U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 14, 1996

Neal Lancaster

NEAL LANCASTER: I started well on the tee, and I was 7 over the tournament. I had made three bogeys today and basically was not into it at all. I was kind of going, "well, let us get this over with," especially when I hooked it on 10. Got it up-and-down from about 40 yards short of the green 40 to 50 yards, made about a 5-foot putt for par. Then I got on the 11th tee. I am thinking the whole time, if I can just get the to 5-over par, I might have a chance to make the cut. Then I am thinking the whole time I hadn't made two birdies in a row all year, I don't think. And I hit a driver, had 135 yards, hit a 7-iron, oh, a little right of the flag and caught the slope and came down probably about three feet from the hole, and I made birdie there. Then the next hole I hit driver off the tee, and I think I had 253. I am not really sure. I had the trees in front of me. It was in the fairway. So I hit a driver and sliced it, almost went in. We couldn't tell from where we were, but we thought it went to the back of the green. It was probably two feet for an eagle. And then the next hole, the par 3, I hit a 6-iron, I think it was 168 about, oh, ten feet straight uphill. And I made that one. Then the next hole, 470 yards, hit a drive had 184 downhill downwind, hit 7 in there about twelve feet and I made that one. So I was making putts that, you know, I have been missing all year. So it is kind of funny, and so then I go, "oh, well, now I am going to get a little nervous here now." I am 5-under for the 9, and I had already pulled my card out after I made -- went birdie, eagle, birdie to see what par was on the back. I knew it was 35. I said I am 29 again. I am telling my caddy the whole time. So I hit a 2-iron off the next tee and just short of that bunker and had 168 uphill into the wind and had a 5-iron; hit it left to where I wanted to hit it, and I really didn't know the green that well. If anything, I should have missed it right. I got a bad lie in the left rough. My caddy tells me -- he said "get it down there four feet or something to get a putt." I said "to hell with that, I am going to make it." I took a big old swing, flopped it, one bounce, it went right in. He said "you told me you were." So then I am 6-under, and I am going a little nervous, start to shake a little bit. So I get on 16, I hit it right. I am not a very accurate driver, so we knew the rough on the right was a little bit thinner than the rough on the left, so I made sure, if anything, I'd hit it right. Actually, I drew a pretty decent lie. I was hoping I wouldn't have to chip it right, get it over the water. I hit an 8-iron, I think from 141, hit a really good shot. Hit 20 feet just left of the hole, kind of just was trying to make it, but it sure didn't look like I was trying to make it. Left it short, tapped it in. So I went to 17 and the pin is on the front. I think it was 184 to the front, 191 to the hole, hit 5-iron, 5-iron, oh, six, eight feet right behind the hole, right to left, putt you won't -- I was scared to get the hole up and I missed it. I am telling him the whole time -- I am going "18 is a bogey hole. It is not even par 4. It is a par 5." So I missed that, and I really -- I told him this. I said, this was big. I got a little cocky. I told him -- I had an 8-footer. I said "you know what is keeping us out?" He said "what?" I said "time." And I missed it. So then on 18, I get up there and I hit a little draw and down the left side it goes over the walk area and wasn't a good tee ball at all and not in a good lie, but not in a good line. I had 222 to the hole. I just tried to muscle a 3-rion up in front of the green. I had hit it really good. It tried to climb the hill, and stopped in the rough just about, probably 30, 40 yards from the flag and I chipped it up about three, four feet and downhill left-to-right. Same putt I had last year for 29. I kept looking at my wife. She kept saying "yeah, you can make it. You can make it" That whole time, I was going "I don't know if I can even pull it back." And somehow slipped it into the right side of the hole and 29 again. But I really wanted that 28. I really wanted to win on 17 to break my own record.

NEAL LANCASTER: It was all the truth.

NEAL LANCASTER: Which hole was that?

