U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 4, 1996

Graham Marsh

LES UNGER: Congratulations on a 3-under start, Graham. How about some general observations on your round today, and then tell us about your birdies an saves, please.

GRAHAM MARSH: Well, for, me this is the kind of golf course that I enjoy playing because it is the kind of golf course that is very much a positional golf course. Tee shot -- every tee shot is something that you have to think about. And what we do today may not necessarily be what we do tomorrow out there because there are many of these holes that it is just a question of getting into play, getting that ball on the fairway, and then trying to keep it in the right position on the greens. So somebody said to me earlier on, I have worked very hard on trying to be more aggressive with my game, but when you get onto USGA conditions, I am not certain that that is the best policy. The best policy is rather defense. And this golf course, there are certain times when you can afford to be aggressive, but basically I think it is taking care of and getting away unscathed on many of those holes where you have got many severe slopes on the greens; that is my strategy of the week. It was my strategy today to get the ball in position and get the ball somewhere under the hole where I can give myself a reasonable putt at it, but 69 is a nice start. There is no question about that. We had the advantage of the morning conditions, conditions are always going to be, in any of these events, where you have got greens running at this speed and they are prepared at this level of championship play, the morning is always an advantage because you have that little bit of a chance to perhaps be a fraction more aggressive than what the afternoon players have when that wind is up and the sun starts to get out; then it becomes much more difficult to get the ball closer to the hole, so 69 for me is very, very pleasing.

GRAHAM MARSH: Basically the front side, I didn't -- I made a couple of good par putts for -- at the second, I hit it past the hole which is not what I was trying to do; hit it about 6 foot by and made that. And then I made another nice par-putt somewhere else, there, around about 5, I think. Birdied 10 from eight feet. I had a birdie chance at 11. 12, I hit it in the green side bunker front left and hit a horrible bunker shot; thinned it right over the other side of the green; had a 20 yard 2-putt to make 5, which was a big save. The turning point in the round probably came in the round, at 12, where I hit 7-iron for my second shot, left it about 5 or 6 feet short and holed that putt for birdie and that gave me the impetus again in the round to sort of keep going. I birdied 13 and 14 on top of that-- I am sorry, 14 and 15 on top of that which is a nice thing to do particularly when you have got the homeward stretch coming in there, with holes like 16, 17 and 18. ll of which very much bogeyable under today's conditions.

GRAHAM MARSH: The one bogey was at 11 where I hit it in the greenside bunker with an 8-iron; hit it over the green, 2-putted for five.

Q. First he said he bogeyed 12 and then he said he bogeyed 11.

GRAHAM MARSH: I bogeyed 12 and then birdied 13, so I did make mistake. I said I birdied 12, but I bogeyed 12; then birdied 13, 14 and 15.

GRAHAM MARSH: Not really. I think when you are out there, I can see that Bob was going well. I was paying attention to the leader board and obviously you don't want to get too far behind. I think most of the players will tell you this week, as they come in here, that the key to this golf course is just holding the start. I mean 1 and 2 are not -- they are birdieable holes, but the greens are so severe here that if you hit it on the wrong side of the hole there, it is defensive, defensive all the way. So getting around that front 9, if you can get around that front 9 one or two under par, that is not a bad score. But the key to the golf course is those middle holes where you have the par five that you can reach in two, which is 13 and the other holes around there where you are only going with pitching wedges or sand wedges, and/or the shorter irons. Now that is the key to the golf course, but you have to make some birdies around that track of the golf course; otherwise you are coming to those finishing holes facing three very difficult holes. I mean, 16 is a very easy hole to make 6. On 17, we know what you can do there; get it past the hole; hit a good shot past the hole, you can still make 4. 18, just a very fine golf hole. You have to drive it well; hit a nice second and again, the green has its problems, so I wasn't thinking too much about what Bob is doing. I am trying to think about how I am going to get my own golf score on the board. That is the way I am going to try and play each week - try and forget what about what other players are doing and work on my own strategy. I think that is the key to playing your best golf. I think when we play our best golf, that is what we do.

GRAHAM MARSH: 14, I hit it about eight feet to the right of the hole with a 9-iron and 15, probably about 10 feet behind the hole. Also with a 9-iron.