U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 25, 1998

Roy Vucinich

ROY VUCINICH: Well, there is no question I was definitely more nervous today playing with Raymond Floyd. I think that was the big part. Yesterday, I drove the ball so poorly and I went down to the practice tee yesterday where I thought I worked it out. Went down this morning, hit the ball really well, and hit the ball off the tee real well, then I get up to the first couple of holes, I get a little tentative out there. I am sure that, you know, when the nerves kind of go, sometimes they go with a driver; sometimes they go with the putter; sometimes they go with the irons. So, I guess it was my way of -- my nerves telling me you are in trouble.

ROY VUCINICH: 75, 4-over.

ROY VUCINICH: I think Raymond is even par now. He bogeyed the last hole.

ROY VUCINICH: Oh, I am not sure about winning it. I think the players right now that are the leaders, I think Raymond and Hale Irwin and Dave Stockton, they are one of the three to be looking at as the winner. I think my objective now is to try and play as well as I can; shoot a good score tomorrow if I can, and finish somewhere as high as I can in the event.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, I felt comfortable, yes. I felt more comfortable out there today as the round went on.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, when I started out making a birdie on No. 1. I didn't mind making the bogey on No. 2. 2 is almost like a 5 par. Every time I make a 4 there, it is like birdieing it. The round felt good. I felt comfortable. I know that there probably were a lot of people expecting me to shoot 80 or 85, whatever, just be blown right out of it. I was hoping that did not happen. And, obviously it did not. And, I hit the ball well. I hit the irons real well. Just didn't drive the ball well enough to shoot any kind of a good consistent score to get into a flow of things. At one point I felt like: What am I doing out here; and the crowd's going crazy when Raymond is knocking the pin down and I am wedging it from over in the kikuyu grass somewhere.

ROY VUCINICH: No, none at all. I came out here with my typical 14 golf clubs. I bring a spare putter and spare driver in case I crack a driver. And I had that happen to me one tournament in June, my driver cracked. But what I did is I switched my 3- and 5-wood, my metal Taylor woods to two new metal Taylor Burner Woods. The heads are more shallow; allow me to hit the ball a little more in the air with my 3-wood and 5-wood, which is is needed for, you know, some of the approaches to the greens.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, I put in a 60-degree wedge; about weeks ago I have been working with. I hit that a lot. So far that has worked out well. I am glad I put it in the bag.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, I did go to Qualifying School last year and if I would have qualified, I would have played probably for a year. I had a leave of absence. If I qualify from my membership from Allegheny Country Club, and once I get back home this fall, I will go to the Qualifying School regional in Orlando. Then again the finals will be down in Greenleaf, so I will try one more time. And if I did, I'd -- it would be fun playing for one year - no more than that. I am not sure my body can handle it. I am playing -- as a matter of fact, I had an exemption to play next week into the European Masters at the Wentworth Club, which I cancelled out of because the following week I am playing at the Senior British Open up in Royal Port Rush. And I just didn't think I could physically play 21 days in a row travelling all those time changes in a short span of time.

ROY VUCINICH: I think there is. I think the club that I am at - I have been very fortunate. I will be there 26 years in August. It's a fabulous golf club, great membership that allows me to do this. I think right now I probably have the best of both worlds, when I can play -- this is my fourth senior tournament this year and it is great fun being out here. It is a great opportunity for me to learn things from these players. I watch them; I go back to Allegheny; I try to pass this along to my membership with my lessons, what have you. And, it gives me a good fresh break from working every day. And, when I go back to work, I will start in Tuesday morning, we have a ladies event and my lessons begin at 9 o'clock, so I will go with lessons from probably 9 'til noon; then again from 1 'til about 7 o'clock, just like things haven't changed. Keeps things real fresh. I don't know if playing every week, week after week, I am not sure if I can even handle it. In one respect, I think I could be better -- I could learn to be better. In the other respect, I am not sure not playing -- from other friends of mine who have made the Tour, I see them after playing seven, eight weeks in a row, they are sore; they are hurting. They are not accustomed to playing the way all the other great players are. They have done it for all their lives.