U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 1999

Jim Colbert

JIM COLBERT: I made six birdies. One put was twelve feet, and the other five were gimmees. Next longest one was three feet. I didn't putt bad, just it wouldn't go in. Like the last one, I couldn't miss in a 100 years. But that was the highest score I could have shot, but it was fun to play. It was one of the reasons I never won the Open on the other circuit is I couldn't drive in the fairway enough. So I mean, I really have driven that ball the last couple of days. It is fun. I am obviously a much better driver now.

JIM COLBERT: I think I was in the -- I was in the rough at 7 and I made a bogey, the rough cuts back on the right side, it is into the wind, a little short hole, I've been hitting either 5-wood or 3-wood - I hit a driver and rolled down jumped into the rough under the tree and had to pitch up to the right of the green under the tree and I -- I hit an absolute chip; missed about four five-footer for par there. Then I missed the green at -- fairway at 16. Hit 3-wood laying up to those traps, was 260, but that wind is really blowing, hit a 3-wood; hit it past the traps up in the rough. But ended up with about an 8-footer for birdie, or 6- or 7-footer down the hill; missed it. I think it is the only two fairways I missed.

JIM COLBERT: Not 17. I missed it at 16 and 18. Rest of them, you know, I guess the second putt at 11 was maybe five feet, but it was straight up the hill. I had an eagle putt coming down the hill from about 30 feet. Rest of them were just gimmees.

JIM COLBERT: 13, I have been hitting 3-iron at that hole. That wind switched and I drove that thing so far down there I was standing on my head way down the fairway, only had 150 to the hole; 123 to the front. But, boy, that slope is just -- it is like a ski slope down there, so I tried -- you can't feel the wind as hard as it is blowing, but I should have -- to drive it there, it had to be blowing, so I tried to chip an 8-iron, 123 yards to the front. But the pin is way back left. So I was just going to try to chip it up there and not swing harder with a 9-iron or something. I hit a great looking little shot but it had no chance. Hell, that green goes like this. It hit on that slope one bounce under a tree back there; hit it pretty good, little scrape out under the tree and I missed about a 15-footer.

JIM COLBERT: Wind is dead opposite; not quite as strong, just the dead opposite which makes it kind of challenging because you are just not comfortable with the club selections. You know how those up-and-down hills have been playing with the wind blowing in the other direction, but now you just don't know and -- but the greens are still a lot softer than I thought they would be today.

JIM COLBERT: You are into the wind at 5 off the tee. I Hit it down; then shot over the trees; I put it about two feet. It was less than two feet from the hole. Then 6 is dead downwind. I mean, those holes, I hit 8-irons at both of them. I knocked it over a little bit over the 4th hole in two, the par 5; then wind is just a dead opposite, I have been hitting drivers, 3-wood and 9-iron there.

JIM COLBERT: On 14, the 3-par. That was probably about ten or twelve feet.

JIM COLBERT: They were all gimmees. They just were.

JIM COLBERT: Thursday I wasted nine shots on the greens or around them. I couldn't make it from a foot. And, of course, it was -- by far the toughest day to play was Thursday afternoon. I mean, it was really difficult. And I played about the same. I really played quite well, but I mean, I couldn't make it from two feet. I think I had three 3-putts and never made one putt.

JIM COLBERT: Softer than I thought they would be. They have speeded them up a little bit. But they were still -- a little softer than I thought they would be.

JIM COLBERT: Who knows, they are still out on the front nine.

JIM COLBERT: Well, I don't know. I just -- just feels good not to put so much pressure on my putter, but I putted good -- I mean, I rolled it . But I am happy with the way I played.