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UBS CUP

November 23, 2003

Scott Hoch

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GEORGIA

GORDON SIMPSON: We have Scott Hoch with us. It looked like it was going down to the very last match and it did. Tell us about the close of the match.

SCOTT HOCH: I was 1-up on nine and then I made about a 25-footer, and I was uphill, and he made a downhill 20-footer, and I'm thinking I'm going to go 2-up there.

Then we get to 11, and he knocks it -- I was a sand wedge in, which I had some terrible sand wedges and that's usually bread and butter, and didn't hit a good sand wedge and he hit it within 6, 8 inches, so he gets back to even.

The next hole he misses the green left, the par 3. I hit it on the back right of the green. I three putt and he chips it up close, not quite in that order, but he chipped it up close after I had already putted down there and then I missed an eight foot comeback. So now I'm even -- no, one down.

Then I get on the next hole and I have a sand wedge. I pushed it a little right, it hit on the green and sunk back. I had my putter in my hand walking up there. I'm already disappointed that I left it right, and then find out it rolled all the way down the hill, 60 feet from the hole. Didn't get that one up and down. Now I'm kicking myself. I've lost two holes I shouldn't have and I'm two down.

14 was probably the key. I looked at the board really for the first time since before when I thought we were in pretty good shape as a team. I saw we weren't, and I hit a 6-iron -- whatever iron I hit, I guess I hit a 6-iron, I hit it as good as I could. I didn't think I could get it to the pin. It was just right of the hole and barely went over the green and it went down the hill there. Luckily I got that one up and down. I had to make about a 10-footer for par to stay two down. I knew if I didn't make that one I was cooked, because playing a par 5 next, I knew he could hit the green, there's not problem, but it was a problem for me hitting the green.

I hit a real good drive with my 3-wood to about 12 or 15 feet. He hit the green in two. He putted first. He putted up to about three feet, pretty much a gimmie birdie. I knew I had to make mine, or felt it was pretty important to make it, I made it for eagle to get to one.

The next hole a gust of wind came up. I hit a good shot to the green, farther away than I wanted to, probably about 30 feet. Hit it dead in the jaws and left it about two inches short. My caddie told me it was against the grain and I thought I hit it hard enough and it came up short. And then he had it within -- he had 10 feet inside of me on the same line and he came up 6 or 8 inches short. Obviously it was a slow putt.

Then I didn't hit a very good shot on 17. It hit the lip of the bunker and came back down in. And I remember Rocco's shot the other day from the bunker. I said, well, let's be like Rocco, except I'm going to read my putt a little better. I hit a real good sandshot there. It bounced a little right when I thought it was going to go left, it missed the cup maybe four or five inches to the right, and it was a tap-in. And he two putted so that put me 1-down going into the last hole.

I hit as good a drive as I could, because that hole was into the wind and I knew to have a chance for birdie I would have to hit it hard and get it on down there to -- not a 3-iron or a 4-wood like I've had in the last two days, and I killed it and it was way down there, actually too far where I was in between clubs. Fortunately for me, he hit first. He hit his second shot first, which was in the shortcut of the right rough, and he missed the green right, which is very tough. I had a downhill lie with a club I don't quite think is enough. I'm trying to hit it, scoot it up there, and got a little ahead of it and left it right and was fortunate that I did hit a short enough club where it wasn't going to get back to the pin, because if I had hit it pin-high I would have been down where he has was. I stayed on the green. I 2-putted. He didn't get his up and down. It ends in a half, as well as it probably should this week.

Everybody had so many close matches, even though there were some blowouts today. There were a lot close matches that changed on the 18th hole. Obviously when I saw the board before and figured out that I was 2-down and my match was key, I had to get it back to even. After Ray Floyd, it was either 15 or 16 I saw he halved his match, which was huge, because if he didn't half his match we lost already, so that gave me a little extra inspiration or pressure, however you want to look at it.

I hadn't played golf in 6 months hardly, and that's really not what I want to have. I thank my captain for putting me in a position like that. He didn't realize I hadn't played. But I was playing good this week and I felt good, if I continued to play like I did the first two days, because I know he was their toughest player, and I'm happy to come out with a half and I think the UBS ending in a split was outstanding for golf and for this tournament.

GORDON SIMPSON: Quick questions before the captains come in.

Q. Scott, tell us about getting up-and-down on 18 and the putt to retain the Cup? What was going through your mind?

SCOTT HOCH: I didn't get it up-and-down. He did. I mean, he missed the green. I was on the green. I had a 2-putt. I had probably a 35-footer, not a very easy one to read. I thought I hit a pretty good putt. I read the break left and then back to the right, which after I putted it -- a number of the other guys on my team thought it was going to do the same thing -- it went left and I don't think it ever came back to the right. He had a very difficult chip. If you putt that -- you know, it's very tough to get a close chip in, it's going to be tough even if you putt it from down there. You would have to most likely make a good putt to make a par. He left it about 12 feet, a sidehill putt, a difficult putt, and luckily for us he didn't make it.

Q. Scott, what was the club you hit for your second shot?

SCOTT HOCH: 6-iron, 178 against the wind but it was a downhill lie. I usually can hit the ball both ways, but without me being able to practice or limited practice, all I could do is my hit my normal shot right to left. When I'm on a downhill lie and I don't think I have enough club and I try to hit it hard, I tend to hit it right, and that's what I did. Luckily if I had hit it about 10 feet farther I would have been in the same position he was. It wasn't the best of shots, but then again, after 15 and 16, I didn't hit too many good shots, other than tee balls.

GORDON SIMPSON: Scott, you got the job done, well done, great day, well played.

SCOTT HOCH: I hope it comes back here because if there's any place better to have this, then I'd like to see it, other than this place here.

End of FastScripts.

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