U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2001

Doug Tewell

DOUG TEWELL: Well, I played the course yesterday and I was quite pleased with what I saw. I think you always try to measure a course by your strengths. I think any time I get to a major, something like this, when I see a lot of rough, that helps with my strengths because I drive the ball very straight. And I thought the fairways were very liberal. And probably more liberal than I would like to see. But I think the greens will probably firm up and it looks like the key now will be to get through 17 holes and then hold your patience on the 18th green. But no, I think it's going to be a very nice venue and the heat may have something to do with the scores, but I think it's going to be a wonderful championship.

DOUG TEWELL: Well, I think we have had a problem on the SENIOR TOUR identifying with majors. A lot of players seem to think that we really don't have majors out here. It's just another tournament with bigger crowds. I don't like to think of it that way because I've worked very hard now to win two majors and it seems like I've really had to bring my golf game up to a little better level to play well in those two events. And I was able to do that. I think at the PGA Championship we had in Paramus, we had a magnificent venue and you had to be a shot-maker and you had to hit hooks and fades and really it taxes your entire golf game and I think that's what you look for in a major is being able to -- that you got to go out and not just sort of lackadaisical, go around the course and somehow you stumble to a 68. You got to play well. You got to hit good iron shots and you got to know when to be below the hole and when to be right or left of the hole. So you spend a lot more -- we spend a lot more time preparing as far as charting the greens and things.

DOUG TEWELL: Well, I think that -- I mean, I'm not in -- Jack says -- he's -- I think the majors should be a little bit tougher. I think that's the test. And of course I'm of the opinion at least on the SENIOR TOUR that majors, we should walk every week at all majors. I mean to me this is -- I would like to have these four tournaments that we really point to where you don't have a Pro-Am and you get three or four days to prepare for the tournament and it's taken me about 30 years to figure out how to prepare for these majors and now I'm starting to figure it out, I hope. I would like to see us maybe have a British Senior Open that would be the fourth major. Maybe more so than in two weeks in Detroit at the even at The Players. But I've got two of these, I would like to add this one and I would like to get that fourth one and it -- just once you get one or two you understand why Jack and all these guys all these years put so much into them because all of a sudden that you really -- there's a sense of pride with about winning these things for sure.

DOUG TEWELL: Well I think you really have to work on your iron play. You have got to put the ball -- you got to know exactly where you're hitting the ball and because on these greens -- there's some really undulating greens and I looked at some shots yesterday on a couple of greens that I can't remember the exact holes, but where I said, hey, we just want to -- we won't shoot at the pin if they put it here. We will shoot over here to the right side of it and leave ourselves an uphill putt and get out of here with a par. I think in the majors that's what you have to understand about those. There's times when you just say I'm not even going over there. That's got bogey written all over it. You have to be so precise to hit the left side of the green or the back right of the green. But they're suckering you into trying to go at it and you're better off to say hey, middle of the green, four, four's here would be a good week and there's plenty of other holes to try to make birdie. So it comes down to managing your golf game. You just got to really be more precise in majors and hopefully that's what majors are all about. It's to find the very best ball-striker and the guy holing the putts that week and maybe a little luck thrown in there. It may have to come at the 18th. But so that you keep the ball below the hole in the right spot. Because that green is very difficult.

DOUG TEWELL: I hope I see a lot of you.