THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

May 30, 1996

Larry Mize

LARRY MIZE: General thoughts here. You know, I am real pleased. I guess I had it 5 under after 14, and I slipped up and bogeyed 15; hit a bad 3-wood in the trees and dropped down into the creek. So that was disappointing, but you know, all and all I am pleased with 68. I played good out there. And also I hit some poor shots, but made some good up-and-downs. My short game was good today and I made some nice putts, so all and all, I am pleased with 68. The course, I thought, played real long this morning, and you know, it will still play long this afternoon. So miss-hits off the tee shot are not very forgiving when you're getting no rolls. It was a long golf course; had some longer irons into these greens than normal, and I am pleased to shoot -- pleased to be at 68. I thought it played hard.

LARRY MIZE: Birdied 6. I hit a nice drive and a 5-iron then about ten feet, made that for birdie. 7, driver, 2-iron, sand wedge in there about seven or eight feet; made that for birdie. Hit a 5-iron into 8, the par 3, on the fringe, but it was only like maybe twelve feet, made that for birdie. And 9, I hit driver, 9-iron into the 9 and that wasn't a long club. That was nice. Hit a real good drive there, okay, made that putt for birdie from about 14 feet - different number. I bogeyed 10. Hit a good drive; laid the sideover with a 2-iron. Lucky to make bogey, actually got it up-and-down from over the green. I got kind of a bad kick and just to the right of the trees had to keep it low; couldn't keep it on the green and got up-and-down; made about an eight footer there for bogey. Parred all the way -- 13 hit driver and 3-iron into 13, made it from about 23 feet. And 14, I hit 4-wood, 8-iron in there about -- this is terrible. I am terrible at this. How far was that one? 13 feet - haven't used that number yet. Hit it in 13 feet into 14 and hit that for birdie. 15 hit drive and kind of pushed my 3-wood a little bit and caught the tree limbs and dropped down the creek and knocked a sand wedge on about 26 feet and 2-putted there for bogey and I parred to the house. Just in that time made some nice saves for pars, kind of kept me going, and that is it. I didn't play anymore holes.

LARRY MIZE: Well, the wind, the breeze -- whatever you want to call it -- is definitely a factor. I mean, 1 and 2 were playing really long this morning, dead into the wind. Even 17 just now, I did miss my drive, but I still had a 3-iron into 17, which is, you know -- still, most guys are going to be, you know, I guess they are going to be hitting 5 and 6 irons into 17, which is still a fairly good club to hit into that green. A lot of times we are hitting short irons in there and some of them are going to be hitting fives or sixes, I guess. So the wind is a factor, just playing really long; so you know, it is just hard to put the ball close. I thought they had a lot of really good pins out there today. Let me think. 3 was back of the green which is a hard pin. They put it close; was right over the bunker. 7 was back left. I mean there is not much behind that pin, so it is hard to put it in there close. 8 was back left. 10 was right front, right over the bunker. 14 was all the way back and, there again, you are hitting into 14 with a left to right cross wind in your face a little bit and hitting an 8-iron into that pin is not a lot of fun. And then you know, 16, 17, 18 you kind of got cross left to right wind coming into your face coming in. I think the wind is definitely a factor out there. It was kind of up and down and just the length of the golf course. It is playing so long, you get some long shots in there, but the pins are really good. The course -- the whole course is it in good shape as always. You could make some putts; that is what I did. I hit some good shots and was able to make some putts; to me, that is how you shoot a 68 or whatever when you shoot a good round out there today.

LARRY MIZE: Oh, man, I can't really remember. I mean, we have had to contend with everything here. This time of year, up here the weather is always a factor. Normally it is. But I don't think I remember the course playing much longer than it did today in recent years, so I think the wind has blown before, but you know, with the temperature being a little cool today and the wind and the combination with that -- with the wetness of the golf course, I think, made it play long, but I can't remember offhand, but I know we have had wind here before; that is -- that has been a factor, but for whatever reason, I thought it played pretty hard this morning.

LARRY MIZE: It has been -- I guess the best thing is inconsistent. There has been some good play; been some poor play, so I played well last week and I feel pretty good with my game. I have to confess, I'd like to -- I have still got -- my ball striking is still a little inconsistent. My short game right now is very good, so that is making up for some of the ball-striking. I am going to practice this afternoon, but really the biggest thing this year has been inconsistency, a little bit up and down. We are trying to get it more consistent. I feel like I am doing that at this time of year.

LARRY MIZE: Really everything. I haven't really done anything really horrible, but it just has been just enough off to keep me kind of consistently playing well. Driving has not been bad, but hasn't been right on and iron game kind of the same thing, but the plus has been since TPC, my short games has been very good so that has been able to kind of keep me going and my long game will -- is getting better and it will continue to get better so I have just got to be patient with that and keep working on my short game along with the long game, but I am feeling pretty good. I am thinking I am coming out of my inconsistency.

LARRY MIZE: Oh, no. I have got some local -- we can talk about the -- I have played over there a number of times.

LARRY MIZE: No, I had to qualify in 1992, 1993 and 1995. Three of the last four years, I have had to qualify and then this year. But this is the best year I have had such good pairing on Monday. (LAUGHTER).

LARRY MIZE: Thanks.