MCI CLASSIC

April 18, 1999

Glen Day

GLEN DAY: You know, the only thing that'd make it better is if my wife and kids were here. That is it. I just called my wife. She was crying so hard she couldn't talk. But it was a good day. I didn't think I had a prayer after I finished teeing. And I got lucky to get in the playoff. I was extremely fortunate that, you know, I picked a good lie and actually hit a putt kind of the way I wanted to and made a long putt.

GLEN DAY: Well, no, you want to finish first, obviously. I beat the field last year by 3; just one person beat me by 6 or 7, something. So I played good last year too, so.....

GLEN DAY: Extremely. When I finished, I told them there was no chance. I told my caddie when we were going back over, I said, go get the extra clubs and everything, look in the locker, let's start and get everything around, because when somebody gets in at 11, I want to leave. No, I didn't think I had a prayer.

GLEN DAY: I never thought about it. Honestly, never even thought about it. I was just watching TV. The only thing that I did today was I made a bogey on 13, and I hit a really good shot, came up got over the bunker right on the front of green. It looked so pretty. I was at 11 at the time thinking I had to get to 12 at least, and I got greedy, and I tried to chip it in. I hit it about six feet by the hole, and then I just threw up on the putt. Didn't even come close. And, you know, I hit a great putt on the next hole and the next hole. And then I made the up-and-down on 17. I guess looking back it's what got me in the playoff. It was plugged in the bunker and I was just trying to hit it on the green to get a putt at it. So that probably is what got me in the playoff. But I finished so much earlier than everybody else. I'd just knew somebody was going to get to 11 at least and maybe 12.

GLEN DAY: I will if somebody will tell me where they were.

GLEN DAY: I hit an 8-iron to about three feet, made it. 2, I hit a 2-iron on the green, 2-putt birdie.

GLEN DAY: 25 feet. Parred 3. Parred 4. I hit two really good putts there. Both of them could have gone in. Par 5, I hit it over the green, chipped up to about four feet, made it. Next par 4 I hit it 15 feet right up the hill, made it. 7, the par 3, hit a 5-iron about three feet, made it. Parred 8. Made about a six or eight-foot par-putt on 9. Then went to the back 9, hit a great shot on 10. Rolled just over the green, hit a chip shot that was an ugly looking lip-out. I mean, I had already taken a step to pick it up. Parred 11. Made a really good probably 30-foot putt on 12 for birdie. Then I had to screw up on 13. Then I just kind of, you know, played in. Made a couple up-and-downs, nothing fancy.

GLEN DAY: You know, you can't compare Augusta to anything. It was my first time there. I had a lot of friends there and family and, you know, everybody wanted to do this and that. And I kind of felt like a tour guide, you know, trying to help everybody, and I was trying to enjoy what was going on. And you can't compare those two. It was my first time there. I was a rookie. And I failed miserably. Hopefully it is not going to be my last time there.

GLEN DAY: It is a button of my two little girls, the oldest is Whitney, the youngest is Christina. I have been wearing it since Whitney was a baby. My wife sent me one when I was on the road by myself, and I've just carried on. I mean, it is for me. It is not for media purposes or anything else. It is for my family. They are a lot more important than this game is.

GLEN DAY: My four-year-old is in kindergarten. She had a field trip Friday. And she pitched a fit. We took her out once before; she couldn't get to the field trip already, so they stayed home.

GLEN DAY: He is playing good. Missed the cut at the Nike event. He turns 50 in September, I think. So, he is looking forward to that.

GLEN DAY: Look, my father-in-law, when I go home, he beats me -- at least he will beat me three out of five times we play, two out of five, at least. He is as good or better than I am. He just has to learn how to play a four-round golf tournament. But he is a very good player. And I doubt he will listen any. (laughs).

GLEN DAY: That is correct.

GLEN DAY: Man, you have got to ask me true/false questions. (laughs). 1990, that was nine years ago. I have no idea. 30 or $40,000 probably. I am throwing out a number. I have no idea.

