FORD CHAMPIONSHIP AT DORAL

March 6, 2003

Bob Tway

JOHN BUSH: We would like to welcome Bob Tway, 7-under par 65. Congratulations on a great start.

BOB TWAY: Thank you very much.

JOHN BUSH: Your thoughts how it went.

BOB TWAY: We teed off have early this morning, 7:09. It was pretty nice conditions, straight wind, wasn't blowing at that time. We got to play probably four or five holes in California whether. Then the wind slowly picked up like it does. But the golf course is in immaculate shape, the fairways are maybe the best I have ever seen. The greens are receptive and obviously putting very nice so it was a good opportunity to shoot a good score. I was able to hit the ball nicely and then convert some chances, so I'm very pleased with how it went.

JOHN BUSH: If can you take us through the birdies starting on No. 1.

BOB TWAY: I hit a nice drive at the first hole. I pulled my 5-iron to the left bunker, but I was able to hit a good bunker shot five feet and made that.

3rd hole, hit a good drive and a sand wedge, made about, I don't know, maybe 12 -, 15-footer.

And then on 4 I hit a nice 3-iron probably 25 feet short of the hole and holed that, so I made two nice putts in a row.

The 6th hole I hit another good drive and iron about, oh, I don't know what it was, 20 feet from the hole and made that. So I made some nice putts.

Q. What iron did you hit?

BOB TWAY: On that hole I hit a -- seems like I hit an 8-iron.

And then on 7 I hit a good drive and I think a pitching wedge, and made another nice putt from about 12 feet.

And then the 8th hole hit a bunker off the tee and laid up and hit a pitching wedge a couple of feet from the hole.

So obviously on the front 9 I made some long putts and hit some good shots and it was a nice nine holes.

10, I hit a nice drive and a 5-wood because over the back of the green and chipped out three or four feet from the hole and made that.

I hit a 3-wood off of 14 and a pitching wedge about four feet.

Then on 15 I probably hit the wrong club. I tried to hit a hard 7-iron and it got up into the wind and buried in the bunker, and I was scrambling to really make bogey there.

I made a nice up and down on 16, drove it in the rough. The rough is pretty penalizing, and when you wanted to be in the fairway this week, I was able to hit a decent bunker shot and save my par there. Generally I'm pleased with how I played and any time you can shoot that well here it's great.

Q. When you get it to 7-under after 10 and you finish at 7-under, are you thinking you're still thrilled with 65 or are you thinking it could have been better?

BOB TWAY: You know how we are, we are always thinking things could be better. I'm very pleased with it. The wind was blowing the backside so that makes it that much more difficult. I think you have to kind of be realistic. I made some putts I don't normally make on the front, so, that was good. Things have a tendency to even out a little bit, it seems like, in rounds. Maybe I didn't hit it quite as well on the other side, but in general I was pleased with just those two holes with the bogey and then driving in the rough - other than that, I was actually pleased with how I hit it. I am just pleased with the overall round, really.

Q. Can you talk about your putting? You are using a longer putter. I don't know how long you have been doing that....

BOB TWAY: Yes. I went to a belly putter about four weeks ago. I wasn't very pleased with how I was putting. I keep seeing these guys putt pretty well with them. I kind of missed a little bit over the holidays and I said I will give it a whirl. I haven't putted great every week, but I have done some things that I thought were pretty good and I have been a little more consistent with it and I think if you can just roll the ball a little better you can make more putts and I did that today.

Q. Do you think it is a fairer test out here, back to West Coast where the greens are -- (inaudible) --

BOB TWAY: Well, last week was a good indication, the greens were very good in Tucson, and I putted well there, and played well, yes, the poa annua greens at San Diego and L.A. I don't think are a good indication of how you are putting.

But I think last week and this week will really be more of a factor and you can kind of assess things then.

Q. Bob, generally, how does the Blue Monster set up for you? Is it a course you look forward to coming to?

BOB TWAY: I always look forward to coming here. I don't know how many times I have played here - I think about 18 times. I have gotten to a rut. I played the same tournaments each year. I think the older you get, you just kind of go places you like playing and this is one of them. I love staying here at Doral. It's a very challenging golf course, but I think a very good golf course. Even when the wind blows, it makes it difficult, but if you play really well, you can still play so it's one of the tournaments that I look forward to playing.

Q. (Inaudible) does the nature of the TOUR and field of the Tour change as you move into Florida --

BOB TWAY: I think so. It definitely changes with the weather. I always look forward -- I love the West Coast, but I do look forward to getting off that airplane and feeling the humidity of Florida. I'm not a great fan of Bermuda greens, but on the other side, the agronomy standards and everything have gotten so much better that it's really not the grain it used to be. There are still some but it's easier to putt when I first started playing the Tour. I would think as nice as the fairways are right now that's probably how the greens were 20 years ago, but technology makes it easier. Plus you get farther up, Jacksonville, things like that, they have been overseeded, so you can't consider those Bermuda either.

Q. Is this course not as fierce as it was when you first started coming here all that many years ago?

BOB TWAY: It's hard to say. I know we hit the ball farther than we did, you know, 18 years ago. There is no doubt about that. So I think in some instances, some of the bunkers and things you are able to carry that you couldn't. I think with the technology, I think with wooden drivers and things like that, you weren't able to hit it as straight. From that standpoint I would have to say the golf course is easier than it used to be. It's not a whole lot, I can remember without any wind guys shooting some very low rounds. The nature of this golf course is it gets more difficult the harder the wind blows. Right now it seems like it's more like summertime. It's just so warm and hot and the ball is going far. It didn't seem like those real, real blustery days. It may get that way but it has a different feel to it right now.

