BUICK CLASSIC

June 26, 1999

Duffy Waldorf

DUFFY WALDORF: Yeah, good day. Especially good, you know, first four holes was a little bit of a struggle, but played real solid, really I didn't get it going until about the 13th hole. I hung in there until the 13th hole then had a nice run of birdies there at the end. Shall we go over the holes or --

DUFFY WALDORF: Well, little slow start. Missed the first -- I don't know -- and second green and made a bogey on one. Had a one-putt bogey on one. Kind of just slowly started getting a little better. I was in trouble on No. 3 in the trees but was able to hit it out on the green and get a par and had a green on 4. No. 5 was a big hole. I hit it a 2-iron in there and hit it like five feet which I have never had a 2-iron in there before and I have never been able to see the green in 2 anyway. I made eagle there. That kind of righted the ship. That was about 224 to the front plus about -- it was about 240. A little more. 245, something. But after that I played real steady golf and just kind of stayed patient. Then had a nice run at the end there with birdies on 13, 14 and, oh, 17 and 18. How about that. That is a lot of birdies at the end.

DUFFY WALDORF: Backside run?

DUFFY WALDORF: I bogeyed 11 to go back to even par and a good par on 12. Then 13 I hit a good pitching wedge in there about 20 feet, short of the hole, made that. Then the next hole hit 8-iron about pretty far away. About 25 foot, made 25-footer, a swirl, swirling putt and then bogeyed 16 hit it in the bunker, bogeyed 16. 17, I hit just short of the green, and chipped in - thank you very much - from about -- wasn't too far, though, only about a 30 foot. Then 18, hit good drive and real nice -- driver on my second shot. I had about 260 to the hole. Ended up just left of the hole pin-high, real good shot in the first cut of rough. Took 3-wood out and putted it with a 3-wood from about 40 feet and hit a good shot. Left it two feet short; made that for birdie.

DUFFY WALDORF: Main difference is I don't shoot as low, but the big problem part has been my putting. I haven't putted as well, '95 was pretty good year for -- basically if I putt well, my scores are pretty good. I haven't really been putting well, putted really well in 1996, kind of been a struggle. I was hurt a little bit in 1996, almost had to putt well because I was hitting it poorly. I got my long game back in shape. I have struggled last couple of years with my putting. When I putt well I am pretty close at the top.

DUFFY WALDORF: I had torn cartilage in my knee. That was 1996; that was three years ago. Kind of bothered my swing a little bit for a while. I had arthroscopic surgery on it and I am just kind of noticing even now the differences, little differences, in my swing that I am just trying to work out and get right. But it wasn't as big. The putting affects my game a lot more than the hitting. Even when my hitting is bad it is not too bad. Pretty good.

DUFFY WALDORF: I don't know. I went cross-handed. That seemed to help. I went cross-handed at THE PLAYERS this year and finished 17th at THE PLAYERS. Really, I was struggling getting the ball on line and so when you struggle to get on line you forget about the speed. When I went cross-handed, I started putting it on line. Now I just thought -- can think about the speed. So it kind of it simplified my putting a little bit. I have to say that cross-handed putting has really helped. Been doing it since March.

DUFFY WALDORF: Yes. I have used the same putter all year. That is something I have changed a little bit too. Because last two years I would pop those babies right out on there. Bad week or two, they are out of there. I kind of made a commitment to stick to the putter and if there is a problem, let us change me a little bit. I got the putter fit pretty good so if there is a problem, it is with me; not the putter.

DUFFY WALDORF: I will be very nervous, of course. Main thing I will works on is having good tempo and rhythm. That is all I have worked on last three days when I am hitting just make sure it is all about being relaxed for me. If I can make sure my arms are relaxed when I am putting and just work on a good rhythm I should do fine. I really can't -- I don't know what I need to shoot, but at least I am in a position where if I shoot a good round I will be close, so, just go out there and do what I can do and see where I end up.

DUFFY WALDORF: Last time anywhere or last time here?

DUFFY WALDORF: That sounded kind of cocky, didn't it? (laughs). Gosh, I don't know. Last time I was -- couldn't have been too long ago. Go to the record book. This year I haven't -- I mean, the Players Championship I was right there except one hole from the interview room after 54, I made an 8, so kind of fell right out of the -- I was like second place with one to go. Then I kind of fell a little bit with an 8. But that was -- that is best I have done this year. Atlanta, but that was only after one round, I was leading after one round.

