U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 29, 2001

Bruce Fleisher

BRUCE FLEISHER: Very easy. Maybe I could do a better job than yesterday, right? 2, I drove it in the right rough, pretty decent lie, hit a 5-wood, actually wonderful shot over the green. Unable to get it up and down. I chipped it to about 10 feet. On 7 I probably hit the best shot of the day, hit a 3-iron. I laid it about 20 feet short of the hole, and it rolled over the green. It was probably the fastest putt I had all day. I knocked it about six feet by. And I was unable to make that. But I felt pretty good still. 10, I hit a driver, 9-iron to about 10 feet. I made that. 13, I birdied that hole again. I hit driver 9-iron to about two feet there. 14 I got it up and down just short of the green, and I made about a four-footer. Then I bogeyed, 17, 18. 17 played extremely long today. I didn't quite hit a very good solid second shot. I hit 3-iron, but I hit an excellent putt. I chipped it up to about, oh, about eight feet, and I really hit the best putt all day, and I missed it. And 18 I just completely fell asleep. I hit the wrong club short of the green and was unable to get that up and down. I did not finish on a good note. However, I think the highlight was playing with Raymond and Jack the last two days. And I see that I'm only one shot behind, so that's even better.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, obviously the golf course, looking at the numbers, was more -- it was receiving more shots. I thought the golf course played a lot longer today. I seemed to be hitting a lot longer clubs into the greens. So very playable. The weather was lovely. It wasn't hot. As I hear this weekend is going to be. A lot of golf left, 36 holes. It looks like a lot of guys have got a chance here.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Right.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I think the holes that I was really talking about were the holes like 17 and 18, 8, and 9. It was downwind yesterday. The wind was blowing pretty good. It was probably a good 30-40 yard difference. On 8 today I hit sand wedge yesterday, and I hit 6-iron today. That's a big difference. On 18 I probably could have hit 6- or even 5-iron to get all the way back. Yesterday was a 9-iron. It played considerably longer. I don't know why particularly. It was damp, the fairways weren't running like they were yesterday.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Yeah. Are we playing in twosomes over the weekend?

BRUCE FLEISHER: The round will go a little faster. I don't know what to predict. This is a very good golf course. And so much of it is emotion and patience, you know. I think a lot of it is where they stick these pins. I think you have to have a lot of respect for this golf course. Unless you're swinging awfully well, it's going to be difficult to be firing at the pin. Even with 8 and 9-irons in your hand, because you just can't afford to miss it on the short side. You've got to keep it under the hole. You've just got to play smart golf. And I think that's why -- not that we're all tentative, but I think that's why the scores are right around par. No one is really willing to pay the price. Because if you're trying to pay the price, you pay.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Well, I don't feel like -- I finished second last week. I kind of backed into it because of the birdie there in the sky because of Tom Kite. I'm not playing badly, but I'm not where I want to be. Last year was last year. We're a year older. Maybe a year wiser. I'm not quite sure. It's a different golf course. Totally different. Last year it was wet conditions. The course was very susceptible to low scores for some reason. This one doesn't seem to be that way. It's just a hard golf course. Again you try to be the best you can be. If I get in a position on Sunday where I have a chance, hey, that's what you try to do. The last nine holes, if you can smell it, some guys can dig deep down and take it. Most of us can't. That's why there's only a few Hale Irwins in the world. But I guess looking at the leaderboard, what do you got, Morgan, Nelson, an Aoki, all these guys can win. Even Hale, has Hale finished?

BRUCE FLEISHER: Plus three. So he's right there. Don't count him out. Raymond is playing good. Jack is hanging in there. There's 20 guys that could probably win this event.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I hope when I'm that old I can play that well. Oh, they're going to love that, especially Jack. You know, I've said it all along that I've been blessed. My wife said something this morning that was very interesting. My whole career, starting back to when I was 12 years old, I won the Don Ross Invitational. I shot 78. This was 1960. Now, shooting 78 for a 12-year old today isn't really much. But back then it was pretty darn good. I had a dream and I had a vision, and I have been able to live my dream. Like Casey Martin has been able to live his dream, too. For him playing professional golf with a cart. However, I don't know why things happen in life. I won the amateur at 19. I was the third youngest ever to do it. I was pegged as the next Joe Namath of golf. Which never happened. My wife survived something you don't survive. And only because of the faith of the Lord God she made it through. I got off the tour in '84. I came back in '91 and won the very first tournament after seven years of laying off in a 7-hole playoff with Ian Baker-Finch. I worked through the '90s. I survived. I called myself a journeyman. I prepared for the SENIOR TOUR. I was given a gift when I turned 50. My wife threw me an incredible party in Vegas when I turned 50. And it all surrounded the SENIOR TOUR, not really knowing how well I would do. But I think because of all the struggles and all the expectations, you know, that one portrays of one's self, I have been able to come out and really enjoy the SENIOR TOUR. And when I play with guys like Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd, who my whole life I grew up watching, admiring, playing against, never being able to hold a candle to, Father Age does have a way of equaling out. And we all tried our darndest, and the sun is going to shine tomorrow no matter what happens this weekend. And I can look back and say to myself I played with two of the greatest players that ever lived today. And that's really how I sum it up. I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

BRUCE FLEISHER: It was Pinehurst, and I think, I want to say number 5. God, that was a long time ago. But I chipped and I putted like Raymond Floyd. And if I could chip like that now, they wouldn't touch me.

BRUCE FLEISHER: And I won a radio. I remember the radio, too. Fleisher takes home the bacon.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Thank you.