WGC AMERICAN EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 19, 2002

Chris DiMarco

TODD BUDNICK: Welcome Chris DiMarco. Tie for the lead at 5-under 67. Chris, from what some of the earlier golfers have said, the course is in tremendous shape. And with the conditions today, you were able for take advantage of it.

CHRIS DiMARCO: The course is perfect. I was telling somebody out there, it doesn't seem like a European course; it seems like an American course. A lot of guys that play our TOUR feel right at home.

Q. Let's walk through your card. You got off to a fantastic start with three birdies.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Yes, I did. I made about a 25-footer on the first hole.

The second hole, I hit an 8-iron in there to about eight feet, made that.

The third hole, I hit a little 6-iron in there. It was a tough pin to the left, I hit it to about 15 feet, made that.

The one bogey I made, No. 6, I hit a 3-iron short of the green, chipped it up to about four feet, missed the four-footer, just misread it.

The back nine, made a 20-footer on 11. About a 12-footer on 12. And then made about a 5-footer on 14, and that was it.

Q. Again talking about the great start, a nice way to start the day and get your rhythm going.

CHRIS DiMARCO: Without a doubt. Playing with Vijay, I played with him at the NEC, played with him probably seven or eight rounds in the last three months. It was relaxed out there. We had a great time. He made birdies, I made birdies. We fed off each other.

Q. 67, is that as good as it could have been today?

CHRIS DiMARCO: No, I wouldn't say as good as it could have been. I missed that 4-footer. I didn't birdie a par 5, if you shoot 67 without birdieing a par 5 -- I had some good chances on the par 5s and didn't capitalize on the par 5s. A good opening round, 67. I'm been struggling with my first rounds lately, so it's good to get out of the gate here good and fast.

Q. What's the difference between last year and this year, in your mind?

CHRIS DiMARCO: You know, there's not really that much difference. At that point last year, I hadn't won yet. That's the only difference. I won this year.

Golf goes in cycles. Sometimes it's easy to score. Sometimes it's not easy to score. I'm making some mistakes out there I'm not normally making when I'm playing real good. The last two rounds I played, Pennsylvania and this round, I had shot 5 under with no doubles, making a lot of double bogies so that's not thinking real well out there, and to go through two rounds and not really be in any kind of position to make a double is really a good thing.

Q. How did you find the course?

CHRIS DiMARCO: The course is great. The course is perfect. The greens are perfect. The fairways are perfect. The tees are perfect. The rough is up. It's phenomenal; one of the best we've played all year.

Q. Is this your first trip here to Ireland?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Yes, it's my first trip over here.

Q. What about the Ryder Cup next week?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Obviously that would be a lot of fun. It's obviously a very tragic thing that happened last year. The guys on the team deserve to be on the team. They are the ones that got picked last year and made the team on qualifications. I guess Tiger said a really good thing in the paper today, it might not be the best ones playing at the right time, but everyone deserves to be there and it's going to be a very competitive Ryder Cup.

Q. Is it hard for you, usually when you found out you didn't get picked the Monday after the PGA, usually it's only about a month or so, the Ryder Cup happens, it's over and that's it. Now the Ryder Cup has come back again after being postponed last year. Has it been difficult for you to think about that?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Not really. You know, I mean, with what was coming up with the weeks before September 11th, and all that tragedy that happened, it puts everything into perspective about golf. It's still just a game and last year, what happened was life, and everybody was in the States was affected some way, or somebody knew somebody that knew somebody, basically. Obviously I'd like to be there, yes. Am I not there, no, am I disappointed, myself, I'm not disappointed in anybody else. I had a chance to make the team and didn't do it. I didn't feel I was going to be picked anyway, just kind of coming up at the right time, you know. I felt like, you know, he was looking for somebody else, which he was, and the two picks he had, Azinger is a bulldog, and Scott Verplank is right where he needs to be. He's playing really good. I wish I was there. That's all I can see.

Q. Where will you be next week?

CHRIS DiMARCO: I was be in Orlando. I'll be watching it cheering for them.

Q. If you got a phone call on Monday from Curtis saying somebody can't go, would there be any question you would be on the plane?

CHRIS DiMARCO: No, it wouldn't be a question. I might swim over.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you very much, Chris.

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