U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 5, 1996

Bob Charles

BOB CHARLES: Well, it was just a miserable day from the first hole to the last. Well, I did have a few good patches in the middle, but to get away to a bogey, bogey start and finish bogey, bogey, it leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. That is golf. I had a dream round yesterday and today was a bit of a nightmare.

BOB CHARLES: Oh, no. It was everything. I was missing fairways, missing greens and I was missing confidence. Missing golf swing, everything was missing out there today.

BOB CHARLES: Well, everybody else must be having trouble out there except for Dave.

BOB CHARLES: Yeah, well, first hole I drove it in the rough left and hit what I thought was a good shot, but it flew and out of the rough; went over the green and I played it coming back and actually had to chip and 1-putt for a 5. Bogey. Second hole, I hit two good shots and the wedge into the green; just hit a hard spot, finished 30 feet past the hole. Well, I was just off the green, I suppose, and 3-putts. 3rd hole, good iron shot there; bounce to the back of the green again about 50 feet; which I made for a birdie. Oh, bogey on 7 - hit a bad swing, bad 7-iron which I hooked into the right trap, came out strong and 2-putted from about twelve feet. 8th hole good tee shot, hit a wedge into about eight feet which I made. 9: Hit a bad tee shot, good iron shot; hit a great third shot with a lob wedge to three or four inches from the hole. 10: Actually got it up-and-down from -- I spun it back off the green on 10 and made pretty good up-and-down there. 11 was a routine par. 12: Hit a good tee shot and hit a wedge again into about 15 feet. 13: Hit a good drive, 5-iron on the green 2-putts, birdie.

BOB CHARLES: That was 25 feet. 17: Just made a horrible swing with a 3-iron hooked it in the bunker short and -- way short, and got it on the green about 35 feet and 2-putted for four. 18: I hit -- my tee shot was a little short and I had to hit a 4-iron second shot which I made another horrible golf swing and put it in the bunker left and came out about ten feet and 2-putted for another bogey.

BOB CHARLES: Well, yeah. I mean, it is a pleasure to see a master craftsman at work on the greens like -- he was quite incredible today. I mean, he just drained everything he looked at, and, you know, 20-footers, 30-footers, they were just going in with regularity. It is great to see somebody with such a good putting stroke and so much confidence on the greens and that was what I was totally lacking, totally devoid of today, was any kind of confidence on the greens with my putting stroke and I paid the penalty as a result. And I think that probably affected to a degree, the rest of my game, which had a total lack of confidence. But Dave is playing well and just doing everything. When he hits a bad shot, he gets it up-and-down. That is what you have got to do to come up with good numbers and to win tournaments.

BOB CHARLES: Well, yeah, in my youth I had a reputation, but, you know, it is --

BOB CHARLES: My confidence level fluctuates somewhat and as of late it has been a little-- it was good yesterday, but certainly wasn't today.

BOB CHARLES: How would it drop before you come to the course?

BOB CHARLES: No. When you make a horrible bogey on the first hole, your confidence level drops, sure. I mean, if I birdied the first hole, that would have -- then my confidence level would have an enormous lift, but no, I felt great. I hit the ball solid on the practice tee. My practice session before playing was-- my swing felt very good.

BOB CHARLES: Well, it was lucky, you see, that was not much skill in that. It was just a lot of luck in that.

BOB CHARLES: Well, no, you know, only thing I learn from Dave Stockton is -- well, is, you know, I look at somebody who has incredible confidence in his ability. My confidence fluctuates. It is up one day; down the next. I mean, his is on a high level day after day after day, and he is obviously seeing the right shrink and maybe I should get his phone number.

BOB CHARLES: Two.

BOB CHARLES: Yeah, I got Nick Faldo's Odyssey, what's her name, II and Steve Jones's, I am going with the winners, as I said yesterday. (LAUGHTER) But I thought maybe the confidence level, you know, you have got to have the right thoughts going through your mind to be able to manipulate the weapons, right?

BOB CHARLES: Oh, yes, yes. Yeah, it's -- I guess I will have to. Any time from now until darkness, if I can get on the green, maybe try and find the stroke or whatever.

BOB CHARLES: Oh, what will get me in a good frame of mind? I don't know. I suppose, you know, a good session on the range. My frame of mind is very erratic. I don't know. That is an unknown -- an unknown quantity.