So I did something I've never done before. I called -- I had a lesson over the phone, and I was talking to David Leadbetter, and I was telling him what I was doing. He saw a couple swings I made at the Open, and he suggested something to try and, gosh, I've really been hitting it really well. I think I missed one fairway each the last two days, and other than hitting it over some of the greens today, the only shot I miss-hit was the one on 16. And I was miss-hitting five or six iron shots a round last week, so first time I've ever done that, I mean, ever called somebody and gotten a lesson over the phone, but I was desperate.
Q. When did you do that and what exactly did he tell you?
SCOTT HOCH: Yesterday afternoon, late yesterday afternoon -- no, excuse me. Late Wednesday afternoon because I figured usually I'll have a slop or hit it bad and I'll work it out in a week or so, figure it out, but I was doing the same thing. I was hitting it all over the place off the tee and also miss-hitting a bunch of iron shots Tuesday and Wednesday, so I called him.
Q. What were his little tips?
SCOTT HOCH: He told me a couple things, couple things to try. If I'm doing this, then I might be doing something to cause it. And I had pretty much gone over everything in my swing, you know, that would make me do that except for what he told me, and he was right on it.
It was just a matter I was probably on my toes too much, and it makes me take the club back and then what it does when I'm on my toes too much, I tend to reach or tend to bend over more when I'm on my toes. It's more of a -- I just have movement, too much movement, and he just said rock back on my heels and try to stay back on my heels more and that would help my swing plane and probably even it out because if I'm miss-hitting it, then I'm moving on it, and I couldn't figure out how I was moving on it because I didn't feel like it and my caddie didn't see it either. It was just a fine line between hitting it really well and I was coming out of it because I was on my toes.
Q. When you said your wrist was bothering you, was that the same wrist you were saying was bothering you last year?
SCOTT HOCH: It's a chronic problem. I went out and saw my hand guy, and he gave me a little cocktail and it should last for quite a while unless I do something to reinjure it.
Q. Didn't you have another second time around?
SCOTT HOCH: What are we talking about now? On my eye?
Q. Yeah.
SCOTT HOCH: Yeah. And all of a sudden I had astigmatism pop out, fairly severe one after about 2 weeks.
Q. When was it done originally?
SCOTT HOCH: Originally, it was done about a year-and-a-half ago. And then I had a touch-up -- well, it's a long story, but I started taking some medication. Very strong coincidence. My eyesight was 20/15 in one and 20/20 in the other, I just had my yearly checkup and then my eyes were the same, and they prescribed some medication for my physical. I started taking that and 10 days later, my eyesight went to 20/50 in both eyes. It went from, of course, perfect depth perception to only being able to read 2 out of 9 on a depth perception chart. So very strong coincidence that my eyes would be perfect, and 10 days after starting this medication it would be that way, and that's what precipitated me having this other eye surgery. It's tough to play when you go from 20/20 to 20/50 in two weeks.
Q. When was the second surgery?
SCOTT HOCH: Monday in Atlanta. And it was perfect, I saw 20/15 out of both eyes afterwards. But then at Augusta something was going on with my right eye, just wasn't right. I didn't know what it was and didn't play particularly well, didn't bother me that much, but didn't play particularly well. And then Saturday we had to come out and finish our round, and suddenly I come out to the range, I'm seeing 2 balls, seeing 2 Titleists written on the practice ball, so I knew I was in trouble.
Q. So you started taking the medication the end of March?
SCOTT HOCH: Started taking it middle of March probably, right about -- right about -- yeah, right about Bay Hill time, beginning of Bay Hill time, because I had just had my physical the week before. And it's a cholesterol medication, so I figured it's probably better to live and not be able to see as well than not to live. I'm still taking it.
Q. The same stuff, you're still taking it?
SCOTT HOCH: Still taking it. I figure it's already done its damage now. Why take something else that may have another side effect?
TODD BUDNICK: All right. Well, thank you, Scott. Good luck the rest of the weekend.
End of FastScripts....
