BANK OF AMERICA COLONIAL

May 23, 2003

Jim Furyk

TODD BUDNICK: Like to welcome Jim Furyk to the interview room. Let's talk a little bit your round today. Bunch of birdies but a couple bogeys as well out there.

JIM FURYK: I think I had, I believe three bogeys. But four birdies on each side. I had a pretty good day. I had a little bit of a hot and cold day with the putter from long distance. I left a lot of long putts short. I made a couple good putts for two putts on pars I missed a couple for three putts. And then I also made two really long putts today for birdie. So a little bit of a hot and cold day. But the putter treated me pretty good today, other than those two three putts and I'm happy with the round. Puts me in good shape for the weekend.

TODD BUDNICK: Kenny Perry talks about how the course is a totally different course than we have ever played here before with all the rain. Same thing for you?

JIM FURYK: Absolutely. Until today the wind blew from the opposite direction it usually does. Today I can't even call it wind, breeze here, if there was a breeze, for Fort Worth, was more of what we were accustomed to. But the golf course was still very soft. Hitting more club off the tee. Although I'm hitting more club into a lot of the greens, I want to hit the ball in the fairway. And also be a little bit more aggressive with those iron shots. The trouble when the course is firm and fast, it's real easy to hit it through these greens. You're always protecting from going over the greens. And it's difficult to get the ball up-and-down here. Especially when the greens are firm and fast. There's still that chance with the greens being softer it's a little bit more difficult to knock it through the green or over the green. And we're being a little bit more aggressive with our iron shots. There's some pins out there that are very tucked and we saw a couple of dots for tomorrow. There's a few real doozies out there for tomorrow. They're trying to hide them. But this is the lowest scoring I've ever seen and this is my ninth Colonial and this is the lowest scoring I've ever seen here.

Q. You mentioned pin placement though, I know Kenny had said the ninth hole was pretty tough. Was that a tough one for you too?

JIM FURYK: I made bogey there hitting a bad iron shot. But it's a tough pin. I think that 15 was a tough pin. Go back in my mind where I really hit a few of them. 10, that wasn't any more unusual than normal. That's always in the back left. 10 was a tough pin I thought. The golf course, I love the golf course. It's got some interesting areas. But it definitely plays much tougher when it plays firm and fast. I won't say the scoring, someone always shoots 7-under through two days, but there's just more guys, there's going to be a lot more guys in the tournament come this weekend probably than usual. And the scores are going to bunch up more because of the soft conditions.

Q. How differently does is your strategy when it's playing like this and what particular things do you have to take into account when you play on these conditions?

JIM FURYK: Well, there's really not -- you just adjust to the conditions. Really there's spots in the fairways that I want to hit my tee ball and there's yardages that I want to hit to. I use a yardage. It might be 250 yards off of 6 tee. And whatever it's going to take. Sometimes that's a 2-iron, today it might be a 4-wood. Usually I actually carry a 2-iron in my bag at this event to control it off the tee and let it run down the fairways. But because we're not getting that this week I just left the 4-wood in my bag, which is usually there. I carry a 2-iron normally at this event and the British Open. And there's just no use for it for me this week. The 4-wood is more valuable. So I left it in the bag and a 2-iron will have to wait until the British.

Q. How do you feel about going into this week? Does it set up perfectly do you think to make a good run?

JIM FURYK: I'm pretty confident with my game. I had a good weekend last week. Played pretty well. I've improved a little bit. I made a few mistakes today that irked me a little bit out there. But I also made a couple long putts and I hit a lot of really good iron shots today. So I'm excited for the weekend. I feel good about my game. Going back you asked what you would change or how do you, it's much easier to adapt to soft conditions than let's say by Sunday, I know we're supposed to get more rain, but let's say by Sunday it was going to get firm and fast again. It would be much harder to adapt going back to more difficult than it would be to being easier. So it's a much easier on us going from hard to soft than it is going vice versa.

TODD BUDNICK: Go over the card then, Jim, if we could.

JIM FURYK: Okay. Started out with a birdie on number one. I hit a driver and a 3-wood on the front edge. Made a good 2-putt from long distance. Second putt was about six feet.

Number 3, I about half popped up my driver. I hit an awful drive there. Probably only went maybe 240 yards. And I had to hit 3-iron into the green. I knocked a 3-iron in the middle left side of the green. I was 50 feet from the pin and made it for a birdie. So there was one that I stole.

Number 4, I hit a 3-iron, it got towards the back of the green right past the pin. I was about 30 feet away. I rolled it about three feet past and missed it on the way back. Made bogey. So there was one three putt.

Number 7, I hit a driver and a 9-iron to about 15 feet. Made that for a birdie.

Number 8 I hit a 5-iron and I made about a 30 footer there. Up over the ridge for a birdie. So second long putt there.

Then number nine I hit a 4-wood off the tee perfect. I hit a 8-iron into the green and I pulled it just left of the green. It was not quite in the bunker, it was about four five yards past the water over there. Hit a bad chip to about 10 feet. I missed the putt.

Next birdie is No. 11. I hit driver, laid up with a 5-iron. I hit sand wedge to about four feet.

Number 12, I hit a driver and a 9-iron I believe. I hit that to about 15 feet.

15, I hit driver, 7-iron to about six inches.

16, I hit an 8-iron towards the front of the green. I had about 40 feet. I was in between 7 and 8-iron, decided to hit the hard 8. And unfortunately I didn't hit it very hard. So I left it on the front of the green. But still a straight uphill putt. No excuse. I left it six feet short and hit a bad putt. 3-putted there.

17, I hit a 4-wood off the tee and a pitching wedge to about 12 feet. And that's it. The rest were pars.

Q. Where is the tee, where are they playing the tee on number four? The par-3?

JIM FURYK: It's up again. It's up again. I have my pin sheet. I'm going to say it was about 215 or so to the hole. I hit 3-iron. So it wasn't that long. You know what, number four was 206 to the front and 11. 217. It was kind of sitting on the front left part of the green over the bunker. So, no, it's not, it wasn't back either the first two days.

TODD BUDNICK: Everybody set? Great. Thank you.

JIM FURYK: Thanks.

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