NEAL LANCASTER: Actually, I was very fortunate. I probably played as poor from tee to green as I played all year. I really didn't putt well. I made a couple when I had to. Actually, I found myself playing for par a lot.
First swing of the day, I popped something in my lower back. I'm getting ready to go get that worked on.
I started on the 10th hole anyway. Hit it about 18 feet from the hole, I 2-putted.
Then the 11th hole, I hit it in there really close, probably eight feet, missed that.
The 12th, the long par 3, I hit it so fat it barely got across the ditch, barely over the hazard. I probably had 60 yards left. I chipped in it for two. I wouldn't even call it a chip it was so far.
MODERATOR: What did you hit off of the tee?
NEAL LANCASTER: 4-iron today. I hit it really bad. Like I said, it barely got over the hazard. Chipped it in. Fluke birdie.
Next hole, kind of a goofy hole. You need to lay up to the left. I hit driver and pushed it down perfect. I hit the wrong club 30 feet and made it. That was probably the best putt I made all day.
MODERATOR: What did you hit into that hole?
NEAL LANCASTER: I hit an 8-iron from 141 yards and left it 30 feet short. That's how bad I hit it.
MODERATOR: Birdie on 14.
NEAL LANCASTER: Par 5. I hooked it off the tee over in the trees, which is hard to do because there's not a lot of trees out there. I hit it out of the rough short of the green, 25 yards. I had an impossible shot. Just hit a shot that went and trickled through the rough, down about four feet, made it.
I parred the last three holes. Actually, should have birdied 16. Made a great par on 17, great par on 18.
17, I hit it right of the green down the slope. I putted it up from about 30 yards up to about two feet.
18, I hit it right down the middle off the tee, hit it in a divot that wasn't even going in the direction of the hole we were playing. There was a divot going toward, hell, Vancouver somewhere. It wasn't even in the direction of the hole. I didn't know what it was going to do. I hit it long over the flag, a little left and long. It was dead. Impossible shot. Only chance I had to do was make it. Hit a high flop shot. Lipped the hole, still went 15 feet by, made it for par.
Got the to 1st hole. Hooked it off the tee again in the rough, pulled it in the left bunker about 30 yards from the pin, hit it a foot. That's about how I played all day.
2nd hole, par 3, played over to the left, scared to death, hitting it so bad. 2-putted from 30 feet.
3rd hole, they have a pin, you can't get close to it. It's a short hole. I hit a driver just so I'd be close to the green so I could chip it 20 feet to the hole. Hit driver. I had 35 yards to the flag. Couldn't get it close. Chipped it 20 feet, 2-putted.
Next hole, 15 feet with an 8-iron, lipped it out. That was the 4th hole.
Then I got to 5, and still 3-under for the day. Ought to probably be 1- or 2-over. Hit a 3-wood off the tee down in the fairway. Had 125 yards. Hit my second shot so fat, I don't know what happened. It went two feet from the hole. I hit a foot behind it. We couldn't figure it out.
MODERATOR: Hit a wedge?
NEAL LANCASTER: Yeah.
Next hole, par 3, it was 201 yards. The pin was on the front. I was thinking about laying up, that's how bad I was hitting it. The lake was right there. I hit this horrible shot left, and it was the greatest break of all time. It hit, oh, 10 yards left of the green in a deep rough and started coming backwards out of the rough, probably 40 feet through the deep rough down to eight feet from the hole. I made par.
The par 5, driver, 2-iron, front bunker, hit it out about three feet, made it on 7.
8, hit a perfect drive. Got a wedge in there from 131 yards. I cold shanked it. Shanked it 65 feet to the right of the hole. I mean cold shanked it. I shanked it but it got on the green.
Then the 9th hole, I just swung hard twice and hit it 20 feet for eagle, 2-putted.
66. We don't know how I did it. I don't know how I did it. I was hitting the ball horrible.
MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. (Inaudible)?
NEAL LANCASTER: At this time of year, everybody is a little tired. I was just trying to have fun. I was trying to play it as a practice round. I'm trying to enjoy the game a little bit more. After you played as many tournaments as I have this year, talking to Paul Stankowski, he's made 350, I made 430. I told him I believed we could make that much if we didn't even try in 25 events. Basically we tried not to try too hard today.
Dave got off to a bad start. Great comeback. I think he shot 1-under or 2-under. You never know. It's the first day. I've been here before several times, first day. Holding onto a 15th place finish on Sunday, so...
Hopefully this week I won't be holding on for a 15th place finish. If I keep hitting the ball like I am, I may not even be here at the weekend. Disaster is lurking the way I was hitting the ball. It was bad out there.
My whole idea was every time I hit it today, and I played some of my best golf, a buddy of mine told me at home, and that's the attitude I have when I play, I take it sometimes, "When you hit it, no matter where it stops, say that you were lucky for it to get there, it could have got under the lip of that bunker. No matter where it's at, just think you're lucky it's there."
I was in a divot. It wasn't even on the golf course. You wouldn't believe this divot.
Q. (Inaudible)?
NEAL LANCASTER: I don't know what was going on out there. The ball's carrying a long way. The course is firm. I think this is a great golf course. I got in yesterday morning. All I heard was -- I picked up the newspaper, saw the article in the front, people saying it was too easy. I don't see anybody shooting 9-under today. I don't know why they were thinking this golf course was too easy.
If the wind blows, they can put the pins out there where you can't finish. I'm sure the superintendent on the TOUR, those couple guys lambasted it yesterday about how easy it was, I'm sure they won't put any water on this place till Sunday - maybe just a little bit.
It was firm enough out there. You know, we were lucky. We didn't have any wind this afternoon. To play that Back 9 with no wind, you've got to be really lucky. I played in the ProAm and there was a lot of wind yesterday afternoon.
It's the first round. 66 is better than 72. It doesn't accomplish one thing. A couple of my contracts, though, if I tie for the lead after the first round, I do get bonus money. I was thinking about that on the last hole when I had that eagle putt. I looked up there and somebody is 5-under after 14. Tell them to just make one birdie and get to the house, as long as I'm tied.
We'll see what happens. I play at 7:30 in the morning. I don't know if I can be as happy as I was on the golf course today at 7:30 in the morning. I mean, 7:30 in the morning is no time to play golf. The only time you play golf then is because you can't get a tee time or you have a wife you have to get away from. I don't understand it. We got all this daylight and we're teeing off at 7:15 here every week.
MODERATOR: Congratulations on the good start. Hope to see you around this weekend.
NEAL LANCASTER: Thank you. Hope so, too.
End of FastScripts....
