FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 22, 1999

Bruce Fleisher

BRUCE FLEISHER: Yes. Where do I begin? This is another week, folks. And probably our biggest purse. It's our biggest purse. This would certainly be a wonderful week to capture. But I really haven't had much of a chance to see the golf course yet. But the year has been an emotional high. Certainly very draining in a lot of areas, including the media, but in a positive note. If you weren't coming at me, I would not be playing very well. Really had no expectations that I would get off to this kind of a start. Certainly glad I did. And I'm going to try to have a little more fun the rest of the year. Get a little back, if I can, for myself or for whatever reason it may be. Shall I go on? I mean, the dollars are mind-boggling, only because as a professional athlete, basically, you know what you make. I've averaged -- I don't know what my average was on the other TOUR, but certainly nothing like what I've done on this TOUR. I haven't seen any of it yet, though. I haven't had time to enjoy it.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Is that good or bad?

BRUCE FLEISHER: That's a very good question. There was an article written -- I won the Home Depot Invitational in Charlotte, and the next day -- and I told Scott -- the article read: Who cares if Bruce Fleisher wins. And as I'm reading, I'm getting really, you know. But as I continue to read on, I understood what he was really saying. The SENIOR TOUR, times are changing. You know, as money becoming bigger, competition, these guys are practicing now. They are working out. They are serious. Years ago there was a lot more camaraderie. There was a little more hand-shaking, more back-patting. I know that The SENIOR TOUR probably could -- it could exist, but it's going to be sad when the Raymond Floyds and the Arnold Palmers decide not to play anymore. I think we need them. However, I'm out here for the money. And times are changing. Allen is a wonderful player. Tom looks like he's coming into himself, his own. Certainly, my start has been -- needless to say, terrific. But those guys are still around, trust me. We know it. And they will be back. We've just got to get them mad enough maybe, so to speak. I don't want to get any of them man, especially Irwin or Morgan. But listen, Hale was won twice this year. I think Gil is getting ready. He's played some good tournaments of late. Of course, Larry Nelson is always there lurking. He's won. But maybe there is a reemergence. You've got another group coming up: Watson, Kite, Watkins. I think it's just like the other TOUR. We're getting ready for some new faces.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I hope it is.

BRUCE FLEISHER: That's very possible. Because obviously, the gentlemen you mentioned, they are you will multimillionaires, Trevnio -- to me where is the incentive? I would not even be out here. I'd be home with my four-year-old, if I had one. But I can't speak for him. Everybody loves golf. It's a wonderful opportunity, obviously. But maybe they aren't hungry. It's very possible. Tom Watson, look at his successful years; Tom Kite. It's very possible they are not hungry, they may not come to their peak at that age, or get up for it at least. I was hungry. I'm still hungry. I look like I'm starving, don't I.

BRUCE FLEISHER: 1971 to 1984. You know what, you come out as the next Joe Namath of golf. I won the Amateur in 68. I was low amateur in the Masters in 69. I played on the World Cup, the Walker Cup. I was destined to not miss, you know. The other TOUR at the time was Monday-qualifying. And if you went back and saw the guys that came out of the box fast like Lenny, he came out fast. He never looked back. I came out and I struggled trying to make it on Mondays. If you get beat up early, unless you're a strong personality, strong mentally, it's very difficult to, you know, to get on that other side of the fence. Look at Corey. Corey came out; he finished second in Phoenix. You look back and say: Man, this is easy. Even though he's struggling of late, but he made it right out of the box. Crenshaw, I think, won his very first tournament. Texas Open, I remember playing with him. So a lot of it is certainly, well, the whole game is mental for the most part. Come out quick; you have success quick. It just seemed like those guys took off when you -- when you struggled early, very difficult to -- to hang in there, you know. Very difficult.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I don't know if I have an edge right now. But I'm certainly more relaxed. Not as uptight as I was. Playing pretty good.

BRUCE FLEISHER: That helps. My goals -- my goal this year was basically try to improve my position on the all-time monies and I'm going that. And that's taken a lot of pressure offer me.

BRUCE FLEISHER: The secret number I hear is Top 70, if you want to exist or continue, you know, to a certain point. If you can hedge your way up to the Top 40 or 50, you'll be out here pretty much in your 50s if you can keep those dollars in that area.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I was 96th or something. I think I'm 61 -- 61st now.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Let me tell you something, I still have it -- the PGA this year, I was playing with Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino the first two days, and I've got to tell you something; it was tough. As exciting was it was, Arnold Palmer is still -- I still look up to this man in the golfing world, the golfing venue of it. Lee Trevino, always. I played with Raymond Floyd last week, the first time I teed off with him this year, the first time in years. Absolutely. You still have a lot of admiration for these guys. You've read about them. You've listened to them; you've watched them all these years and now you're playing among them. Just like at the Home Depot, I'm playing with Bob Charles and Dave Stockton, 2 PGAs, umpteen tournaments. You may be beating them now from time to time, but you still get butterflies. There's no doubt. Absolutely. And if they pair me with Jack Nicklaus this week, hey, there's the icon of them all. I don't know if that's going to happen but it's possible.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Very good question. I think we're all mesmerized. In my day -- I don't know if overwhelmed is a correct word, but maybe intimidated. I think during my time, 60s -- let's say late 60s, 70s it was the big three: Gary Player, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Basically in the 60s and Lee Trevino came along. All these guys, they got all the press, notoriety, television time. And as I said before, these guys are -- so absolutely. No doubt in my mind. Today, you know, I don't think they are making enough stars today. David Duval, Tiger Woods, and I'm sure they are very intimidating to hell as a lot of players. But you've got to watch Tiger hit; seems to me, you've got to be much tougher mentally today. Even though your quality is similar, your quantity is greater, but better. Even in my 49th year, I remember -- I remember I was 2-under at Milwaukee. The leader was 6-under, and I missed the cut. No, I think I was 1-under. I was five shots from the lead, and I didn't get to play Saturday-Sunday. So you have 70-some guys between 6-under and 2-under.

