Deutsche Bank Championship Media Day Transcript
8/5/03 8:44 PM

PGA TOUR PRO BRAD FAXON: I am very proud of my association here at the TPC of Boston. This is the nicest facility in New England. When you drive into the gate, you are greeted by a wonderful staff. The staff in the pro shop is awesome, the food is outstanding, the golf course is outstanding (and) the practice facility is outstanding.

What I like about this course is it looks like it has been here forever. It opened last year The changes made are unbelievable. You do not stand on the first tee and say �This looks brand new.�  When you get to look at (the) fourth and fifth tees, it is amazing what it looks like. It was done a month ago.

The newest tee is No.13, which used to be driver and sand wedge. Today for me, it was driver and six iron. The fourth hole -- now the hardest drive on the course because of the hazards on right -- is driver and nine iron. Number five was driver and five iron and today that was two iron and seven, while No. 9 was drive and full seven iron. The course is immensely improved and toughened. When it was first designed by Arnold Palmer, it was not for a tournament. The improvements-- it is amazing how tough it can be but I also think you will walk away with smile on your face.

The field is as good as you will see with exception of the majors. I talked with a lot of the players and told them how wonderful this event will be. Let me say to Tom (Hughes) and Seth (Waugh) this means a lot to me personally to be able to sleep in your own bed and play in a TOUR event. I know in this economy, it is not an easy decision to come up with money it takes to sponsor a TOUR event, but I think you will do yourself proud here and find you will get your value on the money spent and the money that goes to charity means an awful lot to the communities here. I will be your biggest fan.

How does this compare to other TPC courses?
To me it is the nicest facility I have been to. The TPC at Sawgrass is the best practice facility. We do not get too many places in New England where you can practice a range of short shots, with a great putting green and a double range like this. I went to other end to hit against the wind today. Most courses here do not have two-sided ranges. It is nice and only 40 minutes from the house.

What is the approximate number that it may take to win?
I am the worst predictor of winning scores. So much depends on condition of course, firmness of fairways, greens, rough and winds. The course plays fast, because it is new. Soft makes it easier. Remember the Masters this year? The first round was washed out and we played a double round on Friday and it makes it easier for shorter hitter, which sounds opposite, but best scores at Masters was when it was softer. When you go to predict, a lot of it depends on that. I think it will take double figures. It is three or four shots harder just with the new tees. Twelve to 14 under would be a great score right now. It mostly depends on how hard the greens are.

For somebody from New England, how important is it for Boston to have a PGA TOUR event?
When golf came to America it started here in New England. The history is here. When the New England Classic left Pleasant Valley, it was sad and depressing. What happened there was the facility was not modern enough. I think that is what TPC at Boston combines -- a modern amenity that you need to have, the space that we need to have, the room for spectators, corporate village, (and) a big clubhouse to handle the traffic. But you also have the New England setting. When you drive in, you see the golf house and the museum and it is very New England-like.

What is your best score here?
You know it is funny. I have played one round of golf from the back tees. I have played a lot of corporate outings. But I shot 67 the last time I was here. I eagled the last hole and got a free cookie. I eagled 18 with a driver and six iron downwind.

What kind of golfer does this course favor?
I think it gives advantage to (the) long hitter. The par-fives that are reachable are two and 18, but you have to be good around the greens. Some are narrow and shallow. I do not think somebody is going to hit all 18 greens here. You will have a variety of players who come here and can play well. I think the new changes have helped that a bit.

A majority of you guys have never seen the course. Can they get comfortable with it in just a few practice rounds?
That is a good question. I believe course knowledge really helps. Guys nowadays are so good at getting ready for new conditions. We have the yardages from every angle. The hardest is getting used to the shape of the greens, the quirkiness of the greens, the slope. That is why I like the fact I have been out here more than anybody else. I have been out here at least a dozen times. I have not played too many rounds the way I would like. But I will be out here between now and the tournament a bit more.

Any other changes to course other than the tees?
I forgot to mention No. 8 green. The back right of the green fell away where it was almost an unusable pin placement. It was raised up, so you could add a pin placement there. You can�t even tell it was changed. It is amazing.

Having grown up in Pleasant Valley, did you feel that there was void in your golf life not having a tournament in your backyard?
Ted Mingolla gave me a sponsor exemption when I was 19 years old. I played there for 20 years before it left. I think the TOUR wanted to fill that void right away. Thanks to Deutsche Bank, that was able to happen. It�s not easy to do. You have to find the right combination for everything to happen.

Are New England golf fans more avid or intense than anywhere else in the country?
Absolutely. Did you say New England golf fans or sports fans? You have been to Fenway and the Fleet Center. If you look at where Pleasant Valley was, it was hard to get to. You are much closer to bigger cities here. Labor Day weekend is a great spot in the schedule, being the last week before school starts. We have the PGA Championship next week, World Golf Championship and then come here. This is a great spot for this tournament. It is a great place for a player to play three events in a row.

People here are hungry for sports and having the PGA TOUR back here is perfect.

What would it mean for you to win here?
An awful lot. Especially with the field. Obviously, the majors are big to win. But winning on the PGA TOUR is harder to do each week. Players look at depth of the field and this, to me, jumps up a level like the invitationals. This is strong. When it is a hometown crowd, it is more emotional and hard. I remember winning the New England Classic. It was a big deal.

What is the mental attitude like for TOUR players when Tiger Woods is in the field?
I would think it is mixed. There are certain players who want to play in every tournament he plays. He has raised the bar almost single handedly. I am sure there are guys who say I do not want to play there -- I can�t beat him. I always liked playing with the best players on the world. I wanted to play with Greg Norman, Tom Watson. I like playing with him. You are never out early, always out late. It is fun to watch him play, to watch his concentration and when he doesn�t play well he finishes fourth. What did he finish yesterday? Oh, second.

Thanks for having me and have fun. We will see you in a few weeks.

SETH WAUGH, CEO DEUTSCHE BANK OF AMERICAS
We love the fact this is happening in Boston and New England. There is such a huge buzz about it. We want this to be one of the special events on TOUR. We think the venue has something to do with that -- not only the golf course, but the town. We hope this is here forever.

It is a wonderful branding opportunity for us, but also a wonderful entertainment place for us. We have a huge amount of clients here (and it�s) very accessible to everywhere in the world and the international crowd we are drawing. We are excited about it being in Boston -- in terms of charity, the course and the town. The fact that I was born in Amherst had nothing to do with fact it was brought here, trust me.

Footer

 







 
     
 
  1. /
  1. /