U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 2001

Hale Irwin

HALE IRWIN: Oh, I got off to the same start as yesterday, the only problem is I just never got into a good rhythm. I never had any chances for birdie after the first couple of holes. 3 over after 5, and just really kind of struggling to keep anything going. And maybe more than anything, I'm not accustomed to this pace of play, it's really slow. And sort of struggling to get a little momentum going, and you're not going to find it at that pace. That's just a lame excuse. Primarily, I just didn't play very well. Going out in 41 and back in 34 is a little bit better, but, my goodness, I had some problems in the beginning.

HALE IRWIN: Not unheard of on this golf course. But I didn't drive the ball well, and that just set up a lot of problems. I didn't put it in the fairway enough, and certainly didn't putt as well as yesterday. So does that cover it? Bad woods and bad irons, bad putting. No. 18, who would have thought I'd birdie the 18th hole twice?

HALE IRWIN: I don't know, seems like a lot of guys take a lot of time to swing the golf club. U.S. Opens tend to be a little slow because of the setup, and that's understandable. But just seems that there's a lot of players that are in their own little world.

HALE IRWIN: It was on the 9th tee. Just somebody in the gallery moving at an inopportune time. I've got to throw an excuse. I've got to blame it on somebody else. I didn't distinguish myself today with my play, although with a score of 2 over par, that's what I'm looking at. If someone would have given me two-71's starting yesterday, I would have been very, very happy to have it, only six strokes back. I think the guys this week, seeing the leaderboard, with getting the break that had to come out today. Six strokes on this golf course, if I could put together two rounds, like I did yesterday, which I think I'm capable of doing, I think we'll have some fun.

HALE IRWIN: If it dries out, depending on the hole locations -- that one on 15 today is about as hairy as I think you'll find -- who knows. Let's bring in the Executive Committee and talk about that. I've kind of got to think that it will firm up and get to the way we saw it certainly Wednesday and Thursday.

HALE IRWIN: I think if it's not head and shoulders, at least a head taller than most. It's brute length, and then you have that big uphill -- let's put it this way, there are very few courses I can think of where the last hole they have to let it grow to keep the balls on the green. So that will give you an idea.

HALE IRWIN: I think it played a little longer because the ball wasn't running.

HALE IRWIN: Less effect. There's another thing, the mindset was, play these shots, and I didn't make that transition very well. I hit some good shots, but I really didn't play all that special today.

HALE IRWIN: No, I actually hit less today. Primarily because I was trying to keep something in play, just not trying to take any unnecessary chances. I didn't want to get into an, "I've got to go for this" kind of mentality. I just continued to try to put the ball in the right position. I was just making some bad swings. I only hit six drivers all day. And for someone with my length that says position golf is paramount.

HALE IRWIN: Yeah, and the irons weren't going on the greens, and the drives weren't going on the fairways. Other than that I did a lot of good things. I didn't putt well, yeah. But I didn't give myself the chances that I did yesterday, either. I missed a lot of greens and I missed more fairways than I did yesterday, as well. Yesterday I hit it in there a couple of times pretty close for some nice short birdies. I only had two birdies all day, No. 10 and No. 18.

HALE IRWIN: I had a 4-wood today. It was 209 uphill. I was, again, playing sort of the shot I had tried to play, one of those low, scoot it back there kind of shots. The putt was about eight feet.

HALE IRWIN: Oh, yeah, I can't wait to get here tomorrow. Sure, you finish, you've got a birdie at the last hole, what more can you ask? Maybe fast food and a quick night's sleep.

HALE IRWIN: I don't know how you can be tired, because after waiting on every hole, it's not like you're getting worn out. I feel pretty rested. I can go out there and do it again, if we get that five, ten minute wait after every shot.