INGERSOLL-RAND SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 5, 1999

Bruce Summerhays

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Front side was -- well, let's see where we are. I only had one bogey, one birdie. I bogeyed, what, the par-- the par 3, 5 -- the par 3, 5. Hit it to the left of the green chipped it up-- just missed.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: I hit 4-iron in -- no. 3-iron. 3-iron into that par 3. It was playing pretty long today. And then I birdied No. 7. I hit an 8-iron just to the right of the green, just on the fringe about 20 feet away and made that putt. That was a nice turning point for me to get me going on the front side. On the back side, I hit -- I hit a 9-iron. Did I hit -- 9-iron in -- yeah, on 10 about 15 feet to the right, and I made that putt, and it was a good putt. And then on 15, the par 5, I happened to catch a drive there. I had 220 to the front. Just pushed the ball and hit it just off the back edge off the rough and chipped it up to a foot and made that for birdie. Made a bogey on the last hole. I hit 4-iron. I hit another good drive in, great position. Hit a 4-iron to the right. I already mentioned it was like Jean Van de Velde; he hit off the railing on top up there, came back. Fortunately for me, there was a bunker in the way, where it wasn't for him, and I was able to make bogey out there. It was a hard bunker shot with where the pin was, and the lie was real mediocre. There was a bunch of sand right in front of my ball. And happy to have bogey after the ball was getting off to the right there. I ended up 1-under par which was okay today. It's nice to follow a good round with an under par round and be in fairly good position.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: I hit a 4-wood.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: George Archer, too, he was -- I'll tell you, last week on the driving range, spent a little time with George and he's got a new driver that he just absolutely loves. He's hitting it about 20 yards further, and he's just psyched up. He is a great player. If he's hitting it a little bit further, this course won't bother him as much. He was hitting short, but now he's hitting it a little bit further. He's tough and knows how to win. He's been there -- where is Fleisher? We may be chasing him tomorrow, you never know. Where is he right now? Six? But two more rounds of golf. That's the thing, you can't get too excited about anything, really, until the last nine holes of the last day. If you're there, try to put it in gear.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Oh, sure. If you find it helping somebody that much -- I hit his driver and it's not for me. It didn't have enough loft on it and things, but I could tell it was coming off the face real fast. For him, it's just been great. I'm sure he'll talk about it. Maybe he won't. But you guys can make him talk about that new driver; "Summerhays says you've got some new weapon you're hitting well." That's great when something like that comes along when you find something that really fits you that you like. And it adds to your game. I think it's terrific. That's technology. It's it's nice.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: The one birdie I made on 7 was fantastic. The drive got away from me to the right a little by but it was a nice lie. One foot was on the cart path, but I had a nice avenue -- I think it was 143 to the hole, is what I had; so we decided to hit 8-iron. Just cut it up in there and it came off beautifully. There was a little branch I had to keep it under, and I tipped the leaf there, and I couldn't tell where it was going to end up, but I heard some claps and knew it was somewhere close. That was a big point right there for me to be able to sneak a birdie in that the that particular time. I was struggling just a little bit right in there. The other one is I hit a 4-iron on 15 -- or 14, that was just, you know, I was in good shape just to hit it right up there. The heal caught and turned it over and hit in the tree up there and bounced left, and I was very fortunate to make par there. Chipped it up to about 10 feet and made par. Those two, if you're not hitting it as good as you were the day before, thank goodness for putts going in and chipping, really helps. I didn't hit near as many greens, but had probably less putts because I didn't hit as many. I got it up-and-down pretty good today.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: No, no. You don't ever worry about it. If he does, more power to him. I mean, we -- if somebody -- if somebody takes off and eclipses the field, that's one of those weeks that doesn't happen very often. Normally, they are not going to maintain that type of ball striking and putting and things over that long period of time, over four days. Happens just rarely; so we don't concern ourselves with it. We just try to keep our game going and try to stay close so that we can -- like I say on the last nine holes hopefully be right in the thick of things.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Sometimes. For me, it gets that way occasionally. You know, I mean, like the par 5 on the back side on 14 -- 15, you know, we had a little wind into us today, but I decided to hit driver anyway; and just tried to hook it in there and it went down the left side, and I've got 220 to the front of the green. That was really good there. That was an attack situation on a hole where, really, you can't get home today because the wind is into you a little bit there. But occasionally, that's available to you here, but there isn't too much attacking going on here, because you're always hitting driver off the tee just about. But there are opportunities when you get it in position off the tee, then to attack the pin, because you can get to them sometimes. Especially coming down at the end of the day here, you know, like on those last few holes, you know you have those opportunities. Except 18. 18 is such a good hole this year, so much better. I mean, I don't know if anybody else has hit anything less than 4-iron in there, but I don't think -- not this afternoon, anyway because that wind is right into you. Swampy hit a drive out there and barely carried it with his -- roped a 3-wood up there and just got over the water. An excellent golf hole there. You just have to strike one off the tee.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: No, because Christy O'Connor made double-bogey, going back to 6 (-under). You can make bogey -- if you hit it in the rough there, you know you're going to -- that last day, I'll tell you what, you'll be hard-pressed to be going for it unless you had a real great lie. Joe hit it in the rough on the left and had to lay it up. There's no way for him to get home there. There could be a big swing there. It's not going to be -- if somebody happens to make birdie there and somebody makes double, holy mackerel. It will be fun. But it's a great finishing hole now. It was good before, but now it's great.