CANON GREATER HARTFORD OPEN

June 30, 2001

Chris DiMarco

CHRIS DIMARCO: You got it.

CHRIS DIMARCO: Yeah, today was again--it was a tough day out there. The wind was blowing and same direction as yesterday which felt like the course played tougher that way. I knew it was just a round to stay patient and then you saw Phil going crazy. Seemed like 10, 11 all of a sudden seven, eight or nine under all of a sudden he was 12, I am like what happened. The holes there I missed about a 5- or 6-footer on nine. Hit a really good putt that didn't go in. Parred 10, 11 and 12 hit the fairway on 13 and I knew that those holes coming in were going to be downwind. This is where we can start making up some shots. Forcing it, hit it like two feet on 13, make birdie. Then drove it just over the green on 15, chipped it up like six inches made birdie. Great up-and-down on 17 or 16 hit it over the green down the slope, putted up to about eight feet behind, made a little downhill slider for par. Made like a 8, 12-footer on 17 and about 10-footer on 18. Finished up strong which was nice.

CHRIS DIMARCO: I stopped pressing once he was done because I knew he wouldn't make anymore birdies. (Laughter) I was glad he ran out of holes today because it looked like if we went around and played 36, it would have been untouchable for everybody. The course is playing hard. When -- in certain spots I know the scores don't seem like it, but you know, I was fortunate to not go crazy on the last six holes and birdied 4 of them. That's pretty much where you can make your birdies is those last holes coming in because you know, drivable par 4, reachable par 5. 17, 18 playing downwind, 9-irons and wedges, so I mean, you just know that they are there, so if you don't get ahead of yourself and don't press somewhere in the middle, do something stupid you know you are going to have some chances coming down the stretch.

CHRIS DIMARCO: Yeah, obviously. I wanted to get up there to where at least somebody is in his rearview mirror a little bit. He had a lot of opportunities to win this year, so I mean, he has got some things he is thinking about out there also. I don't think he is as confident as he was say a year ago in this way. He has let some tournaments go that he knows he should have won. It's going to be a day for him that he has got to prove something for himself. I have played enough this year in the last round to know that I am -- two shots is not that much. So I am going to go out and play good golf. I am not going to really pay attention to what he does. He hits it 40 yards past me, and you know, if the people are going to be screaming, do everything like they always do for Phil, I can just control me and if my score's a little lower than his, then so be it. That's the goal.

CHRIS DIMARCO: 36 in Atlanta this year. Played with him somewhere -- played with him three or four times I can't remember where.

CHRIS DIMARCO: I played with him last round somewhere else too. I forget where it was. Played him some college. We were in college together for two years so,.... Go back a long way.

CHRIS DIMARCO: I was lucky enough last round, there where -- after three holes I had a 5-shot lead, so it is a little different than you know, being two back. You know, all you can really do is take what the course gives you. This course -- certain holes are playing hard. If you give yourselves -- I am putting good so it's just a matter of giving myself some chances. If I get a couple early and get up there, you know, who knows. Certainly not going out there finishing second tomorrow, I can promise you that.

CHRIS DIMARCO: Like I said I have played with Phil so many times, we are friends. It is not like -- so I am certainly not going to be intimidated, that's for sure.