FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 1998

Gil Morgan

GIL MORGAN: I played well. Well, overall -- I think yesterday I played at a pretty high level. I guess tee-to-green and I didn't get much out of it. I didn't make any putts hardly at all. Today I hit the ball even a little bit better overall. Hit it very close to the hole several times. And I putted a lot better, so my scores were enhanced in some degree. So I think the day was a little bit harder. Yesterday it didn't blow much until right at the end for us. Today it is was -- the breeze was, from the onset, it was blowing pretty good, I guess, nothing terrible. Made it real pleasant out there as far as temperature was concerned, but it did affect the ball to some degree. And I think it was a factor today. Fortunately, I was able to handle it in most of the cases pretty well. I guess that is it.

GIL MORGAN: Really, yesterday I had the potential to do that yesterday. I couldn't make any putts. Maybe not as well as I did today, but I should have shot at least three or four shots better yesterday as a minimum and today I hit the ball very close to the hole. Made a couple of longer putts for birdie and then I made four in a row where I didn't have the ball outside about five feet. Then I made eagle at the 10th hole, hit a pitching wedge the hole for eagle at 10. And then made a couple more at 12 and 13. Coming down the stretch, I didn't birdie 17, which I felt like I had an opportunity there and kind of let it get away. Made a bad third shot. So I didn't really do much last four, five holes.

GIL MORGAN: Birdie, then birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie. Bogey. (laughs). Second hole, I hit, let's see what did I hit? I think I hit 3-wood off the tee. Then I hit pitching wedge about 15, 18 feet, I guess, and made that one for 3. The next hole, the par 5, I hit it in the green-side bunker, the little pot bunker in 2 with a driver, 3-wood and didn't get it up-and-down, so kind of felt like I let one get away there. Hit a pretty good shot at the next hole, made par. And, then I had starting -- at 5, I hit a 3-wood and then I think it was 8-iron about three feet, made that. And then the next hole, I hit a 3-iron off the tee and hit a sand wedge to about four feet, made that. Then at 7, I hit driver, 3-wood in the green-side bunker to the left of the green there and almost hole-high. I felt like if I -- it must have had a little bit of a left kick, but it would have been a really good shot if it hadn't -- it kind of ran off and ran down into the bunker. So I pitched out of there maybe about five feet by, made that. And, then at 8, I hit a 7-iron from about 175, maybe, to it pin about three feet; made that. At the 9th hole, I made kind of a tremendously stupid error. I hit a good drive right in the middle of the fairway; had about 150 something yards to the hole, I think, 153. And I tried to hit a 7-iron and I kind of hung it out to the right. I don't know whether it caught part of that tree or not, but it dropped on down short of the bunker and I had virtually not much of an opportunity to get the ball up-and-down. I tried to hit a real flippy shot, hard swing, and I guess the way the way the ball was lying -- it was kind of sitting in some bent grass and blue grass, so it was kind of a mix. I kind of bounced into it and put it on the back side of the green about 40 feet, 2-putted there for my only bogey of the day. Went to 10, hit 3-wood off the tee and had 110 yards to the hole, took my intermediate wedge, which is about a 100-yard wedge shot shot and it landed about six feet short of the hole and took a little jump; rolled in for 2. I parred the next two hole. Then at 12, I hit tried to hit a little 4-iron, wind was -- seemed like it was switching to me. I tried to hit knockdown of a 4-iron; put it in there about 15, 18 feet behind the hole; made that one. At the par 5, I hit a driver and then a 4-wood into the green-side bunker right off the front left corner and blasted it out about four feet by and made that. Then that was my last birdie of the day, I think. I parred -- 14, I hit -- that was a pretty hard hole today. I hit a driver -- I mean, 3-wood. No, I hit a 4-wood and then I hit a 4-iron and then missed the green at the next hole. Got that up-and-down. And then the par 5, I made a bad pitch. Pin was over to the left. I pitched it up on the plateau. Didn't have much of an opportunity there. Last hole was downwind and I hit 4-wood, 7-iron; landed about two steps right on the line with the hole but went by the hole about 20 feet; 2-putted it. Almost hit the lip coming back, so, that was the end of the day. It was over. Kaput.

GIL MORGAN: It was kind of funny because I really didn't look at the scoreboard until after I made a couple there. Starting about 6 I looked at the scoreboard or so and I saw that Jack was still one shot ahead of me. He was going pretty strong. So, I thought: Well, you know, just keep plugging along here. Then I -- I saw him get it up-and-down out of the bunker at 7. Then after that, I didn't see it for a little while. Then after I made my eagle, I kind I went from 9 back to 7, then back -- I made -- 8 to 7, then up to 9. Then I could see that I was kind of in the lead at that point in time. It was fun. Just wish we could do it more often.

GIL MORGAN: All of the above, 1 and 3, 2 and 4. (laughter). I don't -- I really didn't anticipate shooting this type of number today. Yesterday, I was really kind of depressed because I felt like I had really played a lot better than I anticipated playing when I got here because of my practice level at home. But I just couldn't make any putts. It was a real frustrating round. Then today to come back and do this, I was thrilled with being able to play that well; especially with the wind blowing a little bit. I don't know. I practiced a little bit more than I normally do because I knew I was going to be coming back to a major here after being off. And so I didn't want to be totally rusty, but I didn't do as much as I anticipated doing while I was home. So still I felt like my practice level was down a little bit at home. But somehow I was able to capture it here today. I don't know what is coming in for the weekend, but only time will tell, I guess.

GIL MORGAN: Well, I do think we have caught it a little bit on a lull. Last year, the course was so fast I really didn't like the golf course last year as well as I did this year so far. Just from the standpoint I didn't feel like I could play with my driver as much as I'd like. I was having to hit fairway woods and irons off of some of the tees. I just thought it played too short for the type of tournament that it was, at least, at that point in time. And, I was glad to see that there was some softness to it from the rains and stuff when we first got here. I think for the next two days it is going to get faster as we go forward, and that will make it more difficult, I think, too. I guess it plays harder when it is fast because you have to make more decisions. But I can remember last year, I even hit an iron off the 17th hole, the par 5, and I just don't like that concept very well.

GIL MORGAN: Do I have to play with him?

GIL MORGAN: (laughs) Yeah, well, it will be all right. We get along all right. You guys make more of it than we do, most probably. We are very competitive. There is no question about that. We will both be trying pretty hard. We don't know what is going to happen. But, I don't think there is any animosity there or anything. Pretty straightforward.

GIL MORGAN: Well, he is a little more blunt than I am. What did he say? You want to tell me what he said? (laughs) You are getting out easy on that one. Should I tell him you said --

GIL MORGAN: Dick was telling me that, too. Is that true?

GIL MORGAN: Well, the last round at the tournament in St. Louis last year, we both shot 65 closing and he had like a one- or two-shot lead on me. I just -- I couldn't make up any ground on him, but we both played at a very high level. I don't know whether I played with him on Saturday or not, I can't remember. But I know I played the last round with him. He is always a tough competitor. He tries hard and he is good on top of that. So he putts well and he just doesn't have many leaks, so, he is always a tough competitor. Just maybe I will get up there as good as he plays one of these days when I get close.

GIL MORGAN: Yeah, I have got a little more -- maybe I have more longevity, make it up on the end point. You never know. Anybody else? All right. Thank you very much.