U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 28, 2003

Tom Watson

TOM WATSON: Hey, cool off, will you!

Q. Give us your general take on how you did?

TOM WATSON: I played a better round than I did yesterday. I shot 1-under par. I had quite a few opportunities for birdies today that I didn't have yesterday and I didn't make. Today was one of those days that I just didn't get it quite close enough to the hole and when I didn't make the putts.

Q. Tom, you are playing well, tee to green, you are looking awfully good, when you go to bed tonight four shots behind, it's a tough golf course, that could be lots of swings, in your favor, against, Bruce, so on and so forth?

TOM WATSON: Sure. This golf course has a lot of pitfalls, a lot of hazards to it. If you don't put it in the fairway you are really struggling on this golf course because of the severity of the rough. And that's -- my game plan is to go out there and make five or six birdies tomorrow and see what I can do.

Q. Last year you were five back with 10 to go; are you hoping for a little deja vue?

TOM WATSON: I would like to come out one shot ahead like I did last year when all is said and done at the end.

Q. Tom, it might be dismaying for you to hear this; Bruce hit only seven fairways?

TOM WATSON: Well, he can cut it out of that rough. He is good out of that rough with that cut shot of his. The greens were soft enough today; the first day they were very firm. Today and yesterday they were about the same consistency. That's the way they should be for the old folks.

Q. I noticed on 10 you kind of looked up at the scoreboard; how much does that enter into your mind seeing Lietzke kind of take off? Does it play at all?

TOM WATSON: No, I was trying to make birdies on every hole but it wasn't to be. The putter wasn't cooperative on the back nine. I had my opportunities at 10 and 12 and 13. I had my opportunities.

14, I had a good opportunity to make birdie; I missed it. I left it short.

Actually, 15 I had a decent opportunity there.

16, I had another one.

17, I kind of shanked it off to the right there. Then I had another good opportunity. None of those things went in today. I didn't get it close enough.

Q. Tom, do you build on last year at all? Do you use that as confidence knowing that you have been there; can you depend on that as a factor?

TOM WATSON: I can't remember last year. Last year is history. What I am thinking about is how am I playing at the moment; what I have to do to play well at the moment. And that's all I'm thinking about right now. Last year is history. I wish I could bring back some of that magic that I had on the back nine. Maybe it will happen. I don't know. Right now I'm just considering how I am playing at the moment.

End of FastScripts....