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BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD


March 18, 2004


Shigeki Maruyama


ORLANDO, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: 6 under 66 today. You started the season very well, two Top 10s, four top 5s, another good start today. Talk a little about how happy you are with the start of your season.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: The main reason I'm playing well is I feel really good, especially neck and shoulders. Last year, I injured my neck at the Doral Championship, a few weeks before this tournament and had to withdraw from the Ford and Honda. I couldn't hit the ball very well. This year is better than last year. My body is very good now. I can hit the ball very well. That's the main reason, the main difference this year.

Since I changed my swing, the past year, I'm hitting the ball very well. That's another reason.

My golf today, I have made lots of cuts. I hit the ball where I aim, so that's pretty good.

Q. What's a little guy like you leading this tournament on what's supposed to be a long ball hitter's course?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Craig Parry brought me big confidence. (Laughter.) He's as tall as me and he won the tournament a few weeks ago.

Q. Is it nice to see the balls not bounce off the greens here?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: This year, the greens are not as hard as last year. This is my fourth time to play here in this tournament, and now I'm just getting to realize I shouldn't aim at the pin, the cup, when the cup is in front of the hole to the green. To attack this course probably helps my score.

Q. You've been on the TOUR now for several years, what have you learned, how has your game grown, and how would you compare your game and mental approach, as well as your game, compared to when you started on the PGA TOUR?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Playing here for five years, I played a lot of difficult courses, tough courses. Every time I am thinking what do I need to beat this golf course and thinking all of the time. And I know what I need is driving accuracy; it's getting better. So it was really difficult to make a par on a par 4 because I'm not hitting the ball very straight all the time from the tee box.

Now, I drive is straighter than before and also, I have a confidence in my swing. I changed my swing end of last year and now I have confidence in my swing. So I can hit the ball where I aim to give me confidence. That has helped me score lately.

Q. Was the swing change designed so that you wouldn't have as much pain in your neck and shoulder?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yes.

Q. Can you be more specific about what you did to make the change?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I used to twist my body on the backswing a lot and probably it brought me to not the exact place to come back and hit the ball. It's not hitting the exact same place all the time.

I changed my swing to three quarter on the backswing and try to put the club on the plane all the time, hit the ball on the same place all the time. On the driving range, I try to hit the ball at 60 percent on the backswing all the time. That probably is the big change.

Q. Have you lost a little bit of power to gain accuracy?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Not much. Everybody is hitting longer and longer now. So I'm just thinking of not hitting very far but it's actually hitting as far as I did before.

Q. What exactly did you do at Doral last year that injured yourself, was it a golf thing or was it something else?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: It's actually a pinched nerve. When I woke up, I just couldn't move my neck. I was playing well before that. I was tied for sixth the first day or second day, but I had to withdraw on the third day. The next week I had to withdraw again.

Q. What do you think of Tiger trying to win this five times in a row?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Very possible. (Laughter.) Very possible.

Q. Can you elaborate?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: He's very confident to beat this course. The golf course has firm greens. It's really tough to attack. I'm not able to hit very long with the irons, so it's very hard to attack this golf course. And Tiger has an advantage because he hits it long and he can hit high, so he has an advantage.

Birdies, 3, tee shot, right in the fairway, pitching wedge, 21 feet.

5, tee shot, 3 wood, fairway. Second shot pitching wedge six feet.

9, tee shot, right side, fairway. Second shot, 7 wood about 30 feet.

11, tee shot, driver, fairway. Second shot, 7 iron, left side fringe, about 15 feet, made it.

13, tee shot, 3 wood, left side trap, bunker. Second shot, pitching wedge three feet, two feet.

14, bogey, tee shot, 4 iron, left side bunker about 30 feet. 3 putt, bogey.

16, tee shot, driver, right side, first cut. Second shot 6 iron, sand wedge, four feet.

18, tee shot, driver, fairway, second shot 8 iron almost water 15 feet. That's it. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.
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