KEMPER OPEN

June 7, 1998

Stuart Appleby

STUART APPLEBY: Thank you.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, I suppose knowing the wind was going to blow early on, I knew that I didn't have to shoot a really low score. I think it was a lot cooler than it was yesterday too. So I think that made it just a little harder to keep warm, especially the last couple of hours. It was just going to be a tough day. It was just a hang-on, placemat, be patient, make lots of up-and-downs, if needed, like yesterday. And just overall, just try and play the golf course, there was no other way, because the condition was so much tougher.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, I knew 17 was playing pretty much like we had it yesterday, slightly (inaudible). Same sort of yardage within three or four yards, so I just knew that it was a solid 7-iron for me. Hit to pretty much the middle of the green with a down left-to-right break. So, in the end, I'm glad I had a reference with yesterday's shot, which I hit to about 8 feet. I hit a good shot there. That was -- I mean, it's very pleasing that I didn't have to work very hard to make 3. And then 18 was playing absolutely brutally long. The wind was extremely strong. The rain was starting to come in. And I just knew I needed some -- one good strong finishing hole. And 3-iron I hit in was sweet. It was flying well, it drew in. There was just so many factors involved in getting to that spot, and I was very happy to see it there.

STUART APPLEBY: Good lie. Just a little bit of left-to-right. A little hanging to the right, which usually means most players will hit the shot right. If you stay with the shot, you can usually, you know, hit a good one. As I said, turn it out fantastic. It was just a tough shot, I suppose. I don't know how often I could hit that shot again. It was something I suppose we all practice for. That's what we spend hours and hours on the range trying to recreate, pressure situations and then trying to pull it off.

STUART APPLEBY: The best thing I had going there was I had the wind that was sort of straightening it out. You have to consciously make sure you stay with it, square it up. As I said, I had the breeze bringing it in. I hit it sweet. I couldn't really do anything wrong, out of any of those factors. Otherwise, I would have paid the price. And it turned out that everything was okay.

STUART APPLEBY: There was -- it was all so far back, I couldn't really see a flag. I couldn't even see any green. It was -- obviously the shoot, the gap up the right-hand side was my property target, which was the tent directly behind the green. I pretty much said I want to hit it in the middle of that tent. If I get the right break and the wind turns it over, I should have enough club to put myself closer to the play, which is how it turned out.

STUART APPLEBY: I couldn't really tell. He was a couple groups ahead. He was far enough away where you couldn't quite tell what was happening. I just knew that I was there. But I didn't -- again, I didn't want to get wrapped up with where I was too much. I knew the course was tough enough where I just had to stay within myself, within my game, within the boundaries of what the hole was going to let me do, and saw my card and finish wherever I finish. It was not like I ever had my back against the wall and had decided to finish x amount of birdies, and I was under the gun in that sense. I was under the gun to just keep containing myself and letting the course present each hole as it was.

STUART APPLEBY: Maybe 17, I knew that I was thereabouts. Again, it was something that I thought if I dwell on or found out that maybe that might have changed my decision-making. I had to stay aggressive. 18 was playing long. There was no second-guessing with what you had to do there. Even the second shot, there was no guessing or laying up or anything like that. It had to be hit on the green. I was pretty much forced into positions where I had to make decisions -- positive decisions. But to win the tournament. There was no backing off. As I said, the course was tougher than anyone else.

STUART APPLEBY: I knew I wanted to hit one, a good drive; one, hit a good second. Got those two. I pretty much knew that the really, really hard work was done, coming to the last hole. My caddie was pretty pumped. I knew he knew what was going on. So that was -- it made it much easier to walk the couple hundred yards.

STUART APPLEBY: Yes and no. Yes, I suppose the crowd was really for Fred more than me. But it was a tough day for Fred. I mean, he really, I suppose, didn't settle down early, as quick as he would have liked. I mean, I've done that stuff before. That's nothing new to any of us. It was good to play with him. He's a good gentleman, good player, good crowd. (Inaudible) That was better for everyone else watching him.

