U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 3, 1994

Simon Hobday

SIMON HOBDAY: No chance. I didn't think 75 would have a prayer of winning. Absolutely no chance at all. I thought I would have to shoot about maybe 71, or something like that, that would win by one or two. The worst part of playing bad like that, when you are three or four over par, is that you let so many of those top guys in. Nicklaus -- you don't need Nicklaus and Floyd and Trevino and all those other guys in as well. If you are just fighting a three horse battle, well, that is not so tough. But if you get them in as well, life becomes very difficult.

SIMON HOBDAY: I had some, yes, but I was -- I don't know why -- I was under terrible pressure. My swing deserted me today, and I knew that if I didn't putt good, I was going to shoot well over par, so the more pressure I put on myself, the worse I swung, and the worse I swung, the worst I putted. I was lucky to hit a few bad putts that went in the hole. I was very fortunate.

SIMON HOBDAY: Right now -- I was going to go out and celebrate. I don't think I got the guts anymore or the energy. But no, I feel fantastic. It is one of the goals that you aim at from way back and when it happens, you know, it is a marvelous sensation; really, really great feeling.

SIMON HOBDAY: Didn't make any birdies.

SIMON HOBDAY: All right. Well, at the first hole I hooked my driver in the bunker. Hit an 8-iron over the back of the green. 4-wooded the thing up about 4 foot away and missed it. And then next hole, I had thought, don't hook this one. I carved it in the trees right and then I was fortunate enough to hit the 5-iron thin and right; went near the trees and chipped that up about six feet and missed that. And then at the third, I got one on the fairway finally with a 4-wood. And then I choked on the second shot, I steered it; then I pulled it left in the bunker. Hit a good bunker shot about 3, 4 feet short and missed that. Of course, panic at that stage had set in. Next hole, I made birdie; hit driver and 4-iron and sand iron to about four feet and holed that - which stopped the bleeding. Then I went par -- when did I make my next bloody mistake? I went par all the way around, didn't I, to 13? And then of course I hit a horrendous drive left and got dead lucky again; hit it on the path there where I could get a bit of backspin on and I hit an 8-iron to about twelve foot behind the hole and rolled that in the middle. That is when I thought, well, okay, you have really got a good chance of winning the tournament. And then the next hole, of course, I got a body blow. I hit a couple of yards in the rough right; hit an 8-iron which flew the green and hit the back of the green and went over the back; then I chipped it up there, quite a good chip; chipped it 30 foot past the pin and 3-putted that. Now I said, well, you are going to lose the tournament. Next hole, I dropped another one; hit a 6-iron; hit the edge of the green and it kicked left into the grass and it would have been fatal for me to leave that short as well, so I hit that 20 feet past and left that short, and 2-putted that. And then, fortunately, I made birdie at 16. I don't know where I got the power to hit it on the green from my second shot, but I hit a driver - not very good one - but the 3-wood, I absolutely crushed it. It was 250 or 255 or something to the pin and I hit it pin high. And 2-putted that. And then I thought, well, if I just make two pars, I will win the tournament. So I played safe with the 4-iron; tried to hit it in the middle of the green. Of course, I pulled that into the bunker and then I hit it out there about 12 foot and missed that. And then the last hole, I played safe. I hit a driver on the fairway and next one in the middle of the green and 2-putted. Fortunately, Graham Marsh dropped a shot. So more of a case of them losing it than me winning it, really.

SIMON HOBDAY: I didn't. I would rather have had someone else go and putt that one, I must say. You know, I don't know how long it was, but it was probably only 2 foot, but it looked a mile to me. I have missed a few of those in my time. Anyway, it went in the middle; best shot I hit all day.

SIMON HOBDAY: I'd like to use that as an excuse for playing bad today, but I don't think that was really the truth. I just choked. There is no question of that. I don't know, maybe I was a little bit tired, I don't know. It couldn't have helped anyway.

SIMON HOBDAY: Well, the word control -- I thought I had a chance then, like a cushion, but I didn't think I was in control. If I was playing well and I went three shots ahead, I would have felt I was in control. Only time I felt I was in control was when the last putt went in the hole. I was never in control today.

SIMON HOBDAY: On 14?

SIMON HOBDAY: Yeah, over the back? Did it?

