BELLSOUTH CLASSIC

April 4, 2003

Bob Tway

THE MODERATOR: I'd like to welcome past champion Bob Tway, current leader tied for the lead with Chris DiMarco at 8-under par.

Great round today 66, 6-under, playing in some tough conditions, especially with people have talked about how fast and hard the greens are. If you could make some opening comments about your round today.

BOB TWAY: Well, I think we had a little bit of an advantage being first off today. Any time the conditions are like they are, the earlier, the better.

Still seems to be a little bit of moisture in the greens. If you're able to hit a good shot, it's not like they're holding, but they won't get away from you too bad.

So I actually played very well today. So I was able to shoot a good score.

THE MODERATOR: Talk about those finishing holes yesterday; 7, 8 and 9 played 1, 2 and 3 as far as difficulty. You managed to get out of there with a bogey on 8. Just maybe talk about how tough those holes are playing and the difference in finishing on those holes versus playing that on your front nine.

BOB TWAY: Well, I guess you do have to play them either way, front or back nine. But today they were difficult. It's into the wind. You know, with a southwest wind, the holes are tough. I think what makes them so difficult is the 7th hole, the way the green is shaped, it's kind of like a reversed cereal bowl, so it's tough to get the ball right there on the proper side of the hole, much less the right distance. So I think that's why it makes it so difficult there.

8 is just a long hole. It's not playing as long because you can kind of lay on the front and roll it back. Actually, today, for some reason I landed on the front and it stopped and I had a long putt. I 3-putted. But, again, that was a tough hole.

And 9 is a very difficult hole. It's a good driving hole. And then today with the pin back, it's an extremely difficult shot. You can't bail out left and, obviously, you can't bail out right, so you've got to just go ahead and just take it right at the pin. That's a very difficult hole.

THE MODERATOR: You've had some good events this year. What's the biggest obstacle to getting back in the Winners Circle, do you think?

BOB TWAY: Well, I'm pleased with the way things are going. I've played well the last month. I just figure the more times that I give myself a chance, then maybe one time I'll sneak in there. That's kind of how I'm looking at it.

I'm pleased with how I'm playing. If I can continue to do that and feel more and more comfortable about being in that last few groups, then, you know, I think one of these days I'll get there.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. How did you play 7?

BOB TWAY: 7, I pulled my drive just a little bit in the edge of the rough. I kind of had to hit -- there was a big tree on the left. I had to go underneath that a little bit. I just kind of rolled it up to the front of the green.

The pin is a little bit easier today being on the front. So it's a little bit easier pin placement than the back. So I think, you know, it's not quite as difficult as like yesterday.

Q. A lot of guys were saying yesterday that early in the morning the greens were probably as hard as they were going to be in the afternoon. Is the course playing easier this morning, do you think, than it was yesterday morning?

BOB TWAY: Well, I don't know about yesterday morning because I wasn't out there. It played more easy -- easier than yesterday afternoon. I doubt they put any more water on them last night than they did the day before. They were still extremely firm.

I'm just saying, when you're out that early, the wind and the sun hasn't had a chance to dry them as much. So I think it makes it a little bit easier. They're not quite as fast and maybe not quite as hard.

Q. The 3-putt on 8, a lot of guys are leaving that putt short from over there. Was that deceptively uphill?

BOB TWAY: Yeah, it appears to be where it seems pretty flat, but I think about the last 10 feet is uphill. I saw the group ahead of me all hit it left of the pin and they all ran it well past on their putts. I guess that's why. It's kind of slow from back to right front.

I didn't hit the long putt quite as good as I would have liked to of. Even next putt, I didn't hit a very good one, but it just didn't roll very well off. It must be more uphill than you think.

Q. What were the years you lived in Marietta?

BOB TWAY: I went to high school here. I went to Wheeler High School.

Q. How many years was that total, just four years?

BOB TWAY: Yeah, I guess I moved here in '77 - that can't be right. Must have been -- I was finished in '77. I guess I moved here in '73, '73 to '77.

Q. Did you actually hit the ball better today or play better? Obviously, the score would indicate such. Given the conditions might have been so different, do you actually think you played better?

BOB TWAY: Well, I was pleased with how I played yesterday. I made a couple bogeys yesterday. Today was only one bogey; that was good. I probably hit the ball a little bit closer to the hole this morning than I did yesterday, probably because there was a few pins that I think were a little bit more accessible.

Q. Looks like you had some really good results, I guess, the last three times out. Has anything happened over that time that just kind of clicked things on for you?

BOB TWAY: Well, by looking at my stats, I'm doing everything pretty good here lately - driving the ball a little bit straighter, hitting a lot of greens, making a few putts. So I think it's just a matter of a combination of doing everything fairly well.

Q. You played in the last group in Doral in the final round. What did you take from that?

BOB TWAY: Well, I think I haven't been in that many last groups. Although I haven't been displeased with how I've play the last five, six years, I just haven't had that many chances to win. So being in that situation, you're a little more excited. I played well, I'd liked to have putted a little bit better at the start of the round to get myself really more into it.

But, you know, I just think that you just -- the more times you're there, the more comfortable you feel. That's kind of what I'm trying to get at, is just get there more and more often, and hopefully I'll feel more and more comfortable and be able to execute shots a little bit better.

Q. The birdie putt on 9, did you misread it or push a little bit?

BOB TWAY: It's one of those putts I didn't hit a very good putt. Mark and I were looking at it. It looked like if I got it above the hole, it wouldn't break. But if you start it straight, it's gonna break. I tried to go up the left edge, and I kind of quit on it, cut across a little bit. It didn't really break. If you go and hit a good stroke, it would probably be fine.

Q. Does it matter because you're having to wait a little more?

BOB TWAY: Well, our first nine, the back side, was beautiful. We went around, actually played as slow as we could, and we didn't have to wait. Obviously, no one in front of us.

Then when we made the turn, it took two holes until we caught up. Then it's just wait every shot. So we had nine nice holes anyway.

THE MODERATOR: Can we go over your score card real quick. Start on the back side with birdies on 13, 15 and 18.

BOB TWAY: On 13 I hit a nice drive and drove it on the green about 15 feet behind the hole and 2-putted that.

15, I hit a nice 9-iron about 3 feet behind the hole and made that one.

18, I hit a 5-wood just over the back of the green and putted down to about 5 feet, made that for birdie.

First hole, I hit a pitching wedge about 3 feet, made that one.

No. 2, I hit a pitching wedge about 10 feet behind the hole and made that.

3, I hit a sand wedge about 15 feet, made that one.

Then the 5th hole, hit a nice drive and a pitching wedge about 12 feet, made that one.

End of FastScripts....