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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With David Barrett
Aired June 15, 2003 - 11:16 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Jim Furyk is on fire at the U.S. Open. At the close of the play yesterday, he was only 18 holes away from winning his first major golf tournament. And he's already made golf history at the tournament. CNN's Josie Karp is there at Olympia Fields, Illinois, as the final round began. Hi there, Josie.
JOSIE KARP, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. You know, it could be a history-making day here, at least now, as you mentioned, for Jim Furyk, trying to win his first major. And this is not a situation that we've seen before. Jim Furyk in the lead heading into the final round at a major.
I'm joined now by David Barrett, a senior editor with "Golf" magazine. It struck me yesterday, David, Jim Furyk's out there saying I'll draw on my experience in Las Vegas. We are a long way from Las Vegas. How do you think he'll hold up under the pressure?
DAVID BARRETT, SENIOR EDITOR, "GOLF": Definitely a long way from Las Vegas, but he has been in contention in a number of major championships before. He has experience. He's had some good finishes. There'll definitely be some nerves, but it's going to be tough for him to maintain the pace. But he doesn't need quite the low number today that he's been shooting. An even par should do just fine.
KARP: He's at ten under. There are seven guys within six shots of Jim Furyk. Any of that group that sticks out as maybe having a chance in your mind to challenge him?
BARRETT: Well, I think the only two who really have a pretty decent shot would be Vijay Singh and Nick Price. They're the two with experience. Steven Leaney is the closest to Furyk, is three back, but he hasn't finished better than 37th in a major. So I think Singh and Price, they're both going to really need good rounds to put some pressure on him.
KARP: It would take, virtually, a Tiger miracle for Woods to have any chance of defending his title. What do you make of that 75 that he shot yesterday? He never had a worse round as a pro with the U.S. Open.
BARRETT: It's kind of surprising, in that this year he's played pretty well overall with three wins, but his performance in the majors hasn't been as good as we expect. Usually it's the opposite. He lifts his game in the majors. I don't know. It's probably just a blip, and he might go out and win the next two majors this year. But right now, it's a little odd to see his struggle.
KARP: Normally on Sunday at a major, we have to wait around all day for Tiger Woods to tee off. Today, we're going to have to wait a couple hours to see how Jim Furyk does hold up under the pressure. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. A lot of pressure, indeed. Thanks a lot, Josie. We'll be watching.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 15, 2003 - 11:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Jim Furyk is on fire at the U.S. Open. At the close of the play yesterday, he was only 18 holes away from winning his first major golf tournament. And he's already made golf history at the tournament. CNN's Josie Karp is there at Olympia Fields, Illinois, as the final round began. Hi there, Josie.
JOSIE KARP, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. You know, it could be a history-making day here, at least now, as you mentioned, for Jim Furyk, trying to win his first major. And this is not a situation that we've seen before. Jim Furyk in the lead heading into the final round at a major.
I'm joined now by David Barrett, a senior editor with "Golf" magazine. It struck me yesterday, David, Jim Furyk's out there saying I'll draw on my experience in Las Vegas. We are a long way from Las Vegas. How do you think he'll hold up under the pressure?
DAVID BARRETT, SENIOR EDITOR, "GOLF": Definitely a long way from Las Vegas, but he has been in contention in a number of major championships before. He has experience. He's had some good finishes. There'll definitely be some nerves, but it's going to be tough for him to maintain the pace. But he doesn't need quite the low number today that he's been shooting. An even par should do just fine.
KARP: He's at ten under. There are seven guys within six shots of Jim Furyk. Any of that group that sticks out as maybe having a chance in your mind to challenge him?
BARRETT: Well, I think the only two who really have a pretty decent shot would be Vijay Singh and Nick Price. They're the two with experience. Steven Leaney is the closest to Furyk, is three back, but he hasn't finished better than 37th in a major. So I think Singh and Price, they're both going to really need good rounds to put some pressure on him.
KARP: It would take, virtually, a Tiger miracle for Woods to have any chance of defending his title. What do you make of that 75 that he shot yesterday? He never had a worse round as a pro with the U.S. Open.
BARRETT: It's kind of surprising, in that this year he's played pretty well overall with three wins, but his performance in the majors hasn't been as good as we expect. Usually it's the opposite. He lifts his game in the majors. I don't know. It's probably just a blip, and he might go out and win the next two majors this year. But right now, it's a little odd to see his struggle.
KARP: Normally on Sunday at a major, we have to wait around all day for Tiger Woods to tee off. Today, we're going to have to wait a couple hours to see how Jim Furyk does hold up under the pressure. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right. A lot of pressure, indeed. Thanks a lot, Josie. We'll be watching.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
