WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

November 6, 1999

Chris Perry

CHRIS PERRY: It was a tough day I think for everybody, just watching the leader board. Nobody did much of anything. I don't know what the low score was, but it wasn't as difficult a wind as Thursday, but it swirled a lot more, which made club selection and the shots very difficult to judge out there. I knew if I could somehow just get it in the fairway and get it around the greens and make some pars that I was still going to have a shot for tomorrow. I really didn't play that well today. I made a couple of good par putts, had some birdie opportunities that I let slide by and got a good break on 17, hitting a pretty good shot from the -- out of the rough on the right. It was a really tricky shot and I actually got lucky and ended up making birdie there to salvage one or two shots there, because it's difficult when it's into the wind. But overall I'm pleased to be leading, tied with Miguel. I know he'll have a lot of crowd support tomorrow, being that he's a hometowner in Spain. There's a lot of great players on the leaderboard. If I played like I did today I know I won't win. I have to go on the range after this and get a little of my swing flaws out. I really have to play a quality round tomorrow. Hopefully this will be my weak round, because I really didn't play that well today. I bogeyed 1 and 3 and was just struggling. I had a chance at 4, missed that. A great par on 5, just short of the green, 30 yards and putted it, made about a 10-footer from off the green there. No. 6, had about a 16 footer out of the -- about two inches in the rough and putted it off the green and made it on the par-3. 8-footer from a save on 7, 9-iron. No. 8 and 9 I had about 12 to 15 footers and missed those. I missed about -- had a 5-iron into the 11th hole. Par-5, hit it in the bunker, hit a shot about 8 or 9 feet out and missed that one. Good putt at the par-3. 12, missed that. Made a good save, hit a poor chip on 13. Made about a 12-footer for a par. I missed about a 15, 16 footer, 14. Missed about a 10-footer at 15. Hit a horrible drive on 16. Missed about a 9-footer. And I thought I had a good putt on 17. I hit a really good second shot, coming around the trees, and I tried to make it and just left it two and a half feet short and made it. I know I'm going to have to play a lot better tomorrow or someone -- is the forecast good for tomorrow? Same as today, no rain? The greens were a little bit bumpy. When you play in the last group there's a little bit of traffic, even though there's only 60 players, the greens got beat up a little bit. I think that's where some of the guys struggled was really making a lot of putts. And the wind was swirlier today than it was on Thursday, and from a different direction, out of the north, which made the course, I think, play hard.

CHRIS PERRY: You couldn't reach the green in 2. I hit a 3-wood off the tee, just hit it okay and tried to layup with a 4-iron, and I kind of got in front of it and sliced it up on the hill. I had 141 yards, with the ball about a foot above my stance, easy to hook it or hit it away right. And I came out perfect. Just landed barely on the green and rolled up to about ten feet on the top and I made the putt. I was really fortunate that I didn't chunk it in the water, because that's easy to do on that hole. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I had a great year this year, and hopefully I can cap it off with a good round tomorrow. But I know I'm going to have to play a lot better. It's been a pleasure being here, too, it's been a lot of fun, being in Spain and being in this great Championship.