SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT GAILLARDIA

October 25, 2002

Bob Gilder

Q. Bob, maybe just real quick you can give us some general thoughts how your day went today.

BOB GILDER: Well, I have to say I thought the golf course played easy. I mean, without any wind and the ball just stopping where it lands is -- this golf course really is a sitting duck. The way some of the lengths of it made it so you just didn't blow it apart, but it's probably about as easy as it's going to play unless it played faster, but you can stick the ball right there at the pin every time, and it seemed like that's what Hale and I were able to do. I'm surprised more guys weren't doing it. Maybe when you're hitting the ball good it feels easy, I'm sure, but it seemed like Hale had a pretty good command of his irons today, and I felt pretty good with my iron play, and I hit just a few that weren't all that great.

You just had to pick the distance right. If you get the distance right out there, you could fly right at that hole, and you would have a birdie putt every time. I thought the greens were just a little bit difficult to read. It seemed like we missed a lot of putts, had some good putts that just didn't go in. Overall I'm happy with the round. I had a lot of chances and made some, and I hit some real good putts that didn't go in. I hit some putts that went in. There is not a whole lot more you can ask for. You can't make everything.

Q. What kind of length did you (inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: I thought some of the tees were up a little bit farther than they could have been. I don't know what they were protecting, I couldn't tell you, but, yeah, there were a few tees that were up a little farther than I expected.

Q. When you say the greens were difficult to read, is that because of the moisture?

BOB GILDER: Yeah, I think it seemed like we played -- the ones we missed, we hit it through the break we thought was going to move the ball. You know, it just -- the ball didn't move as much as we thought it was going to, and just the color, it seems like you can't see the undulation as well. The color of the these greens, I don't see it anyway as easily, and a the little subtleties you don't see. You're kind of guessing half the time.

Q. A lot of people, me included, constantly say it's a one-on-one thing with Hale. Do you ever get lost in the whole Player of the Year thing?

BOB GILDER: Not at all. I know there is more than one person that can win this tournament right now. It seems that way maybe because Hale and I were paired together today and were playing together and scoring together. It seemed like it was tit for tat out there sometimes, but Gil is right there, and let me tell you, Gil can play. Gil wants this thing as bad as either of us do and a lot of other guys, so this is far from over, far from over.

Q. (Inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: That's the thing if you're playing with someone that's playing really good and is leading or right there next to the lead, you know, hopefully you catch his draft or he's catching yours or whatever and off you go. Hale missed putts coming in that he could have made. I'm sure he did think he could have made a few more putts and he's kind of upset about it I'm sure.

Q. You said that (inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: I think he left more than I did. He just is such a tremendous iron player. I mean, he just -- boy, he is -- he impresses me with his iron play. He's a more consistent iron player. He's really in command of his irons. I enjoy watching with him and playing with him that way. He was hitting it well. I'm sure he hit a few bad shots, but, you know, you're going to do that in this weather when you're cold.

Q. Speaking of that, did fatigue enter into it?

BOB GILDER: Not at all. Being able to jump in a cart and get out there, and, you know, get this in is just incredible. The 36 holes on a day like today is pretty good. I'm glad we got it in.

Q. Hale said he rode to his tee shots. Did you do that?

BOB GILDER: There was probably 10 holes I walked to my tee shots out of the 36, just to keep up. Most of the time I rode. You want to keep up because everybody else is riding so they can get this thing in and get four rounds in. There is a chance we might not play Sunday. I don't know.

At least we get these two rounds in, which was very important, and I normally do not like to ride, but on a day where you have 36 holes and it's cold and wet and mucky, 36 holes in the soft ground wears your legs out, believe me. I don't care what kind of shape your legs are in, it's hard walking when it's soft. It's like walking on sand all day. If you had to walk 36 holes, it would have been a tough day, so the carts helped.

Q. Bob, I apologize if it's been covered (inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: No, I played well. I was happy with the way I played. I hit the ball, hit good medium to short iron shots mostly. Made some good putts and missed some putts, but overall, I was very happy with the way I played. I drove the ball well, and when I didn't, I recovered well.

Q. It looked like you were trying to pull each other along.

BOB GILDER: A little bit. Yeah, he -- you know, if he had hit one close, I might hit one in a little closer; and if I hit one in close, he would hit it in close, but, you know, it's fun playing that way. It keeps you focused and going the same direction.

Q. Bob, on a day like today (inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: Well, it's been seriously discussed. There is arguments for it and arguments against it. This is certainly a case where there is an argument for it. On a day like today when you're trying to get 36 holes in and we just made it, and it really makes the tournament able to play all three or four rounds, whatever you can get in. Carts made a difference. I mean, these guys would have been running today. It would have been a real tough day walking.

