FBR OPEN

February 1, 2004

Jonathan Kaye

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jonathan, for joining us for a few minutes. Congratulations on being the champion of the 2004 FBR Open. It was an emotional, fun, exciting day out there. Why don't you just share with us your emotions right now with your second PGA TOUR title.

JONATHAN KAYE: This one feels a little better than the first one. It's kind of hard to believe, but it's just nice being in front of friends and family and getting to share it with them.

Q. Does the second one bring double the validation that the first win brought? Now you're a two-time winner on Tour?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah, it does. Everybody out here is trying to win, and I was fortunate enough to get some of the bounces this week that made a difference. I'm just ecstatic to be on top.

Q. Yesterday after the round you said it's just golf, it's not life or death, but at any point, especially at the end, did it become a little more than just golf?

JONATHAN KAYE: You know, it didn't for me. I try to keep things pretty mellow, as far as putting pressure on myself. I hit all the shots that I needed to today, and Chris played awesome and just had one bad shot at the same time on 16 and kind of opened the door for me.

Q. Your grandfather, he's here squirming?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yes, he is. He's recuperating from a fall that he had in Hawaii right after the Mercedes Championship and had to have surgery, his left leg.

Q. He had it there?

JONATHAN KAYE: Had surgery in Hawaii and just got back on Monday this week.

Q. Where is he watching it?

JONATHAN KAYE: At home I'm sure convalescing in his bed.

Q. Probably hurt his other leg?

JONATHAN KAYE: Might have.

Q. What is his name?

JONATHAN KAYE: Jerry Kaye.

Q. Did you feel the fan backing kind of start swinging your way as you were coming down the stretch?

JONATHAN KAYE: A little bit, kind of when Phil made a couple bogeys they kind of started pulling for me, it seemed like. I wasn't paying much attention, I've got to admit, but it was nice to have their support.

Q. Can you describe the walk up the 18th fairway and what's going through your mind?

JONATHAN KAYE: Well, unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy that walk too much because I was still worried about Chris pouring that putt in and me potentially three putting it. I was pretty focused and trying not to get too far ahead of myself, but it was a good feeling, goosebumps on top of goosebumps.

Q. Your tee shot on 12, after Chris knocked it in there pretty close and then you put it up there and knocked in the birdie, how important was that at that point?

JONATHAN KAYE: That was a big hole for me. That hole has given me fits over the years, so for me to -- let alone make a birdie, but just get it on the green I was happy back there. He hit a great shot in there. Everybody in the group hit a great shot there. Phil didn't make his, but Chris and I did, and that kind of got me going, because I believe I was even par for the day until that point, and then I finally got a little momentum on the back.

Q. Did you almost feel like you had to birdie every hole coming down the stretch?

JONATHAN KAYE: It seemed like it, playing with Chris. What did he birdie, five or six in a row?

Q. Six in a row.

JONATHAN KAYE: Unfortunately, he pulled the wrong club on 16, and that's kind of all it took there.

Q. Jonathan, given your age and your statistics, what took you so long to reach this point where you have a couple Tour wins?

JONATHAN KAYE: You know, that's a hard question. I don't know. I think just getting acclimated to travel and knowing the golf courses and knowing where to fly into, when to fly, when to get there, a lot of things that don't seem that important that kind of consume your time if you don't do it properly.

Q. Once you get between the lines out there, aren't you able to put all that behind you?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah, I am. For me, it's very peaceful to be on the golf course. I feel comfortable playing, and it's just kind of my sanctuary.

Q. Chris said that you might have gotten a read off of his 9-iron at 16. Did you hit a different club because of what happened to him? Were you going to hit 9?

JONATHAN KAYE: No, I hit 9 to -- I hit it -- I swung about as hard as I could swing at it. I didn't hit it as good as I can hit it, but I hit it just good enough to get it on the green.

Q. Chris was pretty hot after the hole with the bogey, and also there was emotion from the fans. Do you feel like he was treated any more unfairly or differently than anybody else on that hole?

JONATHAN KAYE: I don't know. I didn't see everybody else and how they were treated. I didn't even notice the fans giving him a hard time. I know he got stuck on a downslope there in the bunker, and that's a pretty difficult position to be in. He hit a pretty good shot, just tried to hit it into the bank and pop it up, but just missed the bank and it kind of skimmed on by, but I thought the fans were great all week.

Q. Jonathan, obviously you played brilliant coming down the stretch, but really the front nine you didn't play too brilliant, but you made a lot of great saves out there. You'll look at it maybe tomorrow and see it a little bit different --

JONATHAN KAYE: I saw it. I was like, do you know this is only the second green I've hit on 9? Actually I hit a couple more than that, but it seemed like every shot I hit was kind of mis-hit. I wasn't hitting it solid. My tempo was a little off, and I -- hitting that shot into 9, hitting one good shot finally settled me down, and I kind of cruised with that tempo that I used on that swing.

