FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 1997

John Bland

JOHN BLAND: Yeah. Got off to 2-pars in the first two holes. Then I birdied the third just short of the green, chipped it up to about five feet, birdied that one, to go to 7-under for the tournament. Then birdied 6 from about two feet. I hit a wedge in there about two feet from the hole. Then I birdied the par 5 just short in two, chipped it up to about five feet again, and birdied that. So, I was 3-under after nine, 33. Then parred 10. Knocked in the hazard at 11, but I could play it and made a dropshot out of that. Went back to 2-under. Then I birdied the par 5, 13, where I chipped up to about five feet again. And pars all the way in after that. So, there it was.

JOHN BLAND: Yeah. You know, as I heard the guys saying, there's a logjam out there, there's like 20 guys within 2 or 3 shots of this tournament. I think it's going to be a very exciting day tomorrow.

JOHN BLAND: Course is perfect, weather's good, greens are running fantastic speed, you know. They are a little bit tricky, but once you start holing putts, you can hole a lot of putts. The guys got used to the speed now. As I said, it's wonderful weather, the course is a bit dry, it's running out there, so you're going to always have that, you know, the logjam.

JOHN BLAND: Not on this course. You've got to be very careful with this course. It takes the drivers out of your hand a lot of times. You've got to be very careful with it, keep putting the ball on the fairway, keep putting the ball on the green. As I say, I played with Jack in the first two rounds, and he very seldom hit a driver. I don't know how many times he did hit a driver - irons off the tee, keeping the ball in play all the time. You've got to be very careful of this golf course.

JOHN BLAND: Not really, no. I think being such a game that you're playing against the golf course and you're trying to beat the golf course all the time. Obviously, if you're ahead, some guys like being ahead, some guys like just being behind. But, you know, it's a game that you're not playing the other guys; you're playing the course.

JOHN BLAND: Doesn't matter to me, no. You know, I just sort of concentrate each hole, one-shot-at-a-time, one-hole-at-a-time type of thing. That's how I go about it. As I said, every guy is different. Some guys watch the board, other guys don't. Each guy is so different in this game.

JOHN BLAND: Different type of golf course. As I say, they've taken the driver out of your hands. You know, just because it's got a bit dry and running, it's in fantastic condition. It's not that the course is designed like that; it's just the fantastic weather that we're having. The balls going -- with this weather we're having, the ball is going much further distances. Olympia Fields is a very different type of golf course, very old-fashioned golf course, a bit wider fairway, not so much roller coaster fairways as these are.

JOHN BLAND: Thank you.