U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 23, 1998

Roy Vucinich

ROY VUCINICH: Well, the one birdie came on No. 11 when I hit a real good tee shot off No. 11, hit the middle of the fairway and drove it with a 3-wood for my second shot; hit it up there about 47 yards in front of the green and I used a 60-degree wedge, knocked it about three feet from the hole and made birdie. And had a couple little opportunities beforehand, but didn't make any. But I was still okay. I was still happy with what was happening out there. And I got to the very next hole and I hit the best drive of the whole week -- playing into the wind today -- the shortest club I hit all week was a 7-iron. No. 12, I hit a pitching wedge and I hit about 117 yards from the front of green with a good tee shot and I just eased up on it a little bit and just caught the little rough on the right edge and it stayed there; pitched up real nice about two and a half feet and it was my own little thing of missing that putt.

ROY VUCINICH: That's correct, yes.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, last year -- now I played in three events last year. I played in Bell Atlantic Classic is -- nice thing happened to me last year was my 25th anniversary at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley. My members gave me a 25-year anniversary. They gave me a gift to go see the British Open and so I opted to try to play in the Senior British Open. And I went over and qualified, shot 2-under at Castle Rock to play and qualify and I finished 2-under par, 286, to finish 12th in the tournament. So that's probably my highlight and that gives me the exception at this year's British Open which I will play in two weeks.

ROY VUCINICH: Fortunately, when I did hit in the kikuyu it was on No. 8, the short par, par 4 and I hit it left straight through the fairway and again I had about a 117 yards so it gave me an opportunity to hit a pitching wedge rather than a long club. And it was just a foot off the green and I 2-putted for par. And then the other time I was in the heavy rough I was short enough that I could get the ball pretty close to the green. That's all I attempted to do.

ROY VUCINICH: Probably besides the one that I made, probably one other.

ROY VUCINICH: Saves, well, the best save was on No. 1. I didn't hit a good tee shot on No. 1 and it was real high grass and I only advanced it to the 223 yard marker, left-hand side of the rough on No. 1 fairway and with that I hit a 5-wood and all I was trying to do -- my brother Dave, told me, all I'm going to try to do is hit it up in the face on the front bunker and a divot on the right-hand side and I hit it up, right in the face of the front bunker and got it close to the hole and made it about there three foot for par. And then after that I knocked one on No. 2. No. 2 I was on in two shots. No. 3, I was on in two shots. The par 3 I was on the -- I was able to three putt -- and I didn't miss a green till the 7th, the 8th hole. It was the 8th hole that I came up a little short. Knocked it on the apron on 9. And then I missed it on 12. And on 15 I hit it short. I mean, I was able to put it, though. So everything I played today I really played to the front of the green because I knew nothing on the high grass was never going to hold the green.

ROY VUCINICH: No. 10, 10 I hit a real good 3-wood off the tee, hit a sand iron real close and missed it.

ROY VUCINICH: I did very well with the putter today.

ROY VUCINICH: Yes, Carol Semple Thompson.

ROY VUCINICH: Yes, last -- last two years, three years I've been working -- I worked with her many years on her short game. But her other two teaching professionals over the years were Bobby Kirschank and Chuck Schally and myself.

ROY VUCINICH: Yes, I did.

ROY VUCINICH: Obviously for a club professional, I couldn't have written the script any better, shoot 70 -- or 71, first round even par, I felt pretty comfortable out there today. After the first one, I felt very calm and relaxed and didn't even let the atmosphere of the Open really get in the way .

ROY VUCINICH: I honestly didn't think 71 would be the lead for sure. So in that respect it's a surprise. No. 1, I felt that if I played decent, consistent enough, I'd probably shoot par or a few over par in the golf course today, and tomorrow hopefully play consistent enough. But I honestly thought somebody would be under par, no question.

ROY VUCINICH: You know, I would think a -- if conditions stay the way they are today, I played between 11:30 and 4:00 o'clock here and the weather is just -- you know the greens are really baked out. I'm surprised they didn't stop play at a couple points and put a little water down. 18's hard as a rock, 17, 16. So I was surprised that they didn't water the course.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, you know the kikuyu is something I've never encountered before. I played with bermuda grass in Florida over the years and that kind of grass is wet and tough. So I'm expecting -- well, if it's like that, I basically know how to hit the ball but I think the difference between bermuda and kikuyu is that there is a -- a tree underneath the grass. Because what happens is the kikuyu grows up from roots and there's a lot of air down below that, four, five or six inches and it's actually sitting up there at six, seven inches on the air. I hit a ball in the rough on No. 2 and I could not see my ball. And I put my fingers, my whole hand went almost deep beneath my ball and all I felt was big roots coming out. So bermuda grows tightly to the sands and soil where this seems to grow quite a bit above it.

ROY VUCINICH: No chance. Probably the best part of the round was the fact that where I missed fairways, I missed them where I had short clubs left to get to the green. If I had to hit 5-iron or anything other than a wedge or an 8-iron, I had no opportunity. I mean, I don't think anybody's strong enough. I've never seen anything as naturally and as tough as the kikuyu.

ROY VUCINICH: No, sir, I turned professional out of high school, worked at a club in Pennsylvania and from there I was at that club for seven years and I was at a country club in Pittsburg for two additional years and for last maybe 26 years at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

ROY VUCINICH: Exactly.

ROY VUCINICH: Played a lot of golf, yes.

ROY VUCINICH: Yes, fortunately I've been able to win every one we've ever had in Pittsburg, and then the Pennsylvania Open, Tri-State Open, Pittsburg Open.

ROY VUCINICH: First look. It's a fabulous golf course, no question about it. I mean I've been fortunate enough to play a lot of great golf courses around the country and this stacks up with every one of them and -- fantastic, outstanding golf course.

ROY VUCINICH: Thank you very much, appreciate it.