NEAL LANCASTER: Probably 25 feet from the hole. Most amazing thing of the whole story, my dad and them drove up from Canada. They are in Smithfield. They drove, I guess, 7, 800 miles up -- and they won't admit this -- after 27 holes today, they gave up on me and left. (LAUGHTER)

NEAL LANCASTER: My father and his buddies drove up. They gave up on me after 27 holes, and -- I think they probably went back over in Canada and packed their stuff up and they are on the road now heading back to Smithfield. I told my caddie the whole back 9 , when I birdied 11 and eagled 12, I said, "I will teach him to give up on me."

NEAL LANCASTER: Charles Lancaster. On the eagle, I hit -- I think I hit 253 yards in the fairway, and I hit a cut driver and it just barely flew over the bunker and rolled about two feet right behind the hole.

NEAL LANCASTER: I would say so. I mean, really good or I am either really good or really bad. When I get going bad, I get down on myself, and you know, it is a game where you are almost better in this golf tournament and most guys might not agree with this because it is a National Championship but when you get going bad, it is almost better if you give up a little bit so you relax. Instead most guys are trying so hard and worse things happen to you when you start trying really hard. So today I kind of just -- I wouldn't say if I gave up, but I just kind of said "what happens, happens." I am going to hit the ball and I worked with Rick Smith on Tuesday, and I was -- he helped me a lot. I know what I am supposed to do. Then I got on the golf course; I was just confused. I didn't know what to do at all. So finally I got on the back 9. I said I am going to do what Neal knows how to do. I am going to do it my way. And you know, what was really funny about the 29 is I made a chip shot. But all the other holes, I made putts that you are supposed to make - 3 foot, 8 foot. I mean, those are the ones you have got to make.

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, everything -- yesterday I was -- I shot 4 over par obviously and on the 18th hole yesterday -- I had 36 putts yesterday. I hit the ball well. Today, I didn't hit the ball all that well until the back 9. Last night the hardest thing in the world is I missed a putt from a foot yesterday on the 18th hole, from one foot straight uphill, and it was -- it just -- it went in the hole it 360ed on me, so last night was like death, you know. If it had happened on the third hole yesterday, it would have been a lot better. Came out today, I was kind of like, "okay, what happens, happens, let us get it on and get it over with." And I mean, when I teed off on number 1 I hit that group. That is how far right my first drive was. I started bad. It never got any better. Then I just -- I tried not to press it and I wasn't even making any putts. I probably hit five good shots on the front and then I got up on 9 and I hit a really poor 2-iron to the right. And had an impossible shot where the pin is at. Hit a flop shot in there three feet that was-- I was trying to hit it in the bunker than hit it three feet. Because -- there was no way -- I could take 50 balls and couldn't get it that close again. You say, "well, I have got a chance now, I am only 3 over." And then you know, thinking the whole time play a good backside, get to 5 over, I was trying to get to 5 over somehow. Teed off on 10, snap, hook. I went, "oh, God, we are not getting 5 over today." And somehow made a par there and it just -- shoot, in 45 minutes I was 1 over par. You know, it is a stupid game. It is a stupid game.

NEAL LANCASTER: I wouldn't say it is golf gods. You really don't think about them. You watch the guys that win every week and, you know, they are good players, don't get me wrong, but they are getting the breaks. I mean, you have to have breaks to win golf tournaments and just like to shoot 29, you have got to have some luck. And it takes luck to play this game. If you are unlucky person I would never play. (LAUGHTER).

NEAL LANCASTER: I think there was five of them. They drove a van up on Tuesday, I guess. I saw them yesterday in front of the locker room and I saw my dad on the front 9. He was -- he was more dejected than I was. He carries himself like I do a lot. He is very emotional. He is either all good or all bad. He was like -- I am sure he didn't want to leave. Well, he came up to me when I was 3 over today and he was like well, don't worry about it, it's just a game. But you know, it is hard not to worry about it. It is a funny game.

