MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP AT KINGSMILL

October 5, 2000

Steve Pate

STEVE PATE: I am glad it is over. I played pretty solid. Hit a lot of good shots; drove it real well for the most part. But I made birdies off my two worse drives of the day so go figure that one out. I hit three awful shots for the day; got away with two of them. So that was rather fortunate and just played pretty solid. Putted halfway decent for the first time in a while and see if I can continue that trend.

STEVE PATE: Okay. Let's see, starting since I started on the back we will start --

STEVE PATE: Just the birdies or the awful ones. I birdied 10, drove it in the left fairway bunker one and hit 4-iron about 15 feet, made it. Birdied 12, hit 3-wood right rough which looked pretty dead, and I slashed a 6-iron in there about four feet, made that. The next hole pin was on 20 yards. I hit it so fat that I didn't even reach the green and I made 15-footer for par. That was the first awful shot. Birdied 15, hit driver and kind of a weak 3-wood short and right down in the gully and got it up-and-down. Birdied 1, hit 3-wood, 9-iron about five feet. Birdied 3, hit driver, 5-iron, just left of the green, made a yoker pitch; made about an 8-footer. Birdied 7, hit two 3-woods on the green and 2-putted from about 35 feet. Then 8 was my next awful shot. Pin was on about 25 yards. I one-hop it on the front edge; hit it fat again, 2-putted from a long way. Then hit a bullet pull-hook over in the grand stands on 9 over the green; did not get away with that one; pitched it on about eight feet, hit a good putt and made bogey.

STEVE PATE: Everything. I haven't done anything particularly well. I have played well at times, but main problem I haven't had a good week with the putter. I had weeks where I had two good days but I had not had one full week. That seems to be the biggest problem. It is a little easier to play with confidence if you know you are going -- your bad shots, you are going to slap them on the green and make par. I haven't had that feeling much this year. Therefore, I am 70th on the money list.

STEVE PATE: I have tried.

STEVE PATE: I think so. Bad karma. I don't know. I just haven't putted very well this year.

STEVE PATE: It is not hard to get motivated. It is actually a little easier to deal with this time because I have done this before. Gone from playing really well to not so well. When it happened the first time I kind of said -- state of panic set in. This time, done it before, so it is not really as big a deal. It is irritating, but there is no sense of panic at least.

STEVE PATE: Yes, putter. I haven't had a good week. Closest I came in Milwaukee, hit two days, one average day, and one day that was pitiful. That has been about the best week of the year with the putter.

STEVE PATE: If I knew the answer I wouldn't still be here answering that question. It is not from lack of effort. It is not from lack of work, I don't know. Keep working. It seems to eventually come around. Sometimes you just have to wait longer.

STEVE PATE: Oh, yeah, there isn't anything I haven't tried.

STEVE PATE: No, it is not like I have putted terribly. I just haven't putted well. It is not like I have-I have had very few years where I was terrible with the putter, but mediocre doesn't get it.

STEVE PATE: Yeah.

STEVE PATE: No, basic head cold, chest cold.

STEVE PATE: Yeah, but it wasn't too long ago where I had a year at home, so it is not too bad. It is a little easier to enjoy after that experience.

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