U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 18, 1998

Mark Cornevale

MARK CARNEVALE: It was fantastic out there. Actually I probably need to thank Joe for getting things early in the round, and he was 4-under through five holes, and I was even par, and then it was just a lot of fun out there.

MARK CARNEVALE: I mean, probably, subconsciously we did, but we just -- we had a great group out there. Unfortunately, Doug Martin didn't make a lot of putts, but Joe and I just -- it just -- there was a lot of camaraderie there, and we were all pulling for everybody, and everybody wants everybody else to do well, and it just -- it was -- there was a lot of talking going on. It wasn't a lot of quiet moments out there. So it was a lot of fun.

MARK CARNEVALE: Probably, the biggest one was 7. I hit the ball in the right rough there and just had a terrible lie, was trying to really -- just try get on the front of the green and ball didn't fly at all. Got in the front bunker, pin was way back. I think it was 24 back on the right side at that point. I am just saying: Let's play. Just try to make 5 and hit a great shot, hit right in the bank before the top level, and it stopped up there about 10, 12 feet. I made that putt. That really saved the round there. That led to birdies on 8 and 9. 8, hit it to the top level and made about probably about 40, 45-footer coming down the slope. I hit 8-iron there. I think we had about -- probably playing about 126 or so uphill, but hit it to the back level and made about a 45-footer coming down the slope. On 9, hit it in there probably 15 feet, made that. 9-iron. And that is when I got a little nervous, I think just realized kind of what was going on, and my nerves were a little shaky and hit kind of a strange shot on No. 10 for my second shot. I had 165 in there, was taking an 8-iron and just hit it about five feet off the ground. It just darted right towards the green and went over the back right side of it and had a great lie and chipped it up there about a foot and made it. After about 11, my nerves calmed down a little bit. I was little disappointed in No. 16. I hit it in there about five feet below the hole and perfect putt. I just kept looking at the line, and looking at the line, I left it like six inches short. I was -- obviously my concentration level wasn't there too good on that one. On 17, I had about 215 to the hole and my caddie and I were kind of back and forth between 2-, 3-iron. He said he liked the 2-iron. I agreed with him. I was just trying to land it in the bank there, just short of the green, get it up on the green somewhere because in the practice round both days, I never even sniffed the green. Saw where it hit. Looked like it caught the rough. I heard the crowd screaming. I thought it was maybe 4, 5 feet to get up there and realized it was about six inches from the roll. I mean, it was just phenomenal. 18, didn't hit a real good drive, hit it in the first cut of the rough and little scary shot because it looked like it might fly, and I didn't want to hit it over the back of the green. Once again, got pretty good break, caught the first cut just below the pin. Wasn't the easiest putt. It was straight across the green; looked like it broke about two or three feet. But I lagged it up there about 6, 7 inches, then made it. It was just a lot of fun out there today. I told my caddie on the first tee: Let's go out and have fun and enjoy this and make the best out of it.

MARK CARNEVALE: You know, it is hard to say. Not ever being in this position at a U.S. Open or a Major before, you work so hard to get to this point, and, all of a sudden, you realize -- granted, it is only Thursday -- but this is where all the attention of the golf world is this week. This is what you have struggled all your life to get to. You finally realize: Hey, I am here.

MARK CARNEVALE: I don't know if it is so much nerves -- of being nervous about or not being scared or being -- but I just think you just -- your nerves get a little edgy, I think.

MARK CARNEVALE: No, I mean, earlier in the year, I would have said that, but things have changed a little bit in the last couple weeks. I got really quick. Wasn't patient with the shot. That was the one thing my caddie and I worked on both in the qualifier in Washington and here is: Let us be patient. Just make sure we are hitting the right shot and, I just got a little quick with it. It wasn't exactly the most picturesque golf. First thing I am thinking -- I am saying -- these announcers are saying: What is this guy doing, 2-under par trying to figure out what kind of shot I hit.

MARK CARNEVALE: Pretty much up there. As I said, I played it two days in the practice rounds and never even got close to the green. And it is just one of the holes -- I played a practice round with Fuzzy, and it is like just don't make worse than 5. That is kind of my philosophy. The other thing is, I came to the week, made a game plan of how I was going to play every hole. Obviously, if conditions changed a lot, that may vary it. But, I have driven the ball straight my whole career, and I felt like, you know, I am using a driver on a lot of holes where guys are using 3-woods and 2-irons - not necessarily that I am hitting it that much further - but I have more confidence in it. So, why not hit that.

