U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 1999

Ed Dougherty

ED DOUGHERTY: I am still No. 1, thank you. Third day in a row, and it wasn't the best of days. But if somebody told me Monday: Hey, Ed, you got a one-shot lead going into Sunday. How do you think you'd handle it? I would have been thrilled, and I still am thrilled. This is a sense of accomplishment and a sense that I have led the Open for three days. I am playing with Hale tomorrow. He is the best player out here on the SENIOR TOUR. Whatever happens, happens. But I mean, it is the U.S. Open. You play against the best. So I said it is like that ring announcer, that Michael Buffer (phonetic) or something, you know -- what does he say? "Let's get it on" or something. It is that little judge then. That is it. But I mean, and it is not like that. But you got to look forward to it. This is just what you practice. There is not a golfer in America who hits a practice shot who didn't think somewhere along the line, well, this is for the U.S. Open. With that in mind, I got to look at it as: Enjoy it. I mean, hopefully it will work out well. If it doesn't, I still had a great week. But tonight I will go out with some friends, I will just put my mind on, you know, relaxation, get it charged up. Come out tomorrow and try to play a lot better than I did today.

ED DOUGHERTY: I can't see it.

ED DOUGHERTY: First hole, thought I hit a good drive. Ended up in the rough. I hit a little lob wedge in there, and I made about a 10- or 12-footer, birdie. Next hole, hit the fairway. I hit 3-iron to the right, I hung it out there. Hit a great chip shot about a foot for a par. Next hole, I hit 8-iron and, you know, 10, 15 feet. And Dave Eichelberger had a little bit of trouble over there. And, I mean, took us forever to play that hole. I think that sort of broke the momentum here a little bit. Then the par 5, I tried to go for two. I hit it down there right front. Chipped it up. I hit a good putt, and it was only like a 5- or 6-footer. The putt went both ways, broke right, then it went back left. That is unusual for a short putt like that. But that was disappointing. The next hole, I think I got bad yardage, you know, in a sense that I usually don't hit a ball over the green like that. I might have went off the wrong cap or something, but I hooked a 7-iron around the tree, and I ended up like 30 yards over the green. And that was just sheer death; made a double-bogey. Walked off that green. I said: All right, Ed, let's not be too upset by it. We knew earlier in the week you are not going to get every break. So next hole I made par. Had a birdie opportunity. The next hole, I was disappointed. I had a 9-iron into that green, and I hit it good. And the wind got it, and it put it in the bunker; it plugged it. A plugged ball, if it just rolled out of the ball mark, I think I could have got it up-and-down. Hit a good trap shot, then just missed the putt. 2-putted 8. Birdied 9.

ED DOUGHERTY: I hit it probably about a 12-foot putt. Hit a pretty good trap shot, maybe it was a little bit longer. But the ball just went right -- just ran out of steam. Right-to-left putt; I missed it. 8, 2-putted for a par. 9, I birdied, which was a thrill. So -- I hit sand wedge into 9. Hit a driver, laid up with 7-iron sand wedge into 9. It was about 8 to 10 foot. It was a good shot. I go to 10, and I hit a good drive down there. And the pin's over there, like a sucker pin placement. I thought the pin placement were pretty testy today. I take my hat off to anybody that shot under par. I aimed it right at the exit sign, which is maybe about 10 or 12 foot left of the pin, and I hit it hole high, and it was just a misread putt. I thought it was going to go straight then break left. It immediately just went slightly right on me. It wasn't a very good birdie opportunity from about 15 or 18-foot. But it was a good par. 11th hole, middle of the fairway, hit 5-iron. I thought it was going at the pin, ended up in the bunker. And I blasted it out. And usually the ball will dance a little bit to the right coming out of that type of a lie. And this one, I aimed it a little left of the pin, and I hit it a little heavy, I guess, and the ball stayed up on a downhill putt. I was lucky to 2-putt it, because the first putt went by, you know, five or six foot. I had a longer second putt than I did the first putt. 12, I hit 8-iron that hit on the green. Went off left hole-high. I chipped it up, made a good 8- to 10-footer for par there. The next hole, I hit a 9-iron into that green today. Landed hole-high. Went on the fringe a little bit. I putted that through the fringe, from about 30 foot up to about 2 foot, made a nice par. The next hole, with a par 3, the wind was tricky. I hit 7-iron, landed on top of the bunker in the high muff and hit a great shot. I just flopped up a little shot over the top of the fringe, and it rolled down to about two foot for a par. So I mean, I know I am not playing well, but I am at least hanging in there. The par 5, the wind was against us. I hit it in the fairway. Hit a lousy lay-up shot was in the rough. Hit a 9-iron about 18-foot; almost made that putt. Then 16, the wind was behind us, first time this week I hit 3-wood off of that hole. And I pushed it a little bit to the right. I am in the rough. I hit a 9-iron on the green, but the ball ran and came down into the -- like the collection area, and I had like a 50-foot putt, and I ran it by about 8 foot, and I missed that one coming back. I thought I made it. Just hit it too easy. So that was a little bleep in my score. Then 17, I haven't hit that green yet. I left it short right again. Chipped it up, and I just hit the putt too hard through the break for another bogey. I hit 4-iron there today. I tried to hit too easy 4-iron. Probably should have hit a hard 5. I did look at the scoreboard there, because, I mean, you can't miss it. You are lining up your putt, and there it is. There is only a couple of people under red numbers, I believe, isn't there? I couldn't tell you how many of them, but I knew there was a couple 3-under. I knew because I just bogeyed the hole I was 4. So 18 had a lot of pressure on me. I wanted to lead the tournament. I hit it in the fairway. Hit a good 4-iron onto green, and I 2-putted it. So that is the sense of accomplishment. This is what I built on, going to build on for tomorrow. I am leading the Open, and things are looking pretty good right now.

