ENERGIZER SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 7, 1996

Jimmy Powell

JIMMY POWELL: I think I birdied both par fives on the front; hit very close on the first one, probably about three feet and then I made it from about ten feet on 8.

JIMMY POWELL: Just little wedges in there. You have to lay up on those holes or I do. The long hitters don't. But then I hit it very close on 10. I hit it probably about six feet at 10, made it.

JIMMY POWELL: Yeah, 11, I got a little unlucky on 11. I hit a beautiful tee ball and there is a big nob out there in the middle of the fairway and it hits the left side of this nob and it bounces about probably about a foot into the rough. And then my second shot sort of flew out of there. Sort of slid out of there to a little bit to the right, just off the edge of the green but I hit a bad chip shot and made bogey. Then I bogeyed 18. Hit it in the right woods on 18. Hit a good shot up there, hit it probably about six, seven feet; missed it again. I hit a lot of good putts. I made one good putt today from probably 25 feet for par.

JIMMY POWELL: On 10, 11, -- 12, I guess it is. But then coming in, I could have birdied every hole -- I could have birdied the last four, five holes, but just didn't putt well. Hit good putts, but they just didn't go in.

JIMMY POWELL: Well, on 15, I probably hit about ten feet and 16, I probably had it about eight feet. 17, is a little longer; I probably had it about 15 feet at 17. And I hit awfully good putts. 16 was the hole that I hit just a beautiful putt. I had it probably six, eight feet there, and the greens like sloping 45 degrees to the right and the ball didn't break right. But the greens are tough to putt. There is lot of little undulations out there that you don't see and one will break real quick and the next one looks like it is going to break and it won't so everything is going to be on the greens this week.

JIMMY POWELL: Yeah, I love this golf course. It's a great golf course. It is a little soft. I tried a new driver today. I have been averaging probably about 250 off the tee and so went to a 46 inch driver today for the first time to see if I can hit a little further. I hit a lot of good drives, hit it further. Going to make the course play a little shorter, but I am just not used to the driver yet, but I have got to take the gamble.

JIMMY POWELL: It is a Great Big Bertha, 46 inch; got a new shaft called -- I don't know the name of shaft. It is called something wood -- Long Wood Shaft. That is it.

JIMMY POWELL: No, just think about scoring. All I try to do is think about scoring; let all the ramifications take care of themselves. I think the main thing out there is to not get caught up in trying, you know, trying to win. You don't try to win or I don't try to win unless you get a 4 shot lead with one hole to play, but I think you can get caught up thinking about those two both events, but I just think about scoring; just try to do the best I can.

JIMMY POWELL: No. No, I won't try to protect anything here. I think the main event is actually the big tournament. I won't do anything foolish out there, but I think it is $85,000 first place in the soup, so -- but I really will try not to have a mindset on the Super Seniors.

JIMMY POWELL: Every week, yes, sir. Yes, sir.

JIMMY POWELL: No. Just hit it this morning, hit it about 10, 15 times on the driving range and I am still not comfortable with it, but I have hit -- I must have hit 7, 8 really beautiful drives out there today and long, so I am going to stick with it. I told my wife this morning I said well, I am guaranteed 25,000 this week, so I am just going to take this long driver and gamble and try to make 300.

JIMMY POWELL: You need the distance. You have to have the distance on this golf course. I mean, you can't sit back there and hit 2 and 3 and 4-irons and expect to win this tournament. You have got to get up there and 6, 7, 8-iron range and that is what I did today.

JIMMY POWELL: I don't know how far. But I was keeping up with -- Brian Barnes is a pretty big hitter and so is Frank Conner and I was staying with them. I was staying within just, maybe three or four yards of them today.

JIMMY POWELL: Well, I played.

JIMMY POWELL: Last week I played with Walt Zembriski who is about this big (indicating very short) and he had one just exactly like this and he was hitting it past me and I said you little squirt, I said, you hit it further than I do. So I looked at his driver. I hit it with his driver and on the practice tee here and I must have been hitting hit 30 yards further with his than I did with mine, so I ordered one just like it, and naturally you know they are never just like it so you have to -- you have to sort of get used to it, and hopefully I am going to go out and practice hit maybe 30, 40 tee balls with it today.

JIMMY POWELL: Last night in the mail. Yeah, last night.

JIMMY POWELL: I don't know. Well, you sort of feel -- you have got the feel of a driver in other words, you can take it out and hit it and you are really not 100% comfortable with it, but I think that, like I said, I have got to -- I have got to gamble and try to hit it further and because you are not going to find anybody hitting it out here at 240, 250 winning this tournament. The golf course is just too long.

JIMMY POWELL: Just on this course, just on this golf course, yeah. I mean, you got some holes out there where you -- against the wind like, what is it, number 6? Is it 6, the long par four? Yeah, I hit that drive today with and just killed it and I was up with Brian Barnes and I still had to hit a 2-iron to that hole. If I would have been using my driver I might not have been able to reach the green, so. . . . And then the next hole, I hit a big drive there and just hit an 8-iron-did I haven't been hitting 5-irons at that hole.

JIMMY POWELL: Yeah, 6 and 7.

JIMMY POWELL: Well, I think the weather last year was just awful. I remember cold, I think if you shot anything under 76 or 77 you played pretty well. I think 1, 2 and 3 were playing 2-woods when the wind was blowing so hard last year, so I think the golf course, the weather today was just beautiful couldn't ask for better weather today and so I think that is why you are going to see a lot of low scores. I don't think you are going to see any 64s, 5s or 6s on this golf course but I think if you can get it in at 60 and maybe 68, 69, those are going to be great scores.

JIMMY POWELL: Well, it is still a problem. We are fortunate enough to have our health. I think that is the key. And Bob -- I am going to start working out quite a bit this year. Bob Charles has worked out all his life, and I think that -- naturally, your game is not going to change very much and it is contributed to your health. Health is the key. If you can stay flexible -- like I have been playing in pain for three months because of my back but I think I started the stretching program, well, a month ago and I am beginning to feel better now so I am going to carry that --

JIMMY POWELL: Not very much. I hit a lot of golf balls but I really never did much stretching or physical therapy of any kind.

JIMMY POWELL: I think stretching -- you have to stretch. These muscles down here in my legs you should be able to, when you are on the fitness table, they should be able to -- you should be able to get that leg up at a right angle, at least right angle and mine is probably about 80%. This next year I am going to have that baby over my head. (Laughter.)

JIMMY POWELL: Started when I was 25 years old (Laughter.)

JIMMY POWELL: Well, I don't hit a lot. I probably hit maybe -- when I am home I probably hit two or 300 a day and when I am out here I probably hit maybe 100 a day. But it is not the number of balls you hit. I think you just have to -- it is the frequency. I think you need to hit balls everyday; especially as you get older, you know, if you don't hit because for, four five days then you go out there you are really -- but with this exercise program I will be totally different, I don't know.

JIMMY POWELL: No, I just try to when I practice I try to shape my ball a certain way. I just keep doing it just trying to do the same thing with every shot. I think that golf is such a difficult game, I think, few players Hogan and those guys could -- and Trevino he could play the ball a lot of different kinds of shots, but I am just trying to learn one.

JIMMY POWELL: I think so. I think so. If you could just learn one shot that you can count on all the time, well then you can play the game pretty well.

JIMMY POWELL: Thank you.