Q. Chris mentioned how he really sort of enjoyed how you guys were feeding off each other, you were reacting to each other. For all of us, the drama going on, is it a fun kind of thing that was happening?

JONATHAN KAYE: It was. Chris just started pouring putts in and giving the fist pump, and I kind of looked over like, man, you're holing it good. Then trying to take care of my business and roll it in on top of him. I think it happened three times -- four times. I mean, he played great. He had a few bad breaks, as well.

Q. Do you feel like this is kind of a breakthrough tournament for you?

JONATHAN KAYE: I hope so. I don't know. I guess only time will tell.

Q. What does this evening look like for you?

JONATHAN KAYE: It's looking like I'm going to go watch the Super Bowl and hang out with some friends and probably have a party.

Q. At home?

JONATHAN KAYE: Definitely at home.

Q. In central Phoenix? You realize if this keeps up you'll have to move to a gated community?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah.

Q. Jonathan, can we go over your bogey and your five birdies?

JONATHAN KAYE: Sure. I bogeyed No. 2. I had 148 yards to the pin. I was just trying to chip a 9-iron out of the rough and flew a little bit and I pushed it into the bunker. Hit a pretty good bunker shot and missed about a 8-, 10-footer for par. That was my only bogey.

Birdied 9, had 163 to the pin and hit a good 8-iron to about six feet, made that.

Birdied 12, the par 3, made about a 10-footer, hit a 4-iron from 221, I believe it was.

13, I got a nice break. I pulled my drive a little bit, it went through the desert, ended up perfect in the middle of the fairway and hit a 4-iron up on the green, tried to make an eagle and got a little aggressive, knocked it by about nine feet, and this was a big putt, made that one coming back.

Q. How long was your first putt?

JONATHAN KAYE: Probably 45 feet roughly.

14, I hit a good drive. Chris hit -- I think he hit first and hit a 4-iron in to pin high, and I hit an 8-iron in. I had 168 and I was feeling a little adrenaline rush there. I didn't want to hit the 7. I crushed an 8-iron, pin high perfect, and then Chris made his and then I made mine. That was pretty fun.

Then 15, we both laid up, and he hit it on the left side, I hit it on the right side, he made his putt, I made mine. It was about a nine-footer from the fringe. I guess that's it. Those were all my birdies.

Q. How many people were here today would you figure you're on a first-name basis with?

JONATHAN KAYE: Probably 500.

Q. And those are obviously everything from --

JONATHAN KAYE: Friends and family, exactly.

Q. Everybody pretty much in that 500, how many live in town?

JONATHAN KAYE: Not too many out-of-town-ers. Most of them are all local or friends of friends of friends of friends. The list goes on.

Q. Is your caddie from here, too?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yes.

Q. I heard a lot of "Go Rich, Go Rich"?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah, he's a local boy, born and raised here.

Q. What's Rich's last name?

JONATHAN KAYE: Caniglia.

Q. When did you move here?

JONATHAN KAYE: When did I move here? I guess I was in second grade. Went to high school here and grade school and then college in Colorado.

Q. You played here Monday, too, correct?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yes, Monday Pro-Am.

Q. Wednesday Pro-Am?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yes, I did.

Q. How did an Arizona kid get past Arizona State and Arizona being as good a golfer as you are?

JONATHAN KAYE: I wasn't good enough, I guess. I don't know. They didn't recruit me.

Q. They didn't recruit you at all?

JONATHAN KAYE: No.

Q. Was that kind of the dream, you wanted to stay home?

JONATHAN KAYE: Golf wasn't really on my mind at that point. I ended up going to the University of Colorado and walking on the golf team there and played most of my career.

Q. Where did you play your golf here growing up?

JONATHAN KAYE: In Encanto.

Q. What was that experience like?

JONATHAN KAYE: It's great. It's the public golf course. I grew up playing all the public courses around town, so I know a lot of people from there, and I'm sure some of them were out here today.

Q. Mr. 58.

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah.

Q. Was it 13 birdies?

JONATHAN KAYE: 12.

Q. It was a par 70?

JONATHAN KAYE: It is, but eight in a row to finish.

Q. Some guys, when they win, like to stay hot and play. Are you going to play next week?

JONATHAN KAYE: No, I'm not. I've been on four weeks. I need a little time off. I'll be out for San Diego.

Q. You also caddied for a win, didn't you?

JONATHAN KAYE: I did. My wife won the wives' tournament. I don't even know what to say about that. They won by four or three shots in a scramble. It was fun.

Q. Kind of unfair, though, huh?

JONATHAN KAYE: Kind of, but you can pretty much buy the title. With unlimited mulligans, if you keep buying mulligans you're bound to make one. It's all for charity.

Q. She's played just one or two years?

JONATHAN KAYE: She played for five years and then decided that it wasn't for her.

Q. And some of those were actually the same years that she was caddying for you?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah, she did a little bit of both for a couple years.

Q. Which would have been '98, '99?

JONATHAN KAYE: Yeah. I think she quit in '99.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Jonathan, and congratulations.

End of FastScripts.