U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 11, 1999

Ed Dougherty

ED DOUGHERTY: Thank you. It is discouraging in the sense that I didn't accomplish the win, but I honestly don't feel that I blew this tournament. I went out there; I played pretty good today. I hit a lot of quality shots. I did make a double-bogey, but that is golf. Dave Eichelberger is the man who won this tournament. He went out and shot a phenomenal round of golf. I take my hat off to him. I just wasn't good enough.

ED DOUGHERTY: I don't know. I had a good time. I told you yesterday I was playing to play fairways and greens. I don't think I missed a fairway today. Couldn't hit a green, like the first five or six holes, but I was making some great chip shots and made nice pars. I made a three-putt on 3 and got it going, and I stood up on the 14th hole -- is that the par 3, I believe -- stood up there. I had like 161 yards to the pin, and I felt real pumped up. I thought I could hit 8-iron on that top plateau and have it somewhere around the green. When I hit the ball, I swep (sic) it instead of pinching it, so I knew I put a lot of backspin on it. Didn't hit it solid enough to carry up there. Came down that false front into the rough, a hard chip shot, but I got it up to the plateau. So I sort of accomplished something there. Thinking now I have a chance to make par, maybe worse, a bogey. Then Hale putts for his birdie putt, and the ball is just barely moving and ended up eight foot by the hole. For some reason, I just couldn't get that image out of my mind when I was putting, and I tried to lag this thing up there. I was almost trying to play for a 2-putt. And as a result, I hit the worst putt I hit all week and I only hit about 4, 5 foot. It left me maybe a 3-footer, and I hit that one -- I thought it went in, but it did more than a 360. I don't know what it would end up. Like a 420 or something. I have no idea. It went all the way around the hole. Now 15 comes up; now I got to shoot some birdies. I tried. I went for it on 15. I didn't think I could get there, but I figured if I got it up on that plateau I could have a decent little chip. But my club sort of bounced there, and it ran past, and I still had a birdie putt. I just left it a couple of feet, couple of inches short. But after just 3-putting the hole before, because I hit the ball too hard, I think that was sort of natural. I am disappointed about it. But 16, I watched Hale hit his driver down there. I thought he went too far in those, and those trees would come into play, so hit 3-wood right in the middle of the fairway. Ended up in a divot. That was discouraging. I hit a pretty good shot out of there. I thought I was on the green, and I ended up against the collar, and all I am looking now is that I am looking everything downhill past the hole. And I left that a couple of inches short, and my caddie said: Come on, Ed. We have got to make a couple of birdies. What the hell am I doing out here? (Laughter). But he was saying, you know, for encouragement, he was behind me 100%. On 17, I didn't hit that green the whole week. I hit a good shot in there. I saw the ball land; I sort of cut it in there. I thought the ball stopped up by the pin. I picked up my tee, I am walking to the green, and I get up on the green. I don't see the ball, and it ran through the green into the back fringe, and that was a little disappointing. Then I 3-putted that one, which was really disappointing. 18, I guess I was just playing for second place, which is a nice thing to say that you can do, but it is a terrible situation to be in when you didn't want to be in second place. I made a great 2-putt on 18, and the crowd was outstanding. They gave me a tremendous ovation. I am taking home great memories. And I am proud to say that I came in second in the U.S. Open. I don't think there is a lot of people who can say that.

ED DOUGHERTY: I imagine it was somewhere between eight to ten feet and left it two to three foot short. Hit a horrible putt. You guys are writers, but I can spell horrible, I can tell you that.

ED DOUGHERTY: No, I just -- I was proud the way I played. I had it what, 3-under through 13 holes. I just played one bad hole really. And you know, it happens. I wish I didn't do it, but I gave it 100% even though on that short putt -- I didn't get up there and slap it in there, I thought it was a great day for golf. I wish it would have been a great day for Ed Dougherty but it turned out to be a pretty good day for me.

ED DOUGHERTY: I thought the crowd was behind everybody. They gave me a tremendous ovation that I am taking home with memories. I can, you know, wouldn't be able to tell the people at home how nice it made me feel. But it has been a tremendous week for me and I think they were for Hale too. That is sort of a tough question to say. I think they were for everybody. I think everybody got inspired by the crowds. I said early in the week, come out here, practice day on Monday, you got 25,000 people, I mean, you better put your best foot forward; I don't care who you are, whether you are amateur playing in the U.S. Open or a grizzly old Tour veteran you have got 25,000 people out there, you want to perform; your motor goes on. I think this crowd brought out the best. I think it was a pretty exciting U.S. Open. Who was the guy who asked me what I wanted to do like this morning or something. There was a question back here. You know that commercial, you want to be like Mike? I wanted to play like Payne today. Honestly, that was my thought in the sense I wanted to stay as calm and as cool as he did and I thought he did great and I was just trying to accomplish what he did. That is the one thought, other than fairways and greens, I just wanted to do - play like Payne.

ED DOUGHERTY: Well, I am supposed to qualify tomorrow in Chicago and I know the let-down will be too good. I have got to have a couple of molars removed and something off my nose so I withdrew from that. I am fifth alternate in Chicago next week, I am not playing. And I don't think I will be playing in Minnesota, so it is just -- time off, that is all. I played all my life on the Tour, if you finish in the Top-10 very next week, you are automatically in. This is about the fifth time I had finished in the Top-10 and I am not in the following week -- don't get me started on the SENIOR TOUR.

ED DOUGHERTY: I never really felt any pressure. I think pressure is what you put on yourself. I went out there. I am pretty proud of the attitude that I took. Everybody has called me, all my friends say, Ed, looks like you are enjoying it. Roger Maltbie paid me a nice compliment. He said usually I am too intense, but I just think the pin placements got harder on Saturday and Sunday and I think the course you know, reared its -- bit me. I shot over par on the weekend at the U.S. Open. That is unfortunate. If I shot par, I probably could have -- well tied, I guess. If -- that comes into the "if story": If a bullfrog had wings, he wouldn't bump his rear every time he jumped. I gave it my best shot. I don't want to say if I did this on 14 -- I wasn't backing up. I was going forward. Just that I blew a tire, that is all.

ED DOUGHERTY: This guy is enjoying it here.

ED DOUGHERTY: I failed speech at Saint James.

ED DOUGHERTY: Thank for everything that you wrote about me this week. My friends said it was great. I really do thank you very much. All right, bye.