FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

August 1, 1998

Jeff Sluman

JEFF SLUMAN: I got off to a good start. I birdied 3, 4, and 6. I generally kind of played very similar the first two days. I have been keeping the ball in play. I think I missed like two fairways each day which is a very key thing out here. The rough is pretty severe in spots. You can catch a lie once in a while, but you certainly don't want to depend on it. So made a turn at 4-under and 10 played pretty difficult, missed the fairway there and made a bogey. I was-- Fortunately, I came back, I birdied 14 and 15 and missed the fairway on 17 - my only other miss, I think, and bogeyed that hole. And then birdied 18. So, all and all, I mean, I really couldn't complain about how I played and I feel like I am putting well. Like I said, keeping the ball in play, and I look forward to tomorrow.

JEFF SLUMAN: 3, good drive and I laid it up, had 105 yards hit a wedge about four feet. 4, par 3, Kevin played right ahead of us. He made an ace, so at least we knew you can get it close to the hole. It didn't look like you really could, the wind was kind of left-to-right and a little in. I hit a 5-iron about 12-foot by the hole. Next hole good drive, and 3-iron just short of the green and pitched it up about three feet on that hole. Then nice drive down the left side of 6, and I think I had about 178, a little under the wind and I hit a 5-iron pin-high about 20 feet left and made that. I got to 10 and missed the fairway just to the right. It was down in the rough pretty good. I kind of just slashed it out of there about 20 yards short of the green and kind of -- hooked a little by this tree. I was still in the rough, but I hit a real nice pitch shot, and the pin was back and it rolled about ten feet by the hole and I just didn't hit a very good putt. So kind of regrouped there. Then played the next few holes pretty good and got to 14 and I was kind of fortunate because Jay Haas had the honors there and he hit a 4-iron, hit a beautiful shot, cut it right in. The pin was on the back right from about 186, I think the yardage was, so, Jay and I are pretty similar in that respect, so I hit a 4-iron also to maybe about twelve feet there and made the putt. Next hole, good 3-wood off the tee and pitching wedge, I think I had 124, six feet underneath the hole. And I hit kind of -- a couple of strange things happened on 16 and 17, I was putting for eagle on 16, but I hit it on the right front of the green and I had to go through the fringe and I was about 70 feet, so I left that about 12-foot short and missed that for birdie. And then 17, I missed it in the left rough and hit a pretty good 6-iron really from about -- 185 to the front and another 25, I think, about 210. I got the ball on the green; had to putt through the fringe there, so, I mean, that might not happen once every six months on Tour, let alone back-to-back holes. And, I didn't hit bad putts. I really thought I killed it to get enough speed through the fringe, but ended up about six, eight feet short and then I missed that. But I came in with a nice drive on 18 which was important and a good 7-iron, I hit good yardage. I had right-to-left wind - felt like it was maybe helping a little bit - to about 167 and hit it in there about twelve feet underneath the hole and, you know, there is no -- no easy 10- 12-footers out on any golf course, but the putt I had was one of the ones I think you really would like. It was just fractionally uphill and it looked like right edge, all you had to do was really steady your nerves and stroke it solid and that is what I did and it went in.

JEFF SLUMAN: No, I think -- I missed two fairways and I bogeyed both those holes and I don't -- I think I might have really only missed one green which would have been 10. So it was a pretty solid round.

JEFF SLUMAN: Well, not really. I mean, obviously you would like to win more. I mean, that is what you are out here for. I have had some good chances. I have played very well on a lot of Sundays and other guys have just played better. And I think that is the nature of the game out here. I had can look myself in the eye and know that I was prepared on all those tournaments and that I didn't give any shots away on Sunday or Thursday or, you know, Friday or Saturday. So, I mean, I think the reality of it is that you'd like to win when you get close. Sometimes -- probably most times in golf, you don't. But, I think as long as you haven't thrown any shots away in anger or done something stupid or kind of mentally got yourself out of your game, when they add them up, sometimes you are not on top, maybe you are second or third. And, I think most of the times you just got to hand it to the other guy because they have probably actually played a little better than you.

JEFF SLUMAN: I am kind of surprised myself, tell you the truth. I really can't give you an explanation for it. I certainly don't think I am going to be tied for the lead when it is all said and done after today's round. I think somebody is going to get to 11 or 12. If they don't, I am going to be very, very surprised. But, starting the day, if you would have told me I would have shot 5-under and been in this position, you know, close to the lead or tied right now, I'd have been very surprised, like I said, because it is not that windy out there. There is some tough pins, but the par 5s actually all three of them are reachable for most of the players. I really can't get up on No. 3 with the new tee. Just in that gray area and I don't want to really go for it. But the other two -- so, in essence, we have got to par, 69 or 68 out there for a lot of guys. So, pretty surprised myself.