MCI CLASSIC

April 14, 2000

Steve Lowery

STEVE LOWERY: I did. I got off to a good start. Today was, you know not quite as windy and the greens were a little softer; so you could get the ball in there, and I putted really well. 1st hole, I hit a 9-iron in there about eight feet and made that. 2nd hole, I hit 3-iron to the back fringe. 2-putted for birdie there, about a 3-foot putt for birdie. 3rd hole, I hit it about 12 feet and made that. 5, I hit a 3-wood short of the green, chipped up to about four feet and made that. Made some good saves on 6, 7, 8, 9; made a putt from off the fringe, actually, on 8 from about 20 feet. Made a bunch of pars, and then 15, I think I made that one from about, oh, 18 feet. Next hole I hit it close, about three feet. 17, I hit a 7-iron about 12 feet. Parred 18.

STEVE LOWERY: No. It rained most of the night there. Staying in condos here, and it looked like it was going to be really nasty out there. It looked like it was going to be like yesterday. I was pretty tired from yesterday playing out there in that wind. Not a whole lot of expectations playing out there. I got off to a good start, got some momentum going and things worked out. I had no idea I'd be 7-under.

STEVE LOWERY: Today the tee was up 50 yards from the back of the tee. So it was only like 257 to the hazard there and I hit driver, probably, I don't know, 40 or 50 yards short. Driver only went 225, something like that. And I hit a 4-iron there from 185. 2-putted yesterday. The tee was back a little bit and I hit a good drive. Tried to hit a 3-iron. I had a 4-wood in my bag and I couldn't really hit that up. I hit a low 3-iron and got that in the front bunker. It was just playing really hard yesterday. Played easier today, but yesterday, it was -- I made five yesterday.

STEVE LOWERY: Well, if the wind blows, it could be brutal out there, but a little bit of rain softens the fairway, ball sticks to the fairway, ball will stick to the green, slows the speed of the greens a little bit. But if it really gets going, it's going to be tough out there. If it gets blown in the rain and everything, if it's just the rain and a little drizzle guys can shoot some low scores, but it's pretty miserable out there.

STEVE LOWERY: That depends on who you ask. But I would say like -- it seemed like it was windy in the morning yesterday, and now they are going out there with the rain starting on the driving range. That's tough. I don't know, I can't say that it played all that easy for our group yesterday. It was -- it played really hard in the afternoon yesterday. But it's hard to say. Probably -- probably the guys who are going out this afternoon might have a shot, I guess.

STEVE LOWERY: You know, you just have to pick and choose your places to be aggressive. I think, you know, if the wind is blowing, you've got to get the ball on the fairway. It's important to get it on the fairway and not having to struggle. Trying to chip out of this overseeded ryegrass; it gets wet and you can't control the chip. Again, get the ball on the fairway, on the green, as much as possible, without taking a risk on the short side to make these flops on the grass. Yeah, a little more conservative.

STEVE LOWERY: This is the best round I've had all year, for sure. I think I finished in the Top-10 at Tucson or something. But yeah, I hit the ball really good. Today was a really good, solid day. Yesterday it played tough. I holed two bunker shots to shoot 73, and I just played really hard yesterday and kind of hung in there, to come in today and have a good round and get back in it, which is what happened.

STEVE LOWERY: I think so. But this golf course, when the fairways dry out, the ball tends to run; got some overhanging trees. It's going to be easier when the fairways are soft and the greens are soft to play a tight golf course. When it dries out, the ball tends to run a little bit on the slopes. It's tougher. You have to work the iron shots around the trees.

STEVE LOWERY: I holed out the last hole No. 9 out of the front bunker. I holed out on 12 out of the front bunker.

STEVE LOWERY: You know, not really. It doesn't make any difference. I mean, you know you've got to go out there with 36 holes, to play in the conditions the way they are. I mean it changed dramatically. The forecast I saw is it's going to rain tomorrow; so I don't think -- I mean, just go out and -- i could beat anybody today and yesterday couldn't beat anybody. That's golf.

STEVE LOWERY: I had a shirt and vest and windshirt on and played all day with three layers on, which is a lot more than I normally play. I like to play in a vest at the most, and, you know, I just was playing well. I just didn't change. But it was cold. It was cold all day. Never really warmed up.

STEVE LOWERY: I putted a lot better. I putted a lot better. I mean, obviously, I got off to a hot start, but I missed the green on 6, and made about an 8-footer for par. And I missed the green on 7; made a 6-footer for par. I missed the green on 8; made about a 20-footer from off the green. And 9, was kind of into -- in the bunker; knocked it by about seven, eight feet and made it for par. That kind of stuff keeps you together. And then I started hitting birdie putts again. So short game and putting really helped me there, and then I made some putts here at the end again. Putting, really it can make you feel like you're playing great, knocking those putts in.