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SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 27, 2006

Peter Jacobsen

TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Very fine 32 33,65, 5 under par to open the 2006 Senior British Open. I know it rained you started but it got better.

PETER JACOBSEN: Got on the first tee and a little squall claim out of nowhere. We had about a 20 minute downpour on the first hole starting on the first tee and I bogeyed the first hole. Hit a 3 iron off the tee, 8 iron into the front bunker and blasted out about 20 feet and 2 putted for a bogey.

Then when we got to the second tee and second shot on No. 2, it had stopped so we took our rain gear off and put the umbrellas away and we had a good day.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Just take us through your round if you could. I know you had a good stretch there on the front nine.

PETER JACOBSEN: Obviously bogey on 1. Routine par on 2. Had a good putt for birdie on 3.

Missed about a 10 footer at 3 and 4.

5, hit a 3 wood off the tee, 7 iron to the green about 12 feet, birdied there.

No. 6, I hit a 5 wood, a Cobra Baffler 19 degree hybrid, whatever you want to call it, to about 15 feet and made that.

No. 7, hit a 3 wood off the tee, 3 iron up on the edge of the green, chipped it to about four feet and made that.

No. 8 I hit a 3 wood off the tee and I hit a 6 iron to about 15 feet and made that. So that was a good stretch right there. Right out of the box after that bogey.

No. 9 I made a great up and down. I hit my 3 wood, fell off fairly to the right in a very bad lie. Had to lay up with a wedge. Left me about a 90 yard wedge shot. Hit it in there to about 15 feet and made it. That was a fantastic save there.

Parred 10. Birdied 11. Hit around 8 iron to about, again, magic distance, 15 feet and made a very nice putt there. Parred 12. Routine par on 12.

13, I hit a 3 iron off the tee, a 7 iron short of the green and I pitched it about, that magic range, about 15 feet by and made it. So that was a huge, huge boost there, as was 14. I hit a good drive, I hit a 6 iron and left it to the right of the pin. The pin was back right. I short sided myself and took a pitching wedge and putted and just chipped it up over the hill and it came down pretty good speed, hit the pin and went in for birdie. So that was totally unexpected.

Parred 15 on the green. 16, I 3 putted. I hit a good drive and hit a wedge to the back of the green. Putted down to about four feet and missed it. Should have putted to 15 feet and I would have made it.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: How long was your first putt?

PETER JACOBSEN: My first putt was about 40 feet. Hit a good putt about just went four feet by. Missed the next one.

Next drive, 17, driver and 6 iron. Hit a good drive down the left side. Had 180 yards to the pin. Hit a 6 iron on the green and actually almost made about a 30 footer ran it up there almost made it, tapped it in for birdie.

Then 18, I hit a Baffler 5 wood off the tee and a 5 iron to the green and put that in there probably just about 40 feet and 2 putted.

Q. How long was the putt?

PETER JACOBSEN: It wasn't that long because I was fairly close to the hole. It was probably here to the back of the room. That's probably, what, 30 feet. But I had a one of those big mounds, good lie. I was very lucky, very, very lucky.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Your thoughts on Turnberry as a venue.

PETER JACOBSEN: Well, I've been struggling with a bad hip which I'm going to need some medical attention this fall, this winter. And I wasn't sure I was coming. But because of this venue, and because I love coming to England or Scotland or Ireland, I love playing any Open Championship, I did everything I could to come.

I had a couple procedures on Thursday. I had an epidural to reduce some pain in my back and also had some platelet gel injected into my left hip Thursday afternoon. My doctor told me to wait until Sunday morning to hit balls to see how I felt.

So I went out, hit balls Sunday morning and jumped on the plane at two o'clock. So to say this is a surprise, it would be it is a surprise for me to have come out and started this well. I'm pretty much going week to week. George Landis last week at the Tour de France impressed me with his bad hip Floyd Landis, he was a stud. So that inspired me. If he can win the Tour de France on a bike, I can certainly try to win a golf tournament walking.

Q. How long have you had this problem?

PETER JACOBSEN: About four or five years. I've had a couple operations already on my hip. I haven't had it replaced. I've had a couple procedures, a couple arthroscopic procedures.

Q. And you're going to get a replacement?

PETER JACOBSEN: Yeah, full replacement, my left hip.

Q. Inaudible?

PETER JACOBSEN: You know, I never was close enough to win I don't believe. My best move in The Open Championship was probably '85 when I tackled the streaker there. Either the second or third to last group, Sandy Lyle is trying to win his first Open and some naked guy ran out. As I said he had nothing to be proud of. He had a tap in but he wanted to show everybody the length of his tap in. (Laughter) So I can't think, I don't know what my best I don't know what my best finish is. You guys can probably look it up.

Q. But you've played well.

PETER JACOBSEN: I played well there. Obviously I never had the game to win an Open Championship because you just have to be guys like Tom Watson and Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, they are so far and few between, they are so special, they are so creative; Faldo, guys like that, they figure a way to win. And I never did that over here. I sure love coming over here though. I sure love playing this type of golf.

