SEI PENNSYLVANIA CLASSIC

September 15, 2002

Dan Forsman

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome 2002 SEI Pennsylvania Classic Dan Forsman. No better way to win than that.

DAN FORSMAN: You're right, Todd. Thank you. It is an historic day for me. So many reasons, we talked about it yesterday. Shooting 2 over the first round, you know, basically playing with a couple of my playing partners, ironically they both missed the cut at 3 over. They have to be looking at the paper tomorrow and doing a doubletake like most everybody else. I played with this guy and he goes on to win the tournament. It just goes to show you got to make the cut first and go a little on the weekend.

64 was a great round for me yesterday. In my career, it always seems like it's difficult to back up a low round with another low round the following day. So I was aware of that today. I felt the good news. We got a break with the weather. We weren't early. There wasn't a lot of time to think over it. Stew over it, wait and wait. I got to bed at a reasonable hour; got up early and was ready to go. I think that was a big help to me.

I also birdied the 3rd hole, got a par, then I birdied the par-5 fifth hole, knocked it on in 2. I kept keeping pace with the leaders which was a good sign. I turned the front, make a couple of really good saves on 7, 8, and 9; which was huge to keep the momentum on my side. I hadn't made a bogey at that point. Then turned around and birdied the 10th hole which was a strategic hole on the backside, hit it close to make a putt.

Nice save at 11, two putting below the hill. At that point I saw Allenby was 14-under. He looked like he was the guy in control. I know Billy had gotten to 15 and he struggled a little bit on 11 I think. I wasn't paying attention to the board. All I was thinking about was playing one shot at a time put myself in position to make birdies; which I was able to do on the par-5 there on 15. Believe it or not I thought to myself, I remember Paul Azinger holing a bunker shot at Muirfield, Jack's place, I got to be thinking this way to hole this bunker shot. Hit a good shot, made the putt, made birdie. Didn't make the eagle.

Then I played solid coming in, made 2 good shots at 16. 17 hit a great 4 -iron. Little tentative on those putts. Candidly, I was nervous and the putter feels different in those circumstances when you are used to playing day in and day out. My caddy who has been with me for basically 16 years. He told me you're doing great. I said, the putter is feeling different in my hands right now. He said, I know, remember what Jack Nicklaus told us. I had a disasterous 12th hole at the Masters and Jack said, Dan, you got to keep it left there. I said, Jack, I know that, we got to talking, I got into the moment. There was so much pressure. I couldn't feel the golf club. He looked at me and winked and I never forget it as long as I live, he said, it's something. Isn't it? Here's the six-time Masters' guy, the greatest ever, even he has those moments where the club does not feel the same because of the pressure of the moment.

Whether it's the guy throwing a fast ball in the final out of the World Series or a guy shooting a free throw in the NBA Finals, it's all relative. My point is I got to 18, hit it down the left center, had a good shot off the tee in the right rough and then had a good lie and my caddy said -- I wasn't looking at the board, I didn't know where I stood. I felt if I could knock it on the green, maybe make a putt, something crazy could happen, who knows what would happen.

I hit the 3-wood. It got up in the apex, the wind just shifted it over, it landed a little longer. I just kind of kept doing the deep breathing, stay focused, kept thinking okay I am at home playing with my buddies, put it out there, it was going to break two feet right. I thought if I could put it on the left edge of that cup with the right speed, get it going, just tap it, I would have a chance. When I hit the putt I was really happy because it came off good and instinctively when you look up, you judge the speed of the ball, okay, that looks good. I had a sense in my heart that it was going to be a good putt.

From that moment on, it's really been kind of a blank. I went in the scorer's tent. He said, you know what the situation is. If he doesn't birdie it you win the golf tournament. So he elected to sit there, go over my card six times. I waited in the press room. I was trying to keep myself mentally prepared to play in a playoff. The reason I did that, I remember the Kapalua tournament about ten years ago, I hit it closest to the hole, the 18th hole, they had Lincoln Navigator -- early in the round I hit it in there about 12 feet -- eight feet, nine inches behind the hole. 650 yard par-5. Every group would come through and now there's was one group on the course, Davis Love III, who was winning the golf tournament. They said, come on down, we want to present the keys to you right on the spot. My family was there, kids are saying that's our car? Were going to win that car? And I never forget Davis Love launched the 4-iron in the sky, hit about eight feet short of the hole and hit it for eagle. They turned away and said, too bad, see ya. From that moment on as a family we have never forgotten that. And they still hate Davis Love for that. (Laughter).

