SPRINT INTERNATIONAL

August 20, 1999

David Sutherland

DAVID SUTHERLAND: Well, I think of note, I think, the most interesting about my two days is I have made three eagles and two doubles. I have had a little bit of everything, which is, I mean, I have had so many bogeys and birdies and, I mean, it has just been -- it has been unusual. I played -- I have been playing well. Just kind of the way the golf course, I guess, is. You try to go for every par 5 in two, then sometimes you shank it off into the trees.

DAVID SUTHERLAND: A little bit, yeah. There is no doubt about it. You get two points for a birdie and one point for a bogey. Just makes sense to go for it. I can make one bogey, one birdie and gain points. But it is disappointing, particularly today, because I played awfully well. I made 10 points in the front 9, then I birdied -- mean the back 9. Birdied the second hole. Then I bogeyed the 3rd hole from the middle of the fairway. I made my double-bogey on the 4th hole. Then I birdied 5. I think I parred in from there. It was just -- it seems as if it had the makings of a 16- or a 17-point day, but I am happy with 21 points. This is the sort of format you just kind of want to stay up -- it is almost like a long-distance, you know, race where you just kind of want to stay up near the leaders. Because if somebody gets too far ahead of you, can't really catch up, because they are going to make points. It is not -- they can shoot 73 and still make five or six points. Unless you do something great like making double eagle or something like that, you want to stay kind of close to the lead, at least in my opinion, in this format. Because the leaders tends to get up in the 40-point range, and it just gets too tough if you are back there 20 points after three days or something like that. I am excited about the day. It is a great tournament, got a great field. Probably the best field that will play the rest of the year, as far as a regular Tour event; not counting, what do you call -- I mean from the rest of the year from now on, this will probably be the best field, aside from the tournament next week, World Golf Championship. So it is, in my opinion, the last real chance to win a biggy. You know what I am saying? There is maybe five or six of those on the regular Tour events. This might be one of them.

DAVID SUTHERLAND: I think the Players Championship, the L.A. Open, I think is always -- you know, Colonial, Memorial, you know, there is -- the Western Open. I don't want to leave anybody out. But those are definitely, I would put those in that category. The AT&T on a good weather year might be that way. But lately, I mean, you know, it has just been so awkward lately. I'd say those are probably the tournaments. Aside from obviously the Majors and the World Golf Championships. But those are so much different than these. I don't know if you can compare them.

DAVID SUTHERLAND: Yeah. Field, course, the way -- just the overall tournament. This is easily, in my opinion, the tournament where the players are treated the best. I mean, you just -- it is as nice as I have ever been -- you are not going to get treated any better. If you are complaining this week, you have got a problem, because it is awfully nice to be inside the ropes this week. It is such a great -- golf course is so much fun to play. I really enjoy it. I think a lot of other guys do too. I mean, probably the best conditioned course we play all year long with the exception of maybe just a couple of courses. I have actually made the Sunday here two years in a row, so I'd like to make it three years. I have had a little taste of Sunday here; I would love to have a chance to be there again this year. I will say just for note, I did like it when it was 24 players. I loved that feeling of just 24 guys in a shootout type of thing. It felt different last year as a player with 36 guys -- being 40 guys, it just -- it sort of lacked that sort -- I remember two years ago, I actually had a bad Sunday, didn't make many points, my brother finished fourth here and in the interview they asked me after the tournament if it was comforting to look at the leaderboard and see that my brother was in the fourth place. I said, no, it was comforting looking at the leader board knowing there is only 24 guys playing.

DAVID SUTHERLAND: Yeah. (laughs). I am going to have a good week.

DAVID SUTHERLAND: I just know from my own experience, I didn't play it back when it was -- I played just once back in 1991 and I missed the cut. It was just two days. I like keeping your points quite honestly. I think it is kind of unfair to a guy that -- I know -- if I was sitting at 30 points right now I'd like to keep them. I think that is just -- you know -- it gets a little bit on to the sort of made for TV kind of style when it -- you eliminate all those points and it is just zero points. I mean, my personal standpoint, I sure liked it when it was 24 guys. I would say that even if I was tied for 30th after tomorrow I made the cut, I would still say I think I liked it when it was 24 guys. But I am not running the show and I don't -- I just -- I don't want to --

DAVID SUTHERLAND: I played awfully good the front 9. I birdied 11, 12, 14 and I mean, I 360'ed it on 10 and lipped it out on 13. I couldn't have had a better chance to birdie all six holes -- then I bogeyed 16 with a 3-putt, that hole is just unbelievably hard right now, with the pin where it is. Then I make my eagle on 17 and that is kind of what I am getting at. I was already at 22 points right then and I am at 21 now. I just got that -- I birdied the second hole, still playing well then I just -- I made a little hiccup in the middle of the round there on 3 and 4. I lost four points, then I birdied -- then I made one more point from there and --

DAVID SUTHERLAND: 4. Hit it in the back bunker, pin was in an awkward spot, hit it up to 30 feet, 3-putted. Just kills you this week to make double bogeys. It is a such a difference than making a bogey. Hit a 4-iron went right over the cup to three feet. It darn near went in. That is sort of the scoop. But I mean, in all fairness, I think by the end of the day I think what I am third place now? I think I will probably be in 8th or 9th place by the end of the day. Scores are going to get pretty good. I won't be surprised to see somebody in the high 20s maybe even 30s by the end of the day. You never know. You look at a guy like Davis Love or he hits the ball so far and he is sitting at 14. We will see. I am happy where I am at, though. I thought I'd warm you up for Tiger and Duval later on today.

DAVID SUTHERLAND: You bet, guys.