ENERGIZER SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 6, 1997

Hale Irwin

HALE IRWIN: Well, the hope was to have the kind of round I did have, get off to a good solid start, post a good score. And, whether it be the lead or not in the lead wasn't the driving force. It was just to play a lot of good solid golf, which I did do. Pretty much a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. Not terribly aggressive. In fact, probably hit more fairway woods off the tee today than I have in years past just to make sure that I practiced what I have been preaching and that is: Don't hit the accelerator yet, you don't have to do that. Just make the best of what presents it self and for the most part, that is what I did.

HALE IRWIN: First birdie came at the third hole, hit a drive and a 5-iron to within twelve feet of the hole, making that for birdie. Birdied the 4th hole, par 5 again hitting a 4-wood off the tee and laying up with a 5-iron hitting a sand wedge to within five feet of the hole making that. Birdieing number -- actually made a really good save at 8, after a good drive and I laid up. Unfortunately, it was in an old divot which had been filled with sand and had a bad lie in the sand so, it was -- I really had a hard time even advancing the ball to the green, which I didn't do. I put it in the bunker from where I made about a 10-foot putt for a par. Then I birdied No. 9, making, oh, 25-foot putt there for birdie. And 3-putted No. 14, from about 30 feet, leaving the first putt six feet short and missing that. But, I came back with a birdie at 15, again a conservative approach with a 4-wood off the tee and 3-iron lay up and pitching wedge to about six feet and making that for birdie? Is that right; is that the par 5?

HALE IRWIN: Then again 4-wood off the next tee hitting a pitching wedge to within six feet of the hole. Making that for birdie. And 2-putting the last two holes. So, again, pretty much an unspectacular round in terms of aggressive play, but very effective and the kind of round I wanted to play.

HALE IRWIN: We will see. That is hypothetical and three days out. Some of the holes, for instance, the par 5s, why, like 15, there is a water hazard down there. Gil hit a really good drive and really good 3-wood and didn't get to the green so why in the world am I thinking I can do that? So, I am going to lay up, so why not lay up out of harm's way. And that is pretty much what I have tried to do. I have tried to take some of the -- I have tried to ease into it, rather than trying to hit a driver than -- rather than laying up with a 4-iron, now I am laying up with a 2- or 3-iron, for instance. It is just more pressure. I think there is enough going on this week in trying to accommodate all the things that I am trying to accommodate here. And, just makes it a lot easier. We will think about drivers on Sunday, but not today. Although I did hit a lot of drivers - don't get me wrong. There were three or four holes where I might have hit drivers last year and I didn't today.