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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 11, 2004

Rory Sabbatini

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

JOE CHEMYCZ: Six birdies, 6 under par 66 for you today. Obviously, you played very, very, very well. Maybe talk about your day and how you tamed the golf course.

RORY SABBATINI: Well, pretty much all I really focused on doing out there was just keeping myself concentrating on each shot at a time and not getting ahead of myself and not leaving myself to lose focus out there. If you do that, this course will bite you pretty fast. Just making sure I put the ball on the greens and worked from there.

JOE CHEMYCZ: That's easier said than done.

RORY SABBATINI: Yeah, definitely. You know yesterday was my first look at it and we kind of, after going through the round, my caddie and I just looked at each other and said, well, there's no point in playing safe because there is no place to play it safe; so we just went at the flags. We went in with the approach of being aggressive and going at the flags and hoping it would pay off for us.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Obviously it did today. You hit 17 greens.

RORY SABBATINI: Yeah, you know a couple of times I missed the fairway and stuff like that, I didn't put myself in any positions that weren't easily to recover out of. I was pretty happy with my course management. And in general with everything, I just kept everything very constant, very consistent through the round.

Q. Talk about the way they set the course up. Obviously they could have set it harder if they wanted to.

RORY SABBATINI: Yeah, I think they skipped on like six holes putting flags on the slopes. But other than that, yeah, they could make this course as tough as they want it to be.

In all fairness to the players, you go put speed bumps on the fourth turn at Indy, I don't think so. You don't go there to watch wipe outs. You go there to watch people win. If they want someone who is actually going to win this tournament through true golfing ability, they have to make it playable so that good shots are rewarded, bad shots are penalized and it's still playable.

Q. Do you expect it to be set up more difficult as the week goes on and you guys are a little more comfortable with it?

RORY SABBATINI: I'm quite comfortable with as it is. I don't think they need to set it any harder. (Laughs).

We were lucky this morning with regards to the weather conditions. The wind didn't pick up till probably the last six or seven holes, but, you know, I think the course with no wind, with no inclement weather at all, you know, is tough enough. I don't foresee them trying to make it any tougher because, you know, weather conditions permitting, I think it's as tough as we want it to be right now.

Q. Beginning of the week, people were talking about how difficult the golf course was. Based on what you saw, was a 66, 67s, was that a likely score, because we weren't hearing that in the practice round and the Pro Am?

RORY SABBATINI: I wouldn't say it's a likely score. I'd say you'll probably find a half dozen of them through the tournament of 66s, 67s, half a dozen to a dozen of them at most. It's a score that's a great score out there but very simply, I didn't expect to shoot it. I wouldn't have expected to shoot it. I'm actually still surprised I shot it. The course is tough. There's no way around it. It's in some circumstances very excessive in its penalization of shots.

But, you know, if you can just very simply keep your head on you out there and not lose it, you're going to accomplish something right there.

Q. How long have you had the RV and just talk about traveling around in that.

RORY SABBATINI: We've been traveling around like that for about eight months now, since the U.S. Open last year.

Just did it because we had a kid on the way and it just it's a lot more comfortable it's a lot more comfortable for my wife and myself, especially with our little guy on board. We have all of the amenities of home on there and it's a lot easier not having to unpack and repack stuff. It makes it a lot easier in general for us as a family.

But personally in regard to golf, I think it's probably been one of the best things I've done. It allows me the ability instead of going to a hotel room and just sitting on the bed and doing nothing, I can go and I've got stuff to do on there. It keeps me occupied. It feels more comfortable like I'm at home. So it just alleviates the stress of trafficking.

Q. What type of RV is it?

RORY SABBATINI: I've got a Prevost. It's a Royal.

Q. How big is it? Is it a big one?

RORY SABBATINI: It's a 45 footer. It's as big as they go.

Q. Where you and John and Davis park, do you spend much time together?

RORY SABBATINI: From time to time, yes. More so with John than Davis. Actually, I went over and we were talking to Davis last night. It's one of those things that as a group, the guys are very friendly, and a lot of times, we all just sit around the grill whatever when we are all parked in the same area. I think it improves a little bit of the camaraderie between some of the players.

Q. Is there anyone else that has it on TOUR?

RORY SABBATINI: To my understanding there's somewhere between 20 and 25 guys that are doing it now.

Q. But here, is there anyone?

RORY SABBATINI: There's Esteban Toledo, Marco Dawson, Davis, myself and I'm sure there's probably two or three other guys.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Craig Bowden.

RORY SABBATINI: So yeah, there's two or three other guys.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Take us through your birdies. I'd say birdies and bogeys, but just your birdies starting with the one on 6, the par 5.

RORY SABBATINI: Drove it in the fairway. Hit the 3 wood up about probably 20 yards short of the green. Chipped it up to about 3 1/2 feet and made the putt.

8, I hit 5 iron to about four feet and made the putt there.

10, 3 wood in the fairway. Hit sand wedge to about 12 feet.

12, driver into the right rough, 5 wood into the fairway, sand wedge to about three feet.

13, driver, left rough. I hit 9 iron to about ten feet, 12 feet.

17, I hit driver, fairway, 5 iron on the green about 20 feet and 2 putted.

Q. Was 18 the only green you missed? You were aggressive there, too, weren't you?

RORY SABBATINI: No, actually I hit a good shot. I kind of miscalculated the wind a little bit and just hit it pin high right.

Q. Any big saves?

RORY SABBATINI: The only hole I got into trouble at all today was 14. I drove it in the fairway bunker hit a 7 iron on the green.

Q. What will your attitude be going into tomorrow having played this round?

RORY SABBATINI: Same thing. You know, it's a course that it's kind of an oxymoron. You have to be aggressive, and yet accept the fact that you can't lose your head out there and that you are going to get bad breaks.

The only probably safe shot I hit on whole day was 18 and I missed the green. So it's kind of like, you know, just kind of went along with the idea that you've just got to go at the flags. They are not it's not that they are not accessible, they are, but the simple fact that you've just got to accept that if you don't hit it perfect, you are probably going to get a bad result.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Thanks, Rory.

End of FastScripts.

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