Q. Are you happy with the way your season has progressed this year?
COREY PAVIN: No. I would have loved to have played a lot better. I have not played the way I wanted to play this year. You know, wherever I am on the money list, I can't tell you, it's probably 150-some or wherever, is not where I want to be. I want to be certainly in the Top 30. I certainly feel I'm capable of being there, if not higher. It's a disappointing year for me definitely. I'd love to play well this week. Is it would help certainly, but it's just a disappointing year, no doubt about it.
Q. Physical or mental reasons do you think?
COREY PAVIN: I'm not sure; probably a little of both. Physically I think I've probably swung the club better than I have for a while, but I haven't taken it to the golf course very well this year. I think that's where maybe some of the mental stuff comes in. It's been a struggle certainly. The last six years have been a struggle. I'm just trying to get my game back where I can get out there and play some good golf. I know I'm certainly capable of playing many rounds like I did today. It's frustrating not to do it every week, shooting at least one round like this. I used to do it all the time and there's no reason why I can't do it now.
It's nice to play a round like this, as I said earlier, just to reaffirm to myself that I am certainly capable of playing like this.
Q. Does that mental boost at all carry over?
COREY PAVIN: I hope so. You know, it should. There's no reason for it not to. I just want to go out there and play relaxed the way I did today and take it one shot at a time and focus on each shot, for what it is, just a shot, and try to execute it and let the ball go where it goes.
Q. Is it harder to relax because of where you are on the money list? Does that kind of play on you a lot?
COREY PAVIN: No, not really the money list. I think what bothers me is just the way I'm playing just from a personal standpoint. If I wasn't exempt next year, certainly it would be a lot more pressure on me, but I have enough pressure on myself for personal reasons to play well, just because I want to play well. You know, where I am on the money list is -- the only reason that's important to me is because it's a way to grade myself relative to everybody else. As I said, it's just a personal thing for me that I want to do well and achieve something that I feel I'm capable of.
Q. Is it hard when you bogey the third hole not to say here we go again?
COREY PAVIN: Sometimes it is. Today it was not. It didn't even phase me at all, which is the frame of mind I need to be in. I made bogey there, and it was like, well, I made bogey and just keep at it, and I birdied the next hole, which certainly helps, but I was fine. It didn't bother me.
Q. Even though you're talking about like a six-year down period in a way in your game, it doesn't seem like your personal standards have dropped any. Do you still expect to play as well as you did when you were on top? Is that fair to say?
COREY PAVIN: I think that's pretty fair. I think, you know, maybe three years into not playing well, maybe that was not fair of myself to put that kind of pressure on myself, but as I said, I know I'm capable of playing like I did today. I've worked very hard to get my game in shape and I've done a lot of things besides just practicing, working with Dick Coop and when I'm home working hard on a lot of different things, but to try to get my game where I know it is can be, so I don't feel like my expectations are out of reach. They might be high, but they're certainly not out of reach. That's one thing, I never try to have goals that are unattainable because then you set yourself up for disappointment and that doesn't work well with your confidence.
Q. You talked about the fact that you came in and just played well and wasn't really thinking anything, didn't look at the leader board, didn't know where your partner or playing competitor was for the first nine holes. Why is it so hard to get to that point every week or every day?
COREY PAVIN: Well, I think some of it is bad habits. I've gotten into some bad habits of watching the leader board or thinking what the cut line is going to be, just bad things to think about. You know, too goal-oriented for a specific round. You know, I think when I was playing my best golf, if I was going into the last round and thought 67 will do it for me today and I'll win, it's a little different then because I'm confident, I feel great. It's a lot easier to think that before the round, but actually when I'm playing, I still don't think that way. I still would watch the board and try to just stay on top.
But I guess what I'm saying is that when like today not knowing what my playing partners were doing specifically, and really I kind of knew what I was shooting but I didn't really care, you know, I didn't -- if I was 3-under, whatever, if I was 4-under, whatever, if I was 2-over, whatever, I wanted to keep playing one shot at a time and that's the frame of mind I want to be in. It's just easier to play that way. There's no pressure, I'm not applying pressure to myself from within, and that's just -- you talk about being in a zone or you talk about -- I've always felt like I'm in a shell when I'm playing my best golf, that other things don't bother me or I don't hear things or I don't see things, just things don't bother me, and that's where I like to be is in that shell where my golf game is what I'm totally focused on on the golf course, and especially when I'm hitting my shots and executing. I want to be totally focused on that.
Does that answer your question? It was a long-winded answer to your little question.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: One or two more questions? I think that's it. Thanks.
End of FastScripts....
