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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC PRESENTED BY WAL-MARTNovember 7, 2008Scott VerplankLAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA CHRIS REIMER: Okay. We'd like to welcome Scott Verplank in the interview room. Scott shot a second-day 64 to equal his first round 64 and is currently three strokes in the lead. Scott, if you'll just start out with some general comments about your round and about where you find yourself in the tournament to this point. SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, I saw the scoreboard when I got done, and I found myself on top. I really wasn't paying much attention because there's not really a bunch of scoreboards out on the Palm Course, but you know, I just caught a hot streak, basically, on the Back 9. I stayed out too late at the parks last night with my kids, and didn't feel very good, actually not feeling very good, just whatever, congestion or whatever. So I was a little lethargic when we started. And starting about the sixth hole, both Bob and myself, we were just kind of playing along, and we both had made a bogey and a couple birdies, and then boy, starting at the sixth hole, I think we birdied every hole. Maybe not number 9, but yeah, other than that, I made 15-footer on six, and then I two-putted on 7 and then parred a couple, and then I hit it close on 10, two-putted 11. Pretty good up-and-down on 12. Missed it from about 14 on 13. Then I made it from 50, 60, 50 on the par-5 for eagle. Then I made it about 15 feet on the next hole for birdie, and then I hit it about three feet on the par-3 for birdie and made it. Then I hit it about 10 feet on 17 and made it. And the only bad shot I really hit all day I hit a sorry tee shot on 18. Went up kind of on the lip of the bunker, so I had to lay up short of the green, lay up short, kind of sucked back into a divot and hit a really nice chip shot and really nice putt, and didn't get it in. The only other bogey I made I drove right down the fairway, had mud all over my ball, whiffled my ball over left of the green and kind of a mediocre chip and a really nice putt, didn't go in. But other than that, I wasn't in any trouble, and I think that might have been the only two greens I missed. So it was pretty good. CHRIS REIMER: The shot you sunk from 50 to 60, was that a chip or putt? SCOTT VERPLANK: No, no. That was a putt. I had knocked it in -- well, I had knocked it on all the par -- well, I didn't knock it on the first hole because I drove right down the middle and had mud all over my ball, and it hooked up 30 yards. But I did get up-and-down on all the other ones and two-putted -- or the other three par-5s. CHRIS REIMER: You were telling us yesterday about your difficulties putting this year, and do you just feel totally the opposite now? What's your -- SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, it's definitely better. I can tell you that. Like I said, I didn't -- I just got whatever. I don't feel as good today. My head seems to be a little off. So it was harder to kind of focus on what I was doing, but obviously something happened where I fell into some zone where I had no idea where I was. No, but, no, it was good. I missed a couple short putts today, but I didn't hit a bad putt. Maybe not hit the best putt on the 13th hole, but it wasn't like I just was berating myself. I didn't read it right, and it wasn't the best putt, but then I made up for it and made a lucky one on the next hole, big ol' long thing. Q. Conditions stay the same, what do you think is going to win this tournament? SCOTT VERPLANK: I don't know. Hopefully it'll dry up a little bit. The fairways are so wet. You just get so much mud on your ball, but we go back to the Mag, and they'll start using the back tees on some of those holes, so that'll temper it a little bit. You know, maybe something will happen and they'll just keep them where they were. That's right up my alley. So they'll use some back tees, and they'll make some of the holes a little bit -- I won't be hitting an 8-iron into number 9 like I did yesterday. It'll be more like an 8-wood. (Laughs). You know, and 17 is the same way. If the conditions stay the same, the scores will still be good. The greens are so good. The conditions are nice. The scores are always good here, especially when you get the weather like it was today. It couldn't be any better than it was today. Q. For those of us who don't know you well, Scott, just seeing you these last two days, seems like you have a pretty good sense of humor or at least perspective on your putting struggles this year. How critical has that been for you to kind of tell yourself, the world is not ending, if that makes sense? SCOTT VERPLANK: Yeah. Is this your first tournament? Q. No. Perhaps to you it felt like it was. SCOTT VERPLANK: Oh, no. You just said you don't know anything about me. I've only been out here 20-something years. No, I'm just kidding. You know what, I've been really struggling and a lot of times you think you're a mile away and you're only an inch away or a half an inch away. You know what, just I've been a decent player for a long time, and I've generally been a pretty good putter most of my career, and it's been a real struggle this year. But you know what, I've gotten back into a little comfort zone, and you know, I've had success around here before reading the greens and putting them, so hopefully that stuff will keep up. Like I said, I'm hitting that inexplicably, I hooked