FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 1997

Bob Dickson

BOB DICKSON: That was really the cherry on top of the whip cream that came on the back nine. The front nine was a struggle. Got off to a very shaky start on the first two holes. After that, it was kind of 2-putt, 2-putt, 2-putt, 2-putt, 2-putt around. Then on the back 9, which is -- usually eats my lunch every year here, I had another very, very good back 9. I birdied -- my toughest holes every year, 11, 12 and 14. I think my par on those holes over the last few years have been like 5-, or 6-over. And, right now, I think I'm playing right at even par, so I'm way under par on my own little tally sheet. I knocked it up very close on 13, the par 5, for like eight or nine feet away. Anyway, I 2-putted that for birdie. That got me back to even for the day. I made a great par on 14, up-and-down. Really good par on 15, up-and-down. Then on 16, I hit it about eight feet from the hole, knocked that in for birdie. Now, it finally put me 1-under. Of course, on 17 I laid up short, just playing -- I knocked in that lake too many times. So, I'm playing it very conservative. I was one-on-one to the hole. Pin is up on a shelf today. I carried it about 95 yards, and one-hopped it right in. So, that was most exciting, very. And then on the last hole, I knocked it up very close - I don't know - five feet. Hit a poor putt. But, I hit a good putts today. I've hit a lot of good putts all week, but that one was not it. Phil, the irony to me about this deal is that this has been one of my worst tournaments every year. Well, the last three years. My scores, I've finished way down, 58th, 53rd, 47th or whatever. At least through three rounds, this is some sweet revenge on the golf course. It has eaten my lunch every year up until right now.

BOB DICKSON: You bet. That would be very significant. I tell you, winning, I mean, in my case, it's been 24 years since I've won a Tour event. I won, it's now the Buick in California, in La Jolla, I won the Andy Williams San Diego Open, 1973. So I can assure you that winning out here on this Tour, any event, will be a big deal in my life. I hope it comes this week. But this is fun. This is what we're all trying to do, you know, be in the hunt.

BOB DICKSON: I know. They're liking the golf course as much as I am this year. But, boy, I tell you what, I came close not to even playing this year. I mean, this course has just beat me in the ground so badly. But I did enter, and I came here with just a very kind of laid-back attitude. Probably ought to learn from this, I guess, week in and week out. But my attitude has been, whatever I make this week, it's just money from heaven, because I had no high expectations coming in mere. Expectations have gone up a bit, now, after three rounds.

BOB DICKSON: Well, I had a 15-year break from competition, zero competition for 15 years. Then when I started in '94, I took six weeks to work on my game before I went to the qualifying tournament. I didn't have -- I didn't know what to expect. Number one, I didn't know how I would play in a competition after all those years off. I didn't know if I could draw it back. What you do on Tuesdays, ProAm days, all that, but when the bell rings, it's a different game. So that was a big question mark to me. And when I did play pretty good at the Q-School, I finished 10th in '93. That got me into a lot of tournaments in '94. I wound up 32nd on the money list. That was a very pleasant -- that was a big surprise to me, frankly. I didn't know what to expect. But to finish 32nd, essentially become exempt for the next year, that was great. Then my expectations did go up the following year. I went from 32nd to 44th on the money list. Then again last year, I went up to 50th. I hope that old trend is working back down this year; so far it is. I'm playing better now. Kind of obvious to say. I'm playing better now than I did in my previous three years. I mean, just kind of week in and week out, I'm hitting the ball better, putting better, and without the putter, that's -- you're not going to win without putting well.

BOB DICKSON: Unlike Bob Charles, there is one other guy that doesn't. There is a guy that doesn't watch the score board too much, and that's me. I guess I saw the board at 16 green, first time. I would just as soon not know what's going on, just try and play my own game one shot at a time, one hole at a time. Now, you know, coming down the wire tomorrow, it depends. I guess it depends on how I'm playing how much I'm going to be looking up at their electronic score boards.

BOB DICKSON: I'll be honest with you, I didn't. I knew the 9s, I saw 9s at 16, and then when I made my 3 at 17, it really didn't dawn on me that I jumped from 7 to 9. I wasn't really -- hadn't clicked in all my thoughts yet, so I didn't know frankly until I got down there around the 18 green, and I became aware.

BOB DICKSON: None, zero. And friends would ask me when I was 43, 44, six, seven years, "You're only three years, away, four, five, you've you'll be on the SENIOR TOUR." I said, "No, I won't. I haven't worked on my game in X number of years, I haven't played competitively. I can't afford to resign my position and go back." So, the answer was "No" up until about six months before I turned 50. And it kind of hinged on one round of golf. I went out after three months on the NIKE TOUR, having not played nine holes, borrowed clubs, and I was home playing with my friends at the TPC down at Sawgrass and shot 67 from the stadium, not on the Tiger tees, but the senior tees, I guess. I mean, I played good. I was shocked that I did that. That one round, about three days later, that's when I woke up and in kind of a cold sweat. Told my wife, "I've got to go try this." So far, it's worked out.

BOB DICKSON: None, none. Well, plus, there's conflict. We can't do that. If you're working for The TOUR, you can't play. You can't do both. So when I went to work -- when I started working on my game, of course, it was off-season, I was doing it on my vacation time and all the rest. When it came around real close to it, I took a leave of absence, just to separate myself to The TOUR when I went to the Q-school. I didn't give it a thought until that Labor Day weekend in '93, so.

BOB DICKSON: Well, various things. But the last ten years, I was in tournament administration. My last five years, I was the Ben Hogan Tour, which became the Nike Tour, tournament director. So prior to that, I was rules official on the SENIOR TOUR. I worked that for three years. Again, never thinking about playing. I was just over there with my rule book, radio. And it was fine. I mean, I was 43, 44 years old, didn't give it a thought.

BOB DICKSON: Yes, definitely. Yeah, I had -- I played the regular Tour for ten years. When I got off, when I left the regular Tour, it wasn't because I was playing good. I needed to do something else. And I, boy, I had some golf demons in ME, all that. After 15 years, they'd gone away. Yeah. Not many pluses that I can see of taking that kind of layoff, not working on your game, then trying to pick it up again. But that's one. That may be the only one. But mentally, I was fresh. I was very -- like you asked a minute ago, I didn't know what to expect till I went out there.

BOB DICKSON: Thank you.