U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 4, 1996

Chi Chi Rodriguez

KAYE KESSLER: Chi Chi Rodriguez Neat round, one bogey and two birdies.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, on 17 I had the ball in perfect place there. Hit 3-iron just in front, six inches from the front edge and I charged it by the hole and now I had a real slicky putt. I had to make a 3-footer for my third putt.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: From what?

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: No.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: No. I would never withdraw from the biggest tournament of all. Any time a tournament carries the name the United States is the biggest tournament. My dad said, when you make a commitment; you fulfill it. That is a man's way of doing things. I never pick it up. The only way I pick it up is if I die.

KAY KESSLER: You are not going to do that?

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: And I am not going to die.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: I am going to be around another 70 years, man.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Well, I hit it, the second hole. I made my birdie there, made a 3-footer and I mean -- I missed a few chances, but overall I putted real good. I got the putter that I won my first three tournaments with on the Tour, on the regular Tour. I got a putter -- I brought them out of closet. It has been hiding, you know. I won the Lucky International with that putter, the Western Open and the Denver Open, and I put them in the closet. I don't know, it has been, what, 32 years and I put them out of retirement and he did a good job. My father used to say, "son, an old proven friend is always better than a new untested one." And that putter's been tested under pressure. I have been missing those little putts as I had on the last hole there. I have been missing about five putts a round like that. That is the reason you guys don't read about me anymore. I should say --

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: I am not very smart. I got a new grip putter. I took off Monday and Tuesday and I stayed in my room and I invented a grip for putting and it really worked. It really worked, so I think I am going to be a good putter for the rest of my life now. And my brother gave me a good lesson on the telephone last week. He called me. He said, "Chi Chi, I can't believe what I see on the tube." I mean, "you got no balance." And I said "what should I do?" He said you got to move your feet about 8 inches closer together, so you can keep a good balance and made a good turn. And that is what I did and my game is back.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. I 2-putted that par 5. What is it 13 or 14?

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: 13, I 2-putted that. Hit driver and 5-iron and 2-putted that. And I save a good par on -- well, actually it was easy chip up here on 15. I expected to chip it in. But it didn't go in. I saved a par there. The last hole, you know, I saved a par from the sand. And that is about it.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, I saved a par on 11. I missed the green. I was on the high grass. I pitched it about two feet.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: I feel terrific. Now, the guys that played this afternoon and they shot themselves out of the tournament. They got a better chance tomorrow morning because now they got to go over our spike marks. Of course, I don't weigh enough to make spike marks. It is good to see you guys again. Boy, I haven't seen you in two years. (LAUGHTER)

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: That is terrific. You know, I didn't know this was a lefthanded course, but I guess it is. That is a terrific round. God bless him.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: No, I hit 3-wood and a pitching wedge.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Three feet. Chinese feet, really.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: I came up with a grip -- we don't have a club -- oh, here. What I am doing now (using microphone as club) I am taking this hand here right there. I take this hand and put it under here. I put that finger there and then I make like a"V" here and I don't break down, so if you got the yips (sic), it will help you. That is it.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Sometimes I think I am smart. (LAUGHTER) I just said, I can't putt any worse. You know, like I say, I have been missing -- last week -- well, two weeks ago in Philadelphia when I played, I should have run away with that tournament. I missed 15 putts from here to that thing (indicating 6 feet). Today, I only hit -- well, I never missed a putt from here to that thing. (indicating 6 feet) So it really helped.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, I have been wondering about that and I have been telling my wife that maybe next year you know, my game has been so bad that it is embarrassing to miss the putts that I have been missing. I am thinking well, God, let me make this one, so I can do the show for the people, you know, but monkeys can't dance without bananas. I miss every one of them. I told her, I said, what I should do is play 15 tournaments a year, you know, just go out there to see the sponsors, see you guys and a few tournaments and that will be it. But now I think I can dominate again.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, well, I had like in Canada, I had bronchitis. I had more mental things happen to me last year than ever. My manager Eddie Elias had a stroke and he is like my brother. My brother-in-law was found to have lymph node cancer. My father-in-law got hit by a truck and died. Other two things that happened - oh, two of my biggest sponsors, my two biggest sponsors from my foundation, one of them had cancer in the colon and the other one had angioplasty. It was a pretty tough year, but I can't give that as excuse because a man has got to the rise to the occasion, so it is no excuse.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. That really helped. That balance, because I am hitting my irons now the way I used to hit irons. I am hitting irons at the pin again. And I am not afraid of charging the first putt by because I have been kind of wishing the ball in and now I feel like if I charge it by, I can make it coming back. That is a great feeling. That is what Arnie used to be able to do years ago. He used to -- you know, if he misses it, he make it coming back so he was always very bold with all his putts.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, I did. The people come for a show, you know, they follow me because I am the swordsman. The kids follow me because they love me and I love them too. But the adults followed me because they like me and they like to see the sword, and you know, I did a couple of birdies today. That was pretty good, two swords and I did it for a par the last hole and I have been doing it for par the last two years. So that is when you know you are going bad. But I think about it. I think golf is show business, so when you are playing golf, you are on stage. So people are there, you give them a show.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Well, it would make a good story of my life, you know, I come from the sugar cane plantation and then that would be the end of the movie of the story of my life, I win the U.S. Open. U.S. Open is the tournament. They can talk about other tournaments, big tournaments, but anything that carries the United States' name has got to be big to me.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: I have?

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, the Bear stepped on the mouse.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Well, he is tough. He is very tough, Bob Charles. The thing about the seniors, they all know how to win, and of course when you lose the habit - winning is a habit and I have lost that habit, so I got to gain that back -- but Bob Charles will be very tough to catch.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, he can putt. He can play.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: God bless you guys.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, it had. You know, outside of I didn't show it much, but deep inside I was bleeding pretty bad inside. I have been bleeding pretty bad inside. It is like, I know what Arnie is going -- that is why I admire him so much because he hasn't been going so good and he handles everything. You know that inside he has got to be bleeding like I had been bleeding, so it hurts.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah, today healed a lot of wounds and I am looking tomorrow to watch the greatest ball team in baseball, the Cleveland Indians. I brought them luck last night and they brought me luck today.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Yeah.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: I got a jacket. I am going to get another one. That is why I am going.

CHI CHI RODRIGUEZ: Well, God bless you guys, and I hope I will see you tomorrow, you know, you never know.