Q. Inaudible?

PETER JACOBSEN: I think so. I think as a young American player, and this is one of the problems I see is we're really pigeon holed with the type of golf we play. We play golf in the air. You guys play golf along the ground. And if it's 160 yards, it's a 6 iron straight up in the air, stop it on the green. Here, it could be 210 yards and it could be a 7 iron. I believe that we play more of this here in the States, and I think it hurts us over here. That's why you see so few players have a chance to win. That's why the players that do have a chance to win, they are very, very special players. Watson is amazing to me that he can go from playing a golf course where you have it play in the air and he comes out the next week and he can play it along the ground because he's just got that capacity to be able to take it all in.

Q. How long did it take, the work on your hip?

PETER JACOBSEN: It took all day. On Thursday I was in from 7:30 to about 5:00 PM. When I was all getting ready to go with this procedure, a guy walked in with a razor and he started shaving in places that I was a little uncomfortable with and he was holding like this and he was working around and I thought, you know, I pay more attention to cleaning the brooms in my closet than this guy does shaving the important parts of me (laughter).

But it was something, just as I said, I love the opportunity to compete. I'm certainly not greatest player in the world, never have been, never will be, but the opportunity to come over to play at Turnberry is one you don't pass up.

Q. Does it restrict you at all?

PETER JACOBSEN: Yes, it does. It restricts me. I've had to make some changes in my swing, but that's golf. That's golf. Sometimes you get the ball in the bunker and it restricts your stance or it changes the play and there's nothing wrong with that happening in your body, too.

Q. Inaudible?

PETER JACOBSEN: Each player whether it's Tiger Woods or Sergio or Chris DiMarco, Faldo, you've got to act like you need to to win. You watch Tiger or Ben Hogan leading or Nicklaus or Watson, they had to do what they had they had to act the way they had to do win. I've got no problem with that. I've got no problem with that.

What I think is important to do and what you have to do in golf is whenever possible, reach out beyond the ropes and grab a spectator by the shirt and pull them inside the ropes. That's why special events, Pro Ams and made for television events are so vitally important to the future of the game.

I remember watching the big three when Jack Arnold and Gary would play the CVS Golf Classic and Shell's Wonderful World of Golf, my father and I would watch these players and my dad would say that's Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus and watch this or watch this. And you hear them talk, I remember when they used to do the the CVS Golf Classic in the States and Gary would putt it out and he walks over, starts doing the commentary on Arnold's putt. And he said: "Arnold has a putt here, it's going to break left to right, and Arnold is such a great putter." And you hear them talk and give and take, and that's something that's important and we have to continue with that in golf.

Q. Inaudible?

PETER JACOBSEN: A lot of people to death we're just threatening. And I'm not convinced we're going to.

But we have a lot of great young players today. I think Sergio is fantastic. Obviously Ian Poulter, the European players, I think Geoff Ogilvy, the Australian player, is great. We have some great young players coming up in America, too. So you're going to see the game continue to grow. I think the game is as strong as it has ever been, not only selfishly for me to say in the States, but around the world it's never been this strong.

Q. Does it ever gets so bad you have thoughts of packing it in?

PETER JACOBSEN: I had a few of those earlier this year. I withdrew from Toshiba. I'm just going to go as far as I can. I'm going to play here. I don't know when I'm going to play next. Just depends. Actually like I said, I had a great day today. Those two procedures, I really felt good today and I hope that will last me a while. Not sure I can do it but I'm going to do it. I wasn't sure I could come over here, but I came.

Q. Inaudible?

PETER JACOBSEN: That was a fun thing we did. We that that when when Payne Stewart was killed, we ended that, but we had a lot of fun with that. Totally out of our comfort zone we would go in with the Eagles and Hootie and the Blowfish and Crosby, Stills and Nash, and we would go in and do all this musical stuff, because they are golfers. Huey Lewis and the News, they are golfers and musicians and vice versa.

Q. Inaudible?

PETER JACOBSEN: Absolutely. When huey and I play at the AT&T, it's the "Pro Am" but when we get up on stage, it's the "Pro Am." It's fun. It's those type of cross promotion and cross branding that I think that is good for any sport. You see that a lot in the States in NASCAR. You see that over here with football and cricket. In the States we just have to remember that you know, it's okay, it's okay to smile every once in awhile, especially when you're done with the day.

Q. Do you still do any of that stuff?

PETER JACOBSEN: Rarely. Rarely. When Payne was killed it really put a damper on it. We used to get up and do crazy things with fans. Payne's death is still felt I think throughout the game of golf because he was such a character, kind of an irreplaceable guy.

Q. You made mention of Gary (Player)

PETER JACOBSEN: What did he shoot? Now that's an amazing story. That man, he is one of the most inspirational men in my estimation in the game, what he's done, first of all, what he's done stands alone. But the way he carries himself as a human being as generous as he is, as kind as he is and you all know what I'm talking about, if you ask him for five minutes, he gives you 15. He has got a smile on his face. He's inspiring to his fellow players the fans, the young kids. I'm in awe of the guy. I wanted to watch him putt for 69. Hope he made it.

Q. What are you doctors telling you about what you can expect?

PETER JACOBSEN: They told me that I can expect a full recovery. Hip replacement surgery is so advanced, so far along that if I do it first of November, I should be back middle of January to beginning of February 100%, at least that's my goal, that's my plan.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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