INGERSOLL-RAND SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 4, 1999

Bruce Summerhays

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: First birdie came on No. 3. I hit it in there -- well, what did we hit it with? I hit a very strong drive down there and hit a wedge to six feet just behind the hole and made that. On the par 5, hit a sand wedge in there about 15 feet on the next hole and made that. Then my next birdie is on No. 8. I hit the ball -- what did I hit into 8?

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Oh, that's right. I hit it in the bunker in 2. I intentionally -- and I thought that would be the best shot. And the sand was a little hard and I hit it out. It went 20 feet just a little bit to the right of it and I made that, though. I think it was 20 feet, about 20 feet. It was very fortunate to make that one. And then birdies on the next side on 11. I hit it just to the left of the green with another wedge. I hit a wedge in on 11 and about a 20-footer and made that one. And then hit a 6-iron to 15 feet on No. 17. And that I had that for 2. And then 2-putted from 60 feet on the last hole, which was a good 2-putt. Ended up with 67. So that's a round of golf. No bogeys. That's awful nice on The Dunes here. This is the best golf course we play all year. I think it is, anyway.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Not really. I didn't have to make anything more than five feet for a save and that was after a putt. I missed about three greens maybe four greens and all of them were just off the fringe like this where I putted this them. So I didn't really have work at saving par, but I did have a couple of 5-footers that we rolled right in.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Well, No. 1, the time of year I think we play it. I'm hitting one more club to the yardage I normally hit. You know, my normal yardage for a 6-iron is one 180 and unless I'm downwind, I can't get it there so I have to go to five -- 185, I've just about got to go to 5-iron. I think that's No. 1. No. 2, the length of the golf course. It's longer for us, yardage-wise. What do we play into that?

