Questions For Bart Bryant

SI: Guys like you aren't supposed to win tournaments like this. What kind of finish would you have been happy with, given the field?

BB: Really, I was shooting for a top 10. I was 22nd on the money list, and I wanted to eke into the top 20. That was my goal.

SI: What's more impressive--getting to 17 under at East Lake, winning by six or going wire to wire?

BB: What surprised me the most was that I managed my emotions every day. There was only one time I really started to question my swing--on Saturday, toward the end of the round, when I hit some weak fades that didn't really go anywhere. I went to the range and couldn't work it out, so that's what I went home with. Then I lay in bed and decided to concentrate on getting off to a strong start on Sunday, and I did, with three birdies on the first four holes.

SI: After 20 years on and off the Tour, you've now won three times in 18 months. How do you explain the turnaround?

BB: Somehow before that first win [2004 Texas Open] I found a little bit of confidence. That's what has bred this success. Before that week I had always let myself wimp out. When I had the opportunity to take leads, I didn't feel comfortable. I didn't want to be in the limelight, and I didn't want to put my head on the chopping block--taking the lead only to lose it and then being labeled a choker.

SI: Earlier this week you said you still felt that you didn't quite belong among the elite. Weren't your two previous wins [including the '05 Memorial] enough?

BB: I had started to feel like I belonged. Don't get me wrong. It's just that not too long ago I didn't see myself being in the winner's circle this much. I had to go from thinking, O.K., maybe one of these weeks things will come together, to thinking, You know, I'm playing good, there's no reason I shouldn't win this week.

SI: Before winning last year, how many times had you been to Q school? Why didn't you give up?

BB: At least 10 times. But there was a chorus of people telling me not to give up, most of all my wife, Cathy. She had every right to say, "We've given this a shot, we need some security, let's get you a job." There were other people involved in the decision, but in some way it was her call.