it on 18 into the bunker and that was the only fairway I missed all day. I think I missed one yesterday, and I think I only missed a couple greens yesterday and two today. So if you start putting good, it makes it a lot more scorable, and that's what I've done. CHRIS REIMER: Any other questions? Q. I'm with the Children's Miracle Network. Thank you for being here. I noticed in your bios that you were diagnosed at age 9 with diabetes. SCOTT VERPLANK: Yes. Q. And I just wondered if it was at a children's hospital where you were. It would be very fitting for you to be leading the Children's Miracle Network Classic if you were treated at a children's hospital. SCOTT VERPLANK: Was a children's hospital around 40 years ago or 35 years ago? No, I was just in Dallas. You know, honestly, I don't know what hospital I was at. Actually, I think it was like Presbyterian or something in Dallas. But you know what, no, but if that makes the story better -- Q. Okay, guys. You heard it. SCOTT VERPLANK: If that makes the story better, if I somehow play really good this weekend and win, then I'll tell everybody I can't remember, but I think it was a children's hospital. (Laughs). Anyway, it's good that y'all -- it's good that y'all are here, and hopefully this raises money for you. Obviously it's a neat thing. Getting a tough, lifelong disease when I was a nine- year-old, I've had to go through a lot of things, so I understand, not totally, but some of the mental challenges that a lot of these kids and parents have, so anything y'all do to help them is good. Since I've lived it, I understand if anybody helps you, it's much appreciated. So that's good that y'all are -- hopefully you'll continue to raise money for them, and hopefully we can help. Q. Thanks. CHRIS REIMER: Any other questions? Q. If you could, go through your birdies, eagle. SCOTT VERPLANK: Okay. No. 1, I just hit it left of the green and chipped it up about 15 feet and made it. Number 4, I made a bogey, missed about a 5-footer for par, like I said, hit a fairway, hit mud and missed the green, chipped. 6, made a 15-footer. 7, I hit it on the green in two, two-putted, nice two-putt from like 50 feet. 10, hit it five feet, into the fairway. No. 11, I knocked it on in two. Nice drive, nice 3-wood, knocked it on and two-putted. 14, I hit a really good drive and didn't plug on that hole, shockingly. It was just close enough where I could get to the green. So I hit a 3-wood on kind of the front half of the green, and that left me with about a 60-footer. And you know, I hit a nice putt just trying to get the right speed. I thought it was going to break left at the hole. It was about four or five feet short. I figured it was going to miss just barely left, and it stayed right in the middle. So it was kind of one of those deals I misread it a little bit, but from 60 feet, every now and then you need to get a little lucky. Next hole, I hit an iron like 15 feet, hit a beautiful nice putt right in the middle. 16, the par-3, I hit it, almost made it. Hit a 6-iron. It was really kind of begging for it to go in when it was about halfway there. And only ended up three feet. 17, I just hit a wedge 10 feet and made it. And 18 I told you, I drove it and it went up on kind of the lip of the bunker and had to lay up. But really, you know what, I got whipped today by my partner. He shot 10-under. It was kind of funny there on the Back 9. He shot one over yesterday, Bob Tway. Did he shoot nine? I thought he shot 10. Bob shot 10. Well, anyway, so I was hoping he'd play well today. He needs to make the cut, you know. He needs to finish about 12th or better to finish in the 125, so this was a big round for him. And we got going along. He birdied 7, 8 and 9, I guess, or what did he do? No, he birdied 6, 7 and 8. Yeah. 6, 7 and 8 and got it to like 4-under for the front. That's pretty good. Well, then we got really rolling. We both two-putted 11. Both got up-and-down on the bunker on 12 for pars, and then he birdied like 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17; and then I birdied 11, eagled 14, birdied 15, 16 and 17. So I couldn't catch him. You know, I'm trying. I'm birdieing every hole and making an eagle and I couldn't catch him. It was fun. You know what, we've played a lot of golf together, and you know, when you're making that many birdies and eagles and stuff, it makes it a lot more enjoyable, and I know the other guys enjoy it a lot more, too. Q. Scott, you may have partially already answered this, but yesterday you were talking about what a difficult putting year you've had. Do you feel like you've found a cure now? I don't want to jinx you by saying that. SCOTT VERPLANK: Well, so far it's a two-day cure. Hopefully it'll stay that way. You know what, I putted pretty well. I've done everything pretty good for two days, so I'm going to try to continue to do the same stuff that I've been doing that my stroke's a lot better this week. Q. Do you feel like a big weight off your shoulders when you're up on the green right now or is it more mental or is it something technical that you're doing? SCOTT VERPLANK: No. I'm just hitting good putts now. I haven't been hitting good putts. Normally when I'm hitting good putts, I figure I'm going to make some. I've been doing this for about 30 years. But when you go a half year or a whole year without hitting good putts, it alters your confidence and your attitude a little bit. CHRIS REIMER: Okay. Thank you, Scott. End of FastScripts |
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