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BUICK INVITATIONAL


January 26, 2006


Jesper Parnevik


LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to thank Jesper Parnevik for coming by and spending a few minutes with us. The round of the day so far on the South Course with a 5 under 67. If we can get you to comment on the round.

JESPER PARNEVIK: Well, any time you shoot under par on the South Course, you're very happy. 5 under is a good score there because the wind got up on the back nine, and they made that course into a monster is what I think, especially with the rough they have.

JOHN BUSH: Take us through the card with a birdie on 1.

JESPER PARNEVIK: I hit a driver and wedge to about six feet on 1.

No. 4, I hit driver, 7 iron to about 25 feet.

Par 5, hit driver, 3 wood on the green and two putted from about 60 feet.

No. 9, driver, 3 wood just short of the green and chipped it up to about five feet.

Bogey on 10, 3 wood, sand wedge and I three putted from about 30 feet.

11, I hit a 4 iron in the left bunker, pitched it out to about six feet and missed the putt.

14, I hit driver, 9 iron to three feet.

17, I hit 3 wood, 8 iron to two feet.

18, I hit driver, 3 wood to about 20 feet.

Q. Why do you say the course is a monster?

JESPER PARNEVIK: I mean, take a hole like 15, in the past you could actually play it safe and hit a 3 iron off that tee and hit a 6 , 7 iron in there. Now you're pretty much forced to hit driver, otherwise it's going to be too tough of a second shot.

That hole now plays with no wind probably 5 or 6 iron, which as narrow as that fairway is, I mean, that's probably one of the tougher holes out there, especially with that nasty ravine on the left side and the rough and the tree on the right side. It's probably going to be a deciding hole. If you can hit that fairway you'll have a shot in there. If you miss it, you'll pretty much have to lay up.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: It was the weirdest thing. I came to Hawaii actually we had a lot of friends over for Christmas and New Year's and we had a blast, a little bit too much fun maybe, so my game was not really there actually. I mean, it was one of those things I just went to Hawaii and was hoping I was going to find something.

I tried a new driver on Monday morning, and I was just going to check out if I could hit it low. That one swing and everything clicked. It was amazing. I hit two shots with that driver, then I went back to my irons and I told Ron Graham from Wilson I've been very disappointed with playing in the wind on the West Coast, and that was within a two minute span where I had no clue where the ball was going until I went, wow, I recognize that feeling, and I went out and shot 63 in the Pro Am in probably a 50 mile per hour wind. Then I didn't putt very well at the tournament, but it felt solid.

And coming to Bob Hope, I was looking forward to that, putted awful the first few rounds. I putted well last year I would say. It was kind of strange. And then everything just clicked with three birdies on the last three holes on the third round and then 62, 67 to follow that up, and now I'm pretty much just free wheeling it.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: Yeah, that's how weird this game is. You can go from pretty much having no clue and searching really hard where the ball is going to go, where I just made two swings, and it's like I got it now.

Q. When is the last time you felt

JESPER PARNEVIK: It's been a few years I'd have to say where it feels that comfortable, especially with the irons. I'm back now hitting a lot of shots within three, four, five, six feet, and for a while there, you know, like last year I was putting well, but I was ranked pretty much last in birdies, greens in reg, which meant that I had 20 , 25 footers all the time, which is a huge difference. When you can get within that 10 foot range it opens up the chance for a lot of birdies.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: I wanted to hit the new Titleist driver actually. It's one of those things where it was really windy so I was going to check it out and see if I can hit one of those low burners left to right, and I went, wow, that worked, and I hit one more, and I felt the swing I made on them, it was just one of those wild experiences. I mean, that's the way I used to play.

I mean, it clicked with the irons and everything from there on in. I have to say on a course like this, though, on a few shots I still have pretty wild driver swings going because like on 18 you just have to rip it as hard as you can, and I look probably more like Fred Astaire more than anything else when I swing. It doesn't look like Sunday last week when I really let it go. I wasn't really in balance, but the ball went down the middle.

Q. Talk about struggling last year and taking some time off.

JESPER PARNEVIK: It wasn't bad, it was just very disappointing because like I said, last week, in this game you can put in the hours, you can do everything you think is right, and nothing is happening. It can actually get a lot worse.

You know, sometimes it works playing through it. I had a stretch four or five years ago that I decided I'm going to keep on playing until I win, and I went 10 in a row and then I collapsed. So last year I just said heck with it, I'm going to surrender, and I gave in. The game got me. I was trying so hard but didn't win. I gave up pretty much not gave up, but I decided I was going to take a break and see what happens.

I got back and started playing well again.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: I mean, the one part was the British Open I would say because that's a tournament I love to play. Still, it just felt like I probably was going to go there and be frustrated for a couple days, probably go home. I just said I'll take a couple months off and see what happens.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: No. Many years ago I went to see him a couple times, yes.

Q. How much time off did you take?

JESPER PARNEVIK: I didn't play as all for two months pretty much. So it was good.

Q. When did you stop flipping the brim of your hat up?

JESPER PARNEVIK: It was last year. I mean, I had it up forever, and I had LASIK surgery a few years ago, and I started noticing especially on the West Coast that when the sun is out and it was getting bright it was bothering my eyes. The doctor told me maybe you should start wearing sunglasses when you play, and I tried that and couldn't really do that. So I decided to flip the hat down again.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: We'll see, as long as it works. I had those pink pants a few years ago that made me a few million, so hopefully it's going to do the same thing.

Q. Are you superstitious?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Not really. Well, I think all golfers are. Tell me one golfer that's not. I change coins every time they don't go in or anything like that, but not in a really freaky way, no. But just like most golfers.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: Oh, some of those will stick in your head for sure. No, that was a great movie. I thought it was probably one of the better movies I've seen.

Q. What do you think about Tiger buying a house in Jupiter?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Yeah, I haven't talked to him about it. I don't know if it's official or obviously if he's paid for it. I have no idea.

Q. (Inaudible).

JESPER PARNEVIK: Wow. Yeah, I don't know. I haven't talked to him about it. But I'm sure he's going to have a great time if it happens. What he's looking for, he loves boating and all that, so it should be a perfect spot for him.

JOHN BUSH: Thank you, Jesper. Nice playing.

End of FastScripts.

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