BRUCE FLEISHER: That was last year. So what I'm saying, your quantity has gotten a lot of better out there. So one shot is big. Not so much here.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I think David Duval is intimidating. Tiger is intimidating. There's still a few guys intimidating.

BRUCE FLEISHER: But his glasses he wears. Darth Vader. I don't really know David that well. I know Bob. I know his dad.

BRUCE FLEISHER: The golf course was pretty intimidating. Just ask John Daly. But I know what you're saying. Maybe not -- maybe not the --

BRUCE FLEISHER: Absolutely. I remember -- I remember the first time I met Jack Nicklaus. We were both being honored at the Metropolitan Golf Writer's Association of New York. I had won the Amateur and he had won the Open that year. And he gave me a ride in his plane. I was just a country boy. I didn't have a pair of golf shoes at the time, and I was living in Miami, and he had a little private jet. And I must have asked him some really silly questions, because at that time, too, I think Jack was what -- what is he 58 now? 59, there was only like 9 year's difference. That was light years back then. But I said: Mr. Nicklaus, I want to thank you very much for the ride; it really helped me out financially. And he takes one look at me and he says: Listen here you little SOB, let me get your ass out on the golf course, and we'll show you who is man around here. Let me tell you something, that's intimidating. So about a month later, I played my very first round with Jack Nicklaus at Doral, and we are coming up to the last hole. There's about three or four hundred people watching, and at that time I wasn't married and I was dating Wendy, my wife. And I said Mr. Nicklaus: I don't have time to putt out; I'm late for a date. And he says: You can't putt out Jack Nicklaus. And I said: No, sir, I can't. And he's never forgiven me to this day. He's never forgiven me. I remember if you ask Jack Nicklaus -- when your ball is damaged normally you have to hand it over and take the ball out of play. But most guys, if they look at it, fine, no problem. Jack would look you right square in the eye: You feel it's the right thing to do. There's just certain, you know, intimidation.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Raymond's good. Raymond's good. He's scary. (Laughter).

BRUCE FLEISHER: I'm too old to be intimidated. I'm having too much fun.

BRUCE FLEISHER: If they get old enough you figure eventually you can beat them.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I'm sure it is. These guys, they have made a lot of money.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I've had so many wonderful memories. I've had so many ups and downs in my life. I think this is very satisfying at this time in my life. And you know, you never know -- obviously nobody knows what life brings us. If I had been successful, who knows where I would be today. Probably divorced; married three times. Who knows. I can only imagine Tiger with what he's got, the wealth, the power. I look at him, I'm not envious at all. I think he's got a very tough road. He's got to be very strong; his goals at this point. To have so much at such a young age, it would be difficult. Some guys can handle it. Palmer handled it. Nicklaus handled it.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Absolutely not. Like I said earlier, I would not change a thing. The only thing I would change, I'd finish college. I've seen the world. I've met people. Unfortunately, professional sports, again, we're measured by how much money you've made; how many tournaments you've won. People have different ideas about life. My life, I've been married for 30 years. I've got a daughter that's terrific, going to college, having the time of her life. I'm having the time of my life out here at 50. I've been reborn, so to speak into a new golfing career. My professional career, I think it takes guys like me, and I've said it before, to make Jack Nicklaus look good. They need guys like me to beat up. But I survived. I did what I wanted to do. Wining after coming back after so many years, was a dream. I got off in '84 for reasons. I worked at a club, which I was very happy with. I probably still -- I probably would still be a club pro if I had the right job. I was kind of forced out. I won out there -- wasn't a household name. No regrets whatsoever.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I think if you broke his golf swing down, he's as good as anybody. His athletic ability, to repeat what he's got, basically comes down to, if you've got guts and courage, desire, you can make it happen. But I've always been under the impression the better fundamentally sound you are, and if you work hard enough, good things will happen. You know, even though he may look unorthodox, he's a wonderful competitor, and you would want him on your side if you're in a ring; I can tell you that.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Very, very similar. Absolutely.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I can't speak for Lee -- and sometimes I don't really know if he want to be out here anymore.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Oh, Lee was as tough as they come. His record proves it. But Allen, again, is kind of a young professional in terms that he turned professional, what 48? He was a great amateur. I really ever heard of him. But he's proved himself; he won on the Nike TOUR. Look at what he's done out here. He's for real. Allen is for real.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I'm for real. I think it's very hard, are -- and I've said this also earlier again, very few people never do that. Nicklaus is the only one that's maybe come to mind. Maybe Tiger does, too. I'm not sure. I believe Nicklaus got up every morning and told himself how great he was. And he believed it, and I think that's very hard to do. It's very hard to get outside your body and be able to look at yourself and say: You know what, you're good. What I've just been -- I'm very fortunate. What I've done is -- I haven't really been able to sit back and analyze it, honestly, it's gone by so fast.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Here. Here. Absolutely.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I'm not going to. Play, make a few putts.