DUFFY WALDORF: I can remember some rounds. I had a good run a year ago October, I was leading at Williamsburg and Las Vegas going into the last round so that was like a year and a half ago. And those were a couple weeks in a row basically. Two out of three weeks, I was right there, leading. Leading is right there, I guess. It is hot out there, guys, you know? I am still sweating.

DUFFY WALDORF: It has been a while. It would mean that I still got enough game to compete out here and that's really kind of the doubt you have as you get a little bit up there in years and you see the young guys coming on and they are hitting it longer than you and making more putts and chipping great, you go, geez, I am getting old, I am not hitting it longer, I am struggling with my putting; you wonder if you are ever going to get back and get that game back where you know you can be.

DUFFY WALDORF: I doubt myself everyday. (laughs).

DUFFY WALDORF: Yes. Sometimes they are to me, sometimes they are to other people. Sometimes they are just messages.

DUFFY WALDORF: Some New York theme balls, bite the Big Apple. If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere. Lady Liberty. I had a little Statue of Liberty. Made two birdies with that ball, may have to use that one again. Stuff like that. My son drew up a couple balls too. He drew some faces and he drew my name on one too.

DUFFY WALDORF: No, I am just glad I got a late tee time so I can think about it. I will probably use some more New York inspired balls. I had a Knick ball in there too. So I don't know, there is plenty of material here.

DUFFY WALDORF: Wait a second here. I think the Knick ball -- it was early though. Bite the Big Apple was the ball that got out there quick. I think the Knick ball I might have made eagle with it. Yep, I did, I made eagle. I used a different ball every three holes. I used it on 4, 5 and 6. So that is not bad. I thought the Knicks played great. They just played a better team. Pretty good when you compete with a team that is probably better than you and they were right there with them the whole way.

DUFFY WALDORF: Probably less aggressive. It is hard to be you know, I think a situation you can be -- certain shots you can be more aggressive with. I think with my longer shots, less aggressive. When you get some wedges in your hand you might -- situation calls for when you are aggressive and when you are not. So basically comes down to if I get overshot and feel good about it, I am going to aim more at the pin. If I either have a long shot or I don't like the pin placement or doesn't fit too well, then I am less aggressive. Just depends on the situation.

DUFFY WALDORF: It is pretty important to stay with your game and not look at the board too much because there are so many guys that have a chance to move up on you. I am just tied for the lead so really there is no point in me worrying about what the other guys are doing. I just got to go out there and -- it is kind of like it may be hard -- sometimes you feel like even if you are falling behind or you are not doing well, I think you still got to play the shots like you can play them and if it is not a shot you can hit, take your medicine where you have to and play aggressively where you can.

DUFFY WALDORF: Real well. We went to school same time. He was a PAC-10 player like I was. He went to Arizona State and we also played the Asian Tour one year together, our first year as pros, we came out of college at the same time, first year as pros we went to Asia and we kind of roomed a few times together in Asia. So we had a good time over there.

DUFFY WALDORF: I remember I was playing really well and it was really important, I got off to pretty good start that day and it was made a big difference and I think for anybody who is right there in the lead, if you can get off to a good start, it sets your mind kind of focusing on the golf and not really your position. If you get off to not such a good start, you kind of -- you want to just stay in the game you have been playing, so that it is kind of like any day, you start the first day, you go to the next, you want -- if you are playing well, you just want to continue to get off to a good start and continue that good play.

DUFFY WALDORF: I would imagine he is pretty hungry. I guess my job will be to keep him relaxed out there. If I don't do well, I'd like to see him do well for sure.

DUFFY WALDORF: It was unbelievable. I mean, really tiny green. I hit an 9-iron in there and five feet below the hole. It was like I would have been struggling to get it in for a birdie and I got it there for an eagle. Amazed me. You should see the fairway. Fairway is like this. You always roll down where you can't see the hole. Somehow I kept it on the top side of the fairway where I had a perfect view of the hole. I told my caddie I said, I have never been here. He goes, yeah, you'd like to drop it here everyday. I said, yeah, if I dropped it here it would roll down there any way. I don't know how it stayed up.