NEAL LANCASTER: Maybe they'll stop at a hotel tonight about 400 miles away and -- (LAUGHTER) My goal is hopefully they can't get back. (LAUGHTER) Obviously, they're bad luck. (LAUGHTER) But you know, they might have a TV in their van or something or might stop to get some gas and something might flash on TV and they might see it but I'm sure they will be shocked. I'd like to see them get about 400 miles away and say, "oh, man, we've got to turn around." So that should be some kind of decision for them to make.

NEAL LANCASTER: Smithfield is 20 miles east of Raleigh-Durham 25 miles east of Raleigh-Durham, home of Eva Gardner. (Lancaster Winks)

NEAL LANCASTER: The whole thing about in a U.S. Open is that you got to be realistic. Nobody is going to go out and hit 14 fairways a day in 18 greens. It is just not going to happen. The best players in the world are going to struggle. I mean, everybody is going to struggle. Whoever wins the golf tournament, they are going to be a lucky person this week. They are going to have some breaks and they're going to do the right things. Obviously everybody says the same thing because that is what they wants to do. You put your mindset to hit the fairways and the greens, but it's not going to happen. I mean, when you hit it in the rough you got to be lucky enough that the ball is sitting up where you can hit it out like on 16 today. I mean, I hit the ball in the rough. I could make -- you know, I should have -- usually U.S. Open you have to chip that ball sideways and I would have had to play for a bogey, hopefully make a long putt for 4 or something. But you know, you got to have some luck, and you know, you're not going to hit all the fairways and greens. I don't care who you are.

NEAL LANCASTER: The fairways are really soft still. They're really soft. The ball was picking up mud all day, actually, even coming in the last three or four holes. The greens are drying out. I'd wouldn't say that they are getting any faster but they are drying out. I wouldn't say they're getting any faster. Being poa annua greens, they're going to get a little bumpier this afternoon. The key is here -- I think sometimes like on this golf course you're better off to miss the green and be in the deep rough and have an uphill pitch shot than to be, say -- on 18 for example, I was in a lot better place than Jim Gallagher and David Gilford. They were on the green pin-high left and there is a 20-foot hump on that green and I am short of the green 40 yards but I'm chipping straight uphill. I was in a lot better position than they were. I think if you miss -- when you're missing the greens, which you got to miss it on the right side of the green because you got to be uphill where some of the pins are. Doesn't matter if it rains 3 more inches; there is just so much slope. You can pour a bucket of water down there and it will roll through.

NEAL LANCASTER: They are both difficult. They are both very hard. This golf course here is -- this golf course is a lot similar just the way the USGA sets it up. They are similar because the rough is so deep and the greens aren't as undulating as Shinnecock as they are here. But here, everybody says the course is short. A lot of players say the course is shorter, but the golf course is playing really long, where I didn't think Shinnecock played as long as this golf course.

NEAL LANCASTER: No, we were all struggling, actually. Jim wasn't playing too well coming in. He was just -- he lost a couple of strokes over on a hole or two, and we were all basically just doing our thing. We really waited a lot for two days, and we had some conversation, but not much. I mean, we just, you know, everybody was thinking every minute or pouting or upbeat or -- it is so emotional out here. It is unbelievable.

NEAL LANCASTER: It was probably three, four feet downhill left-to-right.

NEAL LANCASTER: The putter. The putter is -- at L.A. This year on the West Coast I had a chance to win that tournament. I was leading by two going into Sunday, and I was beating them with my B. game. I wasn't even playing well. And he caught up with me on Sunday and shot 77 Atlanta, then Atlanta a month later I had a chance to win there. I was one back there with 4 holes to go and I 4-putted twice. But my putter has really bothered me all year. It is all mental. Nothing is wrong with my stroke or anything, but I am too conscientious about the stroke instead of where I am going to hit it. I guess I need to go shoot some pool or something.

NEAL LANCASTER: See you all tomorrow. "Do it again."