ED DOUGHERTY: No. I think that is bad attitude to have in the sense that you think you are going to make a killing on some nine. I am appreciative with what I have done on that back nine, but also very leery, because I think that is the harder of the two nines. If somebody told me I would play the first two days the back nine that well, I wouldn't have believed them. I think that is the harder of the two nines.

ED DOUGHERTY: Maybe if I gave him a shot to the ribs he would be leaking blood or something. I played -- the first major championship I have played in was the PGA Championship at Firestone in 1975. I played with Hale and Jack Nicklaus, I played with Hale the last two rounds and I played with Jack the last round. So like I said, earlier he is the best golfer we have out here. This is probably the biggest tournament we have out here. I mean USGA, U.S. Senior Open, you play with the best. So I am looking forward to it honestly. I think that is the only way you can look for it. All the practice balls I ever hit in my life probably is going to gear up for tomorrow; I hope it pays off.

ED DOUGHERTY: No.

ED DOUGHERTY: When I was 3-over par you are talking about? The wind was a little bit different today. It was a little colder out here today to be honest with you. But that 5th hole I have hit it the last two days, I have hit great drives and I have been dead behind that stupid tree out there. So I just like I say, I think I got wrong yardage and I hit it 30 yards over that green. You can't do that. You can be short of these greens and chip uphill, you cannot be past them and chip downhill because you got no chance. I was trying to make a 5 and I ended up making a 6. I said, well, just swallow your medicine, let us go on with. Try not to let it affect me.

ED DOUGHERTY: It is a good question. I don't mean to be short with you, but I just think I have to try to play fairways and greens and cash in on what I could do. I think when you gun for a score like that, say you go out and you shoot 2-, or 3-under on the front nine you say you think you have to shoot 3-under for the tournament then you put it on coast. I want to put it in gear tomorrow, hit fairways and greens, try to capitalize in on any chances I have, total it up at the end, see what happens. That is my game plan, I guess is the way -- people are asking me about how I am going to do it tomorrow, that is what I'd like to do. I mean --

ED DOUGHERTY: No, I don't think there is -- there is pressure -- pressure is what you put on yourself. But you know, I am still enjoying it. I guarantee you every one of those 35,000 people out there would love to change places with me and I am just going to take it like that. I have practiced; all my practice shots have always been: "Hopefully I'd get a chance to do this." Tomorrow is the chance and we will see what happens. I am going to give it my best shot. That is all I can tell you. If I am not good enough, I can handle that. But we are we are going to give it a good shot, I will guarantee you that.

ED DOUGHERTY: I don't think that is going to happen. I don't think Hale is going to do that and I don't think I am planning on doing that. My game plan is tomorrow, the most important shot I have in my life tomorrow is that first shot. I want to hit it in the fairway. If I hit it in the fairway, the most important shot I have to hit it is on the green; that is how I am going to take it. I am just going to take it one shot at a time and try to -- I couldn't even tell you what Dave Eichelberger shot today because I am just doing what I wanted to do. I think that is how -- I think that is how Hale plays. I think that is how all the good ones play. I think -- can't be self-centered, but I mean, you are involved in what you are doing and you go from there.

ED DOUGHERTY: Well, the crowd has been very appreciative or I have been very appreciative of the crowd. I am telling you, I can't tell you in words how nice it is to walk down the fairway and have them cheering and clapping and everybody is saying: "Go Ed," you are just taking -- I am just taking great memories from here. I can say this has happened to me and I mean, it is great.

ED DOUGHERTY: I am from the Philadelphia area. I saw Rocky about six times when it was first out. I thought he stole my story. But no -- you are the writers. I am the golfer. However you guys write it, that is how it comes out. You got the press -- you got the way with the words, I don't. So how you see it is great. But I don't consider myself an underdog. I consider myself lucky to be playing golf for a living. I think I told you yesterday or somebody asked me how do you assess your career. I have done a lot more than I ever thought I wanted to do and I haven't done what I -- hoped to do. I started working with the bag room at Edgemont Country Club for $1.50 an hour guys; came out on Tour with $2,000 and haven't spent that yet, so I am doing all right.

ED DOUGHERTY: That is what I am trying to do. That is what I am planning to do. I want to go out and play, hit fairways and greens. I still think par is a great score out here. I wish I shot par today. I didn't. But I just -- I think par is a great score. Hopefully I can do what I did on Friday. I thought I played really well Friday. I thought I was lucky on Thursday. I mean, I am not going to go out and shoot 6-, 7-under every back nine but I thought I played pretty steady on Friday. So we will just -- you know, I mean, I got nothing but good thoughts about this course in the sense that I can go to bed tonight and start dreamin. If something happens tomorrow you can write -- say "dreamer" instead of "underdog." I'd rather be called a dreamer.

ED DOUGHERTY: Thank you very much.