CHRYSLER CLASSIC OF GREENSBORO

October 16, 2003

John Morgan

CHRIS REIMER: John Morgan, currently one stroke off the clubhouse lead shooting a 6-under 66. John, what did you like about the course out there?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I thoroughly enjoyed the golf course. It was fantastic. Obviously very easy conditions out there today. No wind, perfect temperature, greens were running smooth. Everything was lovely, perfect conditions.

Q. You tied for tenth at Southern Farm. A Top-10 finish here would go a long way in helping you retain your Tour card. Do you watch your place on the money list every week or do you just kind of play golf and let it take care of itself?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I let people tell me. I don't really look at it. It's my first year. Everybody says it's a learning curve. I don't take it that way. I want to win. I want to succeed as a golfer in my first year. That's the main goal. It's a shame if I don't retain it, but I'm going to do my best to retain my card.

Q. Is this your first time in the interview chair?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I've been here once before, but it was in Europe. It was very quick. It was like one person sat in the chair. I won't call it a proper interview. It lasted about two seconds, as well.

Q. What do you like about this course?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I like that you have to drive the ball well. It helps to chip and a putt well. I just like it. You have to play all the types of shots. You have very undulating fairways. You have all manners of shots and lies. It's what golf courses should be made of.

Q. What's surprised you out here this year?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Everything has happened very, very quick for me. It's just unbelievable how players and people get treated over here and how respected they are by the public. It's unbelievable. It's only my second year as a pro. Everything has happened very quickly and everyone has been very, very kind, all the officials, everyone to do with the PGA Tour has been fantastic.

Q. You turned pro at 24?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Yes.

Q. It's a little late these days.

JOHN E. MORGAN: It is compared to some people. It was all about funding for me. I didn't have any money. I worked down in Spain as a buggy boy for a year to be able to practice on my game. Some guy down there seen something that he liked and he said do you fancy taking the game seriously, I said I've got no money. He said here is some money, have a go. That was it.

Q. What were you doing in Spain?

JOHN E. MORGAN: A buggy boy. Before that I was a builder.

Q. Before that you were what?

JOHN E. MORGAN: A builder. You name it, I was doing just any job to get any money. It's hard when you're an amateur. If you haven't got the parents behind you, you haven't got any money, you have to go out there and do it for yourself. It's kind of a good way to do it, I think. It taught me a lot of things. I'm happy.

Q. Your pedigree is not the same as these Americans out here?

JOHN E. MORGAN: No.

Q. Your dad was --

JOHN E. MORGAN: A dock worker. And my mom, she works at like a Wal-Mart. She works at like one of those in England. I have a very hard working family, in every aspect of the word.

Q. Where did you play growing up?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I played at a place called Clevedon Golf Club. They are a good bunch of people there. They like their ale. They like their drinks. You just go in there and get a nice smile and they're wanting to know how you are getting along. They're great. They have a big projector screen they said they brought in and they constantly put the US PGA Tour up there and watch my results coming in. And there's a hundred phone calls coming in if I'm doing any good. It's nice to see that I'm giving so much enjoyment to a golf club that I've played at for so many years.

Q. What was the name?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Clevedon, C-l-e-v-e-d-o-n.

Q. What's the best part of being on this Tour?

JOHN E. MORGAN: The best part, just getting to see America. It's just an unbelievable country. Everyone told me how much -- what a wonderful country it is. And when you come over here and you actually see it for yourself, I'm not disappointed. I'm very happy.

Q. What's the worst part?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Not being able to see my mom and dad as much as I'd like. They're great people. I fly them out every now and again, when I win a check and get some money. It's not so bad.

Q. You had your card on both Tours. Have you pretty much let your European card go?

JOHN E. MORGAN: The European card, the man in charge asked for me to resign my card.

Q. Ken?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I suppose. I don't know. He asked it from a few other Tour players. It was disappointing because some of that was very much my goal, to start with, and all of a sudden you have both in the same year and you've got 90 percent of you saying go to America and 10 percent is stay in Europe, it's a good place to train and get to know everything. But I would rather chuck myself in the deep end then get stuck there.

Q. When did you resign?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Two, three months ago. It was kind of a shame. I don't know where I stand on that now. I will probably have to go to PQ1 or something like that. I have to go back to the very start because I've done that, but he asked it from a lot of other players, I think, not just me.

Q. Which other players?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I don't know. I just know there were a few more.

Q. For what reason?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Just because they're over here playing.

Q. What would it mean to you -- there are still three rounds to go. What would it mean to win?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I would break down and cry and do a somersault. I don't know what I would do, actually. It would be unbelievable. You wouldn't imagine. It would be unbelievable.

Q. With what you've done this year, do you feel you have enough training and enough game to be up there on Sunday?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Yes, I do. I love the challenge. I like getting in amongst it. There's nothing better than actually being able to go up against the likes of Davis Love and the people at the top of the score board there. They are fantastic players. I would give anything to be up against them in the last round and see what I have against them. That's what it's all about.

Q. What's your best finish in the U.S.?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Fifth at the B.C. Open.

Q. Where do you live over here?

JOHN E. MORGAN: I live in Miami, South Beach. I knew one of you were going to ask.

Q. That's got to be a grind.

JOHN E. MORGAN: I'm a very good boy, really. I have this kind of -- I used to be a crazy guy, but I've had a few things which happened in my life which make you stop going crazy because you can't. I just like going to quiet bars and listening to good, funky music and having a few people around me and having fun, and it's a good place to do that.

Q. In what part of Great Britain is Clevedon?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Southwest, right near Bristol. I actually live in a place called Portishead, where the band comes from.

Q. Is your father retired?

JOHN E. MORGAN: No, I wish he was.

Q. Didn't you say at the start of the year one of your goals was to make enough money to let him retire?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Yes.

Q. Has the money you made enough for him to retire?

JOHN E. MORGAN: Yes, but it would leave me with none. If I get a winners check or second place this week, I will not hesitate. That will be the first thing on the agenda. He's been there for 40 years as a dock worker, loading cars on boats and timber. And a guy 57 years old shouldn't be doing that.

CHRIS REIMER: Let's go through your birdies and bogeys.

JOHN E. MORGAN: No. 2, I hit driver off the tee and a hit -- you've got me on that one. I went for every green in two. There's nothing I don't go for. It's in my genes.

Par 4, No. 7, a 2-iron went absolutely marvelous, 270 yards. I had a little wedge, put it on the green, ten foot.

Par 5, No, 9, driver and then I hit another driver off the deck to put it right by the green and then just chipped up to that.

No. 10, that was a driver off the tee, 8-iron into the green and holed a 15-footer.

13, hit driver there, good drive straight down the middle, I got a 3-wood out and seen the shot. I had to hit a very big high cut, that was the only way it would stop on the green, it was dicey between a 3-wood and 2-iron. I hit a high cut, 15 feet, left it on the lip.

15, Par 5, driver, 3-wood, two foot short of the green, chipped up to about a foot.

CHRIS REIMER: Thanks for joining us, hopefully we'll see somersaults from you on Sunday.

JOHN E. MORGAN: I hope so.

End of FastScripts.