KIRK TRIPLETT: I have always putted pretty well here, I think. I don't mind it really hot. I think part of it is I get out there and I get kind of overheated and really warm and I just I stay within myself a little bit better. Also I am pretty loose and mentally it takes a lot out of you and I can't get too worked up about a bad shot. I don't have that much energy.

Q. September won't necessarily be a welcome change as far as you are concerned?

KIRK TRIPLETT: I don't know, it can be just as hot here in September, it seems to me. I have been here a few times. I would welcome the change. After two rounds here, I was very discouraged at how low the scores were because I think it is a better golf course than that. It is a little bit wide off the tee and if they keep the greens soft, you know, which I guess you have to when it's this hot, but the course doesn't show well. And it's hard I think for the tournament to attract the top players, the top players are going to sit at home and watch it 22-under par win the tournament. They are not sitting there and going, oh, I have got to go there next year and get in that putting contest. So I think having the tournament in September maybe if 10-, 12-under wins it, if the greens are firmed up, we get a little wind, some of the top players will look at it and go that's the kind of course I would like to play.

Q. What you were just saying, you look at the course differently?

KIRK TRIPLETT: I think it's still -- the scores are low, very low. Someone can come from 8 or 10 behind and really get up there and erase a lot of work you did in a couple of days with one hot putting round.

Q. Is there anything they can do to the course to putt some bite back into it other than --

KIRK TRIPLETT: I think it just has to be firmed up. You have all that bent grass out there. You can't firm it up this time of the year or it will be brown. It's just the nature of it.

Q. Would you tighten fairways?

KIRK TRIPLETT: I would, but I don't have to -- I can hit it straighter than the members can. (Laughs) If you tighten the fairways out there, it's going to be really tough for the members. It's already really tough for the members.

Q. In your mind it comes down to the greens more than the fairways, maybe?

KIRK TRIPLETT: Well, yeah, I think so. Any time that ball just splats this far away (indicating a foot and a half) ends up this far from where it lands when you are hitting a 4-iron, guys are going to shoot some really good scores.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you for your time today.

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