U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 28, 2000

Bruce Fleisher

BRUCE FLEISHER: He has been my idol, let me tell you, forever. A special man.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I played yesterday. And I got the opportunity to play it again. And it is very simple. Of course, it is always simple in the Open: It is fairways and greens. And that is not always easy. But the golf course is in great condition. Just superlative. The greens, I should have played more putt-putts growing up. I could have been more creative. But I don't know. In two days, you can really learn as much as you need to learn. I mean, I had a putt yesterday of about 20 feet, and I think I had a 20-foot break. So you have to be very creative.

BRUCE FLEISHER: My wife is. The year has been pretty good so far this year. Larry has kind of kept me in check here a little bit. So we are having a good run. Of course Hale is playing good too. Absolutely. I have said it once, I will say it again, it's an opportunity, certainly for me, and happy to be here.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Actually, Dick, you know, Dad was very, very sick. And it does coming down, he said: "Bruce, I don't need you here." He was a very private man. He never really opened up. And I think deep down, obviously, he was very proud. But he said, "Bruce, you got to go do your thing. I am going to be fine." So he was pretty strong in that respect. He knows my love for the game. And really nothing anybody could really do at that point. Tried to comfort Mom, the family. But he said, "Go do what you do the best." And that is play golf. So I took it in stride. As far as regaining my enthusiasm, I think it has changed, Richard. We are all different. And I always played for somebody else rather than myself, and I am really trying to learn to play for myself than for others. And I always tried to prove to him or Mom that I guess I was adequate or maybe belonged. However, it has been a struggle. I don't really feel it has affected my golf that much. I have affected my golf. My drive, I think as long as I stay in the top two or three or four money leaders this year - that is going to certainly give me enthusiasm that I am going to need, otherwise you get stale out here. You are playing a lot of golf; you are under a lot of strain. The SENIOR TOUR isn't the other Tour, I do understand it. But you are still dealing with yourself and emotions. I wish I could learn how not to; but, unfortunately, it is there.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I had the opportunity to do an outing Monday with Tom Lehman in Minneapolis. And it was for raising dollars for a children's charity, a cancer research hospital called the Dayton Challenge. I think that is what it is all about. I am beyond trying to be the best out here. I don't think that is important. Richard gave me a book a few months ago. I have read a book. It is called The Second Half. Now it is time to give back. I struggled most of my career, as far as you know, being the best you could be. Never really getting to where you thought you could get to. I have always said - I will been at the right place at the right time when I turn 50. Arnold Palmer was 68. Nicklaus just turned 60. So the SENIOR TOUR is an -- again, is a different animal. It is all really, I think, age-related, even though Trevino won last week, which was wonderful for the Senior Tour. If you look at record books, most of the wins are 50 to 55. Those are the years that you really have to push. I played through my 40s. I stayed competitive. And when I turned 50, I was ready. So you know, the magnitude of it has really never hit me. I am trying to have fun. I am trying to enjoy the people. And if someone wants to make me out to be the best out here, terrific. I am not -- I don't dwell on it. (inaudible).

BRUCE FLEISHER: I am going to give you a couple of chronological -- how it all happened, how it came about. I played through my 40s. And when I was 49, I got in the hunt a couple of times, once at Westchester and once at the B. C. I played in the Pebble Beach Invitational in November, which used to be called the Spalding. This was before the school, Qualifying School. There were about 30 Senior players that played, and I was low Senior, which really didn't mean a whole lot that week. I think I finished fourth that week. But I beat every Senior by ten shots. Most of us most of the time tried pretty hard. I know I hardly let my guard down. I thought that was very instrumental going into the Qualifying School. The Qualifying School -- looked around. I saw guys I hadn't seen in 30 years, and I am wondering: I can't even believe these guys are still alive much less trying to play golf. But I did see guys that I have played with, grew up through the years, that I felt I could beat and did beat. And looking at the early age spots, I felt, "Gee, all I need is one spot." Everybody else is looking at there is age spots. There is 150 guys. After finishing second there, that was a big lift, certainly for both Allen Doyle and myself. Then there was a player by the name of Roger Kennedy who was in the South Florida section when I was off the Tour, and he had told me, he said, "Bruce, get ready for Key Biscayne." Which was our first tournament. "Most of these guys take the winter off, they are not ready, they use it as a practice tournament to get ready for the Florida swing. But if you are ready, you can win that golf tournament." He was right. I got ready for it. I came out swinging. So that was big. That was big.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Several years ago?

