FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 1999

John Jacobs

JOHN JACOBS: The weather kind of got me. On 17, I heard the lightening, and I thought: Well, I'll hit. I know the siren is going to go off. And I go to hit and Ray says: The siren is going to go off. And the siren went off on my downswing, and hit it fat, and 3-putted on 18. I hit a pretty good drive. I hit it in the rough not that hard a shot. I put in the bunker. I hit a putt. I thought at the time it would go in. You just get little tired out there. You chase a guy; you make birdies, and the other guy is so far ahead. It's little disheartening. You know, when you're out there playing for second, you think you should be doing better; bust your balls.

JOHN JACOBS: When I birdied 10, I thought I had a chance. And I hit a helluva shot on 11, I hit it right at -- smack at the hole, and hit a foot short of the hole and came back and stayed in the high rough. And I had a terrible lie and I made bogey. Until that point I thought I had a chance to make it; maybe would fall in the lake or something. After that, I knew I couldn't win; I was just playing for second.

JOHN JACOBS: Four on the front. 2nd hole, I made about a 20-footer left of the hole. I hit 8-iron.

JOHN JACOBS: 3, I hit a 3-wood -- went for the green in 2, and I hit the 3-wood kind of past the green to the right, and I pitched back, 10 inches. 4, I parred. 5, I made about a 15-footer right of the hole for birdie. 6, I hit 9-iron. 8, I hit another 8-iron iron. The whole group made a birdie there. You don't see that on a hole very often. I hit an 8-iron four feet, five feet and I was about a foot inside of Larry, or two feet inside of Larry, and three feet outside of Bruce. We all made them. Actually, Larry showed us -- we were all on the same line. 9, I parred. 10, I birdied. I made about a 20-footer behind the hole. And I bogeyed 11. It was -- it's kind of like gut-wrenching. Then I hit a 5-iron -- I hit a 9-iron into 11. It's as good a shot as I hit all day. I really wasn't going to shot at the pin. I said: I'll shoot a little right of the pin. And I shot at the pin -- one of those things. You know, the only thing you can hope in golf is that it evens out. You want one good break and you get one bad break; that you pick out the right club. 13, I hit made -- I hit as good a drive as I hit all week, and I put a 5-iron in there about four feet, five feet. Made it for eagle. And 15, I hit a 7-iron. I made about a 15, 18-foot putt. And then we had the rain delay, and I finished blah, blah. You know, like real -- if I'd have finished, if I'd have my partner here, we'd have been playing the best ball. We'd finish par, par, for sure.

JOHN JACOBS: Right when I was standing watching him hit. We were -- we just hit off the other tee.

JOHN JACOBS: I had already hit. I just kind of looked over and I saw it.

JOHN JACOBS: Well, I didn't see who swung at it. And when it went in I said to my caddie: I don't even have to look up, I know who that is. We look back and, it was Hale. He's awful good, boy, I'll tell you. He's the best playing out here. You know, one thing that's helped The SENIOR TOUR is Bruce and Doyle getting the jump on him and everything it helped TOUR. He's playing better than they are, but it woke him up. And then when Watson comes out, it's going to get exciting.

JOHN JACOBS: I just hope he's humble about it. But, you know it helps us out here on this TOUR when Hale gets beat. And then he starts playing better, and then hopefully another guy comes along, and then they are going to have three guys. And it's going to be great. You've had -- Lee and Jack didn't play that much, but Arnold is getting older. When Arnold tees up, he's the biggest draw, still, out here. But Lee is getting a little older, and Chi Chi is getting a little older, and they are still good guys, good for the TOUR. But as far as the competition point, as far as that, it's going great out here now.

JOHN JACOBS: I kind of got complacent. When you win the first tournament, you don't know how it's going to go. You don't know whether to try harder, fight. I got a little lackadaisical. I went to a few sporting events and traveling here and doing a few other things, and I kind of lost track of my game a little bit. It's not going to happen anymore, believe me. I learned my lesson. You know, when you're 54 years old if you didn't think a little bit smarter than 25, you've got serious problems. I had a mental relapse about getting back to the golf cart. Anyway, this tournament was great here. I can't believe they got this round in. It looked material. I'm staying at the high at looking at the golf course, and I can't believe they had even issue. But, I know one thing, when this tour is going to get fun. When Watson gets out here. I know Tom can still play. Kite, I'm sure can still play and Lanny -- it's going to be fun. It's going to be good times again for the senior TOUR.

JOHN JACOBS: Well, there's been a lull because look, let's face it, the three biggest draws in golf-- I don't care -- Tiger Woods, he came along two years ago. Until Tiger Woods came along, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino were the three biggest draws in golf and they were 55 years old. So, I mean, you know, I saw pretty fast The SENIOR TOUR -- I wasn't sure what direction it was going to go. I listed La Costa and I went out there and saw Arnold Palmer tee off on the 10th tee and Curtis Grange -- 1989, Curtis, Greg Norman were teeing off on the first and they didn't have five people watching them. Arnold had 10,000. So, you know, you figure out pretty quick The SENIOR TOUR might do pretty good. Plus, I think the seniors are a little -- a little more laid back, set in their ways a little more -- talk to the gallery a little bit.

JOHN JACOBS: Yeah, and if they are bad guy out here, there's something wrong. If they are not nice guys out here, they have got serious problems because this is a -- king's ransom.

JOHN JACOBS: Not really. I guess you feel more comfortable. I'm kind of laid back. So I kind of -- I can kind of almost have to go down to the pits before I start coming back. But I kind of lost my way a little bit by, you know, when Gary and I played at Newport Beach, you know, I started seeing my friends and flying here and doing this, go to dinner. You know, just kind of got out of whack. But wasn't drinking or going to horses, but trying to do too many things, seeing too many friends. But I'll get back. I really think my best year is going to be next year the year after year after. The I haven't lost my length. Only thing I'm going to get is a little smarter. Unless I lose my length, I'm going to be here for a long time.

JOHN JACOBS: My mindset -- I just, you know, I had a goal that I wanted to shoot 68. I figured if I shoot 68, you know, maybe catch up with the rest of the field. Hale -- it was Hale's tournament to win or Hale's tournament to lose. Nobody was going to take it -- I don't know how to explain that to you. It's really whatever we all did, it wouldn't have made any difference. It was Hale's to win or Hale's to lose. I mean, the public doesn't realize how good Hale played. He's till one of the top 5 players in the world. And when he gets his mind -- when he gets his mindset in a certain mode, nobody can stop him. Nobody out here. You.