SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

April 26, 2003

Trevor Immelman

TODD BUDNICK: We thank Trevor for joining us today 7-under, 65 currently tied for the clubhouse lead at 13-under. Why don't we start by talking about your bogey-free round today. Nice round of golf.

TREVOR IMMELMAN: It was a real solid round of golf. I didn't hit it in too much trouble, and when I did, I managed to get away with a par. It was a nice solid round, you know, with not too many highs and lows, just kind of even keeled out there.

TODD BUDNICK: You have made three cuts out of 5 events here in the States this year. Need a third-place finish or better for the special temporary membership. Is that why you are playing over here in the states, something you are shooting for?

TREVOR IMMELMAN: Yeah, obviously, you know, it is a goal of mine to come over here and be able to play over here on the U.S. tour. I always wanted to. Came over and played a lot of junior and amateur golf growing up. I am not putting too much pressure on myself. I am an exempt player over in Europe. I really enjoy playing over there, but I am just going to take it as it comes and play as much as I can over here.

TODD BUDNICK: Questions.

Q. Some of your few turns here recently seemed that you ran very hot and cold and shot really low, and you talked today about kind of an even keeled round. Why do you think that was and why do you think you tended to --

TREVOR IMMELMAN: December of last year, I put a lot of work into my game and spent -- my coach came over, and we spent the whole month really working on my game and got off to a great start in January. I won one, two tournaments and finished second twice. I think those two months took a lot out of me. I was really shooting to try and make the top 50 in the world to get into the match played and the Masters, and THE PLAYERS and all of those sorts of things and kind of once I had done that, I was, you know -- I didn't have much left.

I got to Bay Hill, made a great start to the tournament and made an 8 and 9 on the second day, which was really only two bad shots. Since then, things have been moving a little slowly, you know, put a little more work into it and I could kind of feel it coming slowly. Last week I saw signs of it coming back, and I just felt comfortable coming here this week.

Q. The first round today -- I mean, first round of this tournament, you were kind -- were on a birdie spree, kind of fell back again. I wondered, at that point you had any oh -no -here-we-go-again-type of thing, or how did you turn it back around?

TREVOR IMMELMAN: You try not to think like that out on the course. I got off to a great start making five birdies in a row there on Thursday. Then on the back, things slowed down a little bit. I hit two bad shots and didn't get it up-and-down, so those were two of the bogeys, then a 3-putt.

I made three bogeys coming in which slowed me down. I knew it was kind of on its way back; started seeing the shots that I like to see and the way I like to see the ball fly. I knew I had to just kind of hang in there and stay positive.

Q. What is your schedule? Obviously, it could change if you get the special exemption. What are you thinking right now?

TREVOR IMMELMAN: Well, as we speak here I got a week off and then supposed to head back to Europe for three events over there, come back for the Memorial and the U.S. Open. Before heading back over there and playing some around the British Open and then coming back here for the World Golf events and stuff like that so I am going to be kind of back and forth all year long. As you say, if I had to pull something out of the bag tomorrow, it may change a little bit, but that's how it looks right now.

Q. You are committed to Europe for the next few weeks after this or --

TREVOR IMMELMAN: I am hoping to get into the Wachovia Championship. I think that's what they are calling it. And then I would stay here, play that and go to Europe for two and then come back for the Memorial. I don't find out until Monday whether I am in that tournament so that's why I am not sure yet.

Q. What is your mindset now for tomorrow given the position you are in, you are -- you may or may not be in the lead when you go to bed tonight....

TREVOR IMMELMAN: I don't think I will be in the lead when I go to bed tonight. I will be very surprised if it doesn't get to 15 or 16. We got perfect weather out there. The greens are rolling nicely and the course is, you know, there waiting for birdies. I am sure the leaders are going to or the guys in the last few groups are going to get it to 15 or 16, so I am going to need to go out there and shoot another round like this, I believe, to really have a shot at winning this tournament. It's definitely going to be the same thought process as what I went in today, just try and shoot as low as I can.

Q. You said you managed to stay out of trouble today. Was that by design or were you playing conservatively or do you --

TREVOR IMMELMAN: I just played my normal game, I definitely wouldn't play conservatively. I was just trying to hit the shots that I normally like to hit and today they started coming off. I started seeing the ball go where I was wanting it to go and you know, then you can start getting more and more aggressive on certain shots. So that was a nice feeling because that's a feeling I haven't had in the last six or seven weeks.

TODD BUDNICK: Birdie on No. 2. Let us walk through your card.

TREVOR IMMELMAN: I didn't get off to the start I wanted. Obviously No. 1 was downwind and reachable so that was a little disappointing not to make a 4 there.

No. 2 I hit a drive and a wedge to about eight feet, made a birdie.

4 I missed a 3-footer for birdie so that was a little disappointing.

Next hole 9-iron to about eight feet to make birdie.

The 9th I hit a driver and 3-wood just right of the green, chipped and putted.

10 was a driver and a sand wedge to about ten feet.

12, again reachable par 5s, the shot slipped there.

Then 13 hit a 7-iron to about five feet.

14, driver wedge to about ten feet.

Then 15 a driver and 3-iron just on the front right of the green, chipped and putted.

Then I mean, 16 I missed from eight feet; 17 from twelve feet and then 2-putted on 18. There weren't many times when I was struggling for par which was nice. I always kind of had a chance of making a birdie.

Q. You really could have gone lower if the putts were falling?

TREVOR IMMELMAN: You never complain about a 65, but I have missed a 3-footer and three or four, you know, ten feet and unders, so you make some and you miss some.

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