SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP AT GAILLARDIA

October 25, 2002

Hale Irwin

Q. Hale, thank you for joining us. Maybe a quick overview of your two rounds, 70, 67, and 7 under going into tomorrow?

HALE IRWIN: Well, actually, I hit a lot of good shots today, played very nicely this afternoon particularly. The golf course, as you might expect, is still quite wet, and the temperature is declining, so I don't think anybody is really feeling comfortable and loose and all that. Nevertheless, I think there is some very good scoring going on probably due in large part to the soft conditions. The ball holds very nicely when it hits the green. Sometimes it disappears, but I think because of the cold, I think we're playing some tees we might not normally play because of the weather. My objective is simply looking at we don't know how many holes or rounds we're going to get to play. Getting the full day in today I think was very good, making up for yesterday. If the forecast on Sunday is what they say, you never know. It was a little frustrating. This afternoon I really had some chances coming in and didn't make any of them. I played very well. I'm not upset. I'm just a little frustrated I didn't have a little bit better luck coming in. All and all, a lot of good shots. Really good irons. Two bogeys I made this morning were off two long irons. That was corrected this afternoon with no bogeys and par 9s with 4 under. Very good start this afternoon. I didn't finish it as well as I really would have liked.

Q. Go through your birdies really quick.

HALE IRWIN: When? This morning? Good. Number 1, I hit a little 5-iron to probably 6 feet from the hole. By the way, that was the first putt. I birdied there. I missed about a 5-footer, probably 4-footer at the second, but, you know, the second and third greens are really not in very good shape. I don't even count that as a miss because it bounced all over the place. Number 5, I hit a nice little 6-iron in there probably 7 feet from the hole, making that. Number 6, the par 5, I birdied hitting a third wedge shot, two within six feet of the hole, making that.

Q. Number 8?

HALE IRWIN: Number 8, no, that was this morning. I should be four under right now, right?

Q. Yes. 1, 5, 6 and 8 I think.

HALE IRWIN: Yeah, hell, I don't know maybe you're wrong. 1, 5, 6 -- you're right, 8, I did birdie 8. That was this morning I missed it. I told you don't confuse me. 8 was about 25 feet, and the 10, I hit a 5-iron, really a good 5-iron, just over the flag about 15 feet to the hole making that for birdie. From there on, it was a lot of good shots. I had a birdie putt at 13 from about 10 feet, missed; 14, about 12 feet, missed it; 15, about 7 feet, missed it; 17, from about 10 feet and missed it; about 8 feet at 18 and missed it. They're very missible, but I proved that. They're very makable. You would think you would make one or two out of that. Again, it was a good finish. I got a lot of good play today, and I'm glad the day's over. If we would have had to play any more holes, we would have been shut out with the dark.

Q. Did you walk all the way?

HALE IRWIN: I rode most of the tee shots and walked from there on. The tee shots are around things and with trying to save the legs in the soft conditions, I tried to ride to the -- from the tee shot to the ball and then walked from there. Otherwise, we probably couldn't have made it today. It was almost impossible with the short daylight and this course being as long as it is.

Q. Coming in you talked about you were disappointed with your concentration early last week. Do you feel like you concentrated pretty well?

HALE IRWIN: I think my focus was a little better. I was sort of treading water last week. I don't tread water very well. It's sink or swim with me.

Q. Gil was in here earlier and said that your putting is great. (Inaudible). I guess you could say should have, would have, could have, you know.

HALE IRWIN: I'm not going to rehash that. I played very well, played very effectively. I had a good putting year. Some of them are missable. I like to think they're makeable. But I played well, no regrets. It would be silly to sit and say I'm upset, I regret this. That's not it at all. I just played I think very, very effectively this afternoon. Really the only bogey I came close to making was from a very good putt at the 16, about 8 feet, from 30 to 8, and made that, so, you know, I did make one of those 8 footers.

Q. (Inaudible)?

HALE IRWIN: Speed-wise, 2 and 3 we already talked about, they're out. I think because they're soft and the cold weather, they're a little bumpy. When you're playing in the last group, you're facing some tread. Even though it's not a full field, it's almost worse because you've got the periodic softness rather than just getting trampled all at once. The cold has not allowing them to respond to grow a little bit and the wet is just keeping them really spongy. The course is in good shape considering what we had yesterday.

Okay. We'll call it a day.

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