GLEN DAY: It has been so long ago, I am not sure I can remember. No, I think -- the only thing I remember was hitting a driver off of 18, and it was out-of-bounds right. It stopped just short of the out-of-bounds. And I had like a two-shot lead going to the last hole. Then I had to iron up and finished - I can't even remember with who, Todd Hamilton, I think I was playing with him. It was a long time ago.

GLEN DAY: No. No, I didn't. I think I have tried so hard and that I have gotten in the way -- I have gotten in my ownself's way. And everyone has told me: You are going to win when you least expect it. I can assure you, I least expected this one. I see what they mean. You know, people say you are going to win when you are not hitting it your best; when you are not putting your best. I didn't hit it that good. I putted decent, but missed a lot of putts. You know, for me to get in a playoff, then make a long putt, you know, I didn't expect it.

GLEN DAY: I don't know. A long one. It rolled for 30 minutes.

GLEN DAY: Yeah.

GLEN DAY: Yes, I did.

GLEN DAY: Tremendous. I told younger guys coming out that have gone through school and missed whatever, go to Europe, go to Europe, you will learn how to play. Courses aren't manicured as well -- now, it is not even the same Tour when I was over there. Now they play Australia, South Africa everywhere else. But play in Spain, and in the first part of March, you know, that is nasty. And it helped tremendously. Not only does it teach you a lot about the game of golf, but I think you learn about yourself a lot, too, because you don't have momma right there; you can't drive to McDonald's at midnight. You can't -- you have got to do some things a little differently. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the people and the Tour.

GLEN DAY: Three years.

GLEN DAY: Oh, no, no.

GLEN DAY: Yeah. There is days over here I wonder what I am doing here. There is got to be another way to make a living with a lot less stress and you can spend time with your family. Oh, yeah, that comes -- that is in any business, I think. I know it is in mine. But, sure. But overall, Europe was -- I mean, was great.

GLEN DAY: Not exactly. I'd gotten really close a lot last year and pretty much every year I have had a chance at least once and it hadn't happened. So I really -- I told my caddie when we teed off today, I was making birdies on the front. I said well, look, they are playing so much behind us, I said we've got to forget about it, go play golf. Then when it is over, it is over. So it was great. I wasn't in the last group. I wasn't, you know, thinking about winning and Match Play and this and that. I was just playing one shot at a time, which you are supposed to do anyway. And like I said, I got very fortunate.

GLEN DAY: You know, I don't know yet. I haven't had time to let it sink in. Golf is a -- professional golf is tremendous highs and tremendous lows. When that putt went in on 18 it was a tremendous high. And you know, now the way I am and the way my makeup is now I want to win again just to prove that it wasn't a fluke. So I will take some time and think about this and enjoy it and then when I start again it is over.

GLEN DAY: It does. The list of players that have won here are very good players and it is extremely nice to see my name amongst that list. I just hope I can -- I think I will, but I hope I can live up to that, that list, in my continued play.

GLEN DAY: It had crossed my mind. I withdrew -- I feel sorry for -- I withdrew from Greensboro yesterday because it has been hurting. I talked to Davis earlier, Davis had to withdraw because of his back. Mine had been doing so good all year long and Augusta it went, boom, and so I am just kind of nursing right now. I think I actually started swinging distance. That is why it is hurting.

GLEN DAY: When I first got out on Tour I was an extremely slow player and I forget how it was McCord and Ben Wright and some of those boys were joking on the air, and that is kind of how it got started.

GLEN DAY: No, I have sped up a lot. That is part of my reason for success is because I have gotten quicker, and it is something that I will work on my whole career. The more that I can make up my mind and hit the shot, the better that I am going to play and I work on that constantly. But, yes, I was slow and yes, I still can be slow. But I am aware of it and I am working on that, that is one thing I do work on.

GLEN DAY: You know I would love to play that from being over there.

GLEN DAY: I figured when I started this year I would have to win twice and have -- and play good in the majors, I missed the cut in one major, so I have got three more of those to play. I have won once, I still think I have got to win again. And maybe have -- I probably need a win; have a couple of Top-10s and I have got to play good in the majors but I would love to play. Because I am still friends with a lot of those guys. I know it is amazing playing over there and everything, I know -- feel like I know mostly everybody in the world. The younger guys I don't know that much.

