CANON GREATER HARTFORD OPEN

June 28, 2001

Larry Mize

LARRY MIZE: Yeah, you know, first off, Fuzzy and I were saying we had 11 nice holes before we had to wait. So, it is great being first off. You know, I played real solid. I hit the ball good. Made some putts when I needed to. Six birdies, one bogey; is you know, really pleased with my start.

LARRY MIZE: Birdied number two. I hit a 3-wood and a 9-iron in there about ten feet and made that for birdie. Three, I hit a driver and a 6-iron in there about four feet for birdie and made that. Bogeyed the next hole. Drove it in the right rough and laid it up and wedged on for bogey there. My next birdie came at No. 11. I hit a 9-iron to about 18 feet. Made that putt for birdie. Next hole, 12, I hit an 8-iron in there. Kind of missed it. I must have made a 40-footer for birdie there. Knocked it on the front of the green on 13, the par 5 in two and 2-putted there. I don't know how far that was. It could have been one hundred feet. It was long. I made a nice second putt for birdie there. Then I birdied the 16th hole, the par 3 and hit a 6-iron in there about three feet and made that for birdie, three or four feet. Had a nice stretch on the back nine, birdieing 11, 12 and 13. I had some chances. I had good putts on 14 and 15 and didn't make it. I made two good saves for par on the last two holes.

LARRY MIZE: No, I don't think of it that way. No. When someone says that, it jumps into my mind that, you know, with a little bit of luck, it might have been different. But, you know, you've got to go forward. So, as soon as that thought comes in there, I just remember the positives that week, how well I played, and I've love to have another chance here. See what happens.

LARRY MIZE: Actually, it was kind of up-and-down. I was in a lousy mood when I started the day. I'm not sure. Maybe I needed some sleep. May wake-up call was too early. I was in a lousy mood and then birdied 2 and 3, which was great and got a lot of the rhythm after that. Never really got into any rhythm until, I guess, the back nine. I did get in some nice rhythm because I really played 10 through 16, played them really solid, and I had a nice rhythm going there. 17 was okay. I missed the second shot a little bit, but it was a little bit so-so -- I shouldn't say that. The last two holes were good. But I did get a rhythm on the back nine. Once I started making some birdies, for some reason I started to get in a better mood. Not sure why.

LARRY MIZE: No, because I was only 1-under at the turn. I was trying to stay patient and get some more birdies. I'm just still trying to focus on making one good swing after another and not get ahead of myself. So, it really wasn't a big difference. You know, I felt pretty good because I had hit some -- like I said, I played three and four bad, but I played 5,6 -- I played 4 and 5 bad, I'm sorry. Confused. I played 6 through 9 good; didn't make any birdies, but I played the holes really good. Just maybe set up the back nine a little bit, made me feel good going into the back nine. But I was just trying to put it on the fairway, on the green, nothing fancy. Just play some good, solid golf and build my confidence.

LARRY MIZE: It really does. You know, you feel like you're real close to playing good and, you know, the results haven't been there. So, I just -- kind of my attitude today was stay patient and just keep doing what you're doing. I feel like I'm doing some good things and I just need to keep doing it. Sooner or later, I feel like some good things will happen. Sure enough when you don't expect it, here it happens. I need that same attitude tomorrow, I think.

LARRY MIZE: I'd say my iron play. I haven't been hitting my irons very good. Especially 7-iron through 9-iron. I've been hitting my wedges okay, but my 7-, 8- and 9-iron, I have not been hitting close. For example, today I hit the 6-iron stiff on 3 and I hit a good 6-iron into 7. I hit a good 6-iron into 16. So I hit some really, really good iron shots that gave me some good birdie putts and hit some good 8- and 9-irons, as well. That's what you need to do around here. You need to hit your short irons in there close to give yourself some birdie chances. That's what turned around today that helped.

LARRY MIZE: I drove it in the rough on 4 and I thought I hit a pretty good shot. I didn't -- I carried over a tree; it was still in the rough. So I was happy to get on the green in three. I had a good putt for par, but after all that, a bogey, I wasn't too upset with. It is. You don't want to be in the rough. I'm trying to think of another time I was in the rough -- I drove the ball pretty good today, too, obviously. So that's -- I guess that's the only time I was in the rough. You don't want to be in the rough. You may be able to get on the green, but there's a good chance you're just maybe trying to advance it up there close to it. It's no fun in the rough.