BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 6, 2002

Grant Waite

MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us for a few minutes. Obviously, not the start you wanted, but looks like you bounced back pretty well, still are in pretty good position going into the weekend.

GRANT WAITE: Yeah. I was playing so well yesterday, I would have liked to get off to a pretty good start today and get into the rhythm. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

I hit a bad tee shot on No. 11 and made bogey, then 3-putted No. 12. 2-over after three. My mindset shifted a little bit: "Okay, let's be a little more conservative for a few holes, get a few pars, maybe make a long putt for birdie," just to settle the round down so it doesn't compound any more errors. I managed to do that for three or four holes.

15, poor tee shot to the left, hit my second shot from the rough, rolled over the green into the bunker, pitched it out of the bunker about 10 feet, made the putt for par, which that was the moment that my round changed or turned around for me.

I then birdied 16 and 17. I had settled down by then. That putt was a very key putt for me, just to keep my round going.

I birdied 16. I hit driver, 7-iron, par 5. Hit it 15, 16 feet underneath the hole. Left my putt right in the middle short about a foot.

I birdied 17 where I hit 6-iron six feet past the hole.

I birdied No. 1. I hit driver, three-quarter 9-iron, little off a 9-iron, for about five feet. Made that.

Just parred all the way around.

No. 9, I hit driver, 4-iron on the front edge, 2-putted for birdie.

Probably the most significant thing that happened was making the par putt on 15. If I missed that, 3-over for the day, your round is starting to get away from you.

It's a different score today. Yesterday was 64, today obviously 70. But I feel about as pleased today as I did yesterday because I grinded out the score today. It could have gotten away from me. I managed to salvage it to now where I'm in good position going into the weekend.

MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You and Frank both have been up there in a tournament outside of New Zealand?

GRANT WAITE: Yeah, a few times. Frank is a good friend of mine. I've known him for a long time. He was kind of the leader of New Zealand golf for a number of years. Bob Charles is still the most famous golfer to come out of New Zealand, but Frank carried the flag for a long time. He was good.

He helped me. He's been a good friend. You know, I know he struggled for a few years. But he's back playing well again. I'm very happy for him. He's a competitor that's won a lot of tournaments around the world, so he's very experienced. He's still capable of winning many tournaments on the PGA TOUR. I'm as happy for him as I am for me.

Q. (Inaudible)?

GRANT WAITE: I'll leave that for Frank. The only difference is I think I can get a little more of a vertical leap than he's got.

Q. Course playing any different today?

GRANT WAITE: Yeah. It's just firming up each day. Yesterday I couldn't believe when we got out there how different it played from Tuesday and Wednesday. You know, I was interviewed before the tournament started. They were asking me about what I thought of the golf course. "Is it too easy?" Like a lot of the players are saying, I never thought it was. I think this is not an easy golf course. You have to get the ball in play, position your irons around. You're not going to hit it close a number of times. You're going to have to make a lot of longer putts. If you miss the green, you have some difficult chip shots.

As the week has gone on, the course is playing progressively firmer and therefore is playing more difficult. The key to stopping PGA TOUR players, and it doesn't matter the length of the golf course, doesn't have to be long rough, but if it's thick like it is here, you get firm conditions where you cannot get at the pin, that will slow them down every time.

I don't know the comments of Stephen Ames, Richard Zokol, a few others, said it was easy, I don't know where that came from. I don't know how they played the first day. Interesting to talk to them now and see what they think.

How did they play? Did they play any good?

Q. (Inaudible).

GRANT WAITE: They didn't? Golfing gods are always listening. You never tempt them. I try not to (laughter).

Q. How many alarm clocks went off today?

GRANT WAITE: Oh, if I get asked that question one more time...

I actually had two, plus my wife called me just to make sure, I think. We'll count that as three.

Q. (Inaudible)?

GRANT WAITE: From Orlando. Oh, man. No one's asking about the tournament I won, they're just asking me about the alarm clock that didn't go off. That's funny.

Q. How many clocks did your wife set?

GRANT WAITE: She has two kids at home that will wake her up. No worry about alarm clocks.

MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us.

GRANT WAITE: You're welcome.

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