NEC WORLD SERIES OF GOLF

August 28, 1998

Craig Parry

CRAIG PARRY: Well, I felt as though I played pretty good today, a lot better than yesterday, even though I hit a couple poor shots on No. 5, the par 3. I hit a layout, hit a lady out on the right side of the green and she didn't look good when I finished the hole. I didn't hit a very good shot into 17. It was right between clubs and I hit a 6-iron when I probably should have hit 7-iron. But other than that I played pretty good. You know, I tried to hit a lot of shots into the middle of the green. At the start. I found it difficult to get the speed of the greens and then I hit one on No. 9 about, from about 6-foot and I hit it about 12-foot past. It was probably the only putt I got up to the hole for the first nine holes and I three-putted that one.

CRAIG PARRY: I feel very comfortable. I played Phil Mickelson in the PGA at the last round, and you know, that was only two weeks ago. So I was quite comfortable going out and playing with Phil. I was going in today with the round a lot of confidence yesterday. And you know if I keep playing the same way I've got a chance of winning. If I don't play the same way, I've got no chance to win. It's pretty simple so I'm look forward to the weekend.

CRAIG PARRY: Well, 36 holes doesn't make a year. So, you know, if I win this week, obviously it's going to turn my career around and it's going to turn this year into a great year. So I've got 36 holes to play well and hopefully turn it into a good year. You know, it won't be through lack of not trying, I can assure you.

CRAIG PARRY: No, I hit a lady on the right-hand side of the green on No. 5. The flag was only like five yards from the right-hand side of the green and I hit a 5-iron and I collected a -- I mean, I hit her.

CRAIG PARRY: I don't know. She didn't look very well after we finished the hole.

CRAIG PARRY: No, she was back a few feet away in the gallery. I don't know where it hit her. She just didn't look very well. She looked like she was going to be taken to the hospital.

CRAIG PARRY: Yeah, there was a little, you know, the portable stretcher.

CRAIG PARRY: I made three.

CRAIG PARRY: I chipped a 9-iron out of the rough to about six foot and I holed the putt. Just proves golfers don't have consciences, didn't it? (Laughter.)

CRAIG PARRY: Winning on the Tour?

CRAIG PARRY: Well, obviously it means an a lot to me because I've won everywhere else. I've won in Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan and I've never won over here. So it's really the missing piece of the puzzle for my career and I would like to win -- I think it's going to happen one day. I think it's just a matter of being the right place at the right time and, you know, I'm playing well at the moment, so who knows.

CRAIG PARRY: Well, I bogeyed the 9th hole both days, but no. I really like the golf course because you've got to drive the ball good. It's all there in front of you. You've got to hit a lot of good shots with your long irons, short irons. You've got to play position off the tees. The greens where getting firmer. You've just got to be patient when you go at the flag. I'm putting well at the moment, so that means I can play a little less aggressive than I would probably normally play.

CRAIG PARRY: Definitely, definitely. Because if you hit a poor shot, you can see a ball go in the trees, the bunker, you think: "I'm going to make a bogey". And you get up there and it's all right and you chip it up and you make par and you think: "I got away with that one," and you get on to the next hole and set aside the poor swing that you've already had and try to get back into the tournament.

CRAIG PARRY: Definitely. I'm definitely hitting the best I've hit all year at the moment. At the end of last year in Australia -- actually, when I booked my ticket to go home from Boston, I played Boston. I finished 6th there. I played Loren Roberts and I played pretty well. I putted pretty ordinary. And the next week I think I finished 5th at Texas. And I started to play good and then I won Japan Open and I played really well and got on a roll. I played well at the end of the year. I feel like I'm getting back to that position I was at the end of last year which is -- I was in contention. I was actually in the lead three out of the four times going into Sunday and that was a pretty good end of the year. So I'm starting to feel as though I'm getting back to that stage. You know, this year's a tough year because I've been doing a lot of travel. You know, I went home after Boston for Renay Apleby's funeral from over here and I was going to play FedEx and Buick and then the PGA. And you know, I went home for that and didn't do -- I did do some practice but not a great deal of practice that I would have liked for the PGA and then played at the International last week. So I'm starting to play a little more golf and improving and getting a little bit more.

CRAIG PARRY: No. I'm quite happy to be there. If you're playing poorly, you're going to be nervous but I'm playing all right so I feel pretty content out there. The ball's going where I want it to go most of the time and that's the secret to the game, isn't it.

CRAIG PARRY: Birdie on 2, I hit a good drive and I hit a 3-wood went on the middle of green went to the back of the green chipped to three -- make it four foot; I made birdie. And then No. 8, hit a good drive, hit a pitching wedge into the green to about eight-foot. Then I three-putted 9 from about 60 foot and missed a two-footer for my second put so I three-putted that for bogey. 14, I hit 3-wood off the tee and the ball kicked into the right rough sit 6-iron out to about 20 feet and holed a putt for birdie. And then on 15, I hit 4-iron into about 18 feet. And then on 17, I hit 3-wood off the tee, 6-iron into the right-hand bank of the -- just right of the green went straight underneath my chip shot, ball's sitting up pretty good and I chipped it with a sand iron from about six yards and I chipped it down to maybe two yards, six-footer straight up the hill.

CRAIG PARRY: I actually hit two. I hit the one on No. 4 and I hit one on number -- sorry, one on No. 3 and one on No. 5.

CRAIG PARRY: It was a man.

CRAIG PARRY: No, it was off the tee shot so it wasn't safe to be out there. No, the guys all right. He actually followed us around. He was a good barrier after that, because we gave him a golf ball.