INGERSOLL-RAND SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 6, 1999

Bruce Fleisher

BRUCE FLEISHER: Interesting round. Putted good Thursday. Didn't putt good yesterday and putted good today. I was annoyed this morning. But I tried to get it out of my mind. And certainly playing with Irwin today was, you know, a big factor. Any time you play with Hale, you're kind of looking over your shoulder. But, I started out saving par which I felt was okay on 1 and 2, from five feet I think on both putts. I think that was big. I think that was big. It relaxed me, for whatever reason. First three holes were very difficult today for me. I hit a 4-iron to 1, and a 3-iron to 2 and a 5-wood to 3; and I got out with par, so I felt that was big today. And then I started rolling putts. I birdied 4, 5 and 6. What else did I birdie? 4, driver, 6-iron, pitching wedge to about 12 feet. 5, I hit my 5-wood, hit a real good shot there about 20 feet; I made that. The next hole, did I birdie the next hole? Yes, I did.

BRUCE FLEISHER: No, I hit a real good shot on 6. I hit a driver 9-iron to about three feet. That was my best shot today, yeah. 7, I drove it in the bunker. Hit a 6-iron up there about 20 feet and then 2-putted. Then 8, 8 was a no-brainer, wasn't it? Another no-brainer. It was a good putt. It was about 20 feet there. But I had some good chances. I had good chances on 9, 10 and 11. But see, then I birdied 13. I saved another par putt on 12. Was that the par 3? I hit a 5-iron about 30 feet and knocked it by about eight feet; so, I thought that kept my round going. Made that. 13, driver, 4-wood, pitching wedge to about 12 feet and made that. Next hole, I bogeyed. I hit a driver 4-wood right at it and just barely got over the lip of the bunker and I couldn't see. I had to stand on my head trying to hit a chip shot. It was half-buried in the grass. And I wanted to make sure I didn't chunk it; so I hit it a little too hard and I hit it off the green. I birdied the next hole, which was the par 5 from off the green. I had probably about a 20-footer. Hale kind of showed me the line. He had the same putt. And the next hole, probably the best putt of the day. I hit a driver, 8-iron to about six feet right behind the hole it. Was pretty quick. I made that. The rest was history.

BRUCE FLEISHER: You don't want to get into that. You ask Ray Floyd. Better yet, you ask Dick, right behind you. Just wasn't appropriate. I don't think it was, this particular time. I mean, I've tried to be honest all year. I've had a wonderful year. I certainly don't want to ruin it now. Sometimes honesty hurts, unfortunately. I guess that's why people have little white lies.

BRUCE FLEISHER: You mean with my golf?

BRUCE FLEISHER: Not really. I just, you know what, I don't know if it's the cold. I'm not going to use an excuse of being tired. Dick, I'm trying as hard as I can. I just don't feel like I'm on. I'm driving the ball pretty good. Driving it very far, but I'm keeping it in play. I thought I played well today. You really can't see yourself outside the ropes. Obviously, 66 is pretty damn good. I don't feel like I'm striking the ball like I have been. I tried to work it out yesterday.

BRUCE FLEISHER: No, it's probably more mental than physical. I don't think physically you change. I think everybody is tired. Playing for this kind of money, we shouldn't be, should we? I mean, Mike Hill wasn't tired. Boy, he played beautiful.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Exactly. But listen, I certainly put myself in position to take -- you know, if I play well, I've got a good chance. Archer is there. Bruce Summerhays is there.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I try not to. Toward the end, I did. Today I tried to avoid the scoreboard. I think I saw on No. 9, I was surprised at some of the numbers. Some of the guys -- McCord at one time he was 9-under; is that correct?

BRUCE FLEISHER: Bogeyed 18. But we'll see what happens.

BRUCE FLEISHER: (Summerhays) he almost knocked it in on 18. But, you know, Robert was telling me that he had talked to Watson, and I think Watson has won about 32 tournaments. Out of the 32 tournaments, he's only felt like he's hit the ball superior twice. He manages his game well. I think this golf course is a lot of that. Don't get sucked into situations. Leave yourself 20-footers if you have to.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Absolutely. Well, I've also learned not to give up, either.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Yes, probably. I think it's so different out here. You know, the TOUR being -- what was interesting, and if someone was to analyze you and open up your head and look at things, you know, as I look, in the past, where I started out Monday qualifying, and there were so few spots way back when in the 70s, that when I -- and I was a good qualifier. If there were two shots I would qualify. That was like a tournament. You have just won a tournament on Monday. Now you're so elated of playing, now if you made the cut on Friday, you knew you wouldn't have to go through that Monday again. And it was such a letdown that Saturdays were always lazy for me because I never got up for Saturday. It was stupid. But I was so elated that I didn't have to go through Monday qualifying, I didn't give a shit. There were -- I never was a good Saturday player. And some of that, you know, continued on. But out here, with no cut, which I think is big; it's just a different way of looking at it. Just keep going and going and going.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Don't tell Summerhays that. It's going to be hard. It's going to be hard for me. He's long he's probably going in with a 4- or 5-iron. I'm going in with a 5-wood. You give me 4 tomorrow and I've got a one-shot lead, I'll wait. But it's going to make it much more exciting, I'm sure. Much more exciting.

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