GREATER GREENSBORO CHRYSLER CLASSIC

April 23, 1998

Rocco Mediate

ROCCO MEDIATE: I hit a lot of fairways. Hit a lot of greens. I mean, that is why I had chance to score. If you don't hit the fairways, you won't hit the greens. I mean, the fairways -- the rough is so impossible, -- it is impossible - I don't know how much more impossible it could be. You can't play out of it at all, unless you get real lucky which -- it is just like an Open, this rough. In fact, actually worse in places. And, they cut it so it was pretty scary a couple of days ago. That is the whole key. I mean, the guy who hits it in most of the fairways this week will do fairly well. I only missed two -- how many fairways -- three fairways - was on the par 5 on 13, so I could hit it out anyway. I missed the fairway on 16 and 7 -- and I made a good par on 16, but 7 I had no chance.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Excellent. I was just saying -- for as wet as it is, those things drained so well. They putted beautifully. Of course we were second group off too, but they were still outstanding. I think most of the guys will tell you the same thing.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Well, they definitely drained -- like I said - I will say it again - I can't believe how non-wet they are. They are wet, but they are not soaked, the tee boxes everything are. I guess it made a big difference for them. I guess that was one of the problems. I am not one for change, so...

ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah, well, I have had been lucky to win twice here and Doral and they changed both golf courses; not even close to what they were. I am not going to say anything else about that.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I face it. May work tomorrow or not. I wish I knew. I just try to make as aggressive as a swing as I can; as a good motion as I can because if you don't, then you are trying to kind of steer it in there. When you try and do that, it is all over here. I mean, I would rather go down swinging than go down chipping it out there and trying to get it in play. And most of the time that worked today. Couple of times it didn't. A couple of times when I tried to get a little safe, I paid. And I feel like -- that didn't even bother me because I felt like I deserved it because I wasn't aggressive as I should have been. By aggressive, I mean made a good swing; not steering it out there.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Yes. I did a lot of things good today. I putted good. Hit some good drives a lot of good iron shots, I mean, I couldn't -- I can't complain. I would like to make that last one, but what are you going to do.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Absolutely. Here, especially. Because it is not going to get much easier. Like I said, the rough is not going to die out and all become fairways. So it is going to be hard. It is going to keep being hard.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I have never felt better over putting in my entire career. As people know me, I do tend to exaggerate some. I don't think I am -- I have made putts the last three weeks, even the TPC, and Harbour Town last week that I would have never made before. Just by the way I feel, it is not the putter or the putter style or the putter make. It is the way I feel over it and the stuff I have worked on, a friend of mine, Randy, and I have worked on putting for a long time; worked on it really a couple weeks ago. Something just happened. Something happened big and I just feel great about it. So, it just freed me up for some reason.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I don't know. No, all I did -- he gave me good fundamentals and good things to think about when I am out there, and it just works. It really works. I feel very confident over every single putt I am over. And, that is never -- I have never had that. I mean, I have -- I may not make them, but I am not missing them before I putt them which is good.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Yeah, I like it here because for some reason most of the holes set up to me very good. When I get in the tee box, I kind of like what I see; on just about every hole here, really. And, that is good. That makes a big difference. Like just, for example, I am sure last week Davis liked what he saw on every hole and he has only won that tournament four, five times. So it is certain places fit better than others for most players. I think most guys will tell you the same thing. I have always liked this since I have been coming here for twelve years or so.

ROCCO MEDIATE: None. There is no time for that. I mean, with what I have done -- gone through over the last couple of years, I am very happy with my progress. If I get a chance to get in there on Sunday, I hope I do. I hope I am nervous as all hell on Sunday, I just hope -- that is what I want to do be. Sometimes you wonder: Do I have what it takes to finish again. I don't know, I have to find out. Because all that went away when I sat for a year and a half and didn't play any golf for a couple of years. That is the worst thing that happened. That is what I miss the most is the competition. I mean, I made a comment to my wife last the week that Justin won, THE PLAYERS, and I told her: I said, you know if you would have put me on 10th tee box with his score, I don't know if I could have done that. I mean, finish like that. I really don't. But where before, I felt like I probably could have. Six years ago when I was playing there all the time, but I want to find out again, soon. (laughs) It is just -- I don't know if I -- I think I have the ability to do it, but I don't know if I can do it because I haven't done it for so long. Just a matter of getting back there and seeing what happens.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Could it?

ROCCO MEDIATE: Absolutely could happen here because I know what it is going to -- last time I said this, I shouldn't have said it, but there is not an a lot of 63s shot here. I said that in 1992 when Davis shot 63 on Sunday. Not a lot of them done. You might throw one here and there, but I don't know about this week, but you just know somewhere between 10- and 15-under is probably going to win. So, I don't know, I like the scores when 10-under wins instead of 18 for some reason.

ROCCO MEDIATE: 2-putted 2. About 20 feet. 6 made about a 3, 3 and a half, 4-footer there. Hit 8-iron. I hit a 6-iron on 10 about four feet. Made that. What did I birdie? 15? Hit a pitching wedge about actually an A-Wedge about six feet, made that. 17, I made a good 4-iron about a good 20-, 22-footer there, that was nice. That is it. Isn't it? Made bogey and 5 birdies. 7, hit it left. Actually got on the front of the green. I 3-putted for about a million feet - I don't know how far it was. Actually I almost made the second one, but like I said, all and all, it was solid, a solid day. It has to be. You can't get it around here and not . Sometimes when you are playing pretty good, good things happen. Hopefully it will keep happening.