GREATER GREENSBORO CHRYSLER CLASSIC

April 26, 2001

Robert Damron

ROBERT DAMRON: Tied.

ROBERT DAMRON: It was freezing cold this morning. And luckily the wind didn't really kick up until the temperature kind of rose a little bit, so it wasn't so bad. But it is still pretty cold. It took me forever TO get warmed up. It was unbelievable. I couldn't hit a solid shot the first, I don't know, six, seven holes and just got up-and-down scrambled a little bit to hang it 1-under, I think. Finally my sweater came off and the sun came out a little bit, got back in the trees, I started making some better swings.

ROBERT DAMRON: Started on the backside, 10, hooked a drive in the left rough. That was my first swing of the day and then I hit a 9-iron to about 12 felt behind the hole, made that. I bogeyed the very next hole, 3-putt from the right side of the green. Then 13 the par 5, I just -- I laid up. Driver, then laid up about 90 yards, hit sand wedge ten feet, made it. So at that point I make 3 good putts, good par saver and two good putts. Rolling there a little bit. Birdied 2, so I am making a lot of pars -- I saved a lot of pars between there and then 2 I hit a good 3-iron to the front of green just front left, chipped down eight feet, not a real good chip, then made that. Bogeyed the very next hole. Another long, long 3-putt. Then birdied 4, I hit 5-iron almost in, rolled about eight or nine feet by and made that. 6, I hit 8-iron to eight feet, seven feet, made that. 3-iron on 8 was unbelievable. It was playing so hard the wind is swirling and I think I just landed it in the rough short of the pin, rolled down this hump, eight feet, I made that. That is -- there is not going to be many birdies there today. I hit a bad drive on 9, laid up with a 3-wood and 9-iron to about ten feet, made that.

ROBERT DAMRON: I don't know. I felt okay on the range. I felt like I got loose and between the range and hitting a few putts and going to the 10th tee I just couldn't -- I stiffened up a little bit and I couldn't get it back. I finally started taking off my sweater to hit and then putting it back on to try to warm up. But it didn't do much good. I just had to try to do the best I could for a while.

ROBERT DAMRON: Usually I don't have much of a problem with the cold weather. I guess I am just getting old. It is catching up with me.

ROBERT DAMRON: It is not as high as it normally is. It is not at all what I expected. Really this is one of the things that -- that is the first thing you look for when you show up, I think and you expect is -- I mean the U.S. Open doesn't have anything on the rough than what we have had here the last two, three years. They just made a decision to go shorter. I don't know if it's good or bad. So far so good. I would like to see -- I'd like to see a variation, you know, because we haven't had much rough this year, so it won't bother me to see some deep rough but I am not going to complain about it.

? ROBERT DAMRON: I don't think so. The fact is maybe you can catch a flier, knock it over the green or maybe it is tough to control the distance, sure, but you know, you can also pull the shot off; whereas if you are just chipping out to the fairway with a sand wedge, you know, it is always tougher doing that. But you know, it does bring a different element into play, especially you know, with the course going to start firming up with a little wind and hopefully no more rain.

ROBERT DAMRON: I have had high expectations all year and nothing has happened yet. I have been playing easily my best golf tee-to-green all year. And just haven't been getting it in the hole, putting bad, chipping poorly. And I changed balls this week because my chipping was so bad. I have been using a harder cover ball and it wasn't checking around the hole and I think I got a little gun shy and so got the softer ball out and softer covered ball, urethane Precept, and feel a little more confident like I can be more aggressive and the ball is still going to have a little check when it goes up to the hole and not just keep rolling by.