BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 18, 2002

Shigeki Maruyama

STEWART McDOUGAL: Ladies and gentlemen, Shigeki Maruyama. 68, 3 under par, joining us in the club house. How do you do you feel after your round.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Overall, it was wonderful. My tee shots were good and my putting. There could have been a couple of more putts that I could have made. However, overall, it was a wonderful day.

Q. Playing with Tiger Woods, there is a lot noise and a lot of pressure. Is it more difficult especially playing after Tiger plays?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I'm quite used to playing with Tiger Woods, and so I'm used to the rhythm that he plays golf and he lives in a different world from us in terms of the distance he hits and the kind of golf he plays, so it doesn't really bother me.

Q. I'm wondering how many drivers you hit today.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Three times.

Q. You said Tiger plays a different kind of golf. Does you feel you're getting closer to that level?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Not at all.

Q. On the course you seem to be smiling and laughing all the time. Do you feel any pressure?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Well, today is the first day, so I don't really feel so much pressure. I can't really tell you how I'm going to feel towards the end of the tournament.

Q. Tiger looked to be a little frustrated. His putts weren't dropping. He was playing well and missing his birdie opportunities. Did he say anything to you or did he say anything to sort of indicate his frustration?

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Well, he did comment, made some comments to me, "Well, I didn't expect that kind of a line on the green." And he goes, "Well, yeah, I agree." That kind of situation occurred a few times, but all he did throughout the day was to sigh.

STEWART McDOUGAL: No more questions. Thank you very much.

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