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OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE PRO-AM

February 25, 2006

Mark James

LUTZ, FLORIDA

DAVE SENKO: Mark, maybe just get us started, you picked up five shots today. You're at 7 under going into tomorrow, and it looks like you'll be tied for the lead, at least with Mark McNulty right now, depending on what Hale does at 18. Maybe just talk about your day.

MARK JAMES: Today I picked up six shots on the field, one shot penalty

DAVE SENKO: From yesterday, you shot 70 yesterday.

MARK JAMES: Yeah, I struck it well. It's only my second event and last week I was pretty pathetic. So, yeah, it's a lot better. Holed a few putts as well. I hit a few chips and chips coming back and swinging well, so it was encouraging today.

Q. How much have you been where were you able to practice, were you just practicing at home?

MARK JAMES: I practiced once in December and once this January and then I stepped it up in February, but it was still cold. But I probably practiced most days running up to last week. I felt very rusty. Fortunately, coming back this week, I feel a lot better. I've been playing better since I got here.

DAVE SENKO: Birdies starting at No. 3. Driver, 7 iron.

MARK JAMES: Driver, 7 iron to ten feet and holed the putt.

4, I hit 3 wood to ten feet and holed that.

10, driver, 8 iron to about three feet and holed that.

11, I 3 putted from about 40 feet. 12, the par 5, I hit driver, 3 wood, just off the left edge and chipped up to about 11 feet and holed that. 16, I hit driver, wedge to about six feet. I hit it over 18, I left it short. Good finish with that 4. Anyway, I can't remember one of them.

Q. Have you had a chance to go up against Mark McNulty a lot in Europe over the years?

MARK JAMES: I don't remember going up against him head to head, no. But actually in those days through most of our careers, the courses didn't suit both of us because when Mark played well most of the time in Europe, he used to be a brilliant short hitter, but incredibly straight. I'm longer but I think he's a more all around player. When I was doing well, I was a lot straighter, but my iron play wasn't as well. So we played well on different courses, now so we've sort of converged I would say. But most of our careers in Europe, we would do well on different courses.

Q. Can you talk about all that you went through, and I don't mean to talk about all that, but earlier in the decade with your health issues and to come back and be able to be doing this, everybody talks about the Champions Tour being a second chance, but for you it must be even doubly so with what you went through.

MARK JAMES: Yeah, it's a great tour, it really is a great tour. It's great to see so many old friends and make new ones. The players have been brilliant over here. And I know how hard many of the players on this tour have worked for this tour, so it's a great opportunity for me to come over here.

Yeah, I think regardless of illness it, would have been great, but that's probably made it better because, you know, you sort of when I came back out, I was pretty weak for about 18 months. I was sort of struggling my last year on tour and I had gone three years doing badly. So then to come out here and feel that I'm doing reasonably well, it is a thrill.

Q. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think two years ago, you won in Naples

MARK JAMES: Last year.

Q. Last year, right. So do you feel like maybe you didn't get enough preparation? Normally a person goes back and plays pretty well

MARK JAMES: I'm sorry, missed the last bit of that.

Q. Normally the person plays pretty well the next year at a tournament he's won the year before. Did you have to prepare?

MARK JAMES: I practiced as much as I could at home and I came over on Monday, so I had an extra day; I normally come Tuesdays to start on Friday. So I had three full days.

I don't know, things just didn't drop into place. And a lot can happen at that time of year. I was rusty, no question about that. But also, I think it's one of those weeks where things did go badly wrong. If I hit a bad shot, it was really dead and things went badly. I let it slip out and it was a bit of everything. Some weeks you just try and it's not going to happen. It's one of those weeks, as well as being pretty rusty.

Q. And have you ever heard of Ronde Barber before yesterday and did you follow American football?

MARK JAMES: I used to follow it fairly closely in the 80s, particularly the Dolphins and the Redskins, and of course Marino I thought was brilliant. The programs changed to different channels in the 90s and I sort of lost track. It used to be one program a week on for two hours showing highlights and giving information and I could keep up with that. When it started becoming four hour programs and different channels, I lost track. I've lost track quite a lot. I'm definitely a Bucs fan now.

Q. Did you know him before yesterday?

MARK JAMES: I had not heard of him, no. My knowledge of American football is limited as regards current players. I knew a few 15 years ago, very few now. I'll be watching from now on. He's a good guy, a really nice guy to play with, good fun.

Q. How impressed are you with Loren Roberts' start this year?

MARK JAMES: I'm impressed, Loren is such a solid player, he's one of those guys who got a little longer as they got older, too, which makes them more of a threat. So I know he's going to carry on doing well. And, yes, I'm very impressed.

Q. Would Europeans know who he is?

MARK JAMES: Oh, yeah. It's amazing the numbers he shoots from where he hits it no, I'm sorry, that was a quote from Stephen Ames. (Laughter).

Q. Is there anything about tomorrow, you know, just do whatever you have to do or are you excited about being in this position?

MARK JAMES: Yeah, I am. I didn't expect it coming into this week, playing so poorly last week. Even yesterday, I finished off quite poorly and was struggling a bit. Today, you know, it's going to be harder tomorrow but it's going to be colder and definitely I'm much better at 80 and above. It will be harder for me tomorrow because of the cold. But it shouldn't be so cold as to be really tough.

End of FastScripts.

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