U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 7, 1996

Hale Irwin

HALE IRWIN: Well, I am glad we are differentiating 16 holes then the next two, because it was sort of night and day there. Obviously, as I said yesterday, someone had to go out early and try to put some pressure on Dave. To his credit, he did what he had to do. He did what had to be done; that was just to keep throwing the pressure back, not making any mistakes. I just kind of kept running out of room, really. There were a couple of holes there where I thought that maybe I could pick up with a birdie, I might pick up two. I tried not to look at the scoreboard, because I didn't want to get influenced by what he was doing, because I felt like I was doing what I needed to do. You know, I can't say that I have -- that I was disappointed in the day; certainly I was disappointed in the finish with the last two holes. But the tee shot at 17, I hit a 2-iron. Probably one of the less dignified irons I hit today or maybe for the week, and it hurt. If you don't hit that green, you have got a very difficult time getting it up and down; at least it puts a lot of pressure on that part of the game. I had a lie that was just not real good. If I hit eight, little harder kind of lie that I could hit passed the hole, there was just too much grass in there to really know exactly what it was going to do. That pretty much was it. I tried to get a little cute with the drive at 18, tried to slip it up the right side so I could have a little better angle into the pin, because I knew I had to birdie it. And -- but other than that, I did everything the way I wanted. I set out to make some birdies, made four in a row, which should have gotten his attention. And I got within one there at 16. I thought, you know, we got us a horserace, except I just couldn't get my whip out fast enough.

HALE IRWIN: I don't know, I have never climbed it.

HALE IRWIN: ^ it is a lot of strokes to make up on a good player like Dave Stockton. I think if you are trying to make up that many strokes, you really are playing for second place. And let us be realistic, that is what probably what we were playing all day. But at the same time, you have that memory of ^ help if you do get something. I did have a chance, I didn't take advantage of it, but I have said before, this is just one big, long learning curve, and you learn each day a little bit more about yourself, and I learned a little bit about myself this week and how I need to play, and to that I am very grateful. But I am looking forward to next week.

HALE IRWIN: Sure. Starting at 6, second shot with a 3-wood into the bunker -- green-side bunker. From there I hit it out about four feet, made that for birdie. Hit a 6-iron at 7 to within about a foot-and-a-half. I thought I made a one. It really was a great shot. I like that shot. I wish that had been at 17. I wish could have Ray Floyd's shot at 17. Number 8, actually hit a very good second shot. I hit a 2-iron off the tee, it went into an old divot. From where I played, a really nice little 9-iron up to within ten feet of the hole, made that for a birdie. And 9, I hit just short of the green in, two pitched it up about six feet from the hole making that for birdie. I did make a nice save at 10. I thought I hit a good second, but I backed it down the hill and putted it up about four feet passed the hole, made that for a par. Then I birdied 12, hitting a sand wedge to within six feet. 13, I hit 2-iron just off the back edge of the green and 2-putting from about 40 feet. I thought I made that putt. That was one I really thought I made, but I didn't. So, moving on, 16, hit a sand wedge, third shot from the bottom of the hill to within about five feet, making that. And then, well, I described 17 and 18. I had a flier out of the right rough, I thought, but it didn't fly, and that put me short of the green. I thought I pitch that in, though. It hit the real hole. I really thought it had. When Raymond missed his, it was a matter of could I 2-putt. And almost did, but I didn't. Unfortunate finish, but some spectacular play along the way, nevertheless.

HALE IRWIN: Well, I think that I learned that the thing that I have got to-- mechanics with my putting today, I went out and tried. I mentioned earlier, there were some mechanics in my putting stroke that were not working well, and first three days I have been so mechanically minded that I forgot about making putts. Today I told my caddy I am not even going to think about mechanics, I just want to think about getting the ball from here to the hole. That sort of takes some of the tension and anxiety out of there. I still was a little off mechanically, but that is okay. I feel like I am coming back. If that is the worst I putt this year, then I will be fine. I am doing well so far. I am still on a bonanza year figuratively and everything else. I just -- that is the learning curve is that I think you put yourself in different situations at different times, see how you respond. And the thing is you just got to got to remember them. That is the big thing about the putting.

HALE IRWIN: I didn't know he was there. I wasn't too -- was up to mine in rough too. Well, he was chipping out of the rough, I was chipping out of the rough. He happened to get it up-and-down at 16. I did see at 17 we were both in similar positions, so I did see his lie at 17. It was a little better than the one I had, so I figured he would get that up-and-down.

HALE IRWIN: I was trying a hard 2-iron. Been hitting 4-woods entire week. Hit three great 4-woods, but the wind direction was a little different today, and I just come off of that birdie at 16. I felt the adrenaline surge and 4-wood was just going to be too much club. I came off the 2-iron a little and well, there you have it. I just tried to do-- shouldn't say try to do too much with it, I just didn't hit the kind of shot that I needed to hit.

HALE IRWIN: The length of the pitch at 17 or the putt? The putt at 17?

HALE IRWIN: The length of the putt at 17 was probably 25 feet. It came close, but didn't make it. And the pitch at 18 was probably, oh it was probably in that 45, 50-foot range. The putt was probably about seven feet, six feet -- six, seven feet.

HALE IRWIN: When did I?

