BAY HILL INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

March 20, 1999

Brandel Chamblee

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: My day was pretty good as golf goes. I didn't make any bogeys, so I did par 16 which is like a bogey, but, no, it was a pretty good day. If somebody had given me 67 before I had gone out there, I would have been real happy with it. Five birdies and 13 pars, pretty boring, but pretty good stuff.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: That is right. I was home last week or the last two weeks actually, and I had kind of hurt my back the last round of Tucson, so I didn't play for about ten days. I wasn't going to come here. I was practicing. I went out on Friday before here and went out to practice, and usually when I take two weeks off, I look like Gary Van Sickel when I hit it. I called that afternoon and committed to come here. What the heck, if I am hitting it good, I might as well go play in a tournament as opposed to staying at home. My wife was putting me to work for two weeks, anyways, that is why I showed up here. I had planned on taking this week off, no disrespect to Arnie or the golf course, but I just hadn't been off in a while.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: I don't know. Just between working out and practicing and travelling and holding the two-year-old all day, all night, and getting old, the back goes out on you.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Mid, upper.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: No. It kind of went away early last week, and you know, I came here feeling pretty good, actually. Back hasn't bothered me. The firmness of the greens has bothered me, but other than that, no.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: I don't think I have ever played here when it wasn't a deluge, so this is the first time I have ever seen the greens like this. And it is kind of the trend as things go out here on Tour. The firmness of the greens has, you know -- I don't know if it's gotten out of hand. I think this golf course is close to perfect. But this year and a couple of instances it had gotten out of hand. When they got caught with some windy, cold weather, it got where you just couldn't stop a ball in the green. I think next week there is a player's meeting. I know quite a few players who are going to attend just for that reason to bring up the issue. It used to be if you hit a good sand wedge, the ball would hit, check, then bounce a couple feet, or at least stay where it landed. Now at least on these greens, you hit a good sand wedge, the ball will release 10, 15 feet. I mean, that is as good as you can do. I hit a full 60-degree sand wedge into 12, and the ball released 15 feet. I mean, that is bordering on pretty tough. I mean, it is pretty silly, but --

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: About three, four years ago they brought out this roller, and the intent was to -- as far as I know -- was to make the greens smoother. But that roller has, in my estimation, compacted the greens so much that, you know, they are just -- they have gotten very firm. Every golf course has gotten very firm. U.S. Opens you expect that, but you know, Tucson Open or Phoenix Open you really don't expect that. I was talking with Paul Azinger yesterday and today, and he was saying that he used to hit this beautiful little spinning sand wedge that would take one hop and stop and he says it released 17 steps on these greens. And he was like, you know, it used to be that a green would receive a shot and now it is the hardest part on the golf course. I am not saying that is the way this golf course is because I do think this golf course is just about perfect. It will receive a very well struck shot, but anything less than that it won't.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: That is right. You got to get the 384s back in play but they have done away with those, the marshmellow balls. The Pinnacles you have been loaning me haven't been very good.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Phoenix. I think Phoenix got caught in a bad spot. They got windy, cold weather on Monday. They had the course just like this the week before, then they got called with windy, cold weather. Tucson, the greens were really firm. Riviera, they were fairly firm. Someone said the only place where the greens held all year were Pebble Beach (laughs). Of course you could land a 747 on those greens. But you know, that is the only course all year that the greens really held were Pebble Beach. Azinger said San Diego, the World Match Play - I wasn't there - but he said the greens got so firm there that you couldn't stop them either. Maybe it is retaliation against the equipment and guys getting bigger and they are just -- but, I don't think people at home mind watching -- I thought that 59 was pretty exciting. I was at home watching it so, I don't think people mind watching a bunch of birdies.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Oh, really, they didn't have me in mind. I am not the model they had in mind when they --

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: No, I don't think there is any talk of Chamblee proofing Augusta. I don't think that came up. Last time I checked, I didn't read that anywhere.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: It never hurts to have some confidence in those situations, but you know, my mind is, you have to go out and hit good shots and you know, it is going -- when I came in 12-under was leading. I am sure 13-under will be leading by the end of the day at least, so, you know, I will need to go out and shoot 66 tomorrow, 67, 65, somewhere in there. If everything goes my way. I don't suspect unless there is any change in the weather, and I haven't heard that there would be.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Well, if that happens, the scores should be a little lower then, obviously.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: I birdied 4. I hit a good drive and just missed the green to the right. The par 5, chipped up about six feet, made it. I birdied 6, the John Daly hole, one that goes around the water there, hit a good drive and hit this thing that is neither an iron nor a wood. It is called a Zoom. And I hit that on the green about 30 feet from the hole and 2-putted for birdie. And then I birdied 9. I hit a driver and 5-iron about 30 feet, made that. I birdied 12, hit sand wedge, 60-degree sand wedge up there about six feet made that. 13, 9-iron eight feet made that for birdie.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Looks like a chipper. Ever see an old chipper? I would be embarrassed except everybody else is hitting them too. No, it just -- says 2-iron on the bottom of it. You have seen them. They kind of look like -- they really don't look like anything. They are pretty ugly.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Yeah, but they hit the ball straight up in the air. I am not very good at hitting 2-irons or 1-irons straight up in the air, but with this club I am.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Yeah, my grandmother has got one and she loves it.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: Van Sickel, it would help you out.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: The one I am using it is PRGR. Taylor Made has since came out with a model somewhat like it. Everybody has kind of gone to something along those lines. PRGR has gotten real popular out here. No 1-irons anymore in the bags. Getting rid of them.

BRANDEL CHAMBLEE: I can't either. You have to carry one just to look good.