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PGA GRAND SLAM OF GOLF


November 21, 2000


Vijay Singh

Tiger Woods


KOLOA, HAWAII

JULIUS MASON: We have completed the first round of the 2000 PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Let's go ahead and start with Vijay Singh, who is the leader at 3-under, shooting a 69 today. Vijay, if you wouldn't mind giving us some thoughts on the round today, and then go through your card.

VIJAY SINGH: I think the score I shot, it was one of the most tough-scoring rounds of golf I've played. I didn't hit the ball good at all off the tee, but I managed to make both 6- and 8-footers that counted. And, you know, with the conditions, as windy as it is, I was struggling to hit into the wind, especially with my driver. I really couldn't hit my driver. Hopefully, I can get my driver sorted out by tomorrow and see what I can do then.

JULIUS MASON: Can you talk about a little bit about the birdies?

VIJAY SINGH: I hit a sand wedge to about, oh, five feet, I think on 1. The third hole, I hit a 3-iron to about 18, 20 feet and made that. I bogeyed the ninth hole. I hit a wayward drive, got away with the second shot. Hit it about 30 feet and 2-putted. 15, I hit a good 3-iron, sand wedge to about 15, 20 feet. And 18, I hit a driver, 5-iron to about 15 feet.

JULIUS MASON: Tiger, minus one, 71 today, after a nota lot of sleep. Could you please give us some thoughts about your round today and go through your card?

TIGER WOODS: Okay. It was a very interesting -- I guess, Tuesday is a very long day. It started out Tuesday when we left and got to relive it all over again here. But it was an interesting day. I just tried to kind of get the ball in play as best as I possibly could today and grind out somewhere near par would be a good score, and I was able to get it under par, which is a bonus, and that's about it. 2, I hit a driver and a 3-wood up in there in the bunker. Blasted out to about three feet and made it out. 3-putted No. 3 from about 35 feet. Bogeyed 5. I hit a driver in the right rough and a wedge in the middle of the green and 3-putted again from about 30 feet -- I'm sorry, 5, I hit a driver left and 9-iron over the green. Flopped it down there and didn't make the putt from about 12 feet. 6, I hit a driver and a 6-iron just short of the green on the right and pitched up there to about 15 feet and made that. 8 is the one I hit a driver and a wedge to the middle of the green and 3-putted from about 30 feet. 12, I hit a driver and -- what did I hit in there -- an 8-iron in there to about 12 feet and made that. 14, I hit driver, driver just short of the green. Pitched up there to about eight feet and made that. 17, I hit an 8-iron right of the green. Pitched up there to about three feet and missed it. 18, I hit a driver and an 8-iron to about 15 feet and 2-putted -- I'm sorry, 20 feet and 2-putted.

JULIUS MASON: Folks, if you have any questions we'd appreciate you using the wireless mic so our transcriber can hear the questions, as well. If you have a question, please, raise your hand high.

Q. Tiger on 16, how far were you away on your bunker shot when it went over the green into the back bunker?

TIGER WOODS: I had 207 to the hole. I hit a three-quarter 7-iron that went about 220.

Q. Were you surprised --

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I was very surprised, because I didn't hit it hard. If I hit it full, I would expect it to go back there, but I didn't hit it full. I was just between a 7 and an 8 (-iron). Tried to do a little cut 7 in there, and it just went a long way.

Q. Tiger, could you take us through your travel odyssey from Thailand? One of the things that was brought up was whether or not the plane that you took here had to be refueled someplace?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, we stopped in Taipan.

Q. How do you begin to deal with that knowing that once you get off the plane, you're basically changing clothes, brushing your teeth and you're at the golf course?

TIGER WOODS: It's hard, it's really hard. I went for a run this morning to try to clear the cobwebs as much as I possibly could, but when your body hits the ball -- I mean, we teed off at 2:00 in the morning our time. So your body is not really used to teeing it up at 2:00 in the morning and being wide awake and ready to go. That was -- that's the most difficult thing. I was telling Stevie going down No. 1, "I couldn't tell if the ball was moving or if I was moving on the tee." I'm saying, "The ball is teed up; it can't be the ball." So, just one of those things where I had to rely on my hands and my instincts to help me out as best as I possibly could, because I knew I was going to get the club some in bad positions just because I was tired and sluggish and lazy, and I had to rely on my hands a lot. I hit a lot of good shots and I hit a lot of bad ones, but I was able to get it around, and 71 was good.

Q. Vijay Singh, two years ago in the match-play, it boiled down to the 18th hole between yourself, and, of course Tiger Woods. How do you like your chances tomorrow, and are you -- do you like this format better, knowing that Paul and Tom can also, hopefully, beat one of you two?

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, with the wind conditions, anybody can play well, and I guarantee that we if don't play well ourselves. But we're just going to go out there and try shoot the best we can and deal with the wind the best we can and shoot it out. It really will be a shootout.

Q. Tiger, do you like this format better? For the Grand Slam?

TIGER WOODS: No. No, I like the other way, just because after a day like today, hopefully somebody would have beaten me 7 and 6 or I would have beaten them 7 and 6, I could have gone in early. I'd be asleep right now. Instead, I had to play all 18 holes. (Laughs).

Q. What percentage of the year the greens that you play during the year are bermuda, just a guesstimate?

JULIUS MASON: Both players?

Q. Yes.

VIJAY SINGH: The two tournaments I play in Hawaii are Bermuda, and I think two others out there. Very little. I would say three or four times.

TIGER WOODS: I play probably about five to six tournaments on bermudagrass. But I haven't played -- since I've been on TOUR, I haven't played on any greens that are common bermuda, the real old stuff. Usually it's some kind of hybrid.

Q. Could I just get you to talk a little bit about the year, obviously the Masters win and just the season that you had and as it sort of winds down?

VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, it was kind of disappointing after the Masters. That was the high point of my year was the Masters. Then things kind of slowed down. I didn't play the way I felt I would, feeling that my swing wasn't getting the way I wanted it to be. I just couldn't score. And just now, towards the end of the year, I feel where I'm able to score again and I'm putting well again. My putting since the Masters wasn't there -- it took me a while to get used to that, but getting more and more comfortable now. But winning the Masters was, you know, the highlight of my year, but apart from that, it was kind of disappointing. But I'm looking forward to next year. I'm playing well, and, you know, I'm gearing up for next year. Hopefully it's going to be better than this year.

Q. Tiger, you did this last year, where you came from southeast Asia for this tournament, except this time, it is a little bit more extreme. How are you going to prepare for tomorrow?

TIGER WOODS: Dinner and a lot of sleep. That's as good a remedy as anything. If I can get a good night's sleep tonight like I did last year, I felt pretty good the next day, just if I can get -- just like I was when I was a teenager, if I can get like 12 his or hers, that would be great.

JULIUS MASON: Questions? Questions twice? Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods, ladies and gentlemen.

End of FastScripts...

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