U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 14, 1996

Woody Austin

WOODY AUSTIN: I bogeyed the third hole. Par 3 first time I hit it in the crap all week in 20 holes, so hit it just left of the green between the bunkers and the rough, and I thought I hit a good chip shot got up to about six feet short of the hole and rolled back down the hill to about 18 feet and almost made it, just lipped out on the right side. And then I played two perfect holes in a row after that. I hit it about eight feet on 4 and lipped out. I hit it about eight feet on 5 and lipped out. I got to number 9, and we stood on the number 9 tee for about 25 minutes before we played it, and I really didn't have the club in my bag to hit it at the flag the way the hole was playing. And I tried to hit a 2-iron as hard as I could to the front of the green, and I hit it a little bit to the right in the front bunker. But it was an easy bunker shot, and I hit a pretty good bunker shot, only had about five feet and I just didn't make it.

WOODY AUSTIN: A lot of boring pars.

WOODY AUSTIN: I played well. I mean, I am hitting the ball pretty well. I hit a couple of bad shots today, put the ball in some bad spots, but 72 is the worst I could have shot. I mean, you have 16 chances to make birdie and you don't make any, so, you know, you got to be a little disappointed. I mean, in the U.S. Open, like I said yesterday, you make a lot of pars, you are in great shape. And I am in great shape at 1-under after two rounds, but to let so many opportunities go by in the last two days is kind of disappointing.

WOODY AUSTIN: I missed two other ones. I missed number 6, but like I said yesterday, I hit that in the perfect spot right short of the green, so it was just a straight chip up the hill. That was the only putt I made all day. Probably made a good 6-footer up the hill. That was the only one I made, and I hit it -- I missed the next green, number 7. I hit it in the right bunker, but I hit a perfect bunker shot to about two and a half, three feet so -- but other than that, I couldn't get it in the hole.

WOODY AUSTIN: Off the tee or around the greens?

WOODY AUSTIN: Let us see. I hit it in there on 10 yesterday, on 10 today and on 12. Other than those two holes, three times. I have missed a couple of, you know, a couple of fairways that they had said that I missed yesterday and today, you know. I missed them by -- I hit them in the short rough about like that (indicating six inches). That is fine.

WOODY AUSTIN: If I was asking that or if you asked me that before the week started, you know, I'd have to say first U.S. Open, to be this close, but if I look back on the way I played the last two days, not even close, because I am pretty disappointed.

WOODY AUSTIN: I think I am right where anyone would want to be in a U.S. Open. I am right in the hunt and I am playing well, so I haven't used up my shots yet, so maybe the weekend is going to be my time when the ball just starts going in.

WOODY AUSTIN: I would have to say since it got stretched to 8-over, that that is a stretch to say that they have a chance to win because this golf course is not going to allow them to get back to even par. And you know that there are so -- Norman's round got him right back where he wants to be. Ernie Els, Tom Watson, all those guys, Jeff Maggert played great today. All those guys got themselves right where they want to be because they know they have the talent and the ability -- they have won these tournaments before -- to get to even par or to a couple under and be there. If you are at 8-over-par, if you think you can go around this golf course 66, 66 on Saturday and Sunday, more power to you.

WOODY AUSTIN: Well, I mean, the shot was pretty good, but, you know, when you feel like you are on the green and you have a chance to make a birdie, you feel like it is a boring par. Sure, I hit a great shot, but I thought I hit a perfect tee shot. I know I could have carried that bunker. I think I just hit it a little too low, and I wasn't even thinking it wasn't going to get over the bunker and it hit right into the lip of the bunker. I was fortunate that it got away from the lip of the bunker, but I had 187 to the front of the green, 200 to the hole, and I was standing outside the bunker; so I was quite a ways above the ball, and I just opened up a 3-iron to make sure I could hit it high enough. And the whole idea was to make sure that if you did anything, you hit it fat, so that you get it over the lip of the bunker and I tried to hit this big high cut and I hit it just a little bit fat; that is why I was short, but I hit it just the way I had to, nice and high so it could fly up the hill, and I hit it perfect.

WOODY AUSTIN: They are starting to dry -- I mean, I don't think -- it was supposed to rain pretty hard last night wasn't it? And I don't think it did. So the greens are starting -- the ball is starting to bounce. You are not flying into the green and ball going (MAKES"DONKING" SOUND) and the ball is starting to bounce. If you are hitting the corner of a ridge now or slip, the balls are starting to bounce off them and when you think you got a pretty good shot and you think you hit it ten feet, well it's the side ridge; then you have got a 40 or 30-footer, so it is -- this golf course on Saturday and Sunday is going to play really, really hard.

WOODY AUSTIN: That is a good idea.

WOODY AUSTIN: I am not going to be able to sit here and say 1, 2 or 3 is going to be. There are some great players. The golf course is playing so hard that you got to think that on a consensus of so many players, you are not going to see under par. But you see some really hard golf courses around this country you think that no one is going to shoot a low number and some guy shoots 62 and you go "how the hell did he do that," so, Norman shooting 66 today was pretty good too, wasn't it? So.....