WGC ANDERSEN CONSULTING MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 27, 2000

Darren Clarke

DARREN CLARKE: I've come over here quite a few times and haven't played that well. So to come over and play as well as I have done in match play, it's fantastic. To play as solid as I did today against Tiger, the best player in the world, it's a great feeling at the moment.

DARREN CLARKE: Definitely. I've had the potential these past few years, but never actually finished jobs off and what have you. A lot of opportunities to win tournaments slip through my fingers. But today, I think I was 11-under par for the whole play. And I played very solid and hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, which was going to be tough to beat. To play as well as that under the circumstances today, against the best player in the world, is certainly very gratifying.

DARREN CLARKE: Of course anytime to win a tournament is fantastic, but to play against Tiger, No. 1 player in the world, and to come out on top, it's a great feeling. And the 64 best players in the world were here this week. And to come out No. 1, it's great.

DARREN CLARKE: I don't know, I didn't set any goals at the start of the week. I just wanted to come and play as well as I could, and probably get through two or three rounds would have been pretty good.

DARREN CLARKE: I'm going -- you're getting back to my workout in the gym again.

DARREN CLARKE: Put it this way, I didn't want to walk back down the hill again to lunchtime to go down and walk back up. I walked far enough. I managed to do not too bad.

DARREN CLARKE: It was better than that, because Dunhill Cup is not there. My record at Dunhill Cup is pretty good, as well.

DARREN CLARKE: I don't know. But obviously the standards are so much different, so much better in match play and the professional ranks than an amateur. I grew up with it in playing that format, and now I think I've got back to that level of comfort, playing match play again, that I had as an amateur.

DARREN CLARKE: Consistently, yes. I can play pretty good whenever I'm on. But I'd say, day in and day out, this week has been very good.

DARREN CLARKE: To birdie the next four out of five.

DARREN CLARKE: Most definitely. It doesn't get to this level without good reason. I was expecting Tiger to do a couple of special things and have a go at me. 4-up, by no means, I wasn't taking that as -- I wasn't relaxing any.

DARREN CLARKE: Not really. It was -- what was he? 3-down at that stage? He tried to play it. He had to try to get it close, because I wasn't making any worse than five. He had to try to get it close to get back in the game again. And he tried to flop it out very softly, because hardly any green to work with. When you play that type of shot, there's always a risk that you're going to leave it in there. Things like that happen, especially in match play.

DARREN CLARKE: You probably know the stats better than I would. I don't know. I wasn't trying to, anyway. (Laughter.) I think I missed 15 this morning. I was just off the edge of it.

DARREN CLARKE: Yes.

DARREN CLARKE: Not really, I just lost my -- when Tiger holed the putt this morning, he holed it out, about 25-footer. I struggled for the rest of my back nine this morning, but fortunately I got it back this afternoon.

DARREN CLARKE: To be perfectly honest with you, I think Tiger's length was to my benefit this week, because he was able to reach the par-5s easier than I was. But it gave me an opportunity to be hitting into the greens first, into the par-4s. And because my iron play was pretty strong, I was hitting the ball close. So as soon as I got it in there close, that resulted on pressure in Tiger to get it back inside or as close as. So I think his length actually helped me.

DARREN CLARKE: Yes, I was expecting Tiger to come out pretty hot this afternoon, and I just wanted to make sure that I didn't let him get away from me.

DARREN CLARKE: Not particularly, no. Not at all. I was playing every bit as well as Tiger was this morning. So all square was probably a decent result.

DARREN CLARKE: No, not at all. Not at all.

DARREN CLARKE: Spend it (laughter.) I won't keep it for too long. My wife won't, anyway. I don't know. But as regards to that, no, I was here with the world ranking points and Order of Merit points, and all that type of stuff. That's what I was thinking of. The money is only a result of how well I play.

DARREN CLARKE: What are you trying to get at? Are you trying to say I've a fat gut? Is that what you're trying to say?

DARREN CLARKE: Yes, yes, and yes. I think I have to get in better shape. I've been lax over the winter, and I'm going to get onto a program and get myself into pretty good shape. I was surprised actually at how strong I felt this afternoon. I didn't think I'd feel as well as I did. I was okay today. I got away with it once. And if and when the position arises again, in the last round of a major, I'd like to be in a little better shape.

DARREN CLARKE: He was messing. It was all right, though, fine. He was messing with me.

DARREN CLARKE: I said: "Are we playing medal?"

DARREN CLARKE: For me to play this well, this is so weird for me to play this well early in the season. I've never done this before. And over the winter, I kept hitting balls and playing and practicing, and doing all that sort of stuff. It's a fantastic way to start the season with a win against the best player in the world. To move up in the world ranks, to lead the Order of Merit, there's so many things that will drive me on even more. It's a great boost for me.

DARREN CLARKE: Pretty messed up, because I was trying to get too technical, trying to hit the ball perfect all the time, and that's not achievable.

DARREN CLARKE: No, it was -- you mean between myself and my opposition --.

DARREN CLARKE: Oh, no, not at all.

DARREN CLARKE: No, not at all.

DARREN CLARKE: I don't know yet. I'm just off the golf course, so I don't know. I haven't had time to think or do anything yet.

DARREN CLARKE: I don't know. He was standing over with Tiger and after about half an hour, I said: "I'm okay, Butch. I don't need anything. I'm fine." He was obviously taking a look, just keeping an eye on us.

DARREN CLARKE: Yes, he did.

DARREN CLARKE: 15, 20 minutes, whatever.

DARREN CLARKE: Yeah, that's what he does most of the time.

DARREN CLARKE: It's always good to have --.

DARREN CLARKE: Yeah, especially coming from somebody with Butch's stature.

DARREN CLARKE: Hopefully. I'm not that old yet. I'm only 31, so I'm not that bad. But hopefully this will be a stepping-stone for me now, and I can go on and improve.

DARREN CLARKE: Playing well. If I play well, then all the rest of the things come along, and that's what's happened this week.

DARREN CLARKE: Yes.

DARREN CLARKE: I played just as well, and he hit too many shots.

DARREN CLARKE: I told him to go and get whatever -- go and get lost.

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