Deutsche Bank Championship

1. What's it like playing golf for a living?
Answer: I consider myself to be very fortunate. I have one of the greatest jobs on the planet and absolutely love what I do. It’s great playing golf for a living.

2. How much time do you spend practicing compared to playing?
Answer: It depends on the week, but I tend to practice more when I’m home. That’s when I spend the most time working on specific aspects of my game that might need more attention – like chipping, long game, etc.

3. Does your family travel with you to tournaments? Do you use the PGA TOUR-provided childcare at any of them?
Answer: Yes, my family travels with me for at least half of the events that I play. It’s great to have them out on TOUR but it also can be challenging with two daughters under the age of 3. We try to maintain balance so that we can be together on the road but they also have time at home with our extended family and friends. We do use the day-care service provided by the PGA TOUR. It’s fantastic. It’s nice for the wives to be able to have that support system and the ability to go out watch their husbands play golf or just take a break. Our day-care is staffed by the same group of people week in and week out, and the kids absolutely love it.

4. I think the changes so far to the FedExCup have all been improvements. What would your opinion be if they changed the Tour Championship from the top 30 players in a stroke-play tournament to a 32-player double-elimination match-play tournament?
Answer: Tough question. ...The TOUR has gone back and forth on the format question. We already have a match-play event that is a World Golf Championship and I think the TOUR wants to continue to create some differentiation and uniqueness for the Playoffs. Also, in my opinion, although match play is good for TV, it’s very challenging for spectators and sponsors on-site by virtue of the limited field and having only one group compete on the last day.

5. If you were in charge of setting up the pairings, who would you prefer to play golf with on each of the four Deutsche Bank Championship tournament rounds and why?
Answer: I would love to play with Tiger every round. He’s always near the lead, has great crowds, and the energy level is unbelievable.

6. One thing that has always fascinated me is the fine line that exists between PGA TOUR-level players in terms of talent. Everyone out there has the full array of shots and shot-making ability, so from your standpoint, what is the difference-maker out there? Is it the mental game, and if so, how do you get yourself "over the top," so to speak, in that department?
Answer: Yes, it is very much the mental aspect of the game that is the differentiator. For me, it was a big hurdle when I first came out. I was competing against players that I grew up idolizing like Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Brad Faxon, among others. Knowing that you do belong out on TOUR is sometimes the biggest hurdle, and it takes time to gain that comfort level. Once that comfort level is achieved, the most critical component is consistency. One or two bad shots can determine whether you’re in the field or out.

7. With this tournament being in your back yard, do you get nervous playing in front of your hometown crowd, or put more pressure on yourself to do well?
Answer: I wouldn’t say that I’m nervous, but I have put more pressure on myself to play well. Last year was actually the first year that I made the cut. I think once I realized that I was putting more pressure on myself, I was able to change the tide, so to speak. It’s great to have the opportunity to play in front of my family, friends and fans. It’s time to use all these great fans to my advantage!

8. How did you continue to work on your game during the harsh Northeast winter when you first started taking that step into becoming serious player?
Answer: It actually was an advantage. Growing up, I played other sports like soccer, baseball and basketball. The variety game me the opportunity to put my clubs away and not just think about my golf game year round. It allowed me to take a break, gain exposure to other competitive environments and really appreciate golf.

TIGER WOODS LEARNING CENTER

The Tiger Woods Learning Center is the primary beneficiary of the Deutsche Bank Championship. The 14-acre, 35,000-square-foot center provides 5th-12th grade students with critically important interactive enrichment programs in reading, math, science, and technology. Specific classes promote career exploration and preparation in areas including forensic science, engineering, aerospace, video production and home design. Youth develop personal accountability, independence and resilience leading to greater knowledge of career options and an increase in college enrollment. For more information, please visit www.twlc.org

BIRDIES FOR CHARITY

The Deutsche Bank Championship's Birdies for Charity program is a fun, easy, spirited and interactive way for local New England Charities to raise money in support of their cause. This multi-level fundraising program is designed to give participating charities the opportunity to generate contributions for their organization based on the number of "birdies" made by the contestants during the Deutsche Bank Championship. The program has two primary components: 1. Solicitation of pledges from individuals and/or corporations to specific charities. 2. Guess the Birdies" contest. For more information or to pledge, log onto www.dbchampionship.com and select Birdies For Charity under Charity in the top menu bar.

* 2003 - The Deutsche Bank Championship opened its doors to capacity crowds and set a PGA TOUR charitable record for a first year event by raising $1.5 million for the Tiger Woods Foundation and several New England Charities.

* 2004 - Tiger vs. Vijay - Round 1. Tiger and Vijay dueled it out in the final round and by virtue of his final round score of 69, Vijay finally dethroned Tiger, to end his five-year reign atop the World Golf Rankings.

* 2005 - Created and launched two innovative programs - "Kids Village" and "Kids Zones". These concepts were extremely well received and included a 10,000 sq ft interactive village and a 'front row' viewing opportunity for the kids on the golf course.

* 2006 - Tiger vs. Vijay - Round 2. Tiger defeated Vijay by overcoming a 3 shot deficit going into the final round after Vijay scorched the TPC Boston with a course record 61 on Sunday. In addition, the Championship also set a new Championship record by generating $2.6 million for charity.

* 2007 - The Deutsche Bank Championship is selected to be a part of the first ever PGA TOUR Playoff system that will determine the inaugural season-long FedExCup Champion.

* 2008 - Vijay became the Championship’s first two-time winner by matching the final-round record with an 8-under-par 63 and beat second-place Mike Weir by five shots. Singh’s record winning score of 64-66-69-63—262 was punctuated by a remarkable back nine in which he made three birdie putts of 35 feet or longer. The win was his second straight in the FedExCup Playoffs.