GENUITY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 28, 2002

Vijay Singh

JOAN V.T. ALEXANDER: Thank for joining us. Good day out there. 4 straight birdies, great day. Talk about the conditions a little bit out there when you started and how things were at the end of your round.

VIJAY SINGH: It was cold but it wasn't as cold as the weather forecast was. That's what made my day. I don't like playing in cold weather, but waking up this morning, my caddie was saying that it is going to be 30 degrees, but it wasn't, so I think that set my mind up, you know, a lot more better than what I expected.

JOAN V.T ALEXANDER: Great. Questions, please.

Q. Did you say that you didn't realize you birdied the last 4 in a row until you looked at the card?

VIJAY SINGH: I got, if I said -- wow, I birdied the last 4 holes? I knew I birdied the last two. Didn't know I birdied the last four. I played quite decent. I hit a lot of greens, a lot of fairways, I did -- when I did get into trouble, I got out of it quite well.

Q. 18 is once again the hardest hole today playing. Talk about that kind of finish on those kind of holes.

VIJAY SINGH: It wasn't that difficult today. Straight downwind, so you can take it more or less over the water a little bit. Yesterday was the same thing. But if the wind changes direction then it really shows, you know, it's true toughness. Today I hit driver, wedge, so it wasn't really that difficult.

Q. You took it over the water a lot.

VIJAY SINGH: Well, with the technology nowadays you can, (laughs) wait a few more years we'll probably have to run out to the water near the greens.

Q. Last four holes, is there a part of you that says keep playing?

VIJAY SINGH: I didn't -- I wasn't really thinking about the score. I was just trying to hit shot by shot and I made a few putts. I made, you know, the last four holes you know, the closest was about probably five feet on 15. The rest was pretty good, you know, length. It was like 10 foot. 10, 12-foot, so I haven't been making too many of those. I was kind of surprised at myself when they started going in. It does -- you know, it does leave you in a good frame of mind finishing off with 4 in a row and going out tomorrow I will be a lot more positive, I guess.

Q. After birdieing 4 in a row you won't even visit the range? Will you go out and do your normal practice?

VIJAY SINGH: Probably spend an hour and a half there or maybe an hour; then half an hour on the putting green. Depending on the wind. If it's left-to-right too much then we don't want to hit too many.

Q. Kind of a weird thing, we always figured if you can get the ball in the hole on the putting greens you'd win every week. Last week you had your best putting week ever; and yet you didn't win?

VIJAY SINGH: I didn't have the best ball-striking though. I hit a lot of good shots but I didn't hit it close to the holes. That's -- my putting was good because I didn't hit that many -- greens in regulation, I wasn't up there. This week I am hitting it better and with putting well I think I had found something out last week that's going to help me.

Q. What did you find out?

VIJAY SINGH: That's a secret. It's all in my mind.

Q. How has the start been for you when you looked at the first few tournaments you have played?

VIJAY SINGH: I told my caddie I said -- I have got a bet with my caddie this week, I said -- well he came up with the idea, if any one of us think about winning, it is 20 bucks straight away because that's what we have been doing from the beginning is we have got to win this tournament, so I said let's not talk about it. Let's just go out there and play a good round of golf. I am 20 up, so (laughs) -- that's pretty much what it's been first part of the year going out there, feeling good about my golf game and coming off disappointed, so instead of going out there and enjoying it put too much pressure on myself.

Q. What is the pot up to?

VIJAY SINGH: Just 20 so far.

Q. When did you make the bet?

VIJAY SINGH: He started off when we were flying in, so....

Q. Did you put too much pressure on yourself to win last year, you think?

VIJAY SINGH: This year when I started off I started doing that. End of last year was the same story. I didn't want to continue that, you know, just go out there -- I am hitting the ball good enough let's make some putts and see what happens.

Q. On that line of thinking, just to simplify it, that's really not much of a difference in ball-striking ability and it's just all in your head?

VIJAY SINGH: It started off -- probably Torrey Pines was a great example the first nine holes I was 4-under and same thing with L.A., and made a few bogeys finished 1, 2-under really disappointed about the round. It's not a bad round, but your mindset is more negative than positive and I said well, I should have been 4-, 5-, 6-under. All of a sudden I am 1-under. It's not the way to go out there and think when you are teeing up the next day. I said let's -- it doesn't matter what we shoot, just go and play a good solid round of golf. Whatever happens, happens. That's kind of what I am going to do this week, see what happens. So far it's working.

Q. There's talk of a major, a Tour for major championship winners age 37 to 55 being put together...

VIJAY SINGH: Well, I am going to qualify. I will play if they come up with it. I just turned 39. I don't feel any younger, put it this way.

Q. Is this Tour starting to feel like a young man's Tour? Do you feel like the age is really starting to come about and it is harder and harder to progress along as you get older?

VIJAY SINGH: Depends how your physical fitness is. Every golfer that goes out there you know, the range of 40, they got a very good mindset. A lot of experience, a lot of positive going on and really depends on how physically fit you are. Greg played really good when he was 40, 41, 42. I am surprised he's not playing a lot of golf now. I think if you are physically fit it doesn't really matter what age you are. Although there's a lot of young guys coming up. They have a lot of talent but they don't have our experience. I think you need a little bit more of experience out there as well.

Q. Par 5 you said you put it in water?

VIJAY SINGH: Just in the water. Going down and hit it out which I could get to it. Hit it out to about 50 yards. I had 140 to the pin.

Q. Taking shoes and socks off, the whole deal?

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, cold. A lot of rocks.

Q. On the benefits of experience versus youth, what are the things you would put your finger on that experience -- would you target as benefit for experience just knowing what shots not to try to hit or patience?

VIJAY SINGH: Patience is one. And it's a long week kind of deal. You don't -- I am learning from that myself. Don't lose a golf tournament on Thursday, so and just the shot patent where you are not to hit it; what pin to go for; what not to go for. A lot of times you are standing with a seven or eight iron and it's a sucker pin. If you miss it on the wrong side definitely going to make a bogey. You got the whole water on the right side, so those are the things that you have got to focus on.

Q. Young guys just think they can knock the pin down?

VIJAY SINGH: Pretty much they do that. So -- (laughs).

Q. Wondering your schedule leading up to the Masters?

VIJAY SINGH: I got week off next week, play Bay Hill TPC, I will see how I am doing if I am going to play Houston.

End of FastScripts....