VALERO TEXAS OPEN

September 26, 2002

John Huston

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: John, thank you for joining us. First round 64. It's certainly early in the tournament, but it's got to be nice to get off to a good start. Just give us some opening comments about how the day went. Obviously pretty well.

JOHN HUSTON: It is good to get off to a good start. I played pretty well. I hit probably pretty much every fairway and I think I only missed one green. I didn't make a lot of long putts, but I made most of the ones that I should have made.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You're known somewhat on TOUR and in the media of winning a lot of tournaments in Florida. It would be nice to add another state to your resume.

JOHN HUSTON: Absolutely. And certainly, here it's very similar. The greens are very similar to Florida with bermuda greens and stuff, so I think that comfort level is certainly a little bit more here, Joel.

Q. Are the fairways and greens approach kind of the approach you think works best on the scores, kind of methodical?

JOHN HUSTON: I think definitely the biggest factor is keeping it in the fairway. And I think once you're in the fairway the course is not playing quite that difficult. There's not a lot of slope on the greens, and they're really nice right now. I think you could score pretty well if you just keep it in the fairway.

Q. You seem like you got pretty hot there on the back nine, with three straight birdies. Was that you just feeling pretty good?

JOHN HUSTON: That stretch of holes was playing a little easier than some of them, except for 15. But 14, the par 5, is playing straight downwind and I just hit a 3-wood and a 7-iron on the green and 2-putted there.

And then on 16, I hit a driver and drove it on the green about 20 feet. I had some good chances on the other holes, just didn't make the putts.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's go over your score card. You started No. 1 with a birdie.

JOHN HUSTON: I hit it on the green in two and pitched up with a lob-wedge about six feet, made birdie.

No. 4, I hit a 6-iron about 18 feet.

No. 8, I hit a sand wedge about 3 feet.

14, the par 5, 7-iron on the green about 20 feet and 2-putted.

15, I hit a 5-iron to about 5 feet.

And then 16, I hit a driver on the green and 2-putted 20 feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You played last week at Tampa, defending your championship from 2000, and the heat reached up to 105 degrees, as far as the heat index. It must be nice to get a change of pace with the weather this week.

JOHN HUSTON: It's been perfect. It looks like it's going to be pretty nice the rest of the week. Definitely a lot more comfortable this week than it was last week.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: And the course is in good shape.

JOHN HUSTON: It's beautiful; the fairways and greens are about as good as they can be. Bermuda greens, the rough isn't too high, a lot of penal areas just off the fairways so you still have to drive it pretty well.

Q. What's your favorite club in your bag these days? Do you have one?

JOHN HUSTON: It's day to day.

Q. What was it today?

JOHN HUSTON: Today I don't know. My guess, my sand wedge. Once I get sand wedge into the green, I'm usually pretty good.

Q. Tell me how old were you when you broke 80 for the first time as a youngster?

JOHN HUSTON: No idea.

Q. How about 70?

JOHN HUSTON: I would guess about 15.

Q. What's your favorite golf course?

JOHN HUSTON: Augusta National.

Q. If you had a classic four-ball that you could put together, who would it be, with yourself?

JOHN HUSTON: It wouldn't be any golfers. It would probably be all girls. I have no idea. I don't know.

Q. Bobby Jones?

JOHN HUSTON: Does it have to be golfers?

Q. No. Put it together.

JOHN HUSTON: Ashley Judd, Diane Lane, and Cindy Crawford.

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