BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 5, 2002

Ian Leggatt

MODERATOR: We'd like to thank you for coming by the interview room. 3-under par 69 today, couple bogeys coming in. General comments on how you felt you played today.

IAN LEGGATT: I played well today. I hit the ball as good as I've hit it probably in the last three months. I kept it in play other than those two holes I made bogey on. I had an opportunity to shoot 6 -, 7 -, 8-under-par today. I rolled it over the edge. Really only made one putt over about five feet out there. Could have had a really good score today.

MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Can you talk about the tee shots that went awry on 14, 15.

IAN LEGGATT: They were actually both good shots. The one on 14, I aimed it at the left bunker, tried to cut it back into the fairway. It just didn't quite cut. It hit just into the edge of the rough, rolled back, got under the lip of the bunker. Had to pitch out onto the fairway.

On 16, I actually hit a good drive. As soon as I hit it, I didn't even watch it. I thought it was perfect. It ended up actually plugging up under the lip of the bunker. The ball goes another yard or two, rolls all the way to the bottom of the hill, I have an iron into that green. Just a couple bad breaks really.

Q. After the birdie at 14, did you happen to catch the leaderboard with your name on top of it?

IAN LEGGATT: No. It's so early, I just kind of was plugging along. I was playing well. With the new venue, you really don't know what the scoring is going to be like. I was playing good, just wasn't paying too much attention to it.

Q. How important is it to get off to a good start as a Canadian? Is it the kind of thing where you're better off creeping up through the leaderboard through the week? You'd rather have a chance at it early kind of thing?

IAN LEGGATT: Obviously, you don't want to be putting yourself in a position, you know, where you don't have a chance to win the tournament on Sunday. Getting off to a decent start is very important, especially here. You don't really know what the scoring is going to be like.

It looks like now the scoring is no different here than it ever is at any other Canadian Open, at Glen Abbey or Royal Montreal. 6-under is probably leading the first round there, or lower maybe at Glen Abbey.

Your goal is to try to play somewhat conservative, not take too many risks. I'm a pretty aggressive player. You want to make sure you don't do any damage so you actually have a chance on the weekend.

Q. Considering the two bogeys on the back, how badly did you want that chip on 18 to close out your round?

IAN LEGGATT: The putt I hit on 17 I thought was going in, too. The chip on 18, I don't know how either one of those missed. It was an extremely difficult up and down. I was a little disappointed it didn't go in, but I was also pretty happy to get it up and down.

Q. There were some pros saying the course looked like it was setting up too easy. How did it measure up to your standards after having played it today?

IAN LEGGATT: Well, the more I play it, the more I'm actually liking it. It sort of almost favors my game a little bit. I'm a left-to-right player. Some of the tougher holes actually go left to right. I feel more comfortable than playing Glen Abbey here because I had a lot of trouble focusing and aiming there.

You have to drive it in the fairway here. It's plain and simple. If you don't, you're going to make bogeys. Even though the fairways are a little bit wide, it's windy out there, which I think is bringing the scores not as low as you might think they could be. Everybody is saying how wide the fairways are. You still have to drive it in the fairway no matter how wide it is.

It's still a difficult golf course with the rough.

Q. Looking at the pin location, Vijay was saying he thought some of the pins on ups and downs were almost unreachable today. Would you agree with that?

IAN LEGGATT: The pins were difficult?

Q. Yes.

IAN LEGGATT: I didn't find them that difficult. Obviously, you're going to get some difficult ones, maybe short-sided himself a couple times. That's the penalty you're going to pay.

I didn't think they were ridiculous. Absolutely not.

MODERATOR: Let's go through your round, starting with the birdie on 1.

IAN LEGGATT: I hit a driver. Thought I was in the fairway. Ended in the first cut. Hit a three-quarter wedge to about three inches. That kind of got me going.

Got on 2, hit an 8-iron about eight feet, rolled it right over the edge of the hole. Thought I made it.

Then the next hole, I hit 3-wood, lob wedge to about 25, 30 feet, made that one. That was actually quite nice.

MODERATOR: Birdie on No. 9.

IAN LEGGATT: Birdie on 9 was a driver, 3-wood to about 25 feet, rolled it just over the front of the edge and just tapped in for birdie there.

MODERATOR: Birdie on 11.

IAN LEGGATT: I can't think of 11. Oh, yeah, 11 was a driver. I hit it right down the middle of the fairway, hit a pitching wedge to five feet, made that for birdie.

MODERATOR: 14.

IAN LEGGATT: 14 was a driver and a 7-iron to, I don't know, about 10 or 12 feet for birdie -- eagle, rather. I thought I just left that one hanging on the edge, as well.

MODERATOR: Two bogeys.

IAN LEGGATT: Two bogeys. Driver, just got up under the lip. Had to pitch out. Hit a sand wedge not very good to about 25 feet. Almost made that for par.

Next hole was a driver under the lip, a lob wedge out into the fairway, a 3-wood into the right bunker out to about 15, 18 feet, missed it. Made bogey there.

Q. (Inaudible)?

IAN LEGGATT: How many times? The fairways are getting firm. I didn't really hit that many today. I'm trying to think. I hit one, two. I hit four on the Front 9. On the Back 9 I hit one, two, three, four, five. Nine drivers.

MODERATOR: Ian, nice start. Good luck the rest of the week.

IAN LEGGATT: Thank you.

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