ENERGIZER SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 6, 1998

Jim Albus

JIM ALBUS: I think it was a little easier. The wind calmed down. And the sun popped out and it felt a lot warmer to me.

JIM ALBUS: I think it probably played the same. Maybe a little harder, because everything firmed up a little bit. If anything, everything played a little bit harder. But it was more comfortable playing it. Wasn't as uncomfortable as it was yesterday.

JIM ALBUS: It was kind of a goofy round. I just missed a lot of greens, just missed them. Chipped them up and made a lot of putts. I think I only had 23 or 24 putts, which is the best I think I've had all year. And I hit some good shots. I hit some crummy ones. But I hit some good ones, too. So it was kind of a mixed round. I bogeyed the 2nd hole; hit a bad iron and made bogey. I eagleed the 4th hole -- I hit a 4-iron about four feet and made it. And I birdied the par at the next hole, the 5th hole, from 10 feet.

JIM ALBUS: I hit a 3-iron. And then I birdied the 6th hole from five feet. I hit it -- hit a wedge. And then I bogeyed 10, hit a bad iron and made bogey. 16, I made a nice putt from the fringe; about a 12-footer from off the green.

JIM ALBUS: It was a 9-iron, yeah. And then a nice putt, and almost holed-out on the par 3 the next hole. I almost hit a hole-in-one. I left it hanging on the edge of the hole for a top in for birdie. Hit a 6-iron off the hole.

JIM ALBUS: A number of good saves in the middle. It seems like I had a three- or four-footer on every hole when I was making them. It's a different game when you're doing that. I've sort of been playing the other way most of the second half of the season. It's more fun this way, I'll tell you that.

JIM ALBUS: I think I'm pretty close. If I can putt like I have the last few weeks, I think I'll probably play the same. You know, I've hit the ball well the last half of the season. I'm happy with the game, except the putter. And the last few weeks I've done better with that. And so if the putter stays like that, I think I'll probably play about the same as I did a few years ago.

JIM ALBUS: The year I had a big lead -- three years ago I had a six-shot lead going into the last round. I think I was 6-over Raymond and 8-over the next guy. I think I shot 72 the last round. And he caught me, if I'm not mistaken, and he beat me in a playoff. But the first three rounds that year was probably the best I've played on the SENIOR TOUR. It was weather that was not too different than this. And I forget how many under I was, but it was as good as I could play. And then the last round was kind of mediocre to let him catch me like that.

JIM ALBUS: Yeah, I hit a nice shot in there and it bounced just off the back. And then I had sprinkler heads to deal with. And I hit one of those 4-wood chip shots down there and almost holed that.

JIM ALBUS: Yeah, I played that enough, yeah.

JIM ALBUS: Yeah, because it took so long. You do, you wonder when you have something that hangs on that long, even after. I had surgery, and after the surgery I had all kinds of related problems that made it so that I couldn't play very well, so... So, yeah, after awhile, I wasn't concerned about it when I was initially when I was going through the surgery. But afterwards when it just kept hanging on and I was not hitting the ball very well and starting to wonder if I would ever win again.

JIM ALBUS: I don't know. It's a different feeling. For awhile there, when I was doing well that year, you know, it just seemed so easy. Now maybe I can appreciate it because I'm just not there as often. So I guess you struggle to get there and maybe it means a little more to you.

JIM ALBUS: Yesterday, three of them. I didn't bring any sweaters with me. I had one sweater with me and it went to the cleaners; so I bought three sweaters in here. Luckily they had some stuff in there that I'm happy with.

JIM ALBUS: Well, I've been on the road for, I think, seven weeks in a row and we were all in the warm spots, and I just didn't plan on this one. I didn't plan this out very well.

JIM ALBUS: Yeah.

JIM ALBUS: No, they full-popped me. No, actually they did. They gave me a nice discount.

JIM ALBUS: Right, PGA professional. Club-pro discount.

JIM ALBUS: Thank you.