FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 15, 2001

Doug Tewell

DOUG TEWELL: If I had to go back to look at one hole, it would be the third hole, the par 5. I knocked it on in two and 3-putted. It's kind of funny, but you walk off a green like that and you're like, "Gosh, I hope I don't need that shot down the road," but I did. That was the third hole, the par 5. About 30 feet up the hill. Wasn't a hard putt. I just hit it a little firm. Really, I didn't notice how quick the greens were until I got to that hole, and it was really fast going uphill. So I knew we were going to have to be very careful. But after that, I just kind of dug in. After the dismal way I've been playing, the front nine -- I just couldn't seem to get on those par 5s. I don't think I birdied 7, either. Didn't hit a very good tee shot there and put it in the bunker had to hit out in the fairway, and hit a pretty good shot. I don't know, I guess I missed probably about a 6-foot putt for birdie. But after that, I really played very well. Very well. Birdied 9 again today. That was about, oh, I don't know, five feet, six feet and I knocked it in from there. Maybe the turning point on the back nine was on 11, I drove the ball down the right side, trickled in the rough. The ball didn't come out of the rough and got on that bank and I put it about 12 feet short of the hole and knocked that in for par. I really got on -- what I call in the zone then. I said, "All right, we're ready to go. Let's go win this golf tournament." I hit a beautiful 8-iron at 12, but I didn't make the birdie. Then 2-putted for birdie from about 50 feet on 13. Then came back and birdied 14 from just off the fringe which was 18, 20 feet. That was a good birdie there. Allen made bogey, and I already said, "I'm letting him get away here." I really wasn't looking at the board, but I knew he was playing quite solid. The couple of times I did glance up there, I noticed he was in the lead. I wasn't trying to play Allen specifically, but I was just trying to not get him out way ahead. You let a guy get two or three shots ahead -- inaudible -- like that. But came back and made a nice little pitch on 15. Hit a good 5-iron. The ball just didn't cut like it normally would. That was just about a foot in the fringe and chipped that down for a tap-in. Then 16, I hit a nice little 5-wood, only I hit it straight off of that tee and then hit a 9-iron -- I guess it was about eight feet and made that for birdie. Eight or ten feet.

DOUG TEWELL: No, I really didn't. I felt like I probably did, but I really wasn't concerned about it at the moment. Just wanted to make sure we got a good tee shot off of 18 -- or 17. And I took the 3-wood out because I thought, you know, at that point I felt like I might be in the lead and I said, "You know, there's no sense in taking yourself out of this tournament now, because if you hit a driver and you pull it, you're in the water." So I hit a 3-wood off the tee -- I tell you, if I'd have been in 30th place, I would probably have had a 3-iron going at the green. Instead, I hit an 8-iron out to the right and laid up to -- 97 yards is a good lay-up for me, to hit a strong sand wedge, and I had 94 yards. So I hit that, again, about nine feet, ten feet. Then it just rolled in on the last role. I thought I kind of shut the door on Allen a little bit, and Allen made his for birdie. So the game was on. It was exciting coming down the stretch. Both of us were far away from the hole that it was unlikely either one of us would birdie 18, but I was wrong. I'm happy I'm getting my game back. It's gone away here over the last two or three tournaments. I wasn't going to play next week, but I've committed to play and I'm really excited. I want to go win the tournament in Chicago next week. This really ticks me off that I lost. But this is good; I'll just be really hungry next week.

DOUG TEWELL: 2.5 million? I don't know. That's as much as I've made in my career. I don't know, maybe the courses are playing a little tougher. I'm more of a conservative-type player. I hit lot of fairways; I hit lots of greens. I'm not someone that goes after everything, but yet, you know, if you watch the broadcast Thursday, I went for several shots. I pick my places to go for things. I calculate it and work it all out. The way I play in the majors, I wish we had about 15 or 20 of them. I congratulate Allen Doyle. He played a solid round of golf all day long. He was tough. It was a good pairing. I have no regrets. Obviously, I would have liked to have one. But if my kids are watching, I gave it 100%.

DOUG TEWELL: Probably. I was 3-over par coming to 18 on Thursday and I made a long putt just like Allen did. I walked over here and said, "That's a start to getting back in contention." That's what you've got to do. You've got to believe in yourself. I just got things going. Allen, too. Last 54 holes was pretty strong golf. 72nd hole was about 40 feet maybe. 40 feet, and I tell you what, I thought I had made it. I was getting ready to dance. I don't know what I was going to dance, but I was getting ready to dance. It was supposed to go back to the right -- it's the putt I made in the playoff, just a little right there. I'm probably as happy making put in the playoff -- I'm going to make you work for this one.

DOUG TEWELL: I just focus. I don't hook the ball much. I was trying to hit it a little harder. First time around I hit a 6-iron into the green, but a 3-wood -- my 3-wood is a strong 3-wood and I was afraid I would knock it in the hazard. I was just trying to hit it a little harder. Even when I hit it, I hit it solid. Even though it's going left, it's going to carry the hazard. It's just right kind of on top and bounced down.

DOUG TEWELL: 5-wood.

DOUG TEWELL: Jones.

DOUG TEWELL: Well, he can't -- I wasn't working out my speech, let's put it that way. I was over there just thinking about, okay, I'm not going to think about this. But I've learned never get ahead of yourself with this game.

DOUG TEWELL: I know him fairly well. I got to know him a little bit when I was broadcasting because he started playing the Nike Tour. He's a fighter. He gets tough on himself. He beats himself up a lot, but he's a fighter. He knows how to win. He's learned how to win. Gosh, he's got to be thrilled to get this opportunity. As far as another pro career -- he had a good amateur rear. It's great. It's a great second chance for him. As for me, it's just a continuation -- inaudible -- in three years and here we go again. I looked at my wife on 17 tee or I think it was 16 tee and I just kind of lipped to her, "I'm having fun. I'm having fun." This is great. It's a challenge. It's a challenge to see how you control yourself, control your body, your nerves, your emotions.

DOUG TEWELL: I was probably 60 percent sure I was going to win the tournament after my first putt. Percentages -- I thought I would do well in Vegas. I know the odds. I lost the odds this time. Now I have to play against -- inaudible -- in the senior slam and I guarantee that would have happened down there. I'm going to get back that $200,000 I lost. Allen is a great player. I lost to a guy that put some offense on the board .