Q. Can and you address the state of your game and where you have been the last few years?

BOB TWAY: Oh, I haven't been displeased with how I've played. You know, I am getting older but I feel like I'm in very good shape and I still love to play the game. I still think if I play well, I could win golf tournaments. I really enjoy playing golf. There is nothing else I would rather do. So I will just keep going at it. I haven't been displeased with how I play. I think I can play better. If I finish 40-something on the money list two years ago, 50th or something last year, I think I can do better than that. I really don't dwell on that. I just keep trying to get better. As long as I keep enjoying it then I will keep going at it.

Q. When you look at your career, winning the major, did that change people's expectations, your expectations, did it create any frustration to you?

BOB TWAY: It definitely changed my outlook the next few years. After '86 playing as well as I did that year, I thought the game seemed pretty easy. And then I didn't play as well after that, and I think that gets frustrating but I think if I would have been more mature about the whole deal I would have realized how good that was the year that I had and I just said well, that's great ,you probably won't play like that all the time unless you are Tiger and just kind of keep going. I tried to make some swing changes because I didn't feel that I was doing that each year which kind of hurt me a little bit so I have had a very up and down career, but, you know, I think maybe that's just by being successful, kind of young and not really understanding it. But you know, I think I have been pleased with how I have done because I just, you know, try as hard as I can every week and it is what it is, so I really can't complain.

Q. At one point after you won, did you think, boy, I could win, 3 or 5 of these?

BOB TWAY: Well, I would have thought I would have one another one for sure. I thought I would have won more tournaments than I have, there is no doubt about that. But for whatever reason, I just haven't.

Q. The dry spell is seven years. How thirsty does it make you?

BOB TWAY: Oh, I don't know that I am any less thirsty or more thirsty than I was when I first started. I do know that my priorities have changed a little bit when I first came on TOUR it was just my wife and we traveled together and placed every single week and had nothing else to do. I have a boy 14 and a girl nine so I play and rush back home and fast as I can. Things in your life change. Your priorities change. I still enjoy playing. I don't know that -- I don't hit balls all day long like I used to, in some ways I probably could. I still enjoy it. As long as I can keen enjoying and playing well, I will keep doing it. I do think your priorities do change a little bit.

Q. The shot from the bunker, was that a life-changing event?

BOB TWAY: Well, I think it's obviously to help me win that golf tournament. But I think it's a shot that people remember, there is no doubt about that. I think when people think of that tournament or myself they think about that shot. I get asked about it all the time. From that standpoint I think that kind of sets your career in some people's eyes, but, you know, I don't know that it would have mattered. I'm just glad I won the tournament.

Q. Do you get tired of talking about that?

BOB TWAY: No, no, not at all. It's the highlight of my golf career winning a major tournament, no doubt about that. I keep thinking that, you know, maybe somewhere down the road I can contend or have a chance to win some more.

Q. Do you come in each week with the mindset that you can win that week?

BOB TWAY: Not every week. There is sometimes that I can just tell your game is not quite as good. There is some weeks that I feel like yes, I have a good chance if I play well. I don't think that -- I think years passed I think I had the mindset that I thought I could win more, but you never know. I think if I play well, hit the ball well, I think I'm a smarter player than I used to be. Like I said if I didn't think I would I probably wouldn't keep playing but I enjoy doing it.

Q. The shot from the bunker when is the last time that you saw it and did you ever go look at it for a boost of confidence or did you ever flip Golf Channel on?

BOB TWAY: Well, you know when PGA time comes around they are showing the different PGA's and I will see it then. Or maybe when the majors are going on they show it more. I haven't seen it lately but I still remember it.

Q. Just to get back to the course, because you played here so many years are you comfortable with this type of setup where they talk about moving the pins closer to the edges, more rough, narrowing the fairways when they can --

BOB TWAY: In general, that's all they have done is lengthen. I think there needs to be other things being done. You mentioned all of them - moving the pins to the edges, we never use to have three pins, sides, now we do. I just think people need to understand they need to narrow the fairways and not make them wider once you get passed the bunker, try to make it all the same width no matter if some hits it from 275, 300 or 325. Make it all the same, make it challenging for everyone. If you are able to do that with consistent rough that determines a whole lots of things. I think people have got straight back to length and not worried about the other things.

Q. You mentioned Tiger a minute ago. Does anything about him surprise you anymore taking two months off and coming back and doing what's he is doing?

BOB TWAY: I don't think anything that he does surprises me, but when he first came out if he would have said to me that he has been able to do what he has done I would have lost my house, my car, my children, I would have bet everything against it. I just didn't think it was possible. I really did not. He has opened all of our eyes to things that we didn't think were possible that are, obviously. And what he is able to do is just unbelievable, really. It's kind of like Jack Nicklaus, it's a Jack Nicklaus, it's a Michael Jordan, a Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods, they are just exceptional people. I think it's great, it makes me work harder, because thinking if he can do it maybe I can do it better myself. Everybody is getting better. Guys out here are working at it harder and getting better because of him, no doubt about it.

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