IR SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 3, 2000

John Jacobs

JOHN JACOBS: I played a lot better today than I did yesterday. I only scored three strokes better, but I played a lot better. I think I'm getting a little more familiar with the course. Probably shoot 80 tomorrow . Want me to go over the round?

JOHN JACOBS: Well, second hole is a par 5. I made birdie. See, I can't remember the second hole. Oh, I hit -- I was trying to pitch out before I hit it. I hit a 4-iron but on the front edge of the green. I 2-putted probably about 20 feet just off the edge of the green for a birdie.

JOHN JACOBS: Par 3, I hit in there about eight feet short of the hole. Made that for birdie. I hit a 9-iron. And if my recollection -- 6 is a par 5. I hit a good 3-iron on the second shot. It went over the green and I pitched it back about a foot and a half from the hole and made birdie there. No. 7, hit in there about three feet and missed the putt on 7. And 8, I hit it -- you know when you get to concentrate and you know what the holes are -- 8, what was 8? See, 9 I bogeyed. I bogeyed 9. I can't remember 8. 9, I made bogey. 8, I know I made birdie. I can't remember the hole. What does it look like? Anybody know?

JOHN JACOBS: I can't remember the hole. Oh, I know now. He hit an iron off the tee, and I hit it in there about, I don't know, five feet from the hole. Made it for birdie. I hit a 9-iron.

JOHN JACOBS: 9, I hit a 2-iron off the tree and I kind of clipped the trees on the right and fell down in the rough. I hit a 5-iron short of the green, and I thought I hit a good pitch, but it rolled about 15 feet by the hole and I 2-putted for bogey. Let's see, 10, I parred.

JOHN JACOBS: I made a birdie there. Made it on in two and 2-putted.

JOHN JACOBS: I'm trying to think of the hole. (Laughs.) Sounds kind of funny, but I can't remember the damn holes. Let's see, it's a dogleg-left. I hit a 5-iron, I don't know -- I birdied 18. I birdied 16. 14, I hit a good drive around the corner. I hit a 5-iron about 20 feet from the hole and 2-putted for birdie. 15, I can't remember that hole, either. What was that? Oh, I hit a driver and another 9-iron about, I don't know, five feet left of the hole and made that for birdie.

JOHN JACOBS: 18, I hit a good drive. Just right of the pin, pin-high. I didn't have a very good lie. I chipped it by about four, five feet and made it for birdie. It's the third time I played here and I can't remember the damn holes. Does that tell you that I'm getting almost 56, going on 96? But when you are hitting irons of off the tees, some of the holes seem the same. You just kind of -- blah, and go. I'm sure I'm not the only guy that's come in here going: "What hole is that one, what hole is that one." But the course, the fairways, are wonderful out there. This is going to be a tremendous course when it gets mature. The greens, they look a little scrappy, but the ball roles very well on them. Canizares, he plays pretty good, doesn't he? He must think we're in Spain.

JOHN JACOBS: Canizares? Well, No. 1 one is I'm not -- I'm not chasing him. You still kind of play against the course. You don't really chase somebody until the last nine holes or something. This golf course, the reason I can't remember the holes is because I'm concentrating so hard out there, trying to get in the fairway. You know, this course is not conducive to my game. I like a little more room off the tee. And I'm concentrating so damn hard, that's why I can't remember the holes, because all I'm trying to do is hit the fairway, hit the fairway, hit the fairway, hit the fairway. I know the fairways, the grass, is cut so good that you can spin the ball into the green. You can hit good second shots. But you've got to be on the fairway.

JOHN JACOBS: Oh, Canizares? He's a wonderful player. Everybody kind of shakes their head why he hasn't won before. He's probably had more chances to win than Larry Nelson. But, you know, he will. Hope it's not this week, but he will.

JOHN JACOBS: Not at all. I just played the same way. You cannot attack this golf course, for me, because I have to hit -- what did I hit, four drivers all day today. So I can't attack the course. The course kind of tells me what to hit, if you want to know the truth. Every tee I get up to, it says: "John, you've got to hit a 2-iron"; "John, you've got to hit a 2-iron"; "John you can hit a driver here, but be careful." It's one of those kind of deals. Don't try to hit it too hard. But when this course matures a little bit more, it's going to be a wonderful course. I don't know if they are going to play here next year or not. Are they? They haven't decided? I know the course they are looking at in Texas, I sure hope they don't go to.

JOHN JACOBS: It's got white stakes on both sides of the fairways. I definitely don't want to see that.

JOHN JACOBS: Yeah, but I wish they would play it longer, but I'm not so sure they can, because if they get about a weather, the wind blows or something, they are kind of in a trap, because the course is still new. Around the greens, you know, if you start missing the greens, it would be impossible to get it up-and-down. It's just not quite mature enough. But, I don't know. Lanny helped design the course, so I don't know if Lanny wants a real long course himself. (Laughs.) But, you know, anybody -- it's the same complaint. A short hitter likes short and narrow courses, and a long hitter wants longer wide open courses. So, you can argue about that until you turn blue. But I think if you ask quite a few of the players, they are wondering why they don't make some of these holes a little longer. An idiot can figure it out: 377 yards and they are playing 40 yards up; so something is wrong. The par 3, I'm hitting 9-iron wedges, they can make them a little harder. I'm not really complaining, I'm just saying they could make it a little bit more difficult.

JOHN JACOBS: I really didn't like The Dunes; so you're talking to the wrong guy. I didn't like it at all. I played it four years, and every lie I had in the fairway was a flyer lie. They don't blow down -- the fairways were soggy, crappy all the time we played there. Had nothing to do with the golf course. That's just the way it was. And I hit down hard on the ball, and I had a helluva time. So, I'm happy to get out of there. But it's nothing to do with the golf course. The golf course is nice. It just happened to be what itt was like when we played it. Myrtle Beach -- I wish Myrtle Beach was in Phoenix. This place around here is magnificent for golf. If we can just get Myrtle Beach to Scottsdale. In fact, I'm trying to figure out -- my friends, every year we take 40 guys and we go somewhere in the United States to play golf. I wish -- I'm not sure the weather is that good in January here, but I've love to bring them down here. They would have a ball. Probably be the nine holes at TPC, nine holes at the Dollhouse, and a late nine later on. I know McCord when he won last year, he says, "I went to the Dollhouse. I had a ball." I had dinner with Gary last year. He was so down in the dumps, and we went down to Norman's. Gary is the kind of guy, he looks very confident on the outside, but he needs some pumping up. So here, I'm ahead of him and I'm trying to pump him, and he shoots 64 and I go in the tank. I go: "This is pretty good."

JOHN JACOBS: It's happened four or five times on the other tour. So, it's nothing new. Top 31, you get in -- Gary had plenty of chances. I wish he was here, though. He's my driver at night. You know, Gary is a two-beers-and-bed guy. So he's my driver.

JOHN JACOBS: Thank you very much. I hope I see you tomorrow.