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CHRYSLER CLASSIC OF GREENSBORO

October 16, 2004

Matt Gogel

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

CHRIS REIMER: 11-under, got to be happy with the day. Put a good score up and then kind of wait to see what happens the rest of the day.

MATT GOGEL: Yeah, well, I obviously needed the conditions to be like they were today and had to shoot a great round of golf just to kind of get back into it. Because it was so stacked up between 9-under and 4-under. So I'm pleased with how I played. I felt on Thursday and Friday that I've been playing really well and just haven't scored as well as I would have liked. Today I was able to put it together without any bogeys.

CHRIS REIMER: Take some questions for Matt.

Q. How good was this round today for you given the conditions?

MATT GOGEL: It's funny, it's, when the conditions are like this you are going to either do one of two things. You're going to battle it all day or you're going to be able to kind of zone it out. And obviously the wind was blowing and very strong at times, 25 miles an hour. But there was some times when you get in kind of in the trees back there on the front nine especially that you didn't feel the wind.

So I got off to a great start and first three holes I had birdie looks at all had chances, they all touched the lip and I made three pars. So I knew I just had to kind of stay patient and I had one kind of goofy hole, that was the fifth hole that I made a par on. Other than that, I think I hit just probably 16 greens in regulation, maybe 17 or so. And really capitalized on all the chances I had.

Q. Kind of on a nice run at the end of the season. Do you look at last week as just a case of -- I mean, you played three solid round yet didn't make the cut. Is it kind of easier to put that behind you, I guess, because you did so well today?

MATT GOGEL: Well, I played well in Las Vegas every year and obviously last week I didn't. But this is my last event of the year, this was my last event last year. I think I finished third here. So I'm just looking for tomorrow to go out and just, it's been a long year, it hasn't been my best year on TOUR by far. And statistically I've had my best year on TOUR in five years. But I'm the worst position on the Money List that I've ever been. So go figure. But what I know is that since may I've played really well. I've had some chances where a good final round or a good third round and I would have had a chance to win the golf tournament. I know Hartford I finished two shots out of the playoff and missed putts on three out of the last four holes. And PGA Championship I was 8-under par with five holes left and 9-under par was the playoff. So that's how close I've been. And I would like to think that my game is certainly going in the direction that I want it.

I believe it is. So tomorrow it would be a kind of a great story to kind of go out with a, it would be my last event of the year and go out with a win. And fully anticipate being close enough to do that.

Q. Is that kind of an advantage, knowing, hey, this is it for the year?

MATT GOGEL: Yeah, I think so. The way I look at it, I have two or three advantages. One is I'm not battling any Money List situation at the top 125 or 150 and certainly not the top 30 even if I won. So that's one thing. The other thing is I know I'm playing well. And I've had three or four disappointments of in the last four months of finishing off a tournament. So I think I'm due. Golf's a funny game. I could go out tomorrow and be a wreck. But I really fell like I'm playing well enough, driving it well enough that if I put it on green, make a few birdies I'll have a shot at winning.

Q. Why would you decide to end your year here?

MATT GOGEL: Well, I don't play or I didn't grow up on Bermuda greens and I don't play them very well. We only play about five events all year on strictly Bermuda greens. So for me to go down there would be, I would be a basket case. It's been a long year. We're talking mid October now and Halloween is coming up. I live in Kansas City, so we're going to get the snow shovels out, get ready for winter.

Q. Would winning change that at all, I mean do you then have a shot at the TOUR Championship?

MATT GOGEL: If I won tomorrow I would only look at possibly playing at Chrysler, in Tampa. And that would be if I were to threaten the top 40 or maybe even top 30 on the Money List. But I don't anticipate that even with winning. We're planning to baptize our three month old that weekend of Chrysler. So I really look at it tomorrow being the last round of the year.

Q. Obviously the season started off kind of rough for you, was there anything that -- did you make any changes to get it to turn around?

MATT GOGEL: I did. I switched irons basically in May and I've been searching for pretty much since my win at Pebble Beach in 2002. So it's been awhile to kind of get the right equipment in my bag, so to speak. I felt like since then I have -- my worst statistic basically on my stats is my greens in regulation, but that's because the first four months of the year were just horrific. And since that time I'm probably averaging around more like 67 percent of the greens, which would comfortably rank me in the top 75 or so on the TOUR. So that's probably -- my putting is my strength of my game. My driving has gotten better over the years. The only really weakness was my irons. And so now I'm putting the ball on the green a little more often, you're going to make some, with my putting, you're going to make more putts and score better.

Q. Did you change equipment after Pebble Beach?

MATT GOGEL: I did. Three times.

Q. Soon after?

MATT GOGEL: Not soon after, probably four or five months later. I've kind of been looking for a certain look of an iron for quite some time. And it's kind of amazing I've even played well knowing that the stuff I had wasn't what I really wanted. I switched three different companies four different companies, so it's not been one particular thing, but I now have the fit that I want.

Q. What do you play now?

MATT GOGEL: I play TaylorMade irons.

Q. Those are the ones you put in in May?

MATT GOGEL: Yes.

Q. What do these guys want to find out down the stretch here but obviously you would like it to be as difficult as possible but the guys coming in what are they going to face?

MATT GOGEL: Right. Well 13 and 15 you're going to have two reachable par-5s. So they should make birdies there and 14 is playing down wind so that will be another opportunity. But 16, 17 are very very difficult par's a great score on both. I had a good drive on 16, hit 3-iron in and then hit 2-iron in to 17. So I think those three holes, and then of course 18 with that left-to-right wind, that's kind of a challenging drive because everything kind of kicks towards the bunker with that back pin. That's another, it's a fairly difficult hole. So I think the last three holes you're going to see some movement whoever can par those three will probably be leading.

Q. Did you hit driver, 7-iron on 9?

MATT GOGEL: I saw -- he's obviously in the group in front of us and we walked over to the tee and I seen him at an at a position on a hole that I thought, well, man, I'm either hitting in the bunker or had to layout. But that might be his drive. And then so it was his drive. What did he make on the hole?

Q. Birdied it?

MATT GOGEL: So did I, so screw him.

End of FastScripts.

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