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SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 23, 2005

Tom Watson

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND

Q. Tom, there must be many rounds in your life that you can remember. How does that rate today?

TOM WATSON: Well, it was a wonderful round ever golf. I made some putts today. That was the first time in several weeks that I have made some putts. And I didn't make any mistakes on the greens, with the exception of number 8 where I 3 putted. But it was a long putt, a 60 footer. But all in all I saw the ball go in the hole today. And that was a lot different than what's been going on.

Q. For my benefit as much as anybody else's benefit, how do you adjust to these conditions so quickly?

TOM WATSON: Oh, I had a chance to play at St. Andrews last week and the turf there was very similar to the turf here. But this course is a lot tougher than St. Andrews in the sense that we had a 30 mile an hour wind and the fairways were narrow and the greens were smaller and it was an unfamiliar golf course. It was a tough, tough first round.

Second round was a little bit easier. And of course today the wind laid down and it was pretty much from the same direction and you saw what happened. The pros adjusted to it and there were several scores shot in the middle 60s.

Q. How much is your experience going to count for tomorrow?

TOM WATSON: Well, my experience on the golf course I hope counts for a lot. I didn't make any mistakes today off the tee. It was a good day there. All in all I've hit the ball very well.

I may play a little bit differently tomorrow, as far as where I try to place the ball off the tee.

Q. Well, you placed it just about to perfect with the irons. Will you go with the same type of plan tomorrow?

TOM WATSON: Well, at number 18, I have played that driver, 3 wood, and a 2 iron there. And I remember playing a friendly game here in 1996 with some of the members here and they said, "Hit an iron off the tee." And I remember hitting it down the right over there. And ended up on not in very good shape with a driver, so the iron was the play today. There's several holes that you can do that. There's certain holes that now that we have played it four or five rounds, we pretty much know where to hit it.

Q. It's always difficult to follow a good round with another good round. How do you start out tomorrow? What's your game plan? What's your mindset?

TOM WATSON: I don't think it's too difficult. I think it's a I think you build on it and you just, you do the same things you were doing the day before and you hope the body, at this age, hope the body feels the same. You never know what the body is going to feel like when you wake up at this age.

Q. Low round of the tournament, the low round on this course as well, you said you have been learning all week long, what did you learn today?

TOM WATSON: Well, the golf course I learned first of all that when you make putts, you shoot low scores. And today was the first time in a long time I made some putts. I don't know how, but it went in. And I just stuck with the stroke that I was using today, instead of trying to change it four or five times in the middle of the round. And things worked out. So I hit the ball well today, I drove the ball well, the best I've driven it in two days. And I hit a lot of quality iron shots. Of course, the wind died down today and it was from the same direction, so we played the golf course now with the wind coming from the same direction three days in a row and we're getting used to it.

Q. Wind has died down, but it seemed like you guys were able to make more aggressive putting lines and strokes. Is that because of the moisture in the air or what?

TOM WATSON: Actually it was because the wind wasn't blowing you off balance like this. The first day it was blowing 20, 30 miles an hour. And you're sitting up there trying to stay still and make the stroke and it's hard to do that.

Q. Can you talk about that great run on the outward nine. Especially that three on the par 5?

TOM WATSON: Well, I started and I hit some quality shots at the first two holes and then a very good shot at number three with a 2 iron. I made birdie with a 2 iron.

Then number four, a real tough hole. A really good drive there. So right now I'm building some momentum. I've got the swing under control.

And five, I drove it down there and then in the neck, probably it's not a driver shot, but I hit driver anyway. I hit a good sand wedge in there and made the putt. And that's, that was 2 under par.

Then the next hole, I ripped a drive and I hit a 3 iron right at the hole. And I just felt when I was looking at the putt from about 40 feet I was going to make the putt. And sure enough it went right in the middle, well right in the right edge of the hole. For a three. That was my first eagle of the year, as a matter of fact.

And then the next hole, 7th hole I made about a 20 footer. Pulled a 9 iron about pin high and kind of May it from about 20 feet. And that really got me off and rolling.

End of FastScripts.

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