BANK OF AMERICA COLONIAL

May 22, 2003

Patrick Sheehan

TODD BUDNICK: Like to thank Patrick Sheehan for joining us in the interview room. 5-under 65 has him as the first round leader. Patrick, talk a little bit about -- let's see, no bogeys today. Five birdies. Let's talk about your play first.

PATRICK SHEEHAN: I played pretty solid today. Putted well, obviously. Just really only had two or three par saving putts that were significant length. 8, 10 footers. But I made them both. Other than that it was pretty solid.

TODD BUDNICK: Course conditions? You guys showed up Monday to a dry longer course. Two days of heavy rain how's it playing now.

PATRICK SHEEHAN: It's playing really soft. The ball's not going anywhere when it hits the fairway. A lot of these holes you don't even want to hit driver, but you almost have to on some of them because the ball is not traveling. If it doesn't get any more rain it's going to change every day. You're going to be hitting 2-iron today, could be 3-iron the next day, could be whatever. It's going to be different every day.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll go ahead and take some questions.

Q. Patrick, can you talk about the irony. Vijay withdrew, you got into this tournament, he was oppose today playing in it, with a guy who gets his spot is leading it?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: Well I wasn't told that it was his spot I got. Because I knew there were more than a few guys that withdrew. I was actually going to take the week off. This is my sixth week in a row, just last week I hit the wall, I was so tired on the weekend. I didn't want to -- I just wanted to go home. When I found out I was that close to getting in I was like well you have to come here. It would be a shame to mace tournament like this. Even though Annika, you know, with Annika here, regardless, it's still a tournament that have you to play in. You feel like you have to play in.

Q. Was this about the easiest Colonial could play?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: Well, I've never played here. This is my first time around this place. As soft as it is, yes. I've played courses that are similar to this that have played very hard and conditions like this they do play easier. Shots off line are going to hit the fairway and probably stay in the fairway if they were going to miss otherwise. The greens are basically your ball is plopping down wherever it hits. This is as easy I think as it can play and we played without any wind today either. By Sunday if it drys out it's going to be completely different. But like I said, it's so soft right now, I don't think it could play -- I think it's playing as its easiest. Can't believe I'm saying a golf course is easy, but.

Q. Relatively speaking.

PATRICK SHEEHAN: Yes.

TODD BUDNICK: Talk a little bit about the atmosphere today.

PATRICK SHEEHAN: We were on opposite sides so we saw 10 people the whole day. But which was actually probably to our benefit. There's so many people following her today I can't imagine how they finished before us and we teed off after them. It had to be just crazy trying to get through all the people and getting to the tee boxes and whatnot. My hat's off to Aaron and Dean and Annika as well. There were so many people out there. It's got to be rough on all three of them.

Q. Did you have any sense in your on mind of what you might have been thinking Annika would shoot and her 71 today, does that surprise you in any way?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: No, it doesn't surprise me. I kind of stayed away from guessing what she would shoot. She's the best female in the world. She probably does things better than -- I mean she does things probably better than I do, probably drives it straighter, probably putts better, probably does everything, every facet of the game probably better than I do. The only advantage I over her is length. And she's hitting her driver straight and irons straight and she putts well she could shoot under par out here. Judging by today. I just saw her three putt the last hole for a bogey, but everybody's like she's even par. I'm like that's terrific. That's a good round for anybody out here. She's playing it from -- it would be like us playing a golf course that's over 8,000 yards.

Q. Does it frustrate you that you maybe the leader after today but headlines tomorrow are going to be all about Annika?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: Less off me the better. Less off me the better. She's here and you guys are all here because of her, I think that it's great. If I'm leading and I'm -- it takes a lot off of me or anybody that if anybody was shooting 6 under. The spot light's on her and it deservedly so.

Q. Let's go through birdies today. You started on the front side so first one came at number 5?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: Yeah, that was -- I lit in the left rough off the tee. Had 200 yards to the hole and just kind of hooked a 5-iron just on the front of the green and made about a 70 footer. It was kind of stupid. Just get it close and be fine.

Number 8 I hit it about 15 feet left of the hole. Hit a good putt there.

10 I hit it about -- made a nice one about 25 footer there. From left of the hole.

13 I made a 30 footer. I made some putts today.

14 I hit it close. That was the only shot I hit real close. I hit it about a foot there, a foot and a half. But I made some long putts today.

Q. You said that the spotlight is on her and deservedly so. I'm wondering why you think that?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: You guys. This is the first time in how many years, 58? You could tell right away. I teed off 10 minutes behind her today and everybody out here is watching her. Everybody else is kind of under the radar. She's got all the attention around her. It's not that -- she's playing, this is a huge thing. Look at what she's doing. I can't even imagine what she's got to go through just to be here. The attention she gets, I think she deserves it. If Tiger Woods when Tiger Woods goes overseas and plays other tours you think those guys that play regularly on that tour, do you think everybody is following them? No, they're following him. It's kind of, it's apples and oranges but it's the same kind of thing where if he's playing a different tour, everybody goes to watch him.

Q. Does it make you wonder why people don't go out and watch her when she plays week in and week out on the LPGA she has admitted that there aren't that many people out there?

PATRICK SHEEHAN: No, there aren't. I honestly couldn't answer that. I played the Nationwide Tour last year and some cities have a ton of people, some cities have hardly any people to watch. It's the areas, -- I can't answer that. The LPGA, I mean they got wonderful players out there. It's just, I don't know. I don't know.

TODD BUDNICK: All right. Well thank you very much, Patrick.

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