I'm just kidding. I've been there, I've been burned like that.

I must say the win was very emotional. I broke down -- I still am. I can't tell what winning on the PGA TOUR means. You all deal with the winners each week and you cover the PGA TOUR and you see the side of it that a lot of us don't get a chance to see, particularly at 44 years of age when I spent 10 years between victories. I did lose to David Duval at the Disney tournament in a Playoff. I still am making progress in my game. I did have some success. Candidly as a father, husband, 44 years of age with some other challenges, sometimes the focus of the TOUR gets a little bit watered down.

But I realized last year when I lost my TOUR card and I wanted to get back out here, what happened Southern Farm last year I finished fourth to keep my job. I got my card back. I vowed that I would never be in that position again. Candidly it turns out I am in that position or was until today. I handed in the TOUR school application yesterday to the TOUR official and he handed it back to me and said, there you go. So it's in my bag. That's a huge bonus, too.

But the winning -- it is hard to describe. You want to do it so badly and to win it, I don't know what to say, it just hasn't sunk in yet, I guess is the only thing that I can say.

Q. Billy said that your finish and the way you won is storybook stuff. Is that how you think about it?

DAN FORSMAN: It is for me. I don't know what Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods would think. It's probably a major for them. For me it's a storybook ending. It's been an emotional week, we all know that, with 9 -11. I remember the moment of silence in the pro-am. That was profound. It put things in perspective and made us realize we are all Americans here and even though we are players from all over the world playing our TOUR, everyone looks to America. It's just an honor to be here and I know all of the people who are hardworking folks to cover the tournament, the media and the press and everyone we are all grateful for the opportunity.

Gosh, America is where dreams can come true.

Q. When was the last time you were nervous like that?

DAN FORSMAN: Oh, I was pretty nervous the last putt on the Southern Farm last year.

Q. Is there any point in the last 10 years where you pretty much, thought you would win a tournament again (Inaudible) --

DAN FORSMAN: Well, there are a few times where I was Chagrined and down and I suppose like all of us we all go through the cycles in our life, we start to doubt and think are the best days behind me. I was hopeful and prayerful that if we kept at it, tried hard and worked hard, some good things would come my way.

I had a chance this year for example, the Compaq Classic at New Orleans, where I was right there, and I felt a putt goes in, I said that yesterday, when you were here, I had a chance to win there. I didn't win the golf tournament but I was close. So that was encouraging. There is times I get out of the bed where my shoulder hurts, back hurts, hip hurts, knee hurts, those are tough times, 44 years of age, all of the balls I hit in my career and walked the fairways, that's a lot of wear and tear. It's those moments where I am really in pain, I am wondering is it worth it, but it is one of the great painters said, I was told this story about, I forgot who it was -- one of the classic painters, and he said, he would paint, you know, it is excruciatingly painful because he had this chronic arthritis and every stroke was difficult. He says, why do you keep doing it, and he said, the pain passes, but the beauty remains. And I suppose in some way that's a metaphor for me today.

Q. Dan, were you ever in a situation like Billy where you are leading for most of the tournament and had something happen, can you empathize with Billy?

DAN FORSMAN: Billy is one of my buddies. He is a great champion. I remember Vegas two years ago where he won the tournament and he just showed such heart and I'm a big fan of Billy Andrade. It's tough. He is out front and all of the media coverage, it's a big deal. That's where a lot of times you see guys come from behind, under the radar screens, that's what happened to me today. I have been in his position before. It's a lonely walk when you are coming down 18 and it's been decided.

TODD BUDNICK: Congratulations.

DAN FORSMAN: Thanks for your time. Thanks for everything and thanks for a great week.

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