GLEN DAY: Oh, yeah. The first go-round - I thought when I hit my shot on 17 the first go-round, the flag was actually blowing towards the water. So I thought right there at the green that the wind was blowing this way a little bit so was aimed right, was just trying to hit; let it fall just a little bit left. It went farther than I thought it would. I didn't think I could fly it that far. But it didn't. So, I made a really good up-and-down.

GLEN DAY: It was exactly what I was trying to do. It rolled out farther than I thought it would. The first go-round I hung it out to the right because I was trying to hold it into the wind. This time I decided to hit it right at the pin and, you know, in the playoffs when you tee off on the first hole, you want to go -- birdies is what it's going to take and you want to get it over with. You don't want to stay out there all day long. I am sure that is what everybody was thinking. Yeah, I hit a 6-iron, I hit it right at the pin and as soon as I hit it, I started walking.

GLEN DAY: Yeah, I tried to hold it into the wind.

GLEN DAY: No, but when I am not hitting the ball very good I can hit a hook. I stood out there in the middle of the fairway, I had 8-iron. I told Munster, my caddie, I said, I am going to aim the middle of the green; I am going to try to hit it pretty hard. I will probably pull it; wind will hold it up; I was playing for the miss and actually made a good swing.

GLEN DAY: Yeah, I watched it. I mean, I wasn't thinking anything, just watching to see if it goes in. Golf, I think is a tremendous sport in that the players always wish good for the other players. Never wish ill feelings on anybody. I was hoping he'd hit a really good putt and whereever it fell, it fell.

GLEN DAY: When it disappeared, and not before.

GLEN DAY: Like I said, before, I never expected 10 to get there, never.

GLEN DAY: When I finished I thought it was over. It didn't even go that far. No.

GLEN DAY: Not really. You get in the playoff, okay, you have got another job at hand. You don't have time to worry about what had happened or second life or thank you or whatever. I mean, you have got to go play another golf hole, so I just tried to prepare myself to play that hole again.

GLEN DAY: I am playing in a Pro-Am tomorrow for a friend of mine, Clarence Rose, who plays on Tour. And I was taking three other players at 5:30. So I am sure they are really extremely happy with me right now.

(VOICE): We are all really pissed.

GLEN DAY: There he is. There is one of them I am fixing to take.

(VOICE): Would you come home?

GLEN DAY: Partner, I am ready. I don't know where it is. It is where Clarence Rose lives.

VOICE: Congratulations, buddy.

GLEN DAY: Thank you.

GLEN DAY: No. I am going home tomorrow after I play the Pro-Am. I made a commitment to Clarence. I have a Pro-Am in Little Rock that he has played for three years. I made a commitment to play in his and I will honor that commitment.

GLEN DAY: Yes, sir.

GLEN DAY: Yes, sir.

GLEN DAY: Munster.

GLEN DAY: Like Munster.

GLEN DAY: Well, all caddies have nicknames. He has been with me for nine years, bar one year, so it was extremely special to have him here too. Not only is he my caddie, he may be my best friend out here.

GLEN DAY: Yes.

GLEN DAY: I call home all the time as soon as I finish no matter what.

GLEN DAY: My wife was crying; she couldn't really talk.

GLEN DAY: Well, I don't remember. I don't remember.

GLEN DAY: Yeah.

GLEN DAY: I did not think I was going to make it, there was just no way.

GLEN DAY: I tell you a rule of thumb that I always try to use - you take the first round's score, the first-round leader, and double it. And you will be close. 6-under was leading; I figure you had to get to 12. That is just a rule of thumb. You would be amazed how close you come.

GLEN DAY: No, because I was -- I really did good today in staying within my game. I kept hitting good shots, good putts, you know, never got frustrated one way or the other. Just kept moving forward and it just didn't make it. I walked up -- I lipped out a chip on 16 and I walked up, marked my ball; went over to my caddie, I said, partner, this is just not meant to be. I mean, I didn't even worry about it.

GLEN DAY: Did you get my message?

A VOICE: I am not talking to you. We are all mad.

GLEN DAY: No.

GLEN DAY: Say 30 feet.

GLEN DAY: Downhill a little. Downhill right-to-left.