U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 1995

Scott Simpson

LES UNGER: Scott Simpson with a 3 under today. Could you take us through the holes that were either birdies or bogeys, don't dwell too much on the routine pars.

SCOTT SIMPSON: Because that is real exciting, right? Let me see, No. 2, I made birdie, hit a 3-wood about 20 feet and made it. Then I hit every green and made a birdie at No. 8. 3-wood, 9-iron, 15 feet. Made a bogey on No. 12, driver right rough and then iron just left of the green; chipped it about 15 feet and missed the putt. I made a good save on 13, drove it way right down in the long stuff and hit a pretty good lie and headed over the green and chipped back made about a 6 footer for par. And then 14, hit a driver, 6-iron on the front edge of the green and made about 25 footer; putted it in. And 15, driver, 9-iron, about 15 feet; made it. Then good par save on 18, just in the left rough off the tee, 4-iron in the left bunker and made -- chipped it out and made an 8 footer for par. So, that adds up to 67.

LES UNGER: There was a 5 year stretch from '88 through '92. Excuse me '91 -- '87 through '91 where Scott Simpson's name was in the running all the time. Then the last three years you kind of popped it in. Do you feel good about this today?

SCOTT SIMPSON: I feel great. Any time you can shoot under par at Shinnecock you have had a great round. Especially, today, I mean the greens were holding well. There wasn't much wind at all. I mean, the course couldn't play much easier for us and still there is not too many guys under par, so it is just a great golf course. You really have to play well here. Yeah, couple of years, I haven't played as well in the U.S. Open, after that good run there, and I don't know, just trying to play better. I don't know any reasons for it - good or bad.

LES UNGER: Questions.

Q. Does your mindset change for the Open as opposed to a regular tournament?

SCOTT SIMPSON: I think it changes a little bit. I probably practice a little bit harder and make more of a conscious effort to work on having patience and, you know, composure out there and because there is going to be sometimes when you are going to hit it in that long stuff, dingle dangles, I think, Johnny Miller was calling it, and everyone is going to be in there once or twice, and you need composure; you need to think all the way around the golf course. Obviously, you need to trust your swing because you have got to hit it in the fairway to have any chance of making a good score, so yeah, I think it changes a little bit and you just make a real effort to concentrate on every shot. But I try to do that everywhere, but --

Q. Scott, a number of the players that have come in here before you talk about how soft the greens are. Have they dried up some by the time you got on?

SCOTT SIMPSON: Not significantly, no. They are still holding the ball real well. I would imagine in the next few days, if we keep having good weather, that they will dry up, but even this afternoon, they held great, even spun it back a few times, the short irons.

Q. Does that make any trepidation for you in terms of the greens drying up?

SCOTT SIMPSON: No, because it is the same for everybody. It will just make the course play real hard. It is playing pretty hard as it is just -- because it is, you know, Shinnecock, the U.S. Open. But it will play harder. It is the same for everyone and I don't care; do whatever they want.

Q. You have had a lot of solid finishes this year; you have also played your way into the tournament. I think the last two or three years maybe you didn't play the weeks before the tournament. Does this resemble when you had that streak?

SCOTT SIMPSON: Yeah, I have tried -- yeah, I would say, yes. That I have played more consistent this year and I have made a conscious effort to play my way in this year because -- I -- usually when I go home, it is hard for me to get out there and practice much, but when I am out on the Tour, I usually practice pretty hard, so I thought it was important just to keep playing the weeks before the U.S. Open and I used to always do that and then I am trying it again.

Q. Scott, after seeing some of the earlier scores and you playing the course yourself, obviously, what do you think it is going to take for someone to take -- do you have any idea what kind of score at the end of four days it is going to take?

SCOTT SIMPSON: Yeah, I don't think there will be too many guys under par. Just because you know, like we said, the course can't play much easier, and in case some wind really kicks up or the greens do get firmer, you know it is going to play really difficult. So -- I don't know. You know, I think someone will shoot under par, but it probably won't be too many of us.

Q. Are nerves still a factor for you at all going into an opening round of a U.S. Open?

SCOTT SIMPSON: What? Nerves? Huh? Huh? (jokingly).

Q. Are you nervous?

SCOTT SIMPSON: Huh? (laughter) yeah, I am nervous, sure. I think all of us are. This is it. You know, this is the U.S. Open, so everyone is going to be nervous. Just the nerves are there because you want to play so well and but at the same token, you know what you try to do is learn how to relax. Maybe that is where experience comes in. You just learn that you know, life is going to go on no matter what you do and so you just get out there and you just try to trust your game and hope things go your way. There is a lot of great players here and only one of us is going to win and, you know, life has got to go on.

Q. Scott, if you continue to play this well, do you expect to hear from Bill Murray?

SCOTT SIMPSON: Yeah, I probably will. The last time I was playing really well at -- he is working right now. He is shooting a movie, so he is out in Colorado, but last time I was playing real well at Byron Nelson, and I was leading -- I think I was leading after three rounds and I came in fourth round; I had a message taped to my locker that said "make us rich and famous, your partner." So I am sure he will come up with something, but I did - I made us rich and famous.

LES UNGER: Thanks very much. Good luck.

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