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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 5, 1996John BlandBEACHWOOD, OHIO KAYE KESSLER: We have John Bland, the South African. It's his first year on the Senior PGA TOUR. He has won twice already on the Tour. And he had an excellent 67 today. Five birdies -- 6 birdies and one bogey. So generally, how do you feel about the round and your position, John? JOHN BLAND: I think I have moved into a very sort of nice position today. I got to have a wonderful start when I birdied 3 of the first four holes and that set my whole round up. After that I played very, very solid. I just kept the ball in the fairway and tried to keep it below the hole on the greens and do my own thing there. Q. So actually you are, what, 3 over for the distance? JOHN BLAND: Yeah. KAYE KESSLER: Very good shape. JOHN BLAND: Yeah. KAYE KESSLER: You feel comfortable? JOHN BLAND: I think with two rounds to go I think that is - I think 5-under or 6 under will lead today. That is a pretty good place to be. KAYE KESSLER: What do you think it will take at the end of 72 holes? JOHN BLAND: I think minus 8, if the wind dies down a bit. It has died down a bit since yesterday, so. KAYE KESSLER: Would you take that and it is right here. JOHN BLAND: It would do, yeah. KAYE KESSLER: Would you like to go over your birdies and bogeys and clubs. JOHN BLAND: First hole, I hit 9-iron to about 8 feet, below the hole and got that in. Parred the 2nd. Birdied the third hole with a 9-iron again to about downwind to about six inches. And the fifth hole, I birdied from about twelve feet with a 6-iron. Pars all the way through until 9 where I pitched it up to about 4 foot. Got that in. So I turned in 32. And the birdies on the second 9 came -- KAYE KESSLER: 13. JOHN BLAND: 13 was the par 5 down the hill, I hit it. I had chance for eagle about 15 feet away with a 6-iron. KAYE KESSLER: Second shot, 16 iron? JOHN BLAND: Yeah, I was in the rough. I got a huge fly out of it. And happened to stop on the green. 14: I drove it in the rough. Couldn't get it to the green, bogeyed there. Then I birdie the next hole from about 12 foot with a wedge. I mean, I parred all the way and so.... Pretty good. KAYE KESSLER: Any par saves coming --? JOHN BLAND: No. KAYE KESSLER: All 2-putts otherwise? JOHN BLAND: All 2-putts coming in. KAYE KESSLER: You hit a lot of greens? JOHN BLAND: Yes, a lot of fairways coming there too. The last three holes are so tough that I needed to make birdie at 16. 17, I hit it on the front edge and 2 putted from there. 18, I was sort of short of the green, but on the green; 2-putted there. I was very happy with my round. KAYE KESSLER: I understand you have three children and it is one of their birthdays today? JOHN BLAND: My eldest daughters, Bonnie's birthday today. It would be a nice present for her anyway. KAYE KESSLER: Is she here? JOHN BLAND: She is in South Africa. She will say "give me the check, dad." KAYE KESSLER: How about questions from the floor. Q. Could you talk about the success you have had on the Senior Tour in such a short time winning once right out of the shoot last year; twice this year; is it something you were preparing for and are you surprised by your success? JOHN BLAND: I played in Europe all my life, and all my golfing career I played in Europe. I sort of kept myself -- though I cut down my appearances in Europe in the last two years to about 12 tournaments a year getting ready for the Senior Tour in America, and, fortunately, I got a good break when I won at L.A.. I didn't have to go to that school. The last two years was all sort of geared to go to the school and try and make it on the U.S. Tour, so - but, you know, this is -- to play the Senior Tour, you know, that was sort of -- my focus was on all that. Then when I won, took a lot of pressure off me not having to go to the school. KAYE KESSLER: How much had you played in the United States prior to -- JOHN BLAND: Very, very little. Played the World Series one year, but I was very locked into Europe. So you know, I -- very seldom. KAYE KESSLER: You didn't play a half dozen rounds? JOHN BLAND: Probably in all my career, yeah. Q. John, you said earlier in the week that you were playing pretty good. Has that gotten any sharper as the days have gone on? JOHN BLAND: Well, I am the type of player that enjoys my golf and if I get off to a good start I can shoot - really, I can shoot anything. It is not a confidence thing with me. Even though it just that today I got off to a good start because I birdied the first hole and third and fourth, and I felt I could play golf all day today, you know. So, you know --. What was your question? Q. Has it felt sharper as the days have gone on? JOHN BLAND: Yeah, I have been playing pretty well. I have just come off a break two weeks ago, three weeks ago I had a nice week off, so I played seven in a row up until then. And I am still very, very fresh, so it is just nice to get on to a nice course again and fast greens and make you think a bit and keep your nerves sharp. Q. What, besides the score, was the difference between today and yesterday? JOHN BLAND: Yesterday I was just a little bit sort of aggravated by the wind. I couldn't get the right club in my hand the first couple of holes, and I was on the back of the greens and I was short and I was missing around, but today I got -- there was very little wind this