FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

August 1, 1998

Nick Price

NICK PRICE: Yeah, two different nines for me today. The front 9 was pretty poor ball-striking, contrast to yesterday, because I missed a few fairways on the front 9 today and the rough is pretty thick so you pay the penalty. Actually did well the front 9 just to shoot 1-over. Because I think I only hit two fairways. But then the back 9, I played pretty good. I got a good break on 10. Caught my tee shot to the right, hit the tree in the middle of the fairway, 238 yards to the flag, hit a 1-iron up there about 25 feet, 2-putted, so that kind of turned my day for me a little bit. Like the first decent break that I got all day. And, then birdied 12, and I birdied 15. 12, I hit a sand wedge to about probably ten feet. And then 16, I was in the bunker, just pin-high right, and knocked it out about three, four feet. So I feel a lot better playing a good back 9 today. It was tricky. I think the scores probably showed up -- I looked at the board, I saw probably the best score amongst the leaders was 4-under, so, club selection is a little tough; especially when they tuck those pins in the corners. But I played pretty defensively on the hole today. I didn't try and do anything foolish out there. If I'd driven the ball well today, then I think I would have shot a couple of shots better. But all and all, I am in good shape and, you know, hopefully if I have had a bad round, it was it today. And, tomorrow will be better.

NICK PRICE: I hit a drive and 9-iron to about three feet.

NICK PRICE: I hit a 6-iron and hit it over the back of the green. Actually, a bit of a mystery. Had 185 yards to the flag. Normally I hit my 7-iron about 170, 175, and 6-iron just went straight over the green. And I chipped up not very well and hit a very difficult chip, in fact. No. 7, I drove in the rough and knocked it out; ended up doing well to 2-putt.

NICK PRICE: 9 was a good save. I drove it in the rough left. And pitched out and then nearly holed my third shot and screwed back about 12, 13 feet short of the hole. I made it. So that putt and then the good break on 10, certainly turned my day around today.

NICK PRICE: Yeah, I hit -- cut it and hit the tree and came back and, like I say, I had, I think, 230 yards to the flag. Makes that hole a little tougher.

NICK PRICE: Just off the tee. Everything else was fine. But then I figured it out, the back 9. I think just let my right hand slip underneath a little too much and that sometimes gets me to hook the ball or to block it. So the last five tee shots I hit, four tee shots I hit, I hit really well. So hopefully that is it.

NICK PRICE: There is a bunch. If we have the same sort of conditions tomorrow, anyone who is like 8-under can win this thing. I think even 7-under, maybe. But 7-under -- I should imagine the winning score between 14-, 15-under if we have the same day as today. If we have calm conditions, then it is going to be a little lower. It also depends on how the Tour sets up the golf course. If we have a carbon copy of today then 14, 15-under will win. That means the guys who are back 7-under, they are going to have to shoot 8-under tomorrow, but that is possible. We have seen that done on this golf course. But it is playing long and the wind is just enough to affect the ball and it is difficult for club selection. Again because we have so many of these cloverleaf greens here where the pin is kind of tucked in there, you don't have a lot of depth to shoot at, you kind of are forced to go a little bit out on the fat side of the green. Unless you want to go -- you know, you are going to -- it is difficult. Very difficult to pull the club out and fire straight at the flag because you are not sure of the distance. It is unusual for us to play this course with any kind of wind. I know it is not a whole lot, but it is enough just to, again, to put a little bit of doubt in your mind. It's got to be 15 guys within two shots, three shots?

NICK PRICE: I don't know, I haven't even thought about that. I don't really think about winning that much until I have got four shots in hand; I have hit my second shot on the 18th on the green. Because I have played this game long enough to know that there is a lot of things that can go wrong. I am trying not to think about winning right now. What I want to do tomorrow is just play each shot as it comes and add them up at the end of the day and hopefully that will be better than everyone else. I will tell you tomorrow.