KEMPER OPEN

June 5, 1998

Brad Elder

BRAD ELDER: Well, obviously, I putted very well today. You know, to have eight birdies and parred my first three holes off the bat. I putted very well today. Hit the ball well, probably as best as I could, because I hit 17 greens and I missed -- the green I missed, I was on the fringe, on the first hole today, on number 10, and hit every green from there on out. But, you know, it was just fun. It was a fun day at the course. And everything went my way.

BRAD ELDER: Yeah, 13, is it 13?

BRAD ELDER: I hit my 3-wood down there on the right side. I went for the green, hit it right over those trees and it hit the cart path and went down there, just off the green. I made the putt from off the green. I had about a 20-footer and I made it, so that kind of started it.

BRAD ELDER: Well, obviously I'm not taking finals right now, so it makes it a lot easier. No, you know, it's a lot harder out here. The players are so much better and stronger that, you know, you can't -- you've got to play well every day. I mean, it's great competition. And the fact that I can practice and play golf every day is an added benefit. It makes me be on top of my game a lot more than having to worry about a paper due and a project due. So, you know, from going from college to the pro, you know. And especially playing the Colonial, I just finished finals, I played it in San Antonio, didn't play very well. I didn't play very well at Colonial, but I started to find something in my game, in my swing, and started hitting the ball a lot better at Memorial. But I didn't make any putts. Today I just made some putts.

BRAD ELDER: Definitely. I had no thought of ever shooting a 63. That's my best score ever. And, you know, I'm just thrilled to death. But, you know, there's a lot of golf left and there's some great players here.

BRAD ELDER: You know, about May 12th, I think.

BRAD ELDER: Yeah.

BRAD ELDER: Was Sports Management. I didn't obtain it, but that's what I was going towards.

BRAD ELDER: Yeah.

BRAD ELDER: No.

BRAD ELDER: You know, I go about the same way, you know. It's definitely not easy to win out here by any stretch of the means. And, you know, I'm just going to go out and play my own game and play with what got me here, to where I am today, and go from there. If I win, I win. If I don't, then I move on and work on my game and continue to get better.

BRAD ELDER: You know, I think it's hard for a college player to come out here and contend on the tour. It's like I said, the players are so much better and, you know, everyone in the field is so good. You've got to be really on top of your game and play well out here. Especially the way the courses are set up. I mean, you know, in college the pins aren't tucked behind that many bunkers and all that. You know, you've got to be able to be on top of your game.

BRAD ELDER: No, I actually played one round. I played it on Tuesday.

BRAD ELDER: That's right.

BRAD ELDER: I played all right. I hit it decent. And, you know, it was kind of a fun round. Justin and I went out and played, it was just a fun round of golf.

BRAD ELDER: A little bit. You know, told me where some of the pins were going to be, you know, where the tees are going to be. You know, that's about it.

BRAD ELDER: This course?

BRAD ELDER: It's a great golf course. Layout is good, the greens are in great shape.

BRAD ELDER: Joe? You know, he helped me out quite a bit. It's kind of funny. We started reading the greens together on number 10, and by hole 14, I kind of blew him off because we had a couple of misreads there. And I started reading them and I started making some putts. And at the end, you know, he kind of helped me read some more putts. He helped out quite a bit.

BRAD ELDER: Coach Fields didn't really do much. He kind of stayed out of my way, because I had so much success in college when Coach Clayton was there that, you know, he kind of let me do what I did when Coach Clayton was there and practice on my own, play with the guys here and there. But basically just stayed out of my way.

BRAD ELDER: Not now, until you told me. Obviously it's very difficult. You know, I just think it's -- you know, you got to play well for, you know, what, two or three tournaments, top tens or so. But, you know, I don't think it can't be attained. Just because, you know, if you feel like -- the hardest thing out here is you have to feel comfortable with being out here and feel like you're accepted out here by the players. Or, you know, if you come out here and you're nervous all the time just because these guys are great players, you're not going to obtain your goal, which is to make the 200,000.

BRAD ELDER: Yeah, I do. I mean I played -- I had a great -- I played a lot of great practice rounds with Justin at Memorial and played with Fred and Phil at Memorial. Watching those guys play and just being around them makes me feel more relaxed. Then I just go out here and play my own game

BRAD ELDER: Yeah, well, my birdies started I guess on 15. I played that hole, hit a driver down there. Hit a good drive and hit an 8-iron in there and made, you know, about a 20-footer, big breaking putt. And I had perfect speed in and it went in. The 16, 16 I bogeyed yesterday, hit a way right off the tee. And today I hit it down there, hit 9-iron down in there, had about another 20-footer, made that. Then 17 I bogeyed yesterday as well, and I three-putted. But today I hit a 5-iron in there about eight feet and I made that putt. You know, I was real close all day, I missed a putt on one and two that were pretty close. But probably some of those was nerves, making all those birdies on the front. But, you know, I kind of got to go back, get going again on number 5 and 6 and I birdied 8.

BRAD ELDER: 5, I made -- I hit a 2 iron and a wedge in there and made about a 12-footer there. Then 6 I laid up, hit a sand wedge in there about four feet and made that. 8, hit a driver, 7-iron, made about a -- about a 25-footer there.

BRAD ELDER: I think we kind of feeded off of each other. I kind of got going and Brett kind of got going, he made a two on number one, holed out. Then Hugh got going and he bogeyed last hole, shoot one under. I think we all kind of fed off each other. We all hit it pretty good today and made a lot of putts.

BRAD ELDER: I mean, not right now. I mean, we only got two days left. It would be nice, but, you know, I'm not going to put that pressure on myself. I'm just going to go out there, beat the course -- try to beat the course -- and go from there.

BRAD ELDER: I was leading the NIKE TOUR after the second round in Austin. So, you know, I didn't -- it snowed basically on Sunday, which kind of hurt, so... You know, I've been there and, you know, it ain't gonna phase me that much. I just gotta go out and play good.

BRAD ELDER: Thank you.