GREATER GREENSBORO CHRYSLER CLASSIC

April 20, 2000

Brian Henninger

BRIAN HENNINGER: Well, I mentioned outside it's nice to be in the winner's category again, because you get some of these nice pairings. And a lot of times I think your spirit is a little more, and you feel like your focus is better. That was helpful. And we were just feeding off each other, and that was exciting. A lot of times somebody is left out in the group and isn't contributing with all the birdies. But it seemed like all of us were hitting a lot of good shots and making a lot of good putts.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Have I gone on one? Yeah, I've gone on a couple. We've played so much golf, somewhere along the line I've done that. That was fun. I wasn't counting. Somebody asked me if I made 8 or 9 birdies, and I said, "I don't know." That's when you're playing good, when you're not worried about making a birdie on the next hole.

BRIAN HENNINGER: I liked the way I was playing, and I knew the golf course was going to play difficult right now, because of the rough. You're going to get some wind out there. I liked the control I had with my golf ball. I missed a couple of putts. Sometimes you go through the whole day and not make one. I liked the way I was hitting the ball. This week it's going to be a ball striker's deal. The greens are going to be great. I think everybody is going to make some putts. But if you hit it in the rough, you're not going to have those opportunities. That was my goal, and I kept it out of the cabbage.

BRIAN HENNINGER: I think last summer I was in contention a bunch of times. I finally won the Southern Farm at the end of the year. And I think I anticipated coming out and having that same feeling, and I haven't got that feeling. I've had some decent finishes, but inconsistent for me. So I'm getting closer. And that's all I can -- it's not necessarily a ball-striking thing, I think it's more just my mind. Not getting too -- I think I was real aggressive early in the year, and I've toned that down. And I think I'm playing smarter.

BRIAN HENNINGER: No, not necessarily. I don't think you anticipate -- you can't anticipate much, because each day is kind of a strange thing. Each week is a different atmosphere, the golf courses are all different. No, it's a privilege to be back in that winner's category, because you're playing with guys -- Jesper is having a great year. Hal Sutton just won -- they don't call it a major championship, but it's probably the biggest event in the world. But I'm playing with two players that are on top of their game. If that can't stimulate you, nothing can.

BRIAN HENNINGER: I'm always pleased when I get -- if it's Tiger, if it's Greg Norman, or whoever, because you're going to get some people that are going to follow you, and that support is a good thing. It creates karma; it creates good vibes. I like that. And if I'm stuck with a couple of guys that people aren't interested in watching, then you just are kind of out there by yourselves.

BRIAN HENNINGER: I only missed one that I can remember. I may have been on the frog hair or something once. But it was on No. 10, and I ended up being really close to a cart path. And I had an opportunity to hit it, because most of the time it's just chop. I hit it on the green and made a birdie. I hit it pretty close. Again, if you can get somewhat of a lie, I don't think you can get a decent lie in that stuff. It's pretty excessive.

BRIAN HENNINGER: '95.

BRIAN HENNINGER: There's been a couple of other things. That one is one of them. I hit a golf shot on the last hole in Atlanta with Daly, a lot of people remember that shot, because I eagled that hole. I finished second. And I put pressure on him. '95, yeah. This year it's been kind of an unfortunate thing for some of us. Not being in the top 50 in the world, I didn't get to play The Masters, even though I won last year. That topic has been brought up a lot.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Absolutely. That's what I was telling the press all along the last few weeks, you're not going to Augusta. They said: You should write those guys a letter. Obviously players like yourself can compete at Augusta, because I did that one year. I kept telling them that I have to improve. I have to get myself to the next level, so I can be at the top 50 or 60 in the world and have the opportunity that a lot of these other guys do. So again, that's how the Tour is. It's incentive-based; you play well and you're rewarded. You have to concentrate on getting better.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Probably every shot, just like everybody else. I like to watch golf, but that one I watch, like all great golf fans do. And I enjoy it every year, just the same as I do when I'm there.

BRIAN HENNINGER: The year that I played well, I was in the last group with Ben Crenshaw, and all I could envision is myself tapping in for par to win the tournament, or birdie or whatever it is, yeah.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Possibly. In a lot of years I enjoy coming to Greensboro. I like all the people, it's very friendly. I haven't had any great finishes here. I enjoy the golf course. It's a tough golf course. It's kind of a long hitter's golf course, absolutely.

BRIAN HENNINGER: It was kind of interesting. I looked back last year, I remember I made the cut last year, I don't remember what I shot; but the second day there were some really low scores, weren't there? And I teed off in the afternoon. I got here in the morning, and people had just exploded from nowhere. And I considered this really a hard golf course. And this year I said if those guys can do it, I can do it, too. I have to go out and think there's some potential scoring out there, instead of being so defensive here. And again it was momentum. If you just allow yourself some patience and see yourself making a couple of good swings and a couple of birdies, things can happen on this golf course, just like a lot of golf courses.

BRIAN HENNINGER: A little more today. There's some potential to score out here, even though you don't think there is. Like you said, I'm kind of negative, I haven't had a lot of good finishes here.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Yeah, basically just to start my round out with a lot of patience, don't jump ahead of myself and let things happen. That's what I was doing last year, but I think somewhere your mind gets twisted and you think you're shooting all these great scores, you might as well just continue. But you just can't force the feel, you have to feel the force. That's how golf is. All we do is manage ourselves around out there. Just playing quadrant golf; and when I do that, I'm playing well.

BRIAN HENNINGER: It's given me a lot more confidence on this golf course. Yeah, I'm playing good. Again, if I can drive the ball well, I think I'll be real close Sunday, because my short game is great.

BRIAN HENNINGER: 7, I basically hit six good putts, and finally one got to go in, about 20 feet. Then I hit a 3-iron on 8 that cut kind of the crest and went in there about five feet and made it. Then I went for the green on 9 and kind of pull hooked one over in the rough, and kind of had a pretty good lie in the rough. And I was kind of just almost pin-high to the left going backwards and hit it about 4 feet and made it. And then hit it by the cart path like I was saying on 10. Had a pretty good lie and got it up there about five feet and made it. Then I hit it a foot on 11.

BRIAN HENNINGER: 9-iron.

BRIAN HENNINGER: 13, I got a four foot pretty close to the green, probably about 15, 20 steps off. I was kind of on the upslope and chipped it about four feet and made it. Hit a driver and a 9-iron on the next hole about 35 feet, and made it. And then chipped in on 17 from about 12 feet. I wasn't very far. I was just barely off the green.

BRIAN HENNINGER: I 3-putted 16, and it was just off the green there. And I tried to -- I tried my 4-wood putt and it came up about five feet short and missed it.

BRIAN HENNINGER: About an inch.

BRIAN HENNINGER: I was about 25 feet. I wasn't very far, either. I kind of misjudged the lie. It was down further than I thought, and it kind of popped up in the air and didn't go.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Well, I hit a driver and 8-iron. It was a little downwind, and it jumped through the green about an inch. I was going to putt it, I was going to chip it, and I decided to putt it with my 4-wood. Left it short four or five feet and missed it.

BRIAN HENNINGER: Oh, 16 was just a miss, lack of focus. I'm still mad.

BRIAN HENNINGER: No, I was putting on 16. 16 must have been about 40 feet. I cut the slope and went down to the right.