Q. What was -- were carts just put in for today?

BOB GILDER: Well, you normally are not allowed to ride both your caddy and you at the same time. One of you has got to walk. The bag has got to stay with the caddy. If he rides, the bag's got to be in the cart. If he walks, the bag's got to be with him. On a day like today, they say both of you can ride to speed up play to get the round in. Normally it's not like that. Normally I will walk. This is about the first time this year we've played 36 in one day. Not everybody played 36, but, you know, we have to be the last group, so I think the last two groups. It was the right decision.

Q. So was the cart decision made last night?

BOB GILDER: I don't know.

Q. Was it made prior to the whole tournament?

BOB GILDER: The fact I didn't play the first day, I don't know what they did the first day. The only thing that it hurts when both of you ride is the spectators trying to keep up, but I have found with twosomes, they keep walking and they're right there with us even if we ride up because we've got to wait on the group before. You wait more often with twosomes but just not as long. I've found when I've walked off the tee to my ball, I was probably 20 yards behind Hale or, you know, if he rode, we were maybe 20, 30, 40 yards by the time our caddies got to the ball. We ended up waiting anyway, so it's neither here nor there.

Q. (Inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: Well, the proposal was on the table, but it doesn't really solve the problem. They either do away with carts completely or leave it as they are or possibly just have kind of like a utility cart that the scorer keeps and guys can dump their stuff on it or something, because usually the only reason you have a cart that your caddy drives is so you can take drinks and stuff and have a place to sit if you're sitting there waiting. It's nice to have a place to sit down, but I would say 75 percent of the guys out there walk and let their caddies drive the carts.

Now, if they're thinking the carts bring an image problem, put them somewhere where you don't see them. I don't know. Then you've got to keep them out of the way of the spectator too. You don't want them running over the spectators or outside the ropes where they are, so it's a difficult decision. I agree with both sides. Doing away with carts, because I'm a walker; and I see -- I don't see the problems with carts. Some of the players have done their own polls and asked spectators, friends and other people, do the carts bother you? No. And yet we have some sponsors that think it's an image problem, and they don't want to have carts out here. I don't know how many. We don't have a count on that. We hear it every now and then. I can agree with that point too.

I don't know what the problem is. I mean, I don't know what -- I don't know what the answer is. I don't think it's hurt us before. I don't know, what do you guys think?

Q. I think the caddy (inaudible).

BOB GILDER: Well, the carts are out there where the people are. Now, if you can get them away from the people, you wouldn't have to do that. That's part of the problem.

Q. It would be a lot tougher to do on a lot of the courses the way they're built.

BOB GILDER: Exactly, you've got to get the cart on the cart path and the spectators are walking. I have to tell you when I hurt my knee, when I had it operated on last year, one of the most embarrassing things I did was drive a cart and drive past my 65-year-old fans, 60-year-old fans. That embarrassed me to no end. I got out of my cart as soon as I could. That was my own personal feeling anyway.

Q. (Inaudible)?

BOB GILDER: It has, it really has, and quite often that's the only reason I give my caddy the cart. We've got a bunch of stuff there you can deal with that he doesn't have to carry some of these heavy laden bags.

Q. Some of the players have their wives carry it.

BOB GILDER: Very few, very few have their wives. There is some lady caddies out there. You know, if it were just strictly me, I would do away with them, but there is too many guys. I'm going on the Board next year. I don't have to make that decision, and it will probably be made before I have to vote on anything, but if it were just me, I probably would do away with them, because I -- but I'm young. I'm a walker. I'm not hurting. There is a lot of guys out here that hurt and have some real physical problems and couldn't play if they couldn't ride a cart, and we play in some real hot areas and up and down. Really, you would have to shuttle guys between greens and tees on some of these golf courses we play, because some of them are a long way.

Q. In Tampa?

BOB GILDER: Courses all over the country come to mind. Some are real easy; some are real difficult, but I see both sides. There are a lot of guys out here that don't think they're a problem, and so I don't know what's going to happen exactly.

Q. Bob, could we get your birdie -- just go back the birdie on 18?

BOB GILDER: Okay, I birdied 18, driving a 3-wood and a little sand wedge to about 8 feet.

Q. And you bogeyed 15?

BOB GILDER: I hit a 4-iron left of the green, had a very difficult chip shot from out of the rough, rolled up from the downhill into the heavy rough and tried to fly it on the green. It didn't fly quite as far as I wanted to. It got three or four feet on the green. It almost made the putt, almost about a 35-footer, but it was supposed to break into the hole and it didn't.

Q. How about 6?

BOB GILDER: 6, par 5, driver, 3-wood, sand wedge, to about 6 feet.

Q. 4, the par 3?

BOB GILDER: 4, the par 3, what's that one? Oh, okay. I hit a 5-iron about 18 feet left of the pin, 15 to 18 feet left of the pin, and made it; and 1 and 2, number 1, I hit a driver and then an 8-iron about two feet. Two, I hit a driver and sand wedge about -- I think it was about 6 feet.

Q. Okay.

BOB GILDER: Thank you.

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