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CHRYSLER CHAMPIONSHIP

October 29, 2004

Jeff Sluman

PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: We thank Jeff Sluman for stopping in after a 1-under 70 today, has him at 10-under and a share of the second round lead. Jeff, a little bit different than yesterday, just two birdies and a bogey, weren't able to get a whole lot going out there.

JEFF SLUMAN: I guess what I said yesterday kind of came true today about some days it's easy and some days it's a little more difficult. But I hit the ball very well today again and only missed one green in regulation, and that was on No. 6, my only bogey of the tournament, and I hit a great shot there, just trickled through the green and chipped it to about four feet and missed it.

But I had numerous opportunities to make at least a half a dozen birdies, and today I just didn't make them. I guess that's kind of the way it goes. I'm not going to complain about it. I'm still in a good position, and we'll see what happens on the weekend.

TODD BUDNICK: It looked like by scores it was playing a little bit more difficult today, although there wasn't much wind again.

JEFF SLUMAN: No, there really wasn't much wind. You probably know that better than me, the overall scoring average, but I didn't think it was playing that much different than yesterday. Fairways and greens are really what count out here, and I was able to do the same thing I did yesterday, hit 17 greens.

Q. You're in the lead and that's good, that's a nice spot to be, but when you come off the green on a round like this, is it almost kind of bittersweet when you're playing with Zinger and watching what happens there?

JEFF SLUMAN: Yeah, Paul got off to a poor start yesterday and kind of hung in there, then played some great golf today, hit it close a lot today and converted those birdies. He bogeyed 8, didn't hit a very good shot in there on 8, and then he hit a perfect drive, knowing he needs par on 9, and hit an 8-iron that was not up to his standard, and he just left himself an incredibly difficult putt and ran it by 12 feet and missed it.

You feel bad for him. There's a lot of home folks out there rooting for him, and I've had that feeling at the Western Open before. It's not a pleasant drive home. We've all done it. You know, he held his head high and I'm sure he's going to beat himself up about it, but I guess there might be still a chance at 1-over, but probably not.

Q. Jeff, is it really hard to come to shoot another low score after you did what you did yesterday? Do you feel like you're shooting a lot more after you go so low like that?

JEFF SLUMAN: You know, your first couple years out here, if you have a round that's very low, I think you get caught up in that, geez, yesterday I was 4-under at this point and I'm even par or 1-over. I've been out here long enough to know that that's kind of counterproductive. Each day is an entirely different story out here as far as how you play and how you feel, but as I said, I felt really good and comfortable over it, and although I hit a few errant shots early, I was able to hit all the greens and got into a real nice rhythm out there. It felt very similar, just didn't feel as comfortable over the putts, and I left myself those putts that are difficult to make out here, even from pretty short distance. I mean, I had three-foot for birdie on No. 1, the par 5, and thought I hit it perfect, and the grain kind of just took it to the right. I can't believe it didn't go in, but that's kind of how it went today.

Q. You know what the focus of this tournament has been from our side.

JEFF SLUMAN: Right. You've got a ton of stories here with all the guys going for the bubble.

Q. Should anyone be surprised that the top 5 guys on the leaderboard are already set for next year? You're set, the other three guys have won, T.A. from last year? Is there anything to that?

JEFF SLUMAN: You certainly shouldn't be surprised to see Vijay up there (laughter). But after that, I think you see guys -- I think Tommy grew up -- where did he grow up? Dallas maybe or Vegas, who knows, but Jonathan is a southern kid. You get courses like this, I think you generally see guys that handle Bermuda well and the Bermuda rough around the greens a little bit. Their experience goes a long way.

I had a practice round Jose Maria early in the week, and I knew the sun probably wasn't going to come up when he asked me how to chip (laughter). He said, "I don't know what to do out of this Bermuda," and I said, "You're not talking to me, are you? You're the world's greatest chipper, and certainly the sun is not coming up tomorrow, I know that."

