VERIZON BYRON NELSON CLASSIC

May 11, 2001

Tim Herron

TIM HERRON: Yeah, I got out to a pretty good start yesterday and pretty much hung in there today. I left a couple birdies out there, but made some good putts coming in at the end for par, so all in all it was a good day. I thought it was playing pretty tough out there today. Wind seemed like it kind of laid down in the valley and I then got up to 17 and 18 and it was whipping pretty good.

TIM HERRON: Only when you're shooting like 70 and he's shooting about 58 or something. Pretty amazing, but no, I didn't even -- I didn't really look at boards today. I kind of just had one thing in mind. I know that the tournament's --I'm actually kind of a board watcher anyways, waiting to putt or something, but I didn't really watch any boards or anything. We were kind of behind today, so I kind of had to stay focused driving and running after tee shots.

TIM HERRON: My take on that?

TIM HERRON: No. Like I said, you can only take care of yourself. I like to get in majors. I was in majors for like three years. I think I was every major for about three years. I slipped a little bit, and then now, you know, you always remember like a Steve Jones and guys that have qualified through the Open to win the Open, so you know it's possible and it's kind of the take that I have.

TIM HERRON: No. I don't think so. I think like the Masters, that was probably close to second lowest score, total score shot in that. You got the U.S. Open where I don't think anyone -- how many under did he shoot, like --.

TIM HERRON: 12-under. I don't think anyone's shot that in an Open, have they? Yeah, it's low by like eight shots or something. So I mean I don't think he's in anyone's head, he's making the putts, hitting the shots and pretty awesome.

TIM HERRON: Highlight was walking down the hills. The problem with this course you walk up the hill, off the green and then back down the hill. Instead of just a straight shot, they should make a tunnel out there. But no, I think the highlight was the way I came in. I drove it in the rough a few times. I made a good bogey on 16 -- or no, 15, and made a good par on 17 and 18, made about seven- footers there for par, so that was big. Just kind of end my day, be positive for the weekend.

TIM HERRON: I thought the wind blew more -- we had more cross-wind shots yesterday than today. The wind blew more yesterday than it did today, at least down in the low part, and then we got up to 17 and wind was whipping, the same with 18. So you get a little sheltered, get a little sheltered on this course, but seemed like it was starting to die and we'd get up on 16, 17 and 18 and the wind is still there.

TIM HERRON: I had no idea. I don't really want to make a comment on that. I couldn't tell. It might have been windier yesterday. I don't know how you guys -- if you guys have been out, but it might have been a little windier yesterday. So Cottonwood would be -- you have more disastrous holes here at the TPC. If the wind is down, you can make just as many birdies at the TPC, but if it's blowing a little bit, you have to really hit some good shots.

TIM HERRON: Well, I think it's anyone that's had a good year. I think I finished 21st on the money list back in '99 and I just -- my goal is to get a little better. Instead of getting better mentally, I tried to get better physically, lost some weight, tried to change my swing, change my putting stroke, and you know, I'm not really a mechanical player, and that's probably what happened. I don't know. So I'm now just trying to get back, try to get some confidence back and start playing.

TIM HERRON: Yeah. It's a huge fine line, you know. I mean if you give guys probably a half a shot a week, that would be huge. That could be anywhere from a couple million to whatever, two million bucks or something.

TIM HERRON: Yeah, I mean I have to. With the scores it's probably the best I've played two rounds all year, so just try to keep my focus this weekend, and I mean I've hit enough bad shots. I kind of know how to deal with them now, so I'm not too worried about hitting bad ones.

TIM HERRON: Yeah. It's probably about the same.

TIM HERRON: No. No. I just didn't -- I haven't worked out as much. I had a little more free time.

TIM HERRON: Yeah. I mean there's one thing I am not afraid to win. If I get in position, you know, that's what I'm looking for, but it's a fine line of getting in position, you know. You have to be aggressive certain times, and it comes down to putting. If you make some putts, you can play pretty well.

TIM HERRON: No. I don't think so. Not probably over the years. It's kind of a way of life, and you know, I have to be happy. I mean if I'm skinny and miserable, what fun is that?

TIM HERRON: I made -- let me see. I made a birdie somewhere, didn't I? Birdie on the fourth. I knocked it in there pretty good on two and three and missed them from about 10 feet on the first one, 15 on the next, and then I had about a 6-footer, made that. Didn't hit, you know, a great putt, it just kind of slid in the edge. Made a good putt on the next hole for par. Missed a short putt on the par 5, about a 4-footer. And then made a good putt on that par 3 up the hill on the back side. 13. That was my next birdie. Right? Made probably a 12-footer a little left-to-right and made about a 6-footer for par on 14, 14. And then 15 I hooked it left, took a chip out, hit it 3-iron just over the green and two-putted from there, hit a good putt. Missed about a 10-footer on 16, had about 6 -, 7-footer on 17 for par, made that. Hit just on the front edge, about 40 feet. Then on the last hole I probably had a 55-footer and left it 10 feet short and made that coming up the hill.

TIM HERRON: Yeah. That, and I kind of set up to just play cut all week, and I can kind of hit my cut high or low. I've been hitting some low cuts, but even if the wind is a little right-to-left or left-to-right, I pretty much hit a cut. That's why probably at 15 that was kind of a hard tee shot for me and I over hooked it a little bit, but other than that, I think I've cut every drive that I've hit in two days.

TIM HERRON: Yeah. If I keep it low. If you can just minimize on the left-to-right the big cut.