U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 2, 2000

Bruce Fleisher

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, Mr. Irwin played awfully well. And he was the better man today, but I gave him a good fight. Got off to a very sloppy start. If you asked me what I learned today, it would be a little more patience. I felt if I could put some heat on him early, things may work the other way. But, you know, you have days like this. I thought Hale, as well as he played, had some wonderful breaks out there too. I really wasn't able to get out of the box. I thought I had chances on 4 and 5 where I could at least stay ahead of him, if not right there with him, but it just didn't happen.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Yeah, it was a stupid play. I felt good. I got a 3-wood that I will be getting out of my bag. Don't like it. I don't even know why I have got it in my bag. No, I hit a bad shot. I hit it where I was dead. I had no shot even to the green. It was pretty sloppy 6.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Actually, only one routine par, the par on, I think it was 14. I have a hard time setting up on that hole for some reason, and I blocked it again off the tee. Not a very good lie, and I chose to pitch out; had about 120 yard pitching wedge, knocked it to about a foot. So saved par there. Other than that, I hit most of the greens. I birdied 6, par 5. Knocked it up there with a 9-iron to about eight feet. I birdied 8. I hit 6-iron to about 12 feet there past the hole. Pretty good shot. Then after that, it was pretty boring. Yeah, pretty boring.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Any what?

BRUCE FLEISHER: I really had no saves.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well it was downhill. I was pumped up, had about 270 to the front, and -- which would have played about 250, you know, downhill. But I got a 3-wood, I just -- I don't like it. And it was not the right play. Just was not the right play, boy.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, you know what, you look at his last -- well, especially the way he played yesterday, you know he is playing well. And probably had a better night's sleep than I did, because I did not have a good night's sleep. And I thought I would, but I didn't. Hey, you know what, he played super today. And I couldn't control him. If I try to control him, that is wasting my time and my energy. He played good. There is nothing I could have done. Try to put pressure on him. I couldn't -- my iron game was off a bit today. I seem to have funny putts out there, and I never really saw anything go in the hole visually.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Oh, I think every bit of it. Hale Irwin loves his position. Has been in this position a hell of a lot more times than I have. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I have been in this position. In fact, I don't think I was ever in this position. A big advantage for Irwin. I could have probably started 5 up -- no, I -- just wasn't meant to be. Wasn't meant to be. He got away with some things, I thought, today. But that is what you got to do to win.

BRUCE FLEISHER: No, I think I should probably say I learned a lesson. You would think at 51 you could learn a lesson. You should be able to know by now. It was a stupid move. It is a 3-shot hole. Probably won't have -- I probably won't have, even if I hit a perfect shot, you got a difficult third shot, because the pin is right up front. So it was a bad call.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, the impact is -- I wasn't quite sure -- I think when the nerves are going and the emotions are flowing, maybe the mind is going a little faster. I had a hard time with speed today, speed control. Wasn't fluid like I was. And that has a lot to do with pressure. A lot of uphill/downhill, didn't know if -- I had a lot of uphills and downhills where I never really felt comfortable. So -- and that happens. That happens.

BRUCE FLEISHER: No, he is pretty aggressive, Dennis. And listen, I have the final word. I hit the shot, but he was pretty adamant. He wanted me to fire it down there and get it as close as we could, try to put some heat on Hale. , but it was really the wrong move. Wrong move.

BRUCE FLEISHER: You know, most of that feeling self -- is self-endured. It is what I create in my mind, so I knew the world was watching. I tried to do it for Payne today. I fell short. I tried to do it for my father today, I fell short. But I like the feeling. The more I get in this situation, the more comfortable, hopefully, I will be. And hopefully I will learn by this. The USGA did a wonderful job. Golf course was difficult. You couldn't let up at any moment in time, and I am sure Hale is drained like I am. But he is a lot happier than I am.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I thought there was a time when -- again, you know what? So many little breaks that happen, you know -- I can't speak for Hale. 10, you know, he stays up in the short grass. 11, looks like he pushes it right, kind of kicks left and breaks to the hole. When things are going your way, they are going your way. That is just the way it is. It's happened to me before. But he hit so many good shots. He was around the hole all day long. He is just -- he had the heat on all day long.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Really nothing. It didn't really bother me. I have been hitting the ball well. Just kept -- keep the ball in play, keep firing at the pins when you can. There were 11 pins right today, which does not allow me to really be as comfortable as I like to be. I am a right-to-left player. When you hang those pins right, the golf course comes a lot more difficult for me versus a guy that can go this way.

BRUCE FLEISHER: No, not really. I try to really go with this golf tournament like another golf tournament. I fell short. But I am not going -- I am going to hold my head up high, and I am just going to say: Okay, I got beat today.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I have missed so few fairways than -- when I did miss it, I had to pitch out every time. I never play with guys hitting woods out of here and hitting irons on the greens. But that is one hole you can't miss it right. Seems to be very fertile over there; it wasn't -- it was still too early in the game. A lot can happen the last three, four holes if I had gotten hot, which I did not. So I felt that maybe I will make 4. Of course, when he came off his second shot, you know, he had to hit a pretty good chip to get it up-and-down.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I still have to deal with my emotions. I may have to manage my time a little bit better in the mornings. Maybe I should have made love this morning with my wife, if she wanted me to, to kind of ease the tension. You guys aren't going to write that, are you? (laughter).

BRUCE FLEISHER: No, because I have always felt throughout my golfing career, you know, there are times when I look back and maybe didn't go about it the correct way. You know, Hale -- I think I said this yesterday. Those guys came in here with humongous records, and when you really come down to it, they have nothing to prove anymore, so to speak. I mean, they are playing for the love of the game, like Hale said at his speech. But he wants to win just like everybody else. You know, when it comes to winning. But I think his record speaks for himself. The man has won two U.S. Opens. I don't know how many Senior Opens he has won.

BRUCE FLEISHER: So that is a pretty darn good record. That is pretty strong. You know, I have a lot of admiration for that. To win is very, very difficult. Even if it is just another golf tournament out here, another SENIOR TOUR event, very hard to win, much less trying to win the Senior U.S. Open. You know, I learned. But the respect is very, very high.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Do you know, I got rid of my dog four years ago. Best thing I have done. Now, one of my very dear friends has it, and he curses me every day because he can't go out. But I miss my dog. I miss my dog.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Yeah. Yeah, he had hit my ball, and I was the one -- had to return the ball, so.....

BRUCE FLEISHER: Thank you very much, fellow. Appreciate it.

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