So experience out of this type of rough is kind of what you need, and I think generally you see that. K.J. has won here, John Huston has won here, so I think that would be more to look for than guys that are just kind of free-wheeling it and are set for the year.

Q. How did you end up in a practice round with Jose Maria?

JEFF SLUMAN: I asked him if he wanted to play. I've played with him here and there and I love being around him and trying to get into his head about the short game because that's what I feel I need to work on. TPC is a great week. He'll be out in the back of the range and there will be ten guys asking him to hit these lob 1-irons, and it's scary because he can hit them close to how guys are hitting their wedges. He's just so talented, it's fun to listen to guys that have that ability either putting or chipping and how they kind of approach it, versus, gosh, I hope I don't stub this thing.

Q. Lob 1-iron?

JEFF SLUMAN: He can hit this lob 1-iron. He kind of gets down on his knees and cuts it up there from 15, 20 yards, and you kind of just start laughing because he's about the only guy I've ever seen that can do it.

Q. What area of your game are you most pleased with of the three, driving, irons, chipping and putting?

JEFF SLUMAN: This week or in general?

Q. This week going into the weekend.

JEFF SLUMAN: I think my iron play has been very, very strong, and also driving. I really honestly haven't had to chip much. I only missed two greens.

Q. So that was a waste of experience with Jose Maria then?

JEFF SLUMAN: It's never wasted if you get some knowledge out of it.

Q. 34 out of 36, is that highly unusual for you?

JEFF SLUMAN: Usually I'm 36 out of 36 (laughter). I think that's unusual for anybody really, and the two greens I missed I thought I hit. 2 yesterday was about a foot short right in the middle of the green, and today 6, it hit in the middle of the green and went over by about a foot, foot and a half. So overall it's been pretty good iron play obviously.

TODD BUDNICK: How about your birdies?

JEFF SLUMAN: It'll be quicker today certainly. Starting on the back nine I made all pars until 16 and hit a good drive out there. I think I had about 180 to go and hit a 6-iron to 18 feet. I know Doug is going to check.

Then I bogeyed 6, as I said.

7, hit a 3-wood down the fairway and actually right into a sand divot and I had 155 and hit an 8-iron, and it was probably 25 feet. I had one of those rounds that nothing really happened. I missed a lot of opportunities in probably the first 11 holes I played.

Q. 15 to 20 range?

JEFF SLUMAN: No, I missed -- on 1 I missed it from three feet.

2 was about 10, 12 feet.

12 was about ten feet.

13 was 15 feet.

15 was about six feet.

Then 17 was 12 feet.

14, I lipped it out from 20 feet.

So, I mean, I hit a lot of good irons in there, just didn't convert. But I'm still happy to be where I'm at.

Q. Are you sold on the belly?

JEFF SLUMAN: Yeah, I am.

Q. Was it Memorial you started?

JEFF SLUMAN: Memorial I started using it, and last week was the only cut I've missed with it. Candidly, my right hand just felt like there was some electricity in the grip when I was hitting them. You've got to do something. I just said, I think it's time to really make a commitment, and I told myself at the time I'm not going to be one of those guys that uses it for two rounds or four rounds and discards it if it doesn't go well, so I'm going to go through the end of the year and then make an evaluation, and I would think that I'm probably going to continue with it.

Q. What were the other options with it, broom, claw?

JEFF SLUMAN: I felt like I went through about a million combinations at that point. I don't know how they do it like the paintbrush or the claw or whatever DiMarco does, and I tried cross-handed earlier in the year, which I grew up cross-handed until I was about 19 or 20, but really honestly nothing was working. It was pretty ugly.

I don't know how those guys do that. That never felt comfortable, the one up by your chin or whatever. At least maybe the guys wouldn't give me any grief. They'd know it's a long putter, they'd just think it's a long regulation putter when the guys grab it now.

I think I'm going to keep using it until they outlaw it, if they ever do. It's not like you can't miss, trust me.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Jeff.

End of FastScripts.

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