BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

March 18, 1999

Dicky Pride

DICKY PRIDE: Played real solid all day. Just very thankful I got in the tournament. I was at the last minute -- got a last minute sponsor exemption Monday night. Jim Bell called me, and Robert Allenby had a sponsor exemption from the Qualifying School and got in on his money from this year, top 70 on the money list, I believe it is for this tournament, he got in on his money. So they had a sponsor exemption come back. So last minute, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Bell got me in. I am just very thankful to play. I live here and -- I was going to the beach. I was gone. I was off the Gulf shores in Alabama to relax a little bit. I was going to have two weeks off, and I am really glad I am here. I played real solid all day. I birdied 5, 6, and 9. Made a stupid bogey on -- actually great bogey, but a stupid bogey. Hit it in the bunker on 11, and for some unknown reason decided to go for the green, hit it in the water, dropped it, and hit a wedge up there about two feet. Made that for bogey, which was huge, because I was looking at 6 staring me right in the face. And then I birdied 15 and 17 coming in. So overall, real solid.

DICKY PRIDE: I was driving home from Palm Beach. I was playing a Pro-Am down there, and I had my cell phone ringing. It was my wife. She said, Dicky, Jim Bell just called you, and you need to call him. It was the 11th hour. I had called Mr. Bell. He said, did you get the message? I said, yes, sir. 11th hour -- I said 11th hour. He said no, 11:30. I said, okay, I will take it. And I just can't say enough about Mr. Palmer and the committee and Mr. Bell and everyone. They have just been so good to me over the years. It is just amazing.

DICKY PRIDE: It would be a tough one to sit out. But this tournament has been so good to me, they have given me numerous sponsor exemptions. Mr. Bell told me I didn't get one I just said, well, thank you. You have done -- they have done so much for me -- you -- I -- you know, Mr. Palmer, in particular, has done so much for my golf career. It is just amazing. But you know, as far as this tournament specifically, you know, they have done so much for me. I am very fortunate to get in.

DICKY PRIDE: A little bit. I was definitely relaxed because I just took it as -- I play here. I am a member here. I play out here all the time and I just, you know, I told my caddie I said, they can't throw a wind, they can't throw a pin position that I hadn't seen or played. I have been a member here for like seven years now, so, I mean, I have played the course a bunch. I just said they can't throw anything that I haven't seen before, so let us just go out and play golf and, you know, like last night usually -- night before a round I will go over the golf course in my mind. I kind of started to do that before I went to sleep. I am like what are you doing, you know this golf course, relax. So I went to sleep. It was great.

DICKY PRIDE: Yeah.

DICKY PRIDE: I can't imagine. I mean, I was with Catherine and when all that was happening we are all just very happy that, you know, Kathryn, and Kristen and Lauren and Brent got out and the fireman got "Bogey" their dog out. I think that is going to be really big for the kids and they have done a great job of getting their life back to normal they have done a great job with their kids. I can't imagine what they are going through and it was a tough day that day.

DICKY PRIDE: It worked out great last weekend. I shot 75, 75 on the weekend. Very difficult conditions and I kept my attitude the whole time. I was very, very proud of myself for doing that because I didn't hit the ball very good. I have been working very hard on my golf swing and one of the difficulties I have is when the wind blows real hard because I am working on getting the ball in the air and when the wind starts blowing I kind of revert to my old -- the old way I used to hit it and keep it low and I changed for a reason, so, you know, that is not what I want to do. But when you -- when it is blowing -- you are not going to try and hit -- feather this one up there, but I played good the whole weekend. I was real happy. I kept a good mental state the whole time, and I have done a good job thus far in this tournament.

DICKY PRIDE: I would expect it so, for sure. The course is in perfect condition. Dwight has just done an exceptional job. The greens are nice and firm. They are rolling great. The fairways, I mean, just perfect and it was pretty calm today. Depends on the wind. If the wind gets blowing, then it will be more difficult. It will be a little more difficult because the greens are probably dry a little bit more. But if the winds blows just depends on how hard the wind blows.

DICKY PRIDE: 5, hit driver off the tee and hit an 8-iron pin-high left went through the fringe so was about an inch in the rough and I was able to get to it. So I putted it and it was about, I don't know, I will tell you. Pin was 4 from the left; I was about a yard and a half off the green so it looks like I made a 16-footer. 6, I hit a drive to the right just like you play that hole, you just hit it right. Then hit 3-iron right. I had 122; hit a 9-iron about 15 feet right of the pin and made the putt. 9, I just killed a drive. I hit this really low draw. It went out there great. I couldn't believe that I hit it that far. I don't think I have hit that far from the back tees. Pin on the front, hit 4-iron about eight feet, made the putt. 15, I hit a drive down -- real good drive down the left side; hit a 6-iron about 25 feet short and made the putt. 17, was real good birdie. Hit 3-iron. It was 208. Hit 3-iron right of the pin about 25 feet and really relied a lot on my course knowledge of the greens from playing so much because I knew the grain goes a little swirly in that corner, and just hit it, just creeped down there and just came back right as I expected. I made -- I was pretty juiced.