SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 6, 2002

Ted Goin

TED GOIN: It didn't start out all that well. I missed a couple of 3-footers on the front side. Fortunately, one of them was for birdie. I had to keep hanging in there and jumped up and birdied the last three holes. I played pretty well.

TED GOIN: Yes, I think so.

TED GOIN: No, not really. I had been hitting the ball pretty well all day. I hit a lot of good irons today, hit it in the fairway for the most part. I had a terrible lie on 9 on my second shot, but I got up and down from about 80 yards, 90 yards for par there, so that really helped. I think the soft conditions helped a little bit. I had two or three drives that barely stayed in the short grass. If it hadn't been soft, you know, you get out in that rough. I think the softer conditions are certainly helping keep the ball in play.

TED GOIN: I must have hit -- I must have missed about three fairways, as best I can recollect; maybe four. It's kind of luck really. I had one ball buried on 9. I couldn't really get it airborne. I hit it in the rough on 10, I think, and it was setting up almost as if it was in the fairway. The rough is so heavy that -- like I said, it was kind of luck of the draw. It was so heavy and it had set up on top, and where it may be a little bit thinner is where it goes to the bottom, so you just don't know what you're going to get out there.

TED GOIN: I got off to a pretty solid start. The bogey I made on 4, I hooked a driver over into the rough I had to pitch out. I had a full wedge for my third shot there. The next hole, a 5. I think it hit the pin. It was about a foot in front of it. It stopped 3 feet away, and I missed that. 7, I hit it on the green there and three putted, that's where I missed my second three-footer. 8, I hit a pretty good drive out there. That hole changed dramatically. It was a 9-iron in the practice round. Today it was a 5. I hit a good shot back there about 6 feet and made that one. Made a good par on 9. 10, is where I drew a good lie in the rough, hit a pitching wedge to eight feet and made that. I think the next few holes I hit it in the fairway, hit it on the green. 15, the Par-3, it was very difficult today. My caddie gave me 217 into that wind, so it was very long and I think I hit a 7-wood there and just missed the green on the left side where all the players walk off. And that's always a difficult place because you're chipping back -- your ball is lying against the grain so it's hard to get your club on it. I muffed one there and made a four. 16, I played really well. I hit a good drive into the wind, and hit a 7-wood my second shot. I had about 126 or -7 and hit a 9-iron there, maybe 15 feet short and hit a good putt and it went in. 17, I hit a 4-iron off the tee there. I thought it would go farther, I left a long shot 178 yards. I hit a 6-iron to about 10 feet and made that putt. And then 18, it's one of those drives that just barely stayed in the fairway on the right side, which if it hadn't been soft it probably wouldn't have, so it gave me an opportunity to shoot the flag up there. I think I had about 170-something and hit a knockdown 6-iron to about eight feet. Actually I thought I missed that putt because I didn't hit it very solid. I thought it was going to go low of the hole, but somehow it held it's line and it went in. So that was a bonus there.

TED GOIN: It's a first round. There is a long way to go. It's always nice to get off to a good start. I haven't been playing well lately, for one particular reason or another. The rhythm kind of came around today. I've been hunting and pecking out on the range for feel, as far as hitting, and my rhythm kind of came around today and I've been struggling with the putter, too. I've been experimenting with that. I've experimenting during the round today. I kind of got it going. It's a confidence thing and mine has been lagging lately. So shooting a good round doesn't have anything to do with tomorrow, but it gives you confidence.

TED GOIN: Really on the second. I kind of toe-hooked a 3-wood on the 1st hole and it was in the middle of the fairway, but it was kind of ugly. I hit a really good drive on 2, and I only had about 215 up there and I put it in the bunker, but I hit that drive so well on 2 it gave me a little inspiration.

TED GOIN: Since I was a kid. I was reading the paper someplace that they've played more professional events here than any other course in the country, I think. So way back in the old days, CBS Golf Classic, The American Golf Classic.

TED GOIN: I don't remember that. The World Series of Golf. I'm sure you all -- when you see it on TV, it's not the same, but I've been looking all year to coming here. That's the one thing that's nice about this event, is we get to play some really, really good golf courses.

TED GOIN: Well, I think it's just simple and straightforward. There are no tricks. If you hit the ball well, you have a chance to score well. The greens were not as fast as I expected they might be, the moisture had probably something to do with that, but also I think if the greens get too firm and fast here, it's probably very, very difficult. But I'd say it's simplicity in itself, which makes a wonderful venue. It's all right there in front of you.

TED GOIN: I think there is some pressure, obviously. I've been in the same position too many times. Last year I had a chance to win two or three times. I played pretty well one of those times. I really can't remember the other two. It's hard to say. I'm the eternal optimist. And I kind of have been waiting to break through. I don't know if it will happen here or not. There are a lot of good players here, with a lot of experience, more than me. All you can do is go out and play the best you can. The way I'm going to try to approach it is go out and play golf and try to enjoy it. It's a great place to play. A lot of people love to play here, so I'm kind of looking at it in that aspect; just go out and have fun, play as well as you can. You can't force anything to happen. Hopefully let it happen and it will.