Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Golfers Set to Tee it up at PGA Championship
Aired August 15, 2001 - 08:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the pressure is on for Tiger Woods. The PGA Championship is just a day away now here in Georgia.
And even if you're not a golf fan, as CNN Sports Illustrated's John Giannone reports, this tournament is one to watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN GIANNONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Long before he hoisted a major champion's hard-earned hardware, David Duval was ordained as the chosen threat to Tiger Woods' mighty empire. At long last, Duval has crossed that formidable threshold, but his view of the world's best player from the other side remains unchanged.
DAVID DUVAL, 2001 BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION: They want Tiger to have a rival -- whatever to me, really.
TIGER WOODS, 2-TIME DEFENDING PGA CHAMPION: It's going to be nice to be able to play with a good friend out there. It's going to be obviously intense environment being in a major championship, but then again, at least we'll have some good company and I'll enjoy talking to David.
DUVAL: I just don't think in terms of rivalry. I view him as we play as somebody I have to beat. I don't view him as my sole competition, I view him as one of the ones I need to beat, though.
GIANNONE: Duval's seeming ambivalence toward Woods the golfer is borne from the fact that his relationship has strengthened with Woods the person, a friendship that has developed over time, as much because of their off-course passions as the course of their lives.
WOODS: We are a little bit different than each other, but then again, we're also very similar too. We have very similar interests, very similar perspective on life, and I think that's one of reasons why we've become friends.
DUVAL: I think he respects me for my golf. I think he respects me for who I am, and stating my opinions and standing up for what I believe in. And obviously, as I've said on many occasions, I have great admiration for him, more so because of what he has to go through then as opposed to how he has played. WOODS: I know he doesn't always open up to everybody, which is to himself, that's fine. But if he does know you and he does trust you, then he will open up quite a bit. And it's been really neat to get to know David.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIANNONE: Now, under PGA Championship rules, the winners of the year's previous three majors play together in the first two rounds. So that means Duval, who won the British Open, and Tiger Woods, who won the Masters, will play side by side in the first two rounds.
As for their friendship, Woods says he hasn't yet taken up Duval on his offer to go on a snowboarding trip. But, Colleen, they play -- they go fishing plenty of times. In fact, they even kidded about maybe having a joint venture in producing fly rods.
MCEDWARDS: But it's all business on the course, we know.
Tell us more about the conditions there. It looks a little bit rainy. I know rain has been a concern -- and also controlling the ball in the rough there, too.
GIANNONE: Yes, it sure has.
It rained heavily on Sunday night and again on Monday, which disrupted some practice rounds. No question that when you drive the ball off the tee, the ball goes nowhere. It stops dead in the fairways. So that is going to makes this course play even longer.
But working to the players' benefit is the fact that the greens are soft enough that you can hit those shots where you want. So there's really a debate among golfers as to whether this is going to be an easier course or a harder course. It's already very long at 7,200 yards. And with the softer grounds, it is going to play even longer.
MCEDWARDS: John Giannone, thanks very much. Enjoy it out there.
GIANNONE: Thanks, Colleen.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
