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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 29, 2010

Bruce Vaughan

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, we have Bruce Vaughn here who shot a 4-under par, 66. Is currently leading by two shots.
We saw that you hit 14 fairways and a dozen greens. Looked like a fairly consistent round. Can you tell us a little bit about what jump started it? You were even through six holes and then got on a little bit of a run.
BRUCE VAUGHAN: Yeah, I hit kind of a flare driver off No. 11 there and hit the trees and bounced back out into the fairway and laid up down there and made birdie there.
And then hit a good drive on 12 and then pulled a 6-iron into the bunker and got that up and down, and then I hit it in the bunker on the next hole and got it up and down.
And then the short hole, 14th hole, I pulled a 2-iron off of there into the bunker and chunked it out short, didn't get it up and down and made bogey. I was even through there.
And just kind of hitting it so-so. I hit a good drive on the next hole and after that I missed the 7th fairway, and that was it.
I birdied probably two of the hardest holes on the golf course, No. 18 and No. 12 -- not No. 12, whatever that is -- what hole is that -- 6 over there? That was probably two of the hardest holes on the golf course. And I make birdie on them. So that's like picking up three or four shots on everybody.

Q. How did the course play today compared to your practice rounds? Pin positions, et cetera? Anything surprise you at all?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: No, you know, I thought this morning it may be a little softer because that marine layer was in there and it was quite cooler. The ball wasn't going quite as far this morning. It was still bouncing.
You had to play for the bounce into the greens. And like I say, a lot of times aiming at 30 feet right -- left of the flag, and hitting it there is -- you know, better than trying to go at those flags. You can't get to them.

Q. Does this type of golf suit you more, like an Open-type of golf as opposed to a typical TOUR event, where par is a better score sometimes than a birdie barrage?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: No, I don't think so, you know, it's still golf. You've got to hit it in the fairway, you've got to hit it on the greens and make some putts. And that's what I did today. And I don't know that it suits me, it's just -- that's what I happened to do today.
Like last week I was either -- it was either feast or famine last week. My driver was -- I was all over the place with the driver. I either drove it perfect or drove it 30 yards left last week. I think I made 15 birdies and shot 5 over par. So I had enough birdies, I just hit some bad tee shots.
Today I drove it good.

Q. Makes a big difference on a course like this to drive it well, obviously?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: Yeah, you've got to drive it well. I had some 2-irons off the tee and a couple of 3-woods off the tee and stuff. You're leaving yourself 5-irons back to the green. But you've got to be in the fairway.

Q. Can you give us some details on your birdies on 18 and 6? What clubs you hit in and how far the putts were?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: I hit 5-iron to both of them. I had a good drive on 18, there, and I don't know what I hit, to tell you the truth. I had 5-iron and hit a nice high 5-iron and it flew hole high and it went 35 feet by the hole, probably 30 feet by the hole.
And James Mason, I was playing with, he was right behind me, so I kind of got the speed and a little bit of the line, you know, and just trying to lay it down there, and I made it.
And then No. 6 I hit a good drive and hit a 5-iron there and flew it right there just short and, you know, onto the green and bounced up and I had it hole-high. But I probably had it about 10, 12 feet there, but I had almost a foot of break from there. It was a tough pin right there. And like I say, to make a birdie on those two holes is lapping the field.

Q. You're not a household name in this part of the country. Tell us something about yourself. You're a former fireman and you took up golf and you were on the PGA one year and you were conditional status on the Senior Tour this year. Tell us about yourself.
BRUCE VAUGHAN: I'm just a country boy from Western Kansas and proud of it.
Like I say, I was a fireman out of high school, and I only worked two and a half days of the week and found something to do and started playing golf, you know. And then I turned pro and played mini-tours and some other tournaments for a while. And then I started on the Hogan Tour when it started and then went to the Nike Tour and BUY.COM and Nationwide.
I had some bad knee problems, so I couldn't play there for several years and just waited until I turned 50. It was just in my blood that I thought I could keep playing.
And I got out here and had to qualify each week the first year out here. And I figured if I could get in the top 50 I'd be doing something. And I did finish something like 43rd or something the first year, just Monday qualifying. And that gave me some status, so I started getting in some tournaments after I qualified.
And then after I won, I was exempt and finished in the top-30. And last year I just didn't play very good, you know, and stuff. So it was my own fault and I think I finished 42nd. As it turned out they had some injuries, some guys ahead of me, and I've been able to get in every tournament this year. So that's made a big difference.

Q. You also won the 2008 Senior British Open, correct?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: Yeah.

Q. Could you tell us a little bit about that championship?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: Well, it was pretty special. I played good that week, too. I don't know what it is about playing over there. I've played good when I've been over there. And I did the same thing that you've got to do, I kept it in play, kept it out of the pot bunkers and was making a lot of putts. And I played with John Cook the last two days. Him and I were battling it out back and forth. And come down to the last hole, he made bogey and I made par. And I birdied the first playoff hole. It was pretty special.

Q. Bruce, any jet lag issues this week, how are you feeling coming back from Carnoustie?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: I used to go in the wintertime to South Africa and play and that's 18 hours from Atlanta, so, you know, but the key is just staying up, you know? I got here late, had to leave there -- I was up at 3:30 in the morning their time and flew over here and got here. I even played nine holes on Monday, stayed up until about normal time. And went to bed and played 18 holes on Tuesday and then I played nine yesterday. So I'm just used to it.

Q. Do you think your score will hold up?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: I don't know.

Q. Do you expect it to get tougher in the afternoon?
BRUCE VAUGHAN: I would imagine, you know? I don't care one way or the other, really. It's just the first day and a lot more golf left to play. I played good, that's all I can do.
MODERATOR: Thanks very much, Bruce. Good luck the rest of the week.
BRUCE VAUGHAN: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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