STUART APPLEBY: No. Incredible. The crowd was fantastic, I think. I hoped that they were all out to see good golf. Unfortunately, they didn't see lots of birdies due to the conditions. But, you know, I hope that that sort of stuff doesn't really happen. That would be unfortunate. And I think really spectators want to see great golfing, good sportsmanship, one of the things that golf really has a good quality with.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, I suppose you've come to the 72nd hole, you've got to have a swing thought, you've got to pretty much keep the idea before you hit that shot, your preparation has got to be the same as what you've done. You know, we practice so much that really once you get over the ball, then you've just got to relax and be patient, pull the trigger. There's no key formula to it, just a lot of practice. And that's why it doesn't always come off. That's a tough question to answer. You're just really trying to pull off what you're trying to pin. It's easy to say this is what you're going to do, I'm here, draw in here, pick the perfect club, let it bounce left. In reality, that's not happening. Under adverse conditions, you're appreciative when it happens.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah, both scenarios. If you had an easy course, like it was on the second round, no wind, rain -- everything was conducive to low scores is what happened. Fortunately, (inaudible). Guys are going to get on birdie runs. It's just the way tournament golf pans out nowadays. You know there are tough holes coming in, you've got to make them. It all comes down to inches. It can be a swing, three or four shots even in one hole. You never try to get yourself ahead too far. If you have a four-shot lead up until the last day, (inaudible). Your preparation is patience, really. You just got to be very patient. It's four days, you made 270, 280 shots, it always seems to come down to one so you can never get picky and see what's happening with the day. Your intentions have to be I have to win this tournament; it means a lot to me. I can't afford not to win it. You give yourself a positive draw after winning the tournament, not changing your attitude in any way. Your attitude coming in is to win it; your attitude at the end is still to win it. You have to keep that even --

STUART APPLEBY: I wish I knew. I hit it long, but, I mean, I had almost -- it was -- I hit the shot. I couldn't even tell my caddie what happened. It was amazing. It was like I hit the shot, I knew it was well hit. I hit it firm. I knew it was probably left of where I wanted, but it was over the trap, which was my first concern. Then it sort of bounced out of the back, and I couldn't believe I hit it that far. I might have been pumped up a little, but no more than any other shot I hit all day. I didn't feel like the adrenaline was running really hard. One of those things where a ball can get a gap in the wind. That's what happens. I mean, I made the same shot, almost, yesterday, and I pulled up short of the green. I pulled up ten yards short of the flag. Today I pulled up 15 yards over. I can't explain it except we had the club we needed. There was no way it could one hit less (inaudible) --

STUART APPLEBY: No, I started 6. Thought about 5 because we had the scenario of yesterday. The wind died on me a little bit. Still was very strong. And six was the number. It was funny, it just went like a 5-iron. It was one of those freaks of golf nature I suppose.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, you know, right now all I've got is the emotion of, I suppose, the tournament. Winning, being here. I suppose that can be a kickstart. Justin used it as a kickstart. Now he's sort of -- he felt he was a little fortunate to win last year. But at the same time, the very few times that a tournament pans out like that in his favor or someone's favor, the very few times it happens you have to take it. That's what's presenting itself as the (inaudible) does. Hopefully that stuff will happen for me. Yeah, one step at a time right now. I'm taking a week off next week, and I suppose just recovering or just right now I suppose just enjoying the fruits of success. But hopefully this will be something I can keep on for 20 years.

STUART APPLEBY: Good point. I really hope this does do something in the major department. Again, get to play at a major level is another step higher. That's something I may have to learn. But you only have four chances a year, so the odds are a lot less than in a regular tournament.

STUART APPLEBY: I played well here, I don't know. Good question. I don't know, I know the course pretty well. I always came back because I had a record that was solid. I didn't ever think, I suppose, this course suits me perfectly, or whatever. I was hoping -- most courses that don't suit me, my game can adapt. Yeah, I've played well here. That's nice. Good facilities. People are nice. Beautiful area. And the whole package, I suppose, you really just have to play well in the end, win out of 140 guys that tee up.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah, that's the thing. You look at golf as most players hit their peak in their, say, 30s. You got to ask why. I mean they might start when they're 15, might start when they're earlier. Very few players in their late teens. So really what happens is there's a period of starting, getting to a level where you can play on the tour, keeping your card. There's so many little grades to climb. You sit there and go, well, in tennis, you're peaking within no time, finished within no time and it's all over. Golf, it's like baby steps all the way to peaking in your 30s. Players are going to get better as time comes on. I'm learning from each tournament where I'm under pressure; I'm understanding what I have to do because if I do those things over and over and I keep working, you stick to it. If you don't put yourself in contention, you don't know which way you're (inaudible). You can't practice competitive stress like you can in a tournament to the degree. You can imagine you're holing a putt for one tournament; that type of stuff is neat. But really in the end, the real stuff is very hard to get and that's what you have to learn from each time.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah.