HALE IRWIN: I think yesterday we were sitting in here and talking about it. Again there wasn't a choice as to what had to happen just somebody -- the only way somebody else was going to win is to do what I was doing, but even then Dave had to make some mistakes which he didn't do. So I did what I needed to do. He did what he needed to do, between the start when you are starting 8 strokes back it's awful lot of ground to make up. I just felt like if I could get my putter going, -- I have been playing well enough to get some chances, and I did what I needed to do. I just I just couldn't finish it off: It is hard to go around a course like this without making one or two bogeys and unfortunately mine came at the most sin opportune time. It doesn't matter, it is still 9 under and is 11-under and he wins. But it started right here yesterday.

HALE IRWIN: Well, I had to make it. I was thinking more about the second shot, the flier apparent flier I had in the rough, I thought I had hit a great shot. It came out of there. I thought boy, that is just perfect and it just kind -- sort of lost it's momentum. Had I hit-- hit 7-iron, had I hit a 6-iron, in retrospect. 20/20 it is great vision, it would have been perfect. But it just looked like it was going to come out of there like a racket. And it didn't. You take your chance 50/50 and I came up on the wrong site of the coin.

HALE IRWIN: Not the pleasure just started getting exciting. I fold my caddy and Rae. I said this looks like it could start getting interesting, and had I made the putt for eagle at 13, then I think we would have really had something going because there is that psychological thing, eagle, then I played 14, is a pretty loosely. But then I thought, okay, at 16, make the birdie there, got some tough finishing holes and if knock on wood I could just somehow find one at 17 or 18, then who knows -- but I think when the bogey at 17 happened, that just took -- gave -- didn't give it to David but it really took a lot of the pressure off. I was pushing the envelope. I have to say it. I wasn't nervous as much as I was just trying -- trying to do more than what I was doing and that is hard to do when you are playing sort of at the limit and to go beyond that it's a little difficult but that is what I had to do.

HALE IRWIN: I knew where it was.

HALE IRWIN: Actually, I was looking as much at the other players -- I knew where Dave was but I was looking to see because I saw that John Bland got off to a good start and John March shall got off to a good start and where was my position in relation first place where was third and fourth just to protect myself. I just kind of wanted to have an idea going into those last few holes where I was.

HALE IRWIN: Well, I think. Oh yeah, I think it is is a lot of experience, really. You could see somehow well I had played those last two holes where experience really came through in the clutch. (LAUGHTER). I just think you have to be there a number of times to sense it, to feel to feel it. To know what you are apartment to do. My case it wasn't so much nervous necessary as it was you know, kept trying to push that excitement level, get that adrenaline on my side, it is a different feeling if you are ahead by two. When you are behind by 2 you have to force yourself to go forward. When you are ahead by two, you have to sort of force yourself to come back a little bit. It is a different kind of approach, and I must say I like having to come back approach better than go forward.

HALE IRWIN: Yeah.

HALE IRWIN: I won't. We have a fourth major coming up this week. Inasmuch as I am disappointed in this week, the results, had I putted just a fraction better, would have been different. But I didn't. The reality is I didn't. The good news is I am sort of out of that slump and I am working the other way with the fourth Ford Senior major coming up next week. I think I am in excellent position to go out, and hopefully give that a run. And, you know, I have had first and seconds in the Majors this year, so it is not all bad.

HALE IRWIN: I think it did. Not playing for two weeks and it hurts the short game before it hurts anything else. The long game is comes back pretty quickly, especially this time of year. But that little touch that you have around the greens is what kind of hurts.

HALE IRWIN: 3 practice rounds in effort to try and get that together.

HALE IRWIN: Who they are, take it away it is your floor. It is your question, I don't have the answer.

HALE IRWIN: Dave, as I am sure, he is not lacking confidence. When he is on his game, he is confident about his game. And it does not surprise me that he didn't wilt. Who else might have? Shoot, I don't know. We have all done it. Every player that has ever played this game has wilted and I guess that is what makes this such a humbling game and one of the humility pills is always right there next to the glass of water. It does not surprise me that Dave, but there may have been some others; I could have been this guy if -- could I have wilted -- in fact I did the last two holes.

HALE IRWIN: Senior Tour or just --

HALE IRWIN:

HALE IRWIN: Yes, it was. I suppose in terms of the coming from behind kind of performance I wouldn't say it is the same as the 90 U.S. Open, close, but not the same. It would have been very much the same had I finished it off with a birdie or you know, like a par birdie or something like that, it would have been right there. But I didn't and it may be that that is the reason that I am on the Senior Tour now. We are talking about six years ago, it is just a little bit of difference but then again, -- you have -- all I can say Jerry, is that if you can create opportunities for yourself and if you can take advantage of most of those, then you are doing well. You are just going to fail sometimes in this game. And my failing, had I had a bogey at 4 or in 1, 13 or something, it is might have not shown up like it did, but you know finishing that way, had I birdied 17 and 18 to shoot 9 under par I would be so happy that I would be clicking my heals in here and I would be dancing around.

HALE IRWIN: I would have done another run around had I won?

I don't know. That I have been working on back flips something new. But Ozzie is retiring, so.....

HALE IRWIN: Thank you all appreciate it see some you have you next week.

HALE IRWIN: I am looking forward to next year as you all know U.S. Opens where whether it somebody senior or otherwise have been the main stay of my career and I enjoy playing them and I thank you all for covering them and.

HALE IRWIN: Charge, right.