BRUCE FLEISHER: Wow!.

BRUCE FLEISHER: A lot of these Senior players seem to think - and I don't know if it is something that they just try to throw at you, you know, Senior, U.S. Open -- you know, what does it mean? You get a lot of different answers. You get a Gary Player, and this is the most important week of his life -- and it should be. You get a Hubert Green, and he says, "Oh, it's the SENIOR TOUR. It doesn't mean anything." But this would be a nice icing on the cake for me. Again, I haven't really dwelled on it too much, because we are playing so much golf out here. I don't know if I am coming or going half the time, honestly. So I'd love to win this week. And I'd love to put it on my resume, and I got all those other bonuses. Bottomline is money. I am in it for the money, I am going to be honest with you. I don't need the adulation. I don't need the pat on the back "how good you are." Oh, I'd love to win it. To win this week you have got to be on. You have got to be good. The person who wins this week will be the best player this week, let me tell you, because there is -- even though you are going to get some luck out there with, maybe, lies and position on the greens, you better hit fairways and greens or you will not finish.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I am always tinkering with my golf swing for -- three months ago I tried changing my grip and I really thought I was on to something. Last couple of weeks I struggled. Maybe panicking because this week was coming up subconsciously, so Monday I went back to my old grip, so after three weeks of busting it, I decided to go back to my - what got me here in the first place. So I am a little bit off, but hopefully, you know, by tomorrow I will be ready.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Actually I had a guy about 80 years old set up. I was going to hire him just to walk around. If I can find him today, I will. And just kind of show me the greens a little bit.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Is that his name?

BRUCE FLEISHER: My body and my mind, you know, I thought physically I could do it. I thought I had the time to do it. I gave myself three months and I mean, if you look at my stats yardage-wise, I picked up 20, 25 yards, but I gave up consistency and unfortunately the bottom line in this game is control; especially when you come to an event like this. So a lot more control when I rotate or whatever -- that is what got me here versus transferring the energy I thought I was picking up. It is not worth it. If I look at my stats this year compared to last year they are not even in the same ballpark. I will probably fool around again. It is just the nature of the game. Everybody wants to tinker; get a little bit better, but you have got to be careful.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I think I got to go with the guys that are playing well. Obviously Hale has got to be, he will be my No. 1 choice because he drives the ball so well. Walter Hall has been playing wonderful golf. I played last week with him and he is full of confidence. He has never won a golf tournament but he is due. Leonard Thompson has been playing well too since he switched to the Callaway ball. I had to throw that in.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I am telling you ask, Leonard. You ask Hall. They are both using the Callaway ball. They are both -- but, let's see. Got to go with Larry Nelson. Doug Tewell is a good driver of the ball. I would say the fellows that can hit the ball in play, straight. Distance is not a big deal this week.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I remember Warwick Hills, Buick Open I got off the Tour in the '80s I went back in the early '90s and I remember the 18th hole which was, what, 430, 440. I was hitting driver, 2-iron. Then the steel head came out and the last time I think I played I hit driver 8-iron, driver 9-iron, so big difference. Big difference. I have always said though you still got to make it from six feet. No matter how far you hit it, you still have to make it from six feet. You have got putt. That is another part of the game.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I remember when I played in Augusta with Arnold Palmer 1969 Clifford Roberts told me that I was not allowed to wear bell bottoms. And what amazed me this year, they allowed David Duval to wear a collarless shirt. I thought we are really reaching low there. But I had to go out and by a brand new wardrobe; couldn't wear my bell bottoms, but I do have those pants hanging up in my closet. Of course I could only get one leg in them. I think the USGA actually has the other pair hanging up somewhere. I used to fray my pants.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Let's see, last year I was playing Sarasota, there was these group of six ladies: "We love Brucy baby." They were the same girls in 1969 that saw me play at Augusta. They had to be in their 60s by now, so... Late 50s.

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