STUART APPLEBY: It's a scenario, I suppose, in most plays probably, C, having to guts it out to win the tournament. Very rarely do you get to coast home with three or four holes to go. That doesn't happen very often nowadays. You know, I think the satisfying thing is exactly what you said, doing what I did, getting -- hitting the shots, making the putts. You know, I don't know how it looked on TV, but it's different out on the course sometimes. But, yeah, satisfying the wind the way I did won the tournament.

STUART APPLEBY: There's different degrees. I think most of the shots you're going to play in a tournament are going to be pretty much level. You're going to have stages where you feel very comfortable, very relaxed, and you're going to get other levels where your concern may be a little greater, the conditions may be changing. Obviously the level where I was on the last was it was a do-or-die type situation where par was -- I don't know what I was averaging, but it was definitely under par. Yeah, that competitive levels you get to are part of making what a tournament is all about. It comes down to one shot.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah. In order, obviously 18 was big; 17 was good. You know, hitting down -- I hit off the back of the green on 15, was one of those things where I hit a good drive, I thought I had a great iron shot, didn't get the result I wanted but, again, that's the factors of the weather. To get up-and-down would have been great. That would have been a huge bonus. I was really trying to take each step at a time and just play each hole as it was, and it might sound boring but that's the only way you can seem to pull those things off when you're in by the lead or in the lead.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah. If your intentions were to play a shot and it turns out wrong, you must say that's what I want it to do. Really I hit the club, I threw the -- whatever you did; don't say, gee, I screwed up the club selection. That happens. If your intentions were to hit the shot, hit a draw off a tree or target, and you hit it, then you actually did what you wanted. You did it. Sometimes that's just the fate of golf really.

STUART APPLEBY: That's definitely key. I suppose key. Winning this tournament has many rewards in itself. But this year the President's Cup is in Australia, that's the great bonus. No doubt that's a goal of mine to get into that team. That is something that is growing. And I would love to play every President's Cup competitively till the day I can't get on the team. That's something that I've got an opportunity to do and I'd be honored to be able to get into that team.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, I think we're both settling down, really settling down for pars and bogeys. Obviously bogeys where Fred was made it tougher to settle down. Let the day settle in, see what happens. I don't know, it's like a -- it's like a horse race. The horse has to settle in the first quarter of a mile before you get your rhythm. That's what it is in any sport. You watch the NBA, watch the finals, there's a settling-in period for all the players. That's just what it is.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't know, I got to the traffic out there. That was the only unfortunate thing about this week. It was a nightmare to get into this place. If you come in at a certain time, then it was terrible. I could foresee that it was going to take a lot longer driving, so myself and my coach jumped out, left the clubs in the car. We knew they would get there on time, did my stretching and everything. I walked from that point, probably a mile plus. It was good, I got to warm up. Got there, I knew I had a lot of time. It was no big deal, traffic was busy because Fred, obviously being Lover Boy, and --

STUART APPLEBY: That's all right.

STUART APPLEBY: I played for a local team and they have divisions, obviously like here. It was over-18s. 17 was my last year. I loved football. I loved the team atmosphere. I loved the camaraderie you could have, training sessions. There are so many great memories I have of (inaudible). You get your rewards and so on. As a player, I was okay. I stopped right at the stage where I suppose physically I was still developing and I don't know, I love the game for what it was. And, fortunately, golf bumped into me. It was a couple years after I really left football that I really started to really long for it and missed it. Now I'm above that. Now I just follow it by newspapers and E-mail.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah, usually. But not too bad. I was fortunate to the extent of injuries, there's no injuries I've sustained through football that affect my golf.

STUART APPLEBY: No. The wind was probably at its strongest, the tee shot, the putt. I felt great on the putt. I really was happy with where I hit the putt. I'm not trying to cry, but I thought I holed it. I thought it went in, didn't break. I hit a quality putt which is all you're trying to do every time. I wasn't thinking about it to the 18th tee. It was a tough putt. It was downhill, little bit of right-to-left, wind blowing at me. But, again, dead still conditions, you are going to make that eight times out of ten. With these conditions, you'd be happy with 50/50.

STUART APPLEBY: It's not really a trip. It's out in the backyard. You can hardly classify it as an exact trip. That would be fun to sit on the boat tomorrow and just fish and think about the week gone by and have my wife and have my coach there with me. It would be nice to take it off and smell the roses, I suppose.