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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 29, 2010

Tom Lehman

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Q. Tom shot a 1-under par round of 69 today. Tom, can you tell us a little bit about your round and how the course played today compared to the practice rounds?
TOM LEHMAN: Well, the course played about the same as the practice rounds. So I would say -- I thought it played pretty much like the practice rounds. The greens were firm. They were pretty fast. The fairways have a little bit of bounce to it. The weather was very nice. So it was really a good day for golf.

Q. I noticed a lot of pars on the scorecard. Was it pretty routine or did you have a lot of up-and-downs?
TOM LEHMAN: No, I played very well. I actually hit a lot of putts that looked like they were going to drop and didn't. So I was around the hole all day, hit a lot of greens. And played very, very well. I drove it well and my irons were solid.
So I shot 1-under, I'm happy. It could have been lower, I suppose, but it was a good day.

Q. We were talking yesterday about the firmness of the greens. How did they putt today? Were you hitting a lot of shots short, running them on?
TOM LEHMAN: It was definitely just like I have been, a big first bounce. So I planned -- if it was a 5-iron, it would release 30 or 40 feet. If it was a pitching wedge, 15 to 18 feet. So there's definitely a big bounce.

Q. 1-under par is a very consistent day. And also right at the top of the leaderboard. You don't expect to see anybody go particularly low for an entire round, do you?
TOM LEHMAN: It's tough especially on a par-70. They have a couple converted par-5s to par-4s. It makes scoring more difficult. I think there's somebody that could go and shoot 4- or 5-under. But it's not going to be easy.

Q. With it being kind of overcast, did it feel any more receptive on the greens out there and what are these guys in the afternoon going to be facing as the sun comes out?
TOM LEHMAN: I think the overcast, you know, made the ball fly a little bit shorter. The greens weren't affected but they weren't soft one bit. I think the thing about the afternoon versus the morning, the ball is going to go further in the afternoon. The greens, they may be a little bit firmer, but they're already pretty firm, so there's not going to be much difference. The only thing that change things is if the wind blew at all, and I don't think they will. The afternoon scores are more difficult, the greens get bumpier. But it should be a good day for scoring for everybody.

Q. How do you think this course compares so far with Colorado?
TOM LEHMAN: Well, it's, you know, a way different animal, but really good. Colorado, that course was a very big, big, big golf course. This is obviously very, very tight, tree lined and angles are really -- the margins for error are very small. So it's a different style, but I think every bit as tricky. Every bit as difficult. I thought the course in Colorado was a tough course. I think this is a tough course.

Q. Would you have taken a 69 first thing this morning?
TOM LEHMAN: Anytime you play on a golf course that's set up for a U.S. Open and the greens are firm, like they are, and there's rough, you'll take under par. I think par or better, I mean, I'd be very happy with par. There's going to be days you feel like you play well, you'll shoot 71, maybe 72 even. So there's -- it's a very fine line out there between a good score and an average score.

Q. Did you have any up-and-downs today that really sort of saved you a little bit or kept your round going?
TOM LEHMAN: Again, I drove it in the rough on 12. I drove it to the right on 12, and it came up short. Then I made a par from about 75 yards.
So other than that, though, it was a pretty -- I'm not sure how many greens I hit, but it had to be 15 or 16, I would say.

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