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: 6965, and when you add 10 yards per club that you're hitting, that gets it up to 7200 or whatever which is what we're actually playing for the time of year probably. Just the way it's set up, it's just a world-class golf course. We're hitting longer clubs in there. The greens are perfect speed. I think they are about 10 or something and just, just right on the money there. They are not slow. The greens aren't soft; they are firm. They are not hard. I meaning everything, conditions are there to score, but the course is just a great golf course for The SENIOR TOUR Championship and always has been. It always wins out, this golf course.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: I think so. I think it sets up better for the tee ball, I think and certainly is a lot longer. In the Pro-Am, for heavens sakes, playing all the way back, some of the guys were probably laying up. It played really long. And today we're up 30 yards and we're still hitting -- I hit five -- I was in the rough, and I would have hit 5-iron in if I'd have been at that distance, but Joe and Graham, Joe Inman and Graham Marsh both hit woods into the hole and hit a lot closer than I did. Of course, I was in the rough. So it is. I think it's a better hole. It's certainly a lot longer hole from there, and -- but of course, it's been raining a lot. We're not getting much. We have played here when it's been real fast and it's not fast at all. So we're going to lose a little distance that way. But it's just always been a great test. I mean, you're right next to the water the wind is going to blow it's tricky. You're going to go on and on and on about what makes this course tough. But it's just a real good golf course.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Really depends. If we have days like this, see we came out thinking it might be the worse situation and it actually ended up being the best situation it could be from a weather standpoint. It got a little bit warm out there, and the wind was very -- down. It wasn't up. So, you know, the -- it's probably playing at it's very easiest, let's say right at the present time. If that continues, people will get back into the birdie mode. Scores will go down. But if the weather changes we get some wind and things scores will remain the same or even go higher a little bit. So it's hard to say what's going to happen. But you know all of these guys can really play out here, and they -- once they get comfortable with the weather and things like that, they start to dial it in and scores should go down some.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Well, I played at 11:30; so I didn't have any of the cold. When I was warming up on the driving range it was -- I couldn't believe how nice and warm it was so it didn't affect me at all. I'm sure some of the earlier times if they had to practice at 8:00 or 8:30, you know it was probably a little nippy then. But when I teed it up -- that's me tomorrow. I think -- I don't know what time we are, 9:10 or 9:20 or something like that. So we'll be out there at that time and I'll find out what it was like. What is it, 40 degrees in the morning, somewhere in that neighborhood? That's pretty cool. If you have a little breeze, the sun isn't up yet, it's like Utah. It's cool.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Probably just like San Francisco in a way, being close to the water, and that type of coolness, that degree.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: I really have. I think the last six tournaments I've been under par in all six, and I've continually hit the ball just a little bit better. Finished second last week hitting the ball good off the tee which was terrific and putted well. So I came in with a real positive attitude and carried over into today. I hit my driver really well today and I putted nicely today. So, you know, it was actually just a little carryover; so I played as good as I played all year probably. Right at a good time right now. This is the first time for me where I've actually -- you know I play a lot of golf. I've only missed two tournaments this year and normally, you know, a little wear and tear by this time, for some reason, I'm feeling quite strong right at present time and hopefully that will continue. I'm very happy about that. But, you know, that's going to play a part. But you never know what's going to happen. We're just glad to be at The TOUR Championship. It's just the Top 31, and this year. I think we've got 9 new players in the Top 31, which is -- that's significant. You can see what's happening to our TOUR. There's a lot of new people coming onto it, and the bottom is catching the top of our TOUR. So it's just fabulous and a wonderful experience.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: I think Dana Quigley would say he would play 52. I would not play 52. I would probably miss a few.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: That's right. But we do love to play golf. We just absolutely love to play. And in my situation, you know, I'm a family man. I love my family and things and I bring them to me. So playing 52 times isn't out of the realm of possibility there because I get to see them that way. But you need to go home. If there's 52, you've got to spend a month and a half at home anyway. But there's a good vacation, think about that. I get a month and a half vacation or more, that's pretty good vacation.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: That's been my forte really. I stride to work out. I stride to stay in great shape so that I can play a full schedule. Right now, I missed this all year, I think I'm 36th on the all-time money list. That's what I've been trying to get to is up in the Top 50 plus all-time money winners. That gives me an opportunity to miss some tournaments if I desire to do it. If I didn't even finish in the Top 50 next year, or so on, I would still be able to play because of my all-Tim money so I'm in a situation where I can miss golf tournaments. Dana Quigley is not probably yet on all-time money so he's going to continue to play. But that was -- that was our idea, get the all-item money up there. But physically I'm in great shape, still, and I seem to be going strong. You know, why would I miss a two million dollar tournament? It doesn't make much sense when you're a club pro playing for 100,000 or less.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: No, I think that happens, yes. And I know when that happens. I just let it come and I know how to renew, though I'll take a little time off on the road. Caroline, my sweet wife we'll go do a few different things. We'll go see the sites some, where we'll take a day and a half and go see something, go somewhere else. Drive for a couple hundreds miles and that type of thing, just to clear the mind just a little bit. Or read a lot, listen to great music and get our things -- things cleared out of the head. That does happen. That does happen. And when I get on the course and I lose it, from a mental standpoint and I'm not thinking well, like you said, that does happen. Well, I just let it go. I have my kids, I'll tell William, I'm struggling with my ability to concentrate and I'll say: Every time now, you must tell me the routine or something like that. So I put it on them to help me so that at least for 30 seconds I can concentrate and get back out of it. But I know when that happens I don't try to get back into concentration. I just let it -- I wander and let it go and try to get in for 30 seconds and then back out. I don't -- and I don't ever concentrate all the time. It was fun playing with Joe Inman today because you don't have to. (Laughter.) You have to say one word, right and then you get a full conversation. Things like that and you know your mind can get somewhere else. He's wonderful. And Swampy, too, that's a wonderful pairing for me.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: We heard that last night at dinner. All the pairings out here are good. Was just especially nice. When I get somebody like Inman or Trevino, I kind of like that because you don't have to converse; you just have to listen, nod your head. It takes your mind away sometimes from what's going on and relaxes you. It really does. It keeps you going.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Yes, probably at this late date. It's probably as strong as I am right now, I would say, yes. I'm really pleasantly surprised about that. It just feels -- feels like the beginning of the year to me almost and I know that it's not but I am -- I'm excited about the time off coming up because I've got a lot of things I want to do to get ready for next year from a physical standpoint. We're building a new home which is going to be ready; so my mind is on that. I'm just kind of sky high a little bit. So it's been kind of fun here at the end of the year to feel like going forward and moving fast and quick instead of slowing down so much.

BRUCE SUMMERHAYS: Hopefully with a good round today I'll do well enough -- I'm eligible to play until the match play already. If I maintain that position I'll play there in Puerto Rico. The very next week there's the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. I don't need to go down, but we love Monterey. Our favorite spot; probably yours as well. And to be able to play Pebble Beach and Spyglass, probably sneak on Cypress Point one day; who wouldn't want to that. And then the next week, it's off until Hawaii for me. And you know, I'll hit a few balls into the net and exercise and just get ready and do all of that stuff. And I'm looking forward to that and looking forward to coming out very renewed for that year because, you know, I've got to up the level. I think everybody does. You've got Watson certainly going to be there a lot more Kite, Wadkins, you've got Andy North going to be there in March and on and on and on. The level is coming up so you've got to be prepared for that.