MCI CLASSIC

April 17, 1999

Lee Janzen

LEE JANZEN: Teeing off this morning we saw a lot of low scores going up on the board. And two things can happen, you can either look at it as a positive and see it as a lot of birdies out there and you can make a move to the lead or you can press too hard trying to keep up and just stay right where you are. As we played the afternoon, the wind picked up gradually. By the time we got to 16, pretty much a factor there the last three holes, more than it was anywhere else on the course. I think that picking up any shots on the last few holes was tough today. I thought earlier that the course was there for the taking if could you make some putts; which I didn't.

LEE JANZEN: Birdie on two. I hit a driver. My new Taylor Made Rescue club just in front of the green and chipped to about a foot-and-a-half for a birdie. My next birdie was on 9. 3-iron off the tee in the first cut of rough. Hit a 9-iron about 25 feet left of the hole, holed that. I figured I'd make that because I was about 15 feet on every single hole up 'til then I missed them all, so I figured ones I got further from the hole I'd make one. 12th hole, driver in the rough from 140 yards. Instead of trying to control the flier, I just decided to hit a 6-iron and run it up to the green almost like a British Open shot. Ran it up on the front of green. Made about a 20-footer. Then on 13, hit a driver, 9-iron, made probably another 30-footer, I guess. I guess I see the putts for birdie when I am 30 feet, I make them. Other ones, I didn't. Long bogey on 17. 4-iron in the right bunker. It was on the downslope. Very small bunker, so the chances of getting a perfect lie are pretty slim anyway. I was on the downslope under the lip. It was a tough shot. I just didn't get it on the green from there. And 2-putted from 25 feet on the fringe.

LEE JANZEN: Yeah, hit the ball well for three days. Haven't really been in any trouble. All the bogeys I have made - well, I didn't make any the first day; made one today; three yesterday were all kind of silly. If I had putted better and chipped a little bit better, I probably could get by with only one bogey up to now. I hit the ball really well. Just haven't putted as well as I'd like. But I have made enough birdies to be close to the lead.

LEE JANZEN: I saw that, yeah. A lot of times they are not on the same hole as you. So if you get involved with what holes they are on, try to figure out what holes they have ahead of them to birdie or whatever, you are taking your mind off your own game. But I did see that he was at 12, and 8 was second at one time. I don't remember where I was at that time, but I thought I am not far from getting in that last group if I can make a couple of birdies. Made a couple of bogeys or I guess they made bogeys. It is amazing how often guys on Tour shoot seven or eight-under one day, next day they shoot about par. I don't know what it is, but happens to everyone. No one is immuned to that.

LEE JANZEN: It is an I-don't-know-club. I don't know if it's an iron or a wood. But 18 degree head. Just got like a little -- almost like a small little wood on the back of it, but the likes an iron; looking at hit you can see it's got some meat behind it and a lot of bounce, the sole is real big so it goes through the grass really good. Easy to hit.

LEE JANZEN: Yesterday first time I have used it. I used it twice yesterday and twice today. Same two holes, 2 and 5.

LEE JANZEN: Going for par 5 green. So I hit it further than my 2-iron, probably not as far as the 4-wood, but I can control it better in the wind, so I thought it would be -- thought this would be an opportunity to try and see what would happen.

LEE JANZEN: I think it comes out next month. That is what I just red in Golf Week. That is how I get my news.

LEE JANZEN: Sort of looks like a Zoom, you know, the driving iron, sort of looks like -- it probably is better looking. I think they have 2, 3, 4-iron also that come with it. I think if they made a whole set of irons in that way, I think it would be great for the average player, really help the guy out, the average player, you know, 10 to 20 handicap.

LEE JANZEN: The low scores came from the morning so all those guys will be playing in the afternoon tomorrow. I won't be surprised if you see someone shoot a low score from the morning also; maybe to post a number early and that might be the number everybody gravitates to at the end of the day depending on the wind. I would think that as many guys are in the lead right now, someone has got to shoot 6-, 7-under to come out of the pack and win. It might not take that low, but 9-under is leading right now, so my guess, if the conditions are the same way, might get to about 14.

LEE JANZEN: Just keep doing what I doing - trying to keep ball in the fairway; give my chance to hit good iron shots. The greens are small, and pretty firm. They are fast enough that if you make a mistake, that up-and-down is going to be tough, but...

LEE JANZEN: I think if you play smartly you can give yourself a lot of 10-, 15-footers all day long. If you have enough of those you are going to make hopefully a few of them.

LEE JANZEN: Yeah, makes club selection tougher it dries the greens out a little bit. Greens are definitely firm in the afternoon than they are in the morning; think about all the traffic from the feet walking around, every player who plays the holes has got to walk up to the hole get his ball out of the hole so there is a lot more footprints around the hole so the guy last group on Saturday has a disadvantage as far as the toughness of the course. Even though he doesn't shoot the best score, he is probably playing under the toughest conditions.