VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 29, 2002

Garrett Willis

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Garrett, congratulations on a great week. Top-10, and tied for second. If we could, just start with a few comments from you and we'll go right into questions.

GARRETT WILLIS: Like you said, great week for me. To be able to start out shooting 1-over par the first round and come back and finish second. You know, it's pretty cool to be in contention again. I haven't played well, and I put myself in contention. I had some chances out there. Loren looked like he ran away with it, late, but it was anybody's ball game with a few holes to go.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You're sharing the lead with guys like Fred Funk, Fred Couples, Loren Roberts, guys that have won quite a bit on Tour.

GARRETT WILLIS: It goes to say that the 40-somethings are really pushing a pretty big surge with those three names up on the leaderboard.

Q. How many putts?

GARRETT WILLIS: I think I counted up 26. I was three shy of the record. It would have been something else if the putt fell on the last hole. It would have been record breaking or record tied. I still had 96 putts for the week, which is -- if I can make a career out of that, I would be pretty happy.

Q. How far was that final putt?

GARRETT WILLIS: 40 feet, probably, I would have to say.

Q. Three 40-somethings up there on the board. Did that thought ever occur to you out there, like, hey, --

GARRETT WILLIS: It never crossed my mind out there. But after making that last putt and seeing that I tied with Fred Funk and Fred Couples. I could hear the roars ahead of me so I knew those guys were playing well. I kept hearing the "Freddie" chant, and I wasn't sure who they were for, but I saw they were both playing well, with Loren, up there also winning the golf tournament.

That's one thing about this Tour, there are a lot of young guys that are very talented, and the 40-somethings obviously are very proven players. Any given time they can show up and win a golf tournament.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks. Good luck down the road.

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