MERCEDES CHAMPIONSHIPS

January 9, 2003

Gene Sauers

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Gene Sauers, 8-under 65 today.

Hawaii, you must like this state, don't you?

GENE SAUERS: Yeah, I do. My last win was in '89 here. I kind of grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where Bermuda grass was all I played on. I'm kind of used to all that grain.

TODD BUDNICK: Must be happy with the 65 to start the year off.

GENE SAUERS: You know, I played well today. Chris and I both kind of fed off of each other. I was kind of kidding around with him out there, "When are you going to let me have the tee?" We kind of went back and forth. He had it mostly on the front; I had it on the back.

I hit a lot of good shots, a lot of good putts. I made the putts I needed to make. Just had one bogey. That was on the par 3, No. 8. Other than that, I played solid. I'm happy to be in the situation that I'm in right now.

TODD BUDNICK: How did you prep for the beginning of the year? Did you take a lot of time off?

GENE SAUERS: I probably took a little too much time off. I didn't play a whole time off. Did a bit of fishing, went down to the Bahamas, with my oldest son, caught his first white marlin. That was nice to see. I played a little bit just to kind of keep in tune. I didn't want to come over here and feel like it was a broomstick or rake in my hand.

I came over here Saturday night, did a lot of practicing on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. That helped a lot.

TODD BUDNICK: Does a day like today surprise you without having put in a lot of prep time?

GENE SAUERS: I think it's surprising me a little bit. I just stayed focus, hit one shot after another. I just believed in myself. You start doubting yourself, "Don't hit it over here, over there," just pick at your target, swing at it. If you hit it, great; if not, go on from there. I hit most of my targets today. I'm pleased about that.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll take some questions.

Q. From Sunday to today, some very varying conditions. Was today the way you would like to see the course play through the weekend?

GENE SAUERS: Well, that would be nice, but I don't think that's going to happen. I think tomorrow the wind is supposed to pick up a little bit more, I think Saturday and Sunday the front is coming through, it's really going to blow.

I'm a good wind player, but when it comes down to putting, that's another story. I have a tendency -- I played the British Open back at St. Andrews, '95, whenever that was. I think I shot 79 the last day. I think I hit almost every green. I think I had seven or eight 3-putts. Into the wind, when it's really blowing that hard, I have a hard time putting. But hopefully that won't happen this week. I'll just go on and do the best I can.

Q. Was this your first competitive round in Hawaii since your exemption ran out at the Sony?

GENE SAUERS: My first competitive round?

Q. In Hawaii since the Sony exemption ran out.

GENE SAUERS: Yes, it is.

Q. Chris was saying when he came out of college, gets on the Nike Tour, sees you, he's a little bit intimidated by guys like Gene Sauers, past champions of the PGA TOUR, guys that are established. How do you feel playing against all these flat bellies here?

GENE SAUERS: It's tough. Like you say, coming out of college, they're all hungry, they're all fired up, ready to play. Like Charles Howell, perfect example. He's a great player. Actually he's from my home state, from Augusta, Charles. You know, they're all hungry. They've got just great, great swings. You know, it's tough.

Being 40 years old, I don't really feel 40, I feel like I'm about 34, 35, my wife keeps me young.

You know, sometimes I feel intimidated, you know, maybe getting paired with somebody like maybe an Ernie Els or something like that. I'm at a loss for words here.

Q. When you talk about them being hungry, where are you at right now, considering where you had been prior to winning in Vancouver? Do you find yourself now with kind of a second lease?

GENE SAUERS: On life?

Q. Just as hungry when you came out or is this all gravy?

GENE SAUERS: No, I think I'm hungrier now. When I first started, I was hungry, then everything kind of went south. Now, like I say, I got a second lease on life. And, yes, I am hungry. I'm going to have to grind harder to try to keep up with these young guys, which is going to be kind of tough, but I think I can do it.

TODD BUDNICK: Do you think the years back to the Nike Tour, playing against those kids, has got you reinvigorated?

GENE SAUERS: That confidence? Yeah. Just being on top of my game out here on the regular tour, going back to the BUY.COM TOUR, Nike Tour, it was hard to swallow. Of course, the purses now are getting up a bit better on the Nationwide Tour it's called now.

You know, it kind of made me feel, "I need to get back out where I belong." The last couple years, I grinded pretty hard, I achieved it. It's great to be back.

Q. Was there ever a point you thought about quitting?

GENE SAUERS: Yeah. Oh, yeah.

Q. When?

GENE SAUERS: About the last two or three years. My wife said, "You can go ahead and quit now, I'll get a job. You'll have to take care of these three boys."

I said, "I don't think so."

So she lit the fire under my butt.

Q. Would you have been here today if it weren't for having the BUY.COM TOUR, the Nationwide Tour, to fall back on and being able to compete out there?

GENE SAUERS: You know, it's hard to say.

TODD BUDNICK: Your wife is shaking her head no.

GENE SAUERS: I probably wouldn't. You're right, I probably wouldn't. You know, I wouldn't have had no place to play. You know, those few years, I wouldn't have no income. I probably wouldn't.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's take a walk through your card. Starting with a birdie on No. 2.

GENE SAUERS: No. 2, I hit a 2-iron. That was probably, say, 15 feet right of the hole. Made birdie there.

3, I hit driver, pitching -- I think I hit sand wedge, birdied there. That was probably about a 20-footer.

The next one, I hit a pitching wedge, driver, pitching wedge, and that was -- I can't remember what that one was. That one was pretty close. I think that was about eight feet, I guess.

Then I missed the par 5, didn't birdie it.

Then the short one down the hill, driver in the right rough, a little pitch sand wedge out to about four feet.

Then I bogeyed 8. I hit a little knock-down 5-iron. Pulled it a little left, made a bad chip. Just made bogey there. I had about a 12-footer coming back for my par.

9, I hit driver too far. Hit it down in the rough. I had an awkward lie. Tried to hit 5-iron out. Barely got it out of the rough. I think it skulled right into the side of the hill, came back out into the fairway. I hit sand wedge in there about a foot, two feet.

What was the next one? 12?

TODD BUDNICK: 12.

GENE SAUERS: 12, I hit a driver, 9-iron, probably 10 feet, left of the hole.

Next one was 14. I hit 3-iron off the tee and pitching wedge in. I was probably about four feet there, five feet.

Then 16, which one is that one there? I hit driver, pitching wedge. That was probably, I'd say, 10 feet, right up the hole, straight putt.

18, I hit driver, 4-wood, and 2-putted, gosh, from 50 feet.

End of FastScripts....