CANON GREATER HARTFORD OPEN

June 30, 2001

David Berganio, Jr.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yeah, I was just patient out there today. Just trying to--first few holes just kind of getting in a groove and try not to get too aggressive and make any mistakes and start making some putts. I was birdieing 3 in a row on the front and I stumbled a little bit on 11 and just got back on and was patient.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Any time you hit the hole two times and you 3-putt, you are not real happy. But it didn't bother me that much. What bothered me was the second shot on 12, I pulled it and it was only a wedge, but that up-and-down kept the momentum going for me and then I birdied the next hole, knocked it on in two and I wasn't frustrated. I just had to let out little steam.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yes.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Great golf course, great par 70. Just right in front of you. There's no tricks. You hit it in the fairway. You hit it on the green and you are going to have some birdie putts out here. But there's, you know, three, four, five. You have got to play hard. 7 is a good hole. 10, 12, you know, 13 is a good par 5. And that little horseshoe around the lake you have got to pay attention to what you are doing because it is a driveable par 4 but so many guys hit it in the lake. Next hole I hit it in the water already once this week, 17 it is a great hole obviously. And 18 you have got to hit it in the fairway. There's no tricks about it. Just right in front of you, and what you see is what you get.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Well, lately I never thought I would be 13-under par again the way I have been playing, but you know I was walking around, my caddie on --Tuesday obviously we had a long week with the weather, we came here Tuesday morning, beat the heat. After the first couple of holes I looked at him and I said it is a good golf course so far, the greens are good, fairways are great and there's some rough. It is right in front of you. That's all I have said all week starting Tuesday when I got here.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: I think I can handle every course. It is just a matter of doing it. It's a good golf course and I am being patient, because I haven't played that great in the last couple of months. I haven't played great all year, but I have been playing smart and I have had a couple of chances to win this year and tomorrow I will give myself another opportunity. That's all you can ask out here. There are so many good players and Phil is having a great year, obviously. You saw what he did today. He is not going to let down.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yeah, 1997 at the Byron Nelson I was paired with Tiger on Sunday. That's my only other final group on a Sunday.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yeah, my family has kept in touch with Father Miller, but he has taken a sabbatical and he kind of wanted his privacy the last couple of years so we haven't seen much of him. But I am sure he is out there watching me.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: He was my grammar school principal and he was a Pastor at my grammar school. It was a Catholic school. He was my 5th and 6th grade which is B division, 7 and 8 was a division but he was our coach for flag-football and basketball. I was pretty good at most sports and we were going to have like a doubleheader the next day. He wanted us to go run around the park. I said I didn't need to because I was so much better than these kids. That's when he knew that I had too much time on my hands and he told my parents that you know, I was headed for trouble, whether at the catholic school or not because I transferred from the public school because I was getting in trouble. He introduced me to golf because he said everything else came too easy. I was much better than the kids my age because I had grown up, a fast life with older people and I have always played against older, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, I was always with my uncles. Didn't have Tiger as my role model. I had three uncles, and it was a good thing because, obviously, I have met a lot of great people, I have gotten an education and never many people make it out from where I am from, and not too many people play the Tour, so --

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: I was born to a 15 year old mother on welfare. If that's not tough I don't know what is.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yeah, that there, that was a starter set.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: No, Phil is not going to worry about David Berganio. I am not going to worry about Phil. He knows Tiger Woods is not chasing him and one shot behind, but deep down in my heart do I think I can win, yeah, I do. I really think I can win. I have no control over Phil. He might go out and shoot 61. If I shoot 60, I tie him, we have a playoff, but he is not worried about me and I am not too concerned with that. I am more concerned about what I got to do and what Dave Berganio can do.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: We always wish we could do a little more. I haven't fulfilled my -- what would you call it -- potential or coming out of college I was, you know, one or two best in the country my senior year, and David Duval was the Jack Nicklaus award winner. I was runner-up to him. Obviously he is having a great career so far, and no one has heard about me. I jump up here and there on the leaderboard, you know, that's okay. I am not content or happy where I am at, but I have never been one where things came easy, so you know, I am looking forward to battling tomorrow.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Buick obviously is my sponsor and last week I played the Open and Chicago is a great tournament, so I plan on playing four and then I am going to go home and be the godfather for my brother's baby, I am going to go home tomorrow if things work out right.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Noah. A lot of Noahs in the ghetto. Yeah, a lot of Noahs - I don't know. It is different. But might be Rubin or Danny or something, but they wanted Noah. It is kind of nuts.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Martin.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Younger. My sister is younger and my brother is younger. My sister has two kids. My brother has one boy. They were waiting for me but I am in no hurry. I fell in love with this game and it is nothing else like it.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yeah, you know, to win any golf tournament whether it be Phoenix, Connecticut, L.A., wherever is always special. But it is always nice when you get big galleries and the people are clapping just walking to the greens, that always makes you feel good. You know they appreciate you and there are some places that are pretty tough. This is kind of gives me at least that Augusta feeling when I was an amateur, they welcome the Amateurs. They really welcome the players here. That makes you want to come back.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Yeah.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: He is a good guy and we have been friends in college. Him and I have a good mutual friend that's from New Mexico that played in Arizona with me and knows Notah from the Amateur in college golf. I have called Notah when he had his thing, wished him well. I called him recently to chat and see how his back was doing. I know him well enough to -- we talk on the phone or we see each other and go and give each other a hug. There's not a lot of guys that do that out here. Notah is very grounded. He hasn't forgotten where he's come from even though he's won a couple of tournaments. That's great to see.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: I don't know, maybe. We talk more out here, but who knows. I am sure that message machine is going to be pretty full tonight.

DAVID BERGANIO, JR: Out here? I have guys from college, you know, Tim Herron, Scott Dempsey plays on the BUY.COM Tour. Guys from the Walker Cup, I talk to a lot of guys, Brian Gay, Danny Alison (phonetic), friend of mine from college. David Duval is a good guy. Just the guys that are around my age. Fuzzy has kind of taken me under his wing, we went to dinner, and there is a get-together for his birthday coming up this week. I am very approachable. I am a very simple person. And win lose or draw tomorrow you know, nothing is ever going to change me.