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U.S. SENIOR OPENAugust 14, 2016Gene SauersColumbus, Ohio THE MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to welcome Gene Sauers here into the Media Center. Gene currently in second place, one stroke behind the leader, Miguel Angel Jimenez. Gene, no golf play today. What did you do to pass the time? GENE SAUERS: Well, we were just in the locker -- I ate breakfast, and then I had lunch, and then we just kind of sat around the table and just talked about old times. I was in there with Tom Watson and Larry Mize and Scott Verplank, Bob Tway. We were just in there discussing our lives and what was going on and the future of the game, you name it. Everything was coming up. THE MODERATOR: Tomorrow, course conditions will clearly be much softer. Does that change your strategy at all when play resumes? GENE SAUERS: No, not at all. You've still got to hit fairways and greens. I guess today, why they cancelled it is because they said if you had to take casual water, you'd have to go over to the end of the rough to drop it. That's the main reason why they cancelled it today, I think. No, you've just got to keep it in the fairway. I don't know if it will be lift, clean, and place tomorrow or not. If you get a lot of mud on your balls, that could be treacherous also. I know USGA doesn't like to play lift, clean and play. We don't either, but sometimes you have to. You have to just keep hitting fairways and greens and give yourself opportunities. THE MODERATOR: Sometimes it's tough to attack certain hole locations because the course is somewhat firm and fast. With the softer conditions, do you think you can be a little bit more aggressive with the approach shots? GENE SAUERS: Yeah, I think you can. Of course, I'm sure tomorrow they'll be tucked in probably the hardest spots. Like I say, the softer greens, you can fire at them a little bit. Then again, you don't want to screw up and leave yourself a hard shot coming back. If you miss it on the wrong side of the green, that could be treacherous also. Yeah, you're going to have to go ahead and fire at the pins or just you got to pick your holes to do that. THE MODERATOR: Now, this will be the fifth time that the Senior Open will not end on a Sunday and the first time not because of a playoff. But the players who have won on those Monday finishes, it's Arnold Palmer, it's Billy Casper, it's Gary Player, and it's Jack Nicklaus. Certainly, a pretty good group of players. How would you like to add your name to one of those? GENE SAUERS: It would be awesome, right next to Jack's. Like I said, my mentor growing up. That would be awesome. My brother Bruce always told me don't ever count your chickens before they're hatched. So the eggs are shaking anyway. I'm not saying anything yet. Q. Gene, how do you stay sharp here? Are you going to go out and chip a little bit, putt? What's the plan, A? And, B, is this a situation where, if things were scuttling a little bit, you can kind of get that day break and get it back? GENE SAUERS: True. Q. On the other side, if it's really going for you, you want to keep playing. GENE SAUERS: That's what I'm going to do, going to putt for a few minutes. I'm going to the range a bit right now and try to work out things, try to work the ball left to right, vice versa, and try to figure out how I feel today. I wasn't too comfortable yesterday. So I'm going to try to see where I feel today and hopefully continue it into tomorrow, just kind of not think about things and just kind of relax and clear my mind of all what's been happening today because I was ready to play today. Q. Gene, would you rather have not started today and play everything tomorrow, wore you have rather played some today and finished tomorrow? What would you like? GENE SAUERS: I think I would have liked to at least try to get in nine today so I can catch an earlier flight home tomorrow. I've been gone for two weeks. I'm ready to see my dogs. And my wife. Make sure you put that in there too. Q. Gene, this is off the topic, sort of, but I just wondered what you remembered, if anything, about '92 at Bellerive and how that impacted your career? GENE SAUERS: I remember a little bit about it. I remember making a double bogey on a par 3. I can't remember what number that was. Somewhere 5, 6, or 7, the one with the water to the right. I remember hitting it in the water there. I think that basically cost me the tournament, I think, right there. Having a champion like Nick Price, he's one of the best. He and I are still great friends today. I played golf with him down at McArthur last year. We were walking out the door to go play, and I saw these Majors up there, tournaments he won. I went by, hey, wait, and I grabbed him. Which one is that one at Bellerive? Oh, yeah, Gene, let me show you that one. He goes, this one right here. You should have won that tournament. He's a great guy, and I love him to death, but -- what was that, '92? I was still kind of young and hadn't played many Majors. It's kind of like Augusta. I wish I'd have known what I know now back when I played. I played with '87, '89, '90. Played three times, and it's just something that you've got to move and think your way around that golf course more than any other golf course on Tour. It's a whole different atmosphere at Augusta. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have a great day. THE MODERATOR: Gene, get some rest and hopefully finish tomorrow. GENE SAUERS: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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