FUNAI GOLF CLASSIC AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

October 22, 2005

Rich Beem

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Rich, for joining us here at the media center at The Funai Classic. Great round today, no bogeys and a great finish with those four birdies on the last five holes.

Talk a little bit about what you did well today and how the course played.

RICH BEEM: Once again, I putted extremely well today. I gave myself a lot of opportunities, but I made the shortest birdie I had was, like I said, two of them on 10 and 11. But other than that, most of them were within 15 feet, for the most part. I think I made one fairly close on 16, as well.

I putted fantastic. I hit the ball good, once again. I drove it well. I think I missed a couple of fairways just in the light rough. Other than that, it pretty much can't get any simpler, fairway, green, putt. Pretty good formula to me.

Q. Since we've obviously established that you're streaky, we've covered that ground ad nauseam, can you tell when you're sort of getting in one of those moods? Are there flares that go off, lights flashing, alarms sounding?

RICH BEEM: I wish I could say there are. Basically when I feel comfortable with everything going on, when I get comfortable. Especially with the driver, I may just let it go and pound on it as hard as I want to and not have fear of it going in any direction but straight. That's when I feel comfortable. I feel like when I start driving the ball well, everything else falls into place.

But not really. Like I said, I wasn't even going to come here this week. I was actually going to take the next two weeks off. I'm pretty glad I came. I wish I could figure out what makes me well, get on a hot streak, but I got no idea. It just kind of comes.

Q. Did you know you were on one on the back nine?

RICH BEEM: Yes, I kind of figured that one out after a while, when the holes started looking this big. The funny thing was I was asked by another reporter, when did you feel comfortable? I said the only putt I knew I was going to make for a fact was the one on 17. I stood over it and knew it was going on.

Usually on streaks you know when you're going to hit a good shot or make a putt. That's the only putt I knew I was going to make, all day.

Q. (Inaudible)?

RICH BEEM: Left to right, but for some reason, all golfers get that, except for maybe you, Doug. You just know they're going to go in, and it did. You enjoy days like that.

Q. (Inaudible)?

RICH BEEM: I got convinced by my caddie. He said let's go play the last two weeks out and see if we can't, you know, do something good. I think he felt we were getting really close, and I felt the same way, but it's been such a long year anyway, I have a pretty busy November and part of December, that I was thinking it would be nice to go home for two weeks and hang out with the wife and kids. He thought it would be best to come out here. I tended to agree with him, but I wanted to make sure he was on the same thing I did.

I feel like I'm playing well, but I could have gone either way. If he said, no, let's pack it in for the rest of the year, I would have said, that's sounds good to me. But I'm happy we both decided to hop on that Southwest flight out here on Tuesday morning.

Q. What's his name?

RICH BEEM: Bill Heim, H E I M.

Q. I assume that you'll approach tomorrow expecting to play, but the fact that there is some uncertainty, does that throw any monkey wrench into the overnight?

RICH BEEM: The same routine, go home and do my laundry, feed the kids, put them to bed, watch a ball game. My best finishes this year have been rain delayed events, L.A, BellSouth. Right now I'm just hoping Mother Nature is a real ornery bitch tonight and tomorrow.

Q. (Inaudible)?

RICH BEEM: I finished like 13th. It was my best finish in forever, it felt like. But I played well at Riveria. It was only two rounds. And then 54 holes it would be perfect for The Champions Tour (laughter).

Two rain days in Georgia, didn't even tee off until Saturday and we finished up on Monday.

Q. (Inaudible)?

RICH BEEM: Just outings I save until the end of the year so I can knock it out then and then vacation time in December, but we're always busy.

Q. So the kids are with you?

RICH BEEM: Yes, they are with me this week.

Q. Did you have the kids when you won the PGA?

RICH BEEM: No. In 2000. Michael was born in July of '03, and Bailey was born in June of this year. Got the little ones with me. Michael is running around. I'd like to bring him in here. I'd like him to tell you a word. It's pretty funny.

Q. Does he only know one?

RICH BEEM: No, he knows a lot, but he says one word and it's just hilarious. It makes me laugh so hard. I'll tell him to say dump truck. It's so funny. He's next door, if you want to come watch him say it. He's right next door. It's so funny. Mike, say dump truck. And when he says it, yes. My wife, "No, don't say that." Dump truck. It's so funny.

Q. She has three kids to deal with.

RICH BEEM: Absolutely. Why not. This isn't rocket science, man. I thought Tiger's quote yesterday was absolutely perfect. "I hate this game. It's too hard." When you have the No. 1 player in the world saying that, I think he's on to something, boys.

Q. Talk a little bit about sand traps and how you prepare for that.

RICH BEEM: On 18? Actually the bunkers are perfect this week. They change from week to week. I like bunkers that have a little bit more firmness to them than anything else. Anything that's real soft and mushy, I don't tend to like, but I just practice.

Q. (Inaudible)?

RICH BEEM: Like two. I think a couple of years ago it was 5. I think it was 5. It was like 5 in a row once. Actually, no, it was 6, because I didn't miss the cut over at the Mercedes the following year. So it was 6 in a row.

Q. That was a freebie?

RICH BEEM: I know. And then I proceeded to miss the caught in Hawaii the following week, so 6, two hander.

Q. Justin Rose said yesterday he thought Tiger's cut streak is the most impressive thing of any of his records. What do you think?

RICH BEEM: I think it probably is. To play that many tournaments and not miss a cut, that's unbelievable. As we've all seen, he's human, as we all are, but for him to play that many tournaments in a row and not get one bad break or have anything happen that would cause him to miss a cut is phenomenal. And then to make as many cuts as he did right on the number, that's spectacular. That's one of the impressive things about his play in the last seven or eight years.

