U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 28, 1997

Dave Eichelberger

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Well, overall, today was a positive one. I guess even par at an Open is not too bad. I was a little disappointed in my play right there at the end, but the 3-putt at 16 and then bad drive at 18 where it kind of left me over behind the tree where I had to hook it from a side-hill lie to get it on the green and didn't pull it off. Really, other than that tee ball at 18, I didn't hit too many bad shots there coming -- oh, the last 9 holes anyhow. So pretty happy with the state of my game altogether.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Go over it hole by hole?

DAVE EICHELBERGER: First hole, boy, I hit just a gigantic 3-wood. I was just off the fairway in the short collar along the fairway and was kind of sitting up there nicely in the grass and hit a 3-wood about 270 yards right on the green and 2-putted for birdie to get off to a good start. The 3rd hole was -- missed the green left and chipped up out of the high grass about 10 feet, made that for a par, so that was good. Then bad drive at 4, and couldn't get it up from there to the green and made bogey there. 5, I hit what I thought was just an absolutely perfect shot that was going right in the hole, and it went over the back of the green. That's really the only time I knocked it over the green all week. I kind of tried to make sure I've stayed below the hole. Then after that, I hit mostly pretty good shots. Missed the green at 8, but a good bunker shot got me a par. Made about a 10-footer at 9 for birdie. 12th hole, I'd driven it in the left woods there the first two days. Today, I hit a 3-wood off the tee and into the fairway and hit a 6-iron about 5 feet for a birdie. 13, hit it in up very close there, maybe 12, 15 feet, made that for a birdie. Then kind of came close at 14 and 15, almost birdied both of those. 16, just left the first putt a little short. If I would have just hit it harder, I think it would have curled right up by the hole, but I was left with about a 4-footer there that it lipped out for a 3-putt. Then the bad drive at 18 left me where I couldn't get it on the green and bogeyed there.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Oh, still very confident. If I could just keep that ball near the -- drive it near the fairway, the irons have really been the best part of my game this week. I hit a lot of good iron shots, so I feel like I can give myself a lot of birdie opportunities and my putter has been going okay. So I feel like I can get that low round.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: I've never been in this position in a Major. Never really played well in Majors at all on the regular Tour. I'm not sure how many Opens I played. Probably 15 or 20, and the best I ever finished was maybe 15 to 16th place. I played in eight Masters and never -- best finish there was about 18th, and just never played well in the PGA. So my Major record is not too good.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: No, none that I know of.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Well, just right here in the last about three or four weeks. Driving the ball is the main thing that's turned around. I had a streak there where I was pretty wild with the driver. Just couldn't get it within 10 yards of the fairway. I mean, I was past the rough. I was out in the trees and near the boundaries, so that caused a lot of problems. But here the last three, four weeks, the driver has really been a lot better. And it just seems like that's kind of gone down through my game. The irons are better and the putts are better.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: No. I piddled around with my stance somewhat is the only thing I've changed. I've kind of -- I'm not sure how to explain it -- just, I was standing too closed with my driver. I tried to open up slightly with the driver. That seems to have helped.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Oh, I'm sure. Leading or near the lead going into the last day, quite a few butterflies, I would expect to. I mean, any other tournament where I've been leading or near the lead, getting on that first tee, there definitely were butterflies. I'm sure this one will be no different.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: I did that today. Let's see. I hit the 3-wood today off No. 2 and No. 3 where I've been hitting the driver. I hit a 3-wood on 12 and 13 where I've been hitting the driver. That was today. I'm not sure -- maybe like 16, to me, you just have a driver there. 17 or 18, I could see possibly hitting a 3-wood, but I still -- I feel like I could still knock it in the bunkers on both of those holes even with a 3-wood. You'd have to go to a iron to lay up short of the bunkers. I don't know. I can almost knock it over that bunker on 18 on the right with a driver, so just -- I might stick with playing -- what I used today seemed to work pretty good. Let's see. I hit the driver on 1, 7, 16, 17, and 18.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: You mean if we were tied going into the last hole?

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Then -- I'm not sure.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Well, I'd rather be minus 3, but, yeah. I mean, I'd take a chance, you know. I mean, it's a hole you're definitely more likely to bogey than you are to birdie. So, yeah, I'd like my chances.

DAVE EICHELBERGER: Okay. Thank you.