SIMON HOBDAY: Well, another break there which I didn't even see. Someone was looking after me today.

SIMON HOBDAY: Yes.

SIMON HOBDAY: Well, what I was thinking was I have come out today and the swing is still there and I played nicely and you know, everything was going to be perfect for the rest of the day. But having gone back and taken an hour sleep and coming back again -- actually, I hit the ball pretty well on the practice tee. I think the first drive of the first tee panicked me a little bit and then the second driver, because I carved it, way right, because I overcorrected the hook.

SIMON HOBDAY: I hit a cold shank. I just shanked the thing straight in the trees on the right there and I was actually fortunate to make the 5. I was still off the green in 3.

SIMON HOBDAY: Yes. Yes. But I thought I sorted that out this week. The old bitch is back.

SIMON HOBDAY: I don't know. I will check when I look in the bag. I must have done two in today, at least. I know I had two going at one time. I said to my caddy, can I have a cigarette. He said, you got one. I said, well then don't bother.

SIMON HOBDAY: There was a spike mark there. I don't know whether I twisted or what. The ball kind of left the blade and then went straight left. I think-- actually, I'd like to have used that as an excuse because there was actually a spike mark about two inches in front of me and dead in line and I thought, well, to hell with that, I will just putt over the top of that. I think it did actually affect it. It wasn't a great putt anyway.

SIMON HOBDAY: Well, what do you mean, did my swing take a nap? My swing took a nap with me. My swing went to sleep as well. I don't know what happened. I just -- I just couldn't play. I couldn't hit it nicely at all.

SIMON HOBDAY: Having missed a few of those in my time, I was very pleased to see that one go in. The putter was hot in the hands. I had to throw it away; had to drop it.

SIMON HOBDAY: I was just telling the truth. I was choking all right, no doubt about that. I was definitely choking. But just to relieve a little tension. I was just, you know, there is -- like nobody knew I was choking, you know - yeah.

SIMON HOBDAY: Well, just like I said earlier on, once you have made a goal to win a tournament as big as this, it is just a marvelous thing to have succeeded to have reached it. Just fantastic feeling, fantastic.

SIMON HOBDAY: I don't know whether they will believe me when I phone them just now. No, it will be great. They will enjoy it. I have got a lot of people made -- they will enjoy tonight for sure.

SIMON HOBDAY: Well, all I thought, said to myself is now don't go steering the ball down the fairway; just give it such a dirty, filthy hit; get it as far as down the hole as possible even if it goes in the rough and give yourself a chance that is what I was thinking. And also, I was waiting for the 18th round to finish, that is one of the things I was wanting to happen.

SIMON HOBDAY: Oh, yes, on 18 I thought well, I was hoping to get in a playoff at 18. I was just hoping that it was only going to be two of us, because-- oh, dear.

SIMON HOBDAY: Actually that was another thought that went past me mind probably going into the playoff; probably going to get us of at seven o'clock. I said, oh, to hell, not again.

SIMON HOBDAY: My first tournament won the South African Open was the one that I remember the most, but on the Senior Tour to have beaten the people of the caliber that play on this Senior Tour last year, I won two tournaments-- the first one, the Kroger, which is -- I am defending next week, was a highlight in this tour for sure.

SIMON HOBDAY: I will just roll with -- go with the flow, I think, see what happens. It will be plenty flowing too, I bet you.

SIMON HOBDAY: I had 153 to the front and the pin was on 8. So I had 160 -- 161, but the wind was blowing in and it is uphill so I hit a 6-iron. I didn't want to hit a 7. I thought maybe if I miscued it was going to hit the front of the green and roll-back down. I didn't have the nerve to up-and-down it from the front there. I just said, I am going to hit it in the middle of the green at the back, so I hit a 6-iron.

SIMON HOBDAY: I don't know. It would have been 40 feet. Second one was eight feet; wasn't it?

SIMON HOBDAY: Only about two feet.

SIMON HOBDAY: Yes, well my father died a few years ago and he would really-- he started me off playing golf and was with me right throughout my career in Europe, and he would have really have loved this, a major tournament, he would really have loved that.

SIMON HOBDAY: Thank you, fellows. You have been great the whole week. Thank you. (APPLAUSE)