WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 21, 2002

Niclas Fasth

SCOTT CROCKETT: You said yesterday you are getting used to match-play. It appears you are getting more used to it each day.

NICLAS FASTH: Yeah, two matches now and I felt I've done all right out there. Fairly confident going into today since I played good and steady yesterday. Really did start off good today. Played the front nine really good, and I think then at the turn, we both played half-decent. Back nine we both hit some loose shots but I managed to stay ahead all the time and just keep him under pressure. So, it was good enough.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Are conditions different today with the wind?

NICLAS FASTH: Yeah, it was obviously playing a lot harder today. I don't really mind that. I think we may have gotten fooled by the wind a couple of times, but it happened to both me and Vijay, I think. It was fine.

Q. What has been your match-play experience?

NICLAS FASTH: That's none, really. I haven't played in years. I can't even remember when I played the last match-play. I'm not sure I played when I was a pro.

Q. As an amateur?

NICLAS FASTH: Yeah, I'm trying to remember. I'm not sure I played any since I won the Swedish Championships like ten years ago or something. I'm not sure -- I don't think I played any match-play since then. I may be wrong.

Q. You won that Championship?

NICLAS FASTH: Yeah, it was like the Junior -- Swedish Junior Championship.

Q. Paul McGinley was saying he was looking to do well this week to gain in match-play experience before the Ryder Cup. Are you looking to do the same?

NICLAS FASTH: Obviously, it's a great chance to play some match-play against the world's best players here.

I don't expect to get many more chances during the season, so this is great experience, whatever happens here, really. Now I'll get some matches in and get some confidence, too.

Q. The Seve Trophy?

NICLAS FASTH: Oh, yeah, that will be match-play, too. I'm looking forward to that.

Q. There will be a little bit of Ryder Cup edge with your next opponent, Paul Azinger.

NICLAS FASTH: That's right. That will be a preview of the Ryder Cup then, yeah.

I don't think we'll give that a lot of attention tomorrow. But it will be nice. I feel this is a fair course. The best man will win here every day, I think, pretty much. It's full-size. You don't go around playing 2-irons and sand wedges onto the par 4's. It's a full-size course, and with a bit of wind, it's actually not easy at all.

Q. Do you remember what your World Ranking went down to when you didn't have a card on both tours?

NICLAS FASTH: I don't know, I don't have a clue.

Q. Outside a thousand?

NICLAS FASTH: World Ranking doesn't really work when you are that far down. If you are above 200, it will.

Q. How long was the putt that you missed to close him out on 15?

NICLAS FASTH: It was about three feet.

Q. And the one that you closed him out on, how long was that putt?

NICLAS FASTH: Five maybe.

Q. Given your lack of match-play, were you in any way apprehensive coming into this tournament were you worried about playing match-play?

NICLAS FASTH: No, I wasn't worried about playing match-play. I feel I can beat the best players if I play well. I thought it may be a disadvantage not having played it, though. I thought that, yeah. But at the same time, you go out there and play and you could get into it very quickly, or I was hoping to, and that's what happened.

I mean, we had a really good game going yesterday. We didn't have a hole until No. 8 yesterday, me and Campbell. So there's a big match going on there.

Q. Having not played matches, you won't experience the kind of gamesmanship that can go on?

NICLAS FASTH: No, I don't have any experience.

Q. You'd better learn some before the Ryder Cup.

NICLAS FASTH: Yeah. (Laughter.)

Q. What was working for you best today, the putter, driver, irons?

NICLAS FASTH: That's a good question. I nearly knocked in two wedge shots on 4 and 6. So that would be the best experience of the day, obviously. Yeah, did I hit it -- the wedges worked a lot better than unusual for me because that has not been my strong side. So that was the good part of today, I would say.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much.

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