FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 1999

Hale Irwin

HALE IRWIN: That's not bad.

HALE IRWIN: I don't know what to say, other than, you know, awfully, awfully pleased with not only the performance, but the manner in which I played today. I think, I'm exceptionally pleased with, because the tendency sometimes is when you have a whether he'd is to sort of in the back of your mind think, well, just don't blow it. Rather than thinking: Go build on it. And I think it's human nature for people to say, well it's yours to lose. Well, it is, but you start think about losing and don't do this, and you sort of get that negative connotation to everything you're thinking about, it becomes reality. So my whole thought process today was to play aggressively. The start was just as I'd hoped, a very aggressive start with birdies at the first two holes. And to continue playing aggressively so I wouldn't -- I didn't want to play -- I wanted to play bogey-free golf today, and I did just that. So the last two rounds were exceptional rounds. Two bogeys in the last 54 holes, I think three bogeys for the week. I could take that around this golf course. Other than some exceptional play, I'll have to again, tip my hat to the guys in the fitness van. They did a great job. So --

HALE IRWIN: I didn't see that. I'll buy them the biggest steak dinner they want. They were extraordinary in there. They were extraordinary in their work.

HALE IRWIN: As I said, 1st hole I hit a 7-iron in there very, very nicely about seven feet and made that for birdie. At 2, I hit an 8-iron about 9 feet. Right behind the hole and made that for birdie. I did miss a short birdie putt at seven about six feet, but I did birdie the 9th hole from about 10 feet, turning at 33. I hit a 7-iron. You kind of talk about some holes that were pivotal. There was probably a group of holes right together that just took it from being -- getting close to where it was sort of out of reach, and that was 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, I suppose. I just blitzed them. I hit a bad drive at 10, over in the right rough and I had a very difficult stance and hacked a four-wood up over the green. And it caught up on the slope behind the green. I had quite a difficult pitch, and I hit it down there about 12 feet from the hole and made that for a par. And at the time, I felt like that was -- I told my caddie, that was big. That was just huge. Swampy had a chance that make a birdie. He didn't. I made mine. So there was no shots that were lost there, and then I hit a 9-iron in the hole, the second shot at No. 11. 134. Took one look, maybe took, two. Didn't matter; went in. And that quickly separated, you know, got the lead up to 6, maybe it was 5. I can't remember. I don't know what John was doing. But then I made about a 30 feet put at No. 12. And knocked it on the green at 13 and two-putted for birdie. And I just played 9 through 13 in 5-under par, which tends to slam the door on any other people that might be getting close. And then it was a matter of: Just don't do anything really, terribly stupid, and I tried. 15 and 16, I hit bad shots and made probably 12-foot par putts on each to save par. So I did do some exceptional putting with a putter, frankly that I'm still learning. Maybe I shouldn't learn too much with it. Maybe I'll just kind of not use it at all and just bring it out on the tournament days. But this putter, I really did not use until Thursday's round.

HALE IRWIN: No. The only holes that I really tried to play start sort of away from the pin a bit would be those holes where if you made the mistake, such as No. 6. Such as, 5, if you pull it left. 5 was close to being a really good shot. It just caught on the hill. If it had caught a foot left of that -- I have to call that. If I'm aiming at something and I only miss it a foot, that's a pretty good shot; so I really tried to pick out targets and hit to those targets. Now, the targets on the hole that is could be dangerous were away from the pin. Some of those pins are sucker pins you just don't hit to them.

HALE IRWIN: No. I was hitting bull's eyes. I was hitting them where I wanted to hit it. You could call it conservative. Like I said yesterday, I want to go out and play aggressively. But it's going to be conservatively aggressive. I don't know how you want to term this thing. I hit a lot of irons right where I was looking. I hit a few that didn't, but look at 17, for instance. You have a sand wedge and I pick out a red stake that's right of the hole, pick on at the red stake. That's not on the hole. So yeah, I was playing conservative, but why would I want to aim at the pin. No sense in it. That's what I mean. Those metal holes kind of turn -- I was playing the same thing way. But 11, why didn't you aim right at the pin. I have a 9-iron in mind had a not like a 5-iron or 4-iron and plunge it in there. Now, 12, is a different matter where could I give it all back and hitting it a little bit to the right. Aim it left of the hole, and, Bingo, right at my target.

HALE IRWIN: He got within three. And it was very important. I don't think I had to respond, but the three holes that he had just posted birdie and I had missed the a short putt at 7. He was playing well. I think Graham hit a lot of good shots. He was hitting the ball nicely, and he made a few putts. Missed a short putt at 4 for par and he missed enough putts, but he made enough putts; he hit enough good shots to keep going. So there comes a point in time where if I could after the birdie-birdie start if I just made pars from there on out, I had a six-shot lead on Swampy at the time. And so he had to shoot 65 or whatever. So there's a point where you're saying now, let's not be really stupid about this. What difference does it make what number you post as long as it's one better than somebody else.