MARK CARNEVALE: My career has kind of been that way the whole time. I qualified for the Tour at age 32; came out; won a golf tournament; was Rookie-of-the-Year; struggled a year; came back; had a pretty good year the next year; struggled the next year. Got out of golf basically for a year. Came back. No. 2 on the Nike Tour last year. Come out this year; struggle again. It is pretty much common place, I guess. I guess -- why that is, I don't know. I don't know if it is expectations, or being lackadaisical or what, but it just seems to happen that way. When my back does get put to the wall it seems like that is when I had start coming out.

MARK CARNEVALE: A little confidence. I changed putters about a month and a half ago. I changed irons that I was playing with and just stuck with what I wanted to do and not fool around with a lot of stuff. The first part of the year I was probably changing irons every week, changing putters, I mean, just trying to find out what the problem was. Obviously the problem wasn't in the equipment. But you are trying to find something you have confidence in, to gain that confidence back to go out and play. I just wasn't finding it.

MARK CARNEVALE: Pretty high. I mean, especially here. And probably in any U.S. Open, I mean, I really never thought about that. I just tried to play every hole as it was and tried not to get -- tried not to think ahead of myself and just, you know, play every shot one shot at a time.

MARK CARNEVALE: It has been awhile. Maybe a putt-putt course, I don't know.

MARK CARNEVALE: Well, I enjoy the pressure of having to come in here and talk to you because I don't get a chance very often, lately. The Nike Tour was great for me, and that is what is hard for me to understand is going through last year and having the confidence of playing well every week out there and being in contention every week out there. And I felt like that was just going to overflow into this year and it just -- it hasn't. But as you see, the results of the players who have been out here, it is a fantastic place for guys to play. It does give you confidence. What happened to me? I don't know. But, having been on Tour before, losing my privileges and coming back again, I thought I had an advantage, but golf is a funny game.

MARK CARNEVALE: Well, I played Westchester for one. I think it is a great tuneup for here. I don't think I really did anything. I think that has maybe been one of my problems this year is I have tried to prepare too much for every tournament instead of going out there and just playing golf. A lot of guys have teachers. I have people that help me, but, you know, who knows your golf game better than yourself? And just you have got to believe in yourself and I got tired of not playing well. And, I just said: It is time to go out and play well again.

MARK CARNEVALE: My brother is here and I have some good friends here. As I said earlier, unfortunately my mother planned a 97th birthday party for my grandmother so my parents are there doing that. But most of my family is on the east coast, so they all have kids and stuff, so it would be hard for them to get here.

MARK CARNEVALE: It is tomorrow night. But her birthday was actually yesterday.

MARK CARNEVALE: Well, I told my mother I was hoping not to be there. And she understood that. My brother Corky, who is here with me, we made a pack that if I got here, he was coming with me because he has been a good supporter of mine as long as -- as well as my whole family. I couldn't have asked for two better role models in my life than my parents. They have always been behind me and they have made me the person that I am. And, I thank them for that, so, it has just been fun.

MARK CARNEVALE: Probably last year, either at the Nike Championship or been a while out here, I know that.

MARK CARNEVALE: That is the way the first five months of the year have been. Not anymore. But that is exactly right. I mean, I would go out and play and be 2-, 3-under through eight or nine holes. It happened like every round, every first round of the golf tournament, since Doral and Honda I would be 2-under, 3-under, 1-under; next thing I know, I would shoot 77. For a while it was that way. And, why I feel differently now? I think probably the biggest thing was the first round at the qualifier in Woodmont. I am a couple under, I am kind of sitting there hemming and hawing. Next thing I know, I am 3-under, 4-, 5-under; then I finish the round. It was like this is the best round of golf that I have played in probably eight, nine months that. Definitely helped the confidence -- I kept waiting just to go out and put two good rounds of golf together and it just wasn't happening. And as you said, I would look for the wheels to fall off. Most of the time they would.

MARK CARNEVALE: Williamsburg, Virginia.