SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 6, 2002

Mike Smith

MIKE SMITH: It's the best round I have a had in quite a long time. I played real solid. I hit most of the fairways, most of the greens. I missed two or three -- I think I missed three fairways on the front nine. I started on the back nine. I started on the 10th hole. I hit every fairway on the back nine, I think. The front nine I missed three fairways. I had to chip out three times, played a couple of nice pars, after chipping the ball out. I really played a nice solid round of golf. A good drive and 5-iron on the last hole to 12 feet and finished up with a birdie. I bogeyed the 8th hole before that, so it was a nice way to finish.

MIKE SMITH: This is the first time I've played the golf course. There is no way I could do that.

MIKE SMITH: I can remember a couple of holes, but not many of them.

MIKE SMITH: I birdied the second hole with a driver and 4-wood, I birdied there. The third hole, I drove it in the rough and had a iffy lie. It was 50/50 whether I could get it over the water or not, so I decided to lay-up, and I hit a nice shot in there and missed a 10-footer for par. The 7th hole, Par-3, I hit a 5-iron about a foot. The 8th hole, I blocked a 5-iron out to the right, hit a pretty good bunker shot and missed about a 10-, 12-footer. I started out with a bogey on 10. But I came right back and chipped it in on 11. So I didn't -- yeah, I chipped it in on 11.

MIKE SMITH: It was just off the back of the green, maybe 30 feet. 17, I birdied. I made a good par on 16. I had a nice lie. I hit my second shot in the rough on the par-5. I hit a driver, 4-wood and a 9-iron. Luckily, I caught a nice lie and could get it over the water. 17, I hit an 8-iron in there about 10 feet and made the putt for a birdie. Other than that, that's about all I can tell you, other than I just was real happy with it and played a nice solid round for me.

MIKE SMITH: I think it's a fabulous golf course. There is nothing tricky about it. It's right there in front of you. You have to do everything real well to play this golf course good. Starting No. 1 with hitting the fairway. If you don't hit the fairway, you're not going to have a good chance to play it. The rough is deep and wet and there is no way you're going to get it on the green unless you get lucky and catch a good lie. It's playing long enough where on some of the holes you'll have a 5 or 6-iron and it's hard to get it up in the air. I couldn't get it on a couple of times on the front nine. Once in particular with an 8-iron, and the ball was sitting down so deep and I had 130 to the front and hit it as hard as I could hit it and 20 yards short of the green. The good drivers are going to have the best chance this week, but that's half of it. That's the main thing you have to do. Other than that, then you can play the golf course, but No. 1, you have to put the ball in the fairway. If you don't, you've got no chance.

MIKE SMITH: I've had a couple of decent rounds, lately on the Senior Tour and I felt like I was getting close to hitting the ball pretty good, monkeying with my swing a little bit here and there. You know, I can't say I was really surprised by it, but yeah, in this tournament, yes, I guess I am surprised by it.

MIKE SMITH: A couple of adjustments. The main adjustment, I quit trying to hit so many cut shots. I've been trying to cut the ball for 15 years and I gave up on it. I can't cut it, so I'm just going to hook it. (Laughter) I've been really trying to cut the ball for 15, 20 years, and I can cut it one day and the next day I can't. It's made me a fairly inconsistent player, but I know pretty much I can stand up and kind of draw the ball most the times a lot easier than I can cutting it, although I love to see a little fade. I just can't do it.

MIKE SMITH: Pretty much.

MIKE SMITH: Gosh, I guess I played -- I had a nice tournament like -- I don't know two or three weeks ago at Jasna Polana in New Jersey, Gary Player's golf course. And there again, I said I can't cut it so I'm going to hook it. Gary Player hooks it, so most of his courses dog-leg left. Nicklaus's courses dog-leg right. I just said I'll try to hook it and I hit the ball real nice that week and I finished 10th, but I was real happy with the way I had played, and it seemed so much easier to me. You know, of course the following week I'm back trying to cut it. Maybe I can cut a few tomorrow. Who knows. I'll try the first few shots on the range and then I'll go back to trying to hook it.

MIKE SMITH: Yes, I've always hit a hook, naturally.

MIKE SMITH: Yes, I'm extremely pleased any time you can be near the leader board or close to it in a major. For me, gosh that's a thrill. I know I can shoot a 68. I can shoot low rounds. I know I'm a pretty good player, whether I can play good enough to win a major or not, who knows. I never have and who knows.

MIKE SMITH: I love it. It's given me a second chance. I played the regular tour for quite a while, for like 15 years, and played the European tour for 2 years and played mini tours for 15 years, so I've played all the tours you can think of. But there's nothing as good as the Senior Tour to me. You don't have to worry about the cut and all that. It's a second chance for everybody that gets out there on the Senior Tour.

MIKE SMITH: I'm trying to be a little bit smarter, hopefully, I am. I'm trying to take the game a little more seriously. I know time is running short on -- for everybody, once they hit the Senior Tour, you may only have, who knows how long, but to play at a nice level, so I'm trying to make the best out of a short time.

MIKE SMITH: No, that's not right. I didn't get on the regular tour until June of 1980. I think I was 30 years old before I got -- before I even got on the regular tour. I qualified in Pinehurst, North Carolina, when I was 30 years old, in June, when they had the two schools the same year, that was my first year, and it wasn't a full year, it was a half year.

MIKE SMITH: Yes.

MIKE SMITH: Yes, he is a good friend of mine. He just tells me to practice. We're exactly opposites on that end of the spectrum. I can't practice like he does. I don't think anybody can. My back won't let me do that. I wish I could, but there's only so many balls that I can hit.

MIKE SMITH: Everything. Every shot means a little more to me now than it did. I may only hit 50 balls when I practice, but each one is like I'm paying attention to it, where I used to maybe hit 200 or 300 and not pay a lot of attention to it.

MIKE SMITH: My iron play probably kept me out there. I was a fairly decent iron player. I was never great at a driver when I was on the regular tour. There again, if you don't -- I keep going back to the driver. If you don't put it in the fairway, you can't play, not professional golf. I mean, I can go home and drive it in the rough and shoot 65, but you can't do it on the regular tour, or especially here.