HALE IRWIN: I have to say that the last several days have been very much like the last couple years. I'm not driving the ball quite the way I want to, but most of the shots I hit poorly were in the latter part of the day. And I think my shoulder just kind of got tired. I think need to do a little strengthening. I think there's a little more going on in there than what I think. I think the therapy is very helpful, but it tightens up at the swing and I just can't get the free swing that I have and that's happened both days.

HALE IRWIN: Yes.

HALE IRWIN: Well, I can't say it bothers me. It's tight. And that was one of the things that sort of concerned me about the delay. If we delayed for several hours -- I can start the day feeling just fine after I go in. They get out the kinks and stretch it out. But when I go back in in the afternoon, those knots are back. But that's what happens slowly throughout the course of the day; it just gets a little tighter and a little tighter.

HALE IRWIN: I don't make statements. I never felt that I'd gone anywhere. Like I said before, there was certainly my golf would indicate that I'm not playing as -- there are reasons why and those reasons I think were fairly good reasons. Now, those that wanted to write me off, they did. But I wasn't making any statement other than to say that I feel I'm here. If you want to say that I'm back, I'm back. But I never felt that I was gone. Maybe I was on the back porch, but I wasn't out of the house.

HALE IRWIN: Mental is my game. Everybody can hit the golf ball. There's not a player out there that can't hit a golf ball well. But what goes on in your head and how you take that to the golf course and manage yourself and your game, that's how you win and that's how you lose.

HALE IRWIN: Like I said you don't step off of that train, and get right back on it. That train is moving pretty quickly. For me, I just had to get myself back where I wanted to do it and where I felt like I needed -- enough is enough. And I got there. I my it was time -- the first of May I had kind of put in my own mind I really said well how about the Tradition, but I just didn't commit myself to that. First of May, and that's what I started playing better.

HALE IRWIN: No. I can't control what they do. They are very, very good players. But I think I'm crawling up on them now. I think they see me in the rear-view mirror, but it is their rear-view mirror, not mine.

HALE IRWIN: Unbelievably good. Again, it goes back to your -- what are you trying to do. My goal was bogey-free golf, and I had not made a bogey. And I've got to play the 18th hole, trying not to make a bogey. Yeah, I'm more than like I -- unless I keel over, I'm going to win the tournament. But what do I have to continue on. Is it just to finish with a 7 or an 8, hit with a 5-iron on the tee and hit a series of 5-irons that's not the way to do it. That's not the way I'm going to do it. So my intention was to continue being aggressive, continue playing, and I think I did that. The second shot was pretty -- pretty aggressive shot. But that's exactly what I was trying to do.

HALE IRWIN: Well, I think the conditions are such that it got soft. Due to the rain. Although, it does play short when it's firm. So you know, I don't know what -- how to answer that, because I don't know how you're going to make it harder. Could you make deeper rough? I suppose. I don't know where you could lengthen holes. We pretty much play the tees on this course, at least, as far back. They could maybe build some new tees and play them back. It's -- is it does not play as long as it measures, it seems. I mean, the scoring -- forget me. But you see the other scores, pretty impressive scoring. So something is out there that's making this course play maybe easier than one might expect it to play. But it's still a very good golf course. You just have to avoid those half a dozen holes for the bogey jackpot; that's what you're looking for.

HALE IRWIN: I think the U.S. Senior Open being what it is will keep me mentally charged. I just need to take a little physical break. I need to go back and spends a little time with my wife and get some other business done, and hopefully the momentum, the thought process will be there. Whether or not I achieve that, I'm clicking on all cylinders right now. But I do think it's important for me to kind of rest my shoulder; and so I'm sort of between and betwixt: Do I continue practicing and maybe not get the rest I need. See, I haven't practiced any this week. I haven't hit any balls after I've played. I've just not done it. I'm probably going to continue that kind of therapy. I'll probably hit balls each day,, enough to keep loose, but not wear it out.

HALE IRWIN: Ball-striking was average at best. It wasn't very good. And putting was miserable. For me, I know my game pretty well now. It's focus. I just needed to get back, getting the focus, getting the intent. Getting that level of -- of excitement back up in my game, and it's responded.

HALE IRWIN: I'll just see how it feels. I might. But there wasn't much time over last week and before I came up here. But I might. If it -- if it continues, but I don't think there's anything there. The doctor didn't think there was anything there, and all the physical tests performed doesn't indicate there's anything there. Just some real knots that are -- for some reason, maybe it's the way I sleep. I said: How do I get these things it could be the way you sit; the way you sleep; you don't know. But my wife trained as a physical therapist, and I'll let her take care of me.