THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

June 4, 1999

Vijay Singh

VIJAY SINGH: I had a good momentum going with Payne, he started off with five straight birdies, and I had four after five as well. So I mean we kind of fed each other with good shots, and just kept going like that. And played really good. One was on 11 where I got lucky with my drive, over the ditch and laid up. Tried to go for the green, knocked it in the water. So that was more or less a -- I don't know what kind of error you call that, half unlucky, I guess. But played pretty good, played solid. I'm playing really good. So that's the good thing about my game right now. I'm striking the ball really good.

VIJAY SINGH: I laid up, okay, then I tried to go for the green and the club -- well, I thought my 7-iron was going to fly, it was 165 to the front. And it came out really soft. It was a bad, bad double. I mean, especially when you know you can at least agree with a 3-wood on mid lie.

VIJAY SINGH: Pretty good drive, nice smooth drive up the middle, hit a 5-iron to about 6 feet. And followed it up with a bogey on the next hole. Wrong club off the tee, went to the wrong side of the sand wedge, it was really downhill and I had to go to the bunker from my first cut. So it was regulation I guess --

VIJAY SINGH: 4-iron. I should have gone to the 5-iron to keep it out of the back bunker. Once you go to the back bunker, it's almost an automatic bogey.

VIJAY SINGH: We hit good shots. He birdied -- we both birdied one. We both birdied two. He birdied 3. We both birdied 4, we both birdied 5. You know, just went on like that. And we both birdied 8. He birdied 7. He bogeyed 6, which was unfortunate. But we hit good shots after good shots. Then Lee kind of came in there late, you know, birdied -- he birdied 6 -- he birdied 5. Then eagled 11 and then birdied 15. So I mean he was playing very steady. He wasn't doing too much wrong, just wasn't making the birdies that we were. But it was unfortunate, he made the double in the last.

VIJAY SINGH: I don't know. I think, you know, it's playing hard and fast like it's doing now. It's not that fast. It's fast enough. But you just restrict yourself off the tees. There's a lot of holes where you really don't need a driver. It's very wet, you almost tend to get drivers wherever possible. Here, you don't really need it. 18th hole today, we hit, you know, 3-woods into the wind, so into the wind you can go ahead and do a driver and still be okay.

VIJAY SINGH: I hit quite a lot of drivers. I was driving the ball very well, I felt comfortable hitting drivers. I must have hit eight drivers out there. It was colder in the morning, so the first nine was a little longer.

VIJAY SINGH: We play almost the same, you know, same golf. The speed of the greens are pretty much the same. You know, it's how the ball reacts when it lands on the green. The newer greens, the ball kind of releases a little bit more. But they are getting really fast, they're very consistent. To me, it didn't make any difference. You know, like some of the holes probably, 17 and 18, if you get on the wrong side of the green there, they're older greens and they can get really hard and just, you know, can get really extremely fast. But right now, today, the morning, they all played very consistent. I think it's going to do some -- the older greens probably get more firmer and much faster in the afternoon than it does in the morning. But I handled it okay. It was no different there.

VIJAY SINGH: We just played the same golf. Golf ball doesn't change. The wind was in a different direction obviously. It was more into the wind on the first couple holes, then I guess it was downwind. Played the same, just stick to your game plan and play the golf course like it does. The wind changes, that's all that really changes the golf course.

VIJAY SINGH: Just hit the fairways, hit the greens, make the putts. (Laughing) That's the best you can.

VIJAY SINGH: I guess. Once you win, you focus more on the majors than before. I mean, I feel I really look forward to playing the majors now, since I won one. I always looked forward before as well, but especially now. I think, you know, when you win one, I think you can win another one. So you kind of really gear up for it. My game plan right now is kind of preparing for the U.S. Open, I got a week off next week and, you know, go up there early and see the golf course. Have to do what the golf course requires, how you're going to chip on the greens if you miss it and things like that.

VIJAY SINGH: I'm consistent with all my irons and my driver. I'm a bit worried with my putter. I feel like I'm putting really good, but it's not consistent enough to go out there and, you know, feel comfortable. You know, I felt very comfortable when I changed the cross handle, but the last few weeks I've been missing a lot of short putts and that plays in your mind when you're staying with it. I'm kind of getting over it. The more I play, the more comfortable I feel. I've been practicing a lot more on my putts than I've ever done. It has given me a little more confidence.

VIJAY SINGH: No, it's a similar putter but not the same one.

VIJAY SINGH: Thank you.