morning, but yesterday was a tough day in the afternoon for the guys, and so, you know, after the about six holes I was all right; I was playing pretty good. I played the course -- if I dropped three shots the first four holes yesterday and then played the course in 2-under until I dropped one at 18. KAYE KESSLER: You were 6-under which you were on the first four holes today which you were yesterday. JOHN BLAND: Yeah. KAYE KESSLER: Praying for a little wind this afternoon? JOHN BLAND: Always. Always. Q. You said it was your oldest daughter's birthday today? JOHN BLAND: Yeah. Q. How old is she? JOHN BLAND: 24. Q. Can you recall how many times you have shot 32 or better on nine holes so far this year? JOHN BLAND: No, I can't. You know, just out of the -- I think each course is different. I have done it a few times, I think -- you know -- or better this year. I shot 30 when I won in L.A. when I went out in 30, but, you know, I think that that set up my round, but I don't know how many times I have done it this year, no. KAYE KESSLER: What is the best round, tournament you can remember? JOHN BLAND: On the Senior Tour? KAYE KESSLER: Yes. JOHN BLAND: I think 65. KAYE KESSLER: On a course comparable? JOHN BLAND: Yeah, where was it? Where did I shoot 65? I think I shoot 65 to win in L.A. in the last round, yeah. Q. John, you have said that you played a lot of golf obviously in Europe. I take it you played in a lot of the major championships on the European Tour. How does this course set up as a major venue in your opinion. JOHN BLAND: I think this is a wonderful golf course. It shows you don't have to have length. You have -- the rough is not even severe, very severe this week. At least you can advance the ball quite a long way, though it flies a lot, but I think this course is a wonderful old golf course. You got to be on top of it all the time. You got to keep thinking and the fairways are very, very narrow. You just got to play -- you just got to play very solid out there. Q. (inaudible) JOHN BLAND: We have a few courses not set up, as far as, tough as this one. Q. I want to elaborate on what somebody else said. Are you surprised at the level of success you have had, three wins, a lot of great close finishes; has that even surprised you a little bit? JOHN BLAND: I think I was very surprised when I got over here at the standard of play, the high standard of play on the Senior Tour. You know, I went out -- when I won my first tournament, being very new to the Senior Tour in San Francisco, I played my very first tournament. I finished fifth there. I think I birdied maybe three holes and I lost two shots to Reno when he went eagle, eagle, birdie type of thing. I think the standard is very, very high on the Senior Tour. I think you sort of had to lift yourself up. It is no easy ride type of thing. Q. Would you have thought you would win three tournaments in less than a year on the Tour? JOHN BLAND: No, I was just quite happy to arrive here and try and get my card from the school and behave myself for the first year. I am still sort of just really new at everything, so every week is a new week for me and it is very exciting at the moment but you know, as I say, it -- wonderful things have happened to me. I have played very, very well to win those tournaments. Q. Can you give us some kind of an indication, some kind of a picture as to how you might have done when you played head to head as a younger man against some of the PGA TOUR players here, you know, perhaps in a British Open or something like that? JOHN BLAND: Well, I was used to those courses over there. When the Americans, you know, obviously the Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmers, but when the young Americans used to arrive to play in the Open Championship, it was always very strange to them. You got to accept that they were going through nasty weather, freezing cold, on a Links golf course, it is not the type of thing that you could just arrive that week and try and play Muirfield or St. Andrews. You had to get to know it over years and years of playing there. And which is very, very difficult. It is not pleasant when it is places when it is blowing 30 miles an hour and the rain; it is cold, all that type thing. All you want to do is get back to your home country. Q. How did you do? JOHN BLAND: I played pretty well over there in Europe. In the Open Championship, my best Open was at Muirfield. I finished 9th. I finished 11, all that type of thing, so I played pretty well over there. Q. Any regets about not coming here and playing all these years in the states and seeing how you would fair on a more regular basis against these guys? JOHN BLAND: No, I think, you know, I was very locked into Europe. I was very happy in Europe and my kids were very young; it was easier for me to travel north and south, with no time change, and as I said, my kids were very young, so it was an ideal place for me to play at that time. Then when they became and all-exempt Tour, we really got locked into that Tour; releases were difficult, all that sort of thing. I was pretty happy that the -- KAYE KESSLER: Unlike Gary Player, you didn't care to fly that much. JOHN BLAND: No. No. KAYE KESSLER: John, it was an excellent round today and you are in an awfully good position, right? JOHN BLAND: Thanks, guys. Yeah. End of FastScripts.... |
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