SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 15, 2004

Jesper Parnevik

JOHN BUSH: Thanks for coming by, 5-under par 65, great start. If we could get you to comment on your round.

JESPER PARNEVIK: I played very solid. I've been working really hard the last two months. Actually, all last year. I felt very comfortable coming into this week. You know, I have a clue where the golf ball is going for a change. I haven't really had a clue for last two years. It's nice to be able to hit shots and trust it.

You know, I don't know, it's just big change. I feel like I'm just back to where I was a few years ago.

Q. How did you get there?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Just worked very hard. Actually, I stole a little bit of practice tip from Vijay. I don't know if you've been watching Vijay hit balls all year, with the stick. I did my own version of it. I just put a big basket behind there and kept hitting because it felt like when I got my hip problem, that I started collapsing the left side; so my club starting getting way stuck inside, and just having the basket there makes me keep the club in front of me all the time.

So I've just been hitting thousands and thousands of balls that way. I'm hitting a nice cut now again.

Q. How many times did you hit the basket?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Oh, in the beginning, very often. But now, I feel good with it.

Q. Do you still use it?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Oh, yeah. I used it on the range here, as well. You know, I haven't really asked him why he did it. I just picked it up. I said, he's done that all year, finished first. So I'd better try something like that.

Q. Did your confidence ever just go haywire last year?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Oh, yeah. I would say the worst was probably Ryder Cup, you know, last fall.

Q. In the previous, '02?

JESPER PARNEVIK: I was playing so bad. And Sam kind of held me off for a while. I actually told him, "I'm playing really shitty," so you don't have to pick me, put me in the lineup. But there I am, I have no idea where the ball was going. I was putting terrible.

To be thrown with Tiger in the last group in the last day, I just said, "Wow, this could be over after ten holes." (Laughter). You know what I mean. I just fought for my life there and I pulled off a tie somehow. I have no idea how I did that.

But that was pretty much how I felt pretty much all last year. Even though the game felt better sometimes, you know. But it was never consistent enough to give me any confidence because I would hit three great shots, and then one would go off flying and I would have no clue why I did it.

Q. You had a good week at Greensboro toward the end of last year.

JESPER PARNEVIK: Yeah, good finish there.

Q. Is it too early to suggest that maybe you could play your way into the Ryder Cup contention again or are you trying not to think about that?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Of course I want to. I've played the last three; so I definitely want to be part of it again. That's one of the highlights of the year. I'm pretty far back on the World Rankings now, and that would pretty much the way that I would qualify.

But if I win, I would say a couple of times, I should qualify for the Ryder Cup.

Q. Do you feel like your game is where it would need to be to that?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Oh, definitely. But then, you have a little bit of the confident issue, as well. I'm feeling pretty confident now, but it's not really 100% yet because you still have some doubts from when you played bad for a couple of years. It's pretty hard to be 100% confident straightaway. It's getting there, definitely.

Q. First clothing question of the year. Have you always worn wristbands?

JESPER PARNEVIK: End of last year I did, yeah.

Q. And that's for?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Nice look.

Q. Sweat not an issue?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Not really.

Q. And also, what's up with Upper Deck; is that gone?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Oh, yeah. That was gone. That was only one year last year.

Q. Rest of you looks great, by the way.

JESPER PARNEVIK: Thanks.

Q. Disappointed in Charlie leaving?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Of course. Yeah, I mean he was great for Lindeberg and all that, but I would say they could really not keep going on that level, you know, endorsement-wise. They would rather spread it out a little bit and focus more on fashion shows and things like that. They had a big show last weekend in Milan. And for them, they felt it benefits them more to do like Fashion Week in New York and things like that than have a lot of players on TOUR.

Q. What do you make of Michelle Wie, a 72?

JESPER PARNEVIK: That was actually my first goal today was to beat her. (Laughter.) Because that's something you would hear forever.

One thing is Annika. I'm sure when she played Colonial that was somebody on everybody's mind that, you know, I want to beat Annika, which I did there luckily. But if a 14-year-old girl could kick your ass, then -- (Laughter.) I would to say that's 100 times more impressive than Annika playing Colonial, for her to shoot 72 here.

Q. Just because she's so much younger you mean?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Well, she's 14. I mean, I think I was still about a 10 handicap or 12 handicap when I was 14. And even when I was 20, you know, playing in my first -- well, I guess I was invited to the Swedish, Scandinavian Masters then, and I was really nervous playing then and I was 20, 21. For her to come in here and not even be bothered by it is amazing.

I've heard so much about her, that I am amazed. But at the same time, I'm not because I've talked to her caddie this week and he just said she's probably as good as Tiger was when he was 14, which is amazing. Not on the women's side but just if you compare it.

I doubt there's any junior in the world right now that could beat her.

Q. Men?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Men or women. For anyone, any college kid to come up and shoot, not shoot 80 or whatever under these kind of circumstances is impressive. For her to do it, I was amazed. She was under par for a while today?

Q. On the leaderboard briefly.

JESPER PARNEVIK: I don't know what to say.

Q. Do you think, though, when you talk about the pressure, there was three months of buildup for Annika, she was the first and here you've got a 14-year-old who probably is not a proven commodity like Annika is; that's playing a course that's in her backyard.

JESPER PARNEVIK: No, I mean, I've played practice rounds with Annika. So I knew, she told me, "I'm peaking right now, I've been training for this and I'm on my peak right now, playing great." So I was not surprised that she was actually playing fairly well.

But for Michelle to just come out here, she probably could have shot even par, I'm sure. It's amazing. If she would happen to make the cut tomorrow, I think it's probably one of the biggest sports miracles in sports, period. I don't know if you agree, but that would be hard to explain.

Q. How would you compare the tracks, Colonial, Waialae; similar, one tougher than the other?

JESPER PARNEVIK: I mean, I think Colonial was very good for Annika because the way it's setup there, where we don't hit many drives. We might hit two drives per 18 holes because of all of the cross ravines and all that. It's a good track, very tight, probably shortest playing course we play all year. And the greens were soft that week so everything was set up for her perfectly.

I guess Michelle plays here a lot. And the thing is with her, it seems like distance is not an issue. I hear she can kill it off the tee. I wish I could play with her, but I mean, I'm just amazed. Very impressed.

Q. Are you working with anybody?

JESPER PARNEVIK: Not right now, no. I worked a little bit with Lead last year. Tried to come back. But the last four, five months, pretty much on my own.

Q. And you bring your basket with you everywhere?

JESPER PARNEVIK: I just grab one on the range.

JOHN BUSH: Thanks for coming by.

End of FastScripts.