MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP AT KINGSMILL

October 4, 2001

Shigeki Maruyama

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I was hitting the ball very well, driver, irons, also were good and I had good putting today. That made me make a good score today. My round, 80% I am satisfied. Except 18th hole I hit the ball in the water on the tee shot. I don't like that hole. I don't like the water (laughs).

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: No. 12, tee shot, 3-wood, right side fairway, second shot 160, 8-iron to about 30 feet, made it. No. 14, tee shot, 3-wood, 124 yards, pitching wedge about three feet, made it. No. 15, tee shot driver, fairway, second shot 235, something, 5-wood, a little bit short front-side bunker and bunker shot about six feet. Made it. No. 3 tee shot driver, left side fairway, second shot 256, 5-wood, little over, chip shot, like this (indicating three feet), made it. No. 4, tee shot driver, left side, 144, 9-iron about twelve feet, made it. No. 7, tee shot driver, left side rough, second shot 225, front edge, 5-wood, a little short, chip shot maybe 25 yard, about twelve feet, made it. No. 8, tee shot 3-wood second shot 160, 7-iron, about 18 feet, made it. That's it.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I am not good at English at the moment. I am starting to speak English, but I cannot describe everything what I felt, what I thought, so that makes me really nervous. If you are in the media room in Japan, you can see how I am funny and how I talk very much.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Yeah.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: (Laughs).

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I don't like the water especially on the left-hand side of the course, like TPC Sawgrass in Florida, 18th hole, atmosphere -- every time water, I hit the wall in the water every time (laughs).

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I don't hit the ball straight all the time and this is a tricky course, tight, so I didn't have a good impression when I got here but I am really happy now with the good score today, 6-under. I hit the 3-wood there the tee and I could hit about less than 7-iron, 8-irons and I am really confident below that with the irons, where a lot of players are very good like middle irons, 3-irons, stuff like that, so that made me very confident and didn't have to be too long.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: I was expecting like 2-under, 3-under a day. That makes me Top-10 so I was aiming for that score. But 6-under, that made me happy. I was aiming about 10-under to make Top-10 and of course, when I get after three days I will aim to win the tournament but at the moment I am not aiming -- not expecting -- not putting the pressure on too much. To win the tournament here I have to leave about 6 shots until the 17th hole on the Sunday (laughs) because I hit 3 balls yesterday at pro-am on 18th hole.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Three holes in the water. And Scott Hoch was behind me and he just told me: That's enough, let's go.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Just don't like the water. I cannot swim, hate the water on the golf course.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: Driver.

SHIGEKI MARUYAMA: (Laughs) maybe tomorrow use a 3-wood in the far right.