BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 30, 2003

Stephen Ames

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Good round today, 67, which puts you as a co-leader going into tomorrow as of right now.

If you could talk about your round a little bit today, and then we'll take some questions and go through your hole-by-hole scores today.

STEPHEN AMES: Let's see. I started off with a bogey and then made one birdie on the back nine, which is the 15th hole, the other par 5.

As the day went on, I was struggling. On the first nine holes, I struggled with the putter. Then the front side, the greens are a little different, not as much nap. I was not hitting the ball as well as I did the first day -- the difference is I made some putts and I shot 31 on the back nine.

Q. Obviously another good round today. You talked yesterday about wanting to improve your putting. Can you talk about both the struggles you had on the front nine and how you turned it around on the back nine.

STEPHEN AMES: I think the biggest thing was the fact that there was a lot more nap on these back nine greens compared to the front nine greens. On the front nine, I started taking the nap out, just hitting a little firmer and the balls started going in a lot quicker, because the nap was not affecting it as much. That made the biggest difference there.

The hardest thing out here is just be patient. You know you've got to make birdies. You know you can't force the situation. And what I did was just stayed patient. Didn't play well on the front nine, didn't make any birdies. And then I made one birdie and said, "Let's just be patient on these last nine and see what happens."

That's the reason I shot 31 on my back nine.

Q. When you are at the top of the leaderboard, are you having any thoughts before you begin your second round that might be a little different than if you are somewhere in the middle?

STEPHEN AMES: No. Because it's only the second day; we've got three days to go. It's a long ways still to go.

I think now that I am where I am, I'm sure the scores will be a lot lower. I won't be leading at the end of the day. I'm sure somebody will go past that. We've got three days to go.

The main thing is to enjoy the weather that we are having and be very patient, because you know you still have three days to go and the birdies are going to come. You've just got to let it happen rather than trying to make it happen.

Q. Is it tough to stay patient when you're struggling like you were on the front nine and knowing that you need to make birdies?

STEPHEN AMES: Oh, definitely it is, without a doubt. I think that's where the mind strength comes in. You're hitting the ball well, you're putting well, nothing is wrong with your stroke, don't fidget with it. Just be patient and keep reading the greens like you've been doing well all week, and just wait for it to happen and it started happening.

On my first hole, I hit it three feet - my first hole, which is my 10th - and made that.

Then I made a good par on the next, and then I made birdie on the next hole, the another birdie on the par 3.

Then made a great shot out of the trap on the fifth and made birdie.

My only hiccup on the front nine was that I had sand wedge in my hand on the sixth hole, and then on the seventh hole I chunked it a bit and made bogey on that.

Then I came back with an eagle on the eighth. But you don't know when it's going to happen. So you just have to be patient and keep playing golf - which is what I did on the front nine.

Q. Are the conditions better than in your hometown in Canada?

STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, I think it's about 10 or 11 below now; so I'm quite happy to be here right now, yes.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about the eagle on 8? How mentally or emotionally uplifting is that after struggling through a round?

STEPHEN AMES: Well, I was a little pissed off at myself because I made bogey with a sand wedge in my hands on the previous hole. I knew it was a par 5 coming up and I hit it down the middle of the fairway.

I had 241 to the hole and it was 225 to carry the trap on the left for me, so I knew a 2-iron was out of reach. So I had to hit a high cut 3-wood just to be able to stop the green and I hit the shot how I wanted it. It finished just on the back fringe, pin-high right.

Then I read the putt perfectly and it went in the middle of the hole. It was a good bonus because I made bogey on the previous hole, so I was quite happy with the way it happened.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could go over the rest of your holes real quick, just as far as the clubs you hit and the yardages.

You started out on the back side; No. 11 you had a bogey.

STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, 11, that was a 3-putt there for me. I just didn't read the green properly there. It was very steep going up the hill and into the green and I left myself about a 5-foot putt for par and missed it there.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Came back with a birdie on 14.

STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, I hit driver, 6-iron about ten feet there. I had a 10-footer for eagle and misread it, didn't read it right and missed that putt.

The hole previous to that, I had about six feet and missed that for birdie.

From then, I just kept playing well. I didn't have more than maybe 20 feet outside of the hole after that as the day went on. It was a good ball-striking. I was quite happy with the way I hit it.

1, I hit 2-iron off the tee and then an 8-iron. I had 144 to the hole, hit an 8-iron about three feet.

Then I hit 3-wood on the third and a wedge about 15 feet right of the hole, putting up the hill and I made that.

The par 3, I hit 8-iron about ten feet, putting up the hill again.

The par 5, I hit driver, 4-iron which didn't quite get to the front edge of the green. It was actually in the trap. I hit a great bunker shot about 3 1/2 feet.

The eighth hole, I hit driver, 3-wood just over the back edge of the green there. I had like 241, 242 to the hole and I hit it pin-high right about 35 feet and made that putt for birdie.

I had to take a little off the 2-iron, so I hit 3-wood.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks very much. Good luck the rest of the week.

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