KEMPER OPEN

June 5, 1998

Stuart Appleby

STUART APPLEBY: The start of the day, I don't know, I was pretty much happy with everything, you know, my game, my attitude, everything along those lines. I really just tried to get out strong early. No different than any other day really, just trying to get some solid strong holds together. I birdied the second hole of play. I mean that probably set the tone for the day. The ball rolled well; I hit the ball well. It was just a good, balanced day, really moved towards birdies.

STUART APPLEBY: No, you don't. I mean, if you look at averages and go as it may, you turn five or six under the turn, chances of shooting 59 are probably one in 500. I mean we're talking about if you're on a competitive golf course. No, that's pretty -- that's probably pretty immature thinking that way, unless you're getting extremely fortunate. To shoot 59 is a rare thing. Obviously. It's only been done a couple times.

STUART APPLEBY: No. No, it wasn't very tough today because there's no wind. I mean, you take away wind and it can change. It makes a big difference on club selection. The greens are pretty good, a little soft.

STUART APPLEBY: It's really just the wind. The wind -- if you haven't got the wind, then you can hit the same shot over and over and over distance-wise. Once you get 150 yards three times out there, you know by hitting it what club to hit. So there's no second guessing with the wind and changing. So the course was pretty easy today.

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah. I drove the bar well. When you present yourself shorcut-wise, as I said, you can have a pin and flag. That's -- then you can start to roll it in the hole and get some rhythm going.

STUART APPLEBY: Honestly, he hasn't done anything at the moment. Just sort of being, I suppose, encouraging. Nothing like oh, gee, I didn't know I was doing that. None of that rebuilding type, or how did I get into that habit. We've been corresponding a little bit the last couple months. So -- and I have played -- felt like I've played pretty well, I just haven't been able to score. That could be numerous reasons, that could be impatience, that could be a lot of things. So, you know, he hasn't done -- we haven't sat down and done hours on the range trying to work on something. He's really just been encouraging the same practices that we've been working on the last few months.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, Justin was playing in front of me on 17, and I was back in the fairway on 16 and I heard the roar and someone told me it was Justin. And Tom Lehman's caddie said he gave Johnny Miller -- we're talking about hitting the flag and how often Johnny used to do it. I hit the flag on the fly on 16 yesterday, and he was caddying for Miller for 12 years and said he used to do it so often, one time when he did it, he turned to Andy and said when are one of those going to go in? It's just pure luck in the end. We all have the intention -- that's obviously -- we want to get the ball in the hole as quick as we can. It happens, again, one of those just lucky things that happen. I mean, it's a very exciting thing. The crowd obviously loves it. The player loves it. It makes a nice wine on the card, looks good. With that many eagles today, like I said, the course is just quiet. It's a chance to get the ball near the flag, no matter where it was cut, really. And the greens are soft.

STUART APPLEBY: Somewhere different probably. Different course. Change the course, you change -- everything's new.

STUART APPLEBY: Last week's history. I can't even remember. We were at Memorial, weren't we? Memorial I played well. I screwed up probably a handful of holes and then missed the cut. So I think I played two rounds. I couldn't tell you much about that. If I played four rounds, it might have been a bit more of a gauge on how it's going. But that's a funny thing, you miss a cut, you go on and win the next week. That's what I did. You can't really always look at how a player is playing. One or two good shots or a good session on the range and off you go. You've got your feel, you've got your ideas, you're seeing your targets there and your lines are up and rolling. That's the way you've to look at it, otherwise you get stuck out here too long and in the hole.

STUART APPLEBY: My coach is Steven Bann, that's with two Ns, B-a-n-n, for those people that don't understand my English. It's a good question, the hills. I've played here three years now, so I know how a hole is playing. Nine plays a long way down hill. For example, today if I have x amount of yardage. Yesterday I had a hard nine, a very hard nine to the flag, really close. I saw it yesterday that might have been about 6 yards longer. So it's acceptable to hit the same club again. So once you get used to playing the hole and knowing where the wind comes from, it generally comes from the same spot. You're not second guessing yourself. That's the first thing you'll do when you're not sure on a hole. It's not -- this course is not hilly by some standards that we do play. But it's still hilly enough to concern what club you pick.

STUART APPLEBY: I don't think there's any bad players that win tournaments anywhere anymore. It's just not going to happen. No such thing. You just don't get -- that doesn't happen. Not on this tour. This course, again, I just know how it's playing. So I don't have to run around and start guessing, well do I hit left of that trap or should I such and such. Once you know how a hole plays, just keep playing it unless other conditions present otherwise. And it's a pretty good course. I've struggled obviously through some adverse conditions we've had the last few months, and most courses have. It will be back to its fine form again before you know it.

STUART APPLEBY: First hole was 10. 10 was a par. Par seems boring with 63, but you need them, don't you? Then what, I made about -- it was inside 15 feet, just inside 15 feet. 12 was a great two-putt from about 40 feet across the ridge of the green. Par 5 next. I made suppose I guess 10 or 12 foot for eagle. That was sort of a double bonus to pick up. Then I birdied the next -- I hit a 1-iron and about 240, 250 to the flag. The next I birdied from about -- inside 15 feet. The hole -- next hole I birdied about -- again, that was about 15 feet. 16 was -- 16 I made two -- that was, again, just inside 15 feet, 12 feet for birdie. 17 was a good two-putt. 18, I had about an 8, 10 footer there. I had a great chance for another birdie and made myself a par. Front nine, returning at one, goes up-and-down the right trap. Par 5. Basic, nothing special there, just a five. Next, par 3, made great up-and-down, holed about -- oh, somewhere about 20 foot for par. Hit long my second shot. Hit it pretty tight right for the chip-and-run and made a 20 footer. Birdied the next to about a foot. Had a great chance at the hole the next hole after that for about 8 feet, 9 feet, missed that. Par 5, two-putt birdie from about 25 feet. The next was a good up-and-down, holed about a 6 or 7-footer for par. Eight was a two-putt, nothing special there. And nine, was, again, a two-putt, long range.

STUART APPLEBY: Well, Parry has played most of his golf -- I say most of his golf, when I started, he was playing high levels pretty much around the world. He's a great player. There is -- he's pretty much full stop. He's got a lot of experience. And if he's playing well, he's going to be a solid player. And he's played well for two rounds a handful of weeks ago, and that's really it. That's just clicking on like every week. We just want to keep playing each round as it comes. He's playing well. I feel happy for him. I'm glad his strength is playing well this week.

STUART APPLEBY: Going, going, going?

LEE PATTERSON: All right. Thank you. I appreciate it.