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BUICK CHAMPIONSHIP


June 29, 2006


Scott Verplank


CROMWELL, CONNECTICUT

TODD BUDNICK: Thanks, Scott, for stopping by after a 5 under 66 first round 2006 Buick Championship.

Scott, bogey free today, a nice round out there.

SCOTT VERPLANK: Five birdies and all the rest pars. That's a pretty good that's a good way to add them up.

TODD BUDNICK: This is your eighth time playing this tournament and you didn't have much success early on, but the last two times, '01 and '02, you finished Top 20 and inside the Top 5. What's turned around for you on this course?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, I don't know from 15 years ago. I think I'm just a better player. I drive the ball pretty straight. The golf course, fairways are always super here. If you drive it in the fairway you get a perfect lie. So if you're driving it good you have some scoreable distances with irons because it's not too long.

The course sets up pretty good for my eye. I've enjoyed playing here. This tournament has bounced around dates and a lot of time, most of the time it has been a date that didn't fit very well with either my schedule or what my family was doing. I'm going to work harder to make sure it's still on my schedule coming up, because I enjoy playing here.

TODD BUDNICK: You got off to a great start this year. I know the Ryder Cup, after playing the last round of the Presidents Cup, is on your mind. You're just outside the Ten 10 I think there. Is that something you think about when you're out there?

SCOTT VERPLANK: No. To be honest with you, that's a huge goal of mine, to make that. But the last since Dallas really, most of the year, but since Dallas, I've been struggling with my right shoulder. It's kind of banged up. I've only played twice since then. I've been spending most of my time trying to get it better.

Basically, the reason I was struggling so bad, it was hurting so much, but I messed up the mechanics of my golf swing so I got to hitting the ball crappy, and then it makes it worse when you start doing that, it makes everything worse. So I went and had a couple of cortisone shots, rehab, working out and trying to get my kind of my good golf swing back where I hit the ball pretty straight.

In the last I would say couple of weeks I've been able to kind of turn the corner on that and I'm back to kind of swinging the way I have, where I've been reasonably successful, and things are starting to look better to me. Hopefully that's on the way out of town and I can get back to playing normal.

TODD BUDNICK: I can't remember, how did you hurt your shoulder?

SCOTT VERPLANK: It just started hurting a little bit at the start of the year, actually, and it kind of lingered and got much worse. I had an MRI, and there's just a few swollen pieces in there that were inflamed, and hopefully it takes longer to heal up when you start getting old. You all wouldn't know that. (Laughter).

TODD BUDNICK: Questions?

Q. A lot has been made out of the fact that not a lot of the long ball hitters are up there this week. I see Cory up there. I see you up there. What is your philosophy behind it?

SCOTT VERPLANK: I think, one, you have to hit it pretty straight. The rough is just up enough where you're not going to have control if you're in the rough a lot. I think it's a golf course, if you've played here a few times, you understand how to play the holes. There are places there's little certain places in the fairways some of the fairways are wide, but it doesn't help to be in one half of the fairway depending on the pin placement.

I think since it's not the longest thank God it's not the longest course we play. Thank goodness. A little more premium on having control of your golf ball. A lot of guys that bomb it, not that they don't have control, there's always an advantage to hitting it long, but around here you have to hit it in certain spots to score well.

Q. You say your mechanics were messed up. What have you tried to do?

SCOTT VERPLANK: I just started favoring my shoulder has been hurting so I started favoring it and kind of favoring it with my neck and my upper trap and all that stuff and it just kind of made my swing path a little bit more over and just not very good. I've got it good enough now or healed it up enough now where I'm back to swinging at it normal and hitting it straight again.

Q. The cortisone shot kind of let you do that?

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yes, that helped, and just all the other stuff I've done. It's still I still have a little bit of soreness at times, but at least now when it's sore I can still mechanically operate, whereas a month ago I couldn't.

Q. (No microphone.)

SCOTT VERPLANK: Yes, they work on me every day. They're sick of me. (Laughter).

Q. You say you are going to try to fit this into your schedule. Next year it's the week after the Open.

SCOTT VERPLANK: That's okay. I usually don't play the week before the Open. I just think the way to be real honest with you, the way the schedule is and the way a lot of the golf courses that we're playing have changed, I've got to come to a place like this where you don't have to drive it 350 yards and hack it out of rough up to your knees that only certain guys can do. I can't do that. I have got to take advantage of places like this where it's a more level playing ground for me.

TODD BUDNICK: Your birdies, Scott. No. 1.

SCOTT VERPLANK: 1, I hit a 6 iron in there about 15 feet, made that.

4, I hit 7 iron to about ten feet.

9, I hit pitching wedge to about eight feet, made that.

12, I hit a 5 iron. It was really blowing, 30 miles an hour on that hole, and I hit a nice drive, only 168 to the hole and I hit 5 iron. Usually that goes 190. That's how hard it was. And I hit a great shot, for me. I was really pleased with that shot. My shoulder didn't hurt and I was able to drive it into the wind and all that. That was probably eight feet, and made that.

18, I hit a 7 iron probably 12, 13 feet and made that.

TODD BUDNICK: Thanks.

End of FastScripts.
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