Q. When you won at Hazeltine, there was somewhat of a feel good story about the guy who was selling cars stereos and resumed his career and is now the PGA champion. I'm sure you reflected on that within the last three or four months. Was there a time that you got back to normal and stopped thinking about, here is where I was and where I went and where I came back from and now I'm just Rich Beem again trying to do my best out here?

RICH BEEM: In my case, I try not to think about that at all, where I came from. If I did, it would blow my socks off. I feel obviously very lucky to be where I'm at, and to accomplish the things that I have, but there have been times where I've actually said, holy this is unable. Holy dump truck, this is just unbelievable where I've come from and now the things that I've done.

But it's still reality. You come out here every week and reality hits you square in the eyeballs. When you start missing cuts, then it really hits you, holy cow, this is a really hard job.

I wouldn't have traded the experiences I've had for the world coming up, working at El Paso Country Club, working up in South Dakota for a couple of seasons, in Seattle, I would never trade any of those experiences. Those are life experiences. Those are fun. Those are things you really look back on.

The jobs that I had in college, as we all do, you did whatever it took to get by. And at the moment, that's the only thing that I could do to get by. My golf game wasn't as good as it is now, obviously, and I had to do whatever it took to put money in my pocket and survive. So I've been pretty fortunate.

I'm talented enough that my golf game has carried to where I am now. But as far as sitting back and thinking about it, I joke about it more than anything else, but I try not to think about it too hard.

Q. (Inaudible)?

RICH BEEM: Absolutely.

Q. Tiger, Phil, Ernie, what have you, did you ever find yourself I'm sure in the Dakotas and what not you would have loved to have had your card, you would have loved to have won, then you did that at Kemper, and would have loved to have won a major, you've got that. And then maybe a year or two later something went bad, getting pissed off about it, about where you were and maybe taking things for granted, after what you had put in?

RICH BEEM: It never got to that. I was actually the opposite. When I wasn't playing as well, I'm, "Why am I not playing good? I'm the PGA Tour champion. Why is this game so had? It shouldn't be this hard. I've beat everybody in the world. I should be better than that, and I'm not, why is that." Then you kind of doubt yourself and doubt your abilities.

And that's kind of been my downfall, I question myself too much and I don't have enough confidence in myself sometimes. Now I'm sort of kind of turning that around. But I was asked once, I guess you asked me on Thursday, having the 5 year exemption, was that bad for you. You know, in some ways it possibly can be. But at the end of the day, you know, it's something you've earned. You've earned the right to have that exemption. You've earned it because of your accomplishments, and just because I look at guys, like Shaun Micheel and Ben Curtis are good examples, because they get a bad wrap sometimes because they haven't done much since then.

It's like, you know, everybody else in that tournament had an opportunity to go out and play well. And nobody else took that opportunity except for those two guys. Ben obviously caught a good break with Thomas Bjorn doing what he did, but Thomas didn't have to make it that hard on himself either.

There's lots of different ways to look at it, but at the end of the day, those are the guys that were standing at the end of 72 holes. So for them to get a bad wrap for whatever they have done is ludicrous.

Q. (Inaudible)

RICH BEEM: I tried to the find the swing of a major champion after I won. After I won it, it was just like holy cow, I have to get better. I have to overhaul my swing and this and that. You fall into that trap. It's like I need to become more consistent. I was never that consistent beforehand. Why would I be looking for that now.

I wanted to make it easier on myself, but I've never done anything easy in this life, so why am I searching for that now. With the guy I've been working with on my short game, he said, you just need to play golf like Rich Beem. Get up there and slap at it. You hit it ugly sometimes and hit it good sometimes and figure out a way to score. That's how I got it done in the past, and hopefully I'm getting back to that.

Yesterday was a good example, I didn't play my greatest, but I hit enough good shots and I putted well enough coming down the stretch to make chicken salad out of chicken shit. Yesterday was kind of a step for me. And then today, it's easy to play well on days like today. But unfortunately I was looking for swing changes back after I won a major than before. You get five years and that's the kind of things us psychos like to do.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Go through your round on the back nine.

RICH BEEM: Just the birdies?

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Yes.

RICH BEEM: Driver, 5 wood, to the front edge and then 2 putted. Second putt was about four feet.

11, hit 3 wood, pitching wedge from 124 yards to about another four foot or so, four and a half, made that.

Par 5, had actually the same exact yardage I had yesterday, 94 yards, hit lob wedge to 15 feet, made that.

Hit 6 iron from 185 on 15, perfectly pin high to about another 15 feet, made that.

No. 16, I had 149, hit 9 iron a little bit downwind to about another four feet, made that.

17, was the one that was good all the way. 17 I had actually 147 and I hit pitching wedge and tried to muscle it back there, hit it to about 25 feet or so and nothing but the bottom of the cup.

Q. The whole day, how many putts from say within 12 feet did you have? Three on the back nine?

RICH BEEM: The putts that I made on the front side were all outside of I think they were at least 15 feet or further. On No. 2 it was probably almost 20 feet. On 3, it had to have been a good 30 feet. And 4, it was probably right at 15 feet.

Q. Who is he's your short game guy?

RICH BEEM: His name is Paul Brilliant. He's actually the ex he's one of the excoaches of New Mexico State. He coached the women's team for a long time, took them to a Top 5 ranking one time. But he's just I've known him since day one. He's really good with the short game.

End of FastScripts.