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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2007

Ron Stelten

KIAWAH ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA

Q. As one of the nine club professionals that made the cut this week, what were your expectations coming into the week? Do you feel like you're on your way there and how does today's round fight in those expectations?
RON STELTEN: My goal for the week was to not think about the cut. My goal for the week, I came in here confidently thinking that if I focused on 20th place, something like that, that I can do that. I wouldn't be nervous thinking like that. That I'm fully capable of doing that.
Of course, you got to get past that hurdle of the cut. And I did get off to a bad start the first day, but I still was able to bear down the second day and play some quality golf. And so looking back on it, I got through that pretty well enough.
And basically I did it by doing what you're supposed to do, which is just think one shot at a time, stay in the present. And the more I worked on that, the more, the better, the more I worked on that the harder I worked on that, the better I played.
Once you get past, for us club pros, you know, once you get past the cut, once you made that -- you guys don't help by constantly mentioning that only nine of us made it, you know, the same thing happens at the PGA Championship, where none of us make it.
But so you can't help but think about the cut. Especially when there's so much, when we're facing so much talent like we do this week.
But for me, once I got past the cut, then I could go back to my real goal. And I only have that one goal now and let's see if I can go out there and I can play good, solid golf, I can get closer and closer to 20th place. If I can -- if the magic happens and I'm actually better than 20th place, all the better.
The golf course was, obviously it's giving up some more birdies today and I wish I had made a few more birdies today, but I'm sticking to my game plan of trying to play -- what I'm trying to describe as low maintenance golf. Make easy pars. Keep the drama to a minimum.
So I'm going looking at big targets, on the greens. I'm not necessarily firing at flags. And I'm not attacking too many putts. Once in a while everything is going right and so far at least for the last two days I've had basically the same number of birdies as I've had bogeys. But so far so good. Hopefully I'll just keep it up.

Q. Tell us a little bit about what it's like to play out here with these guys?
RON STELTEN: Well, first of all, it's like this is what you dream about. It's like, okay, good players play with good players. So now I'm playing with the good players. And quite frankly, I said to my caddie, I said, you know, as far as who is actively playing, I'll never play with anybody better. As far as active players. I can play with a historic figure, but he's still competitive enough and there's nobody in the game and there's nobody in at least in my senior career that's going to knock him off the pedestal. So it's kind of special. And so now I can say I don't care who I play with tomorrow, I've already played with Tom Watson.

Q. Do you chat with each other as you go around?
RON STELTEN: He has, he is a very personable guy. And from that point of view I probably drew a good guy to work with. I mean, we're walking down the first fairway and he's asking me about myself. And then he just turns on and you know he is just trying to beat you and the golf course and everybody.
And he is, I'm playing for a good position in the tournament, and you can tell that he's playing, he's trying to narrow the gap between him and the leaders of the tournament. We're not competing against each other, because he's got one goal and I've got another goal. And you can see it.
And then he goes right back to being this great guy to talk to and to play with. So I had a very good company today. Two guys that were really nice to play with, with good personalities, and guys that made me feel like when I'm hitting good golf shots it's like, hey, I'm hitting good golf shots right along with these two good players.

Q. 17, many players have had a lot of trouble with that hole. You parred it twice, you birdied it today. What's the secret?
RON STELTEN: Well, I hit a good shot. There's no secret to 17. You just got to hit a good shot. You got to zero in on what you're going to do and hit the good shot.
I wish I could say that my home course has a hole just like it or something, but nobody has a hole just like it. So but I've been, I hit three good shots. I put, I have, I know what my target is on that hole. It's very, very clear in my head.
Today was just special. Because the 5-iron that I hit today and kind of started it over the water and got it, that was and I told myself, you know, I told myself that you should hit the spot you're supposed to hit. Don't be trying to, don't be afraid to start the ball over the water, know that if you start the ball over the water the wind is going to take it to the flag. And I pulled it off. I hit a great one today.
I happened to have a little hiccup on the last hole. The last hole is the only time in three days where I haven't been in the present. And I got a little bit ahead of myself. Other than that little hiccup, it's been pretty good so far.

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