BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 22, 1999

Steve Pate

STEVE PATE: Well, obviously went pretty well. First time I have shot anything low. I have to say it is because -- it is one of the first times I have ever read these greens properly. They are absolutely perfect. Tough to miss a putt on perfect greens, but I usually find a way to do it. I somehow managed to ride them today, and it was quite a bonus.

STEVE PATE: Hit a driver, wedge about 15 feet, birdied No. 3, hit 2-iron and 8-iron, 15 feet. Birdied No. 5, hit a driver and 9-iron about eight feet, made it. Birdied No. 6, hit a 7-iron and 9-iron about 15 feet, made it. Birdied No. 8, I hit two 3-woods inside bunker and hit it out about three feet, made it. Birdied No. 9, hit driver, 9-iron about 15 feet, made it. Birdied 13, driver 4-iron, sand wedge about twelve feet, made it. And birdied 18, hit driver, 2-iron L-wedge about six feet -- five feet, made it.

STEVE PATE: Pretty much, yeah. If I don't do it, who else is going to do it?

STEVE PATE: Yeah. I don't know, that is what you call "Realistic." If I suck, I suck. I have got to figure out how to improve on that.

STEVE PATE: Physical injuries?

STEVE PATE: Yeah, everything is healthy. I am a little more -- little extra time with maintenance on them, but definitely over -- everything functions properly for the most part.

STEVE PATE: Yeah, I didn't get hurt. Got broadsided by a deer on my bicycle.

STEVE PATE: Pretty simple, my dog was chasing a deer and it panicked; it broadsided me. Fortunately it was quite young and it only weighed 40, 50 pounds, so it couldn't do a lot.

STEVE PATE: They were very firm, yeah, the front side, especially, but I had a lot of short irons from the fairways and pins were not on the front fringe for the most part. So, just laying them 20 feet short bouncing up pretty close and then the front side, they were kind of concrete and backside were kind of like asphalt. They weren't quite as hard and I hit a lot of shots that I felt were good; came about 20 feet short; which was probably the biggest difference in the two nines.

STEVE PATE: I have no idea. I don't know. Basically what are we at 15 right now? 16? What am I at? I don't know.

STEVE PATE: Am I leading?

STEVE PATE: Somebody is at 17 already?

STEVE PATE: Just when you came in here you were 16.

STEVE PATE: 25 -- just going to try and keep making birdies.

STEVE PATE: It could be. That would be nice. It would be nice if it was that way at the end on Sunday.

STEVE PATE: That is correct.

STEVE PATE: No, never played with him. I saw him out there quite often, but never played with him.

STEVE PATE: In what regards?

STEVE PATE: Obviously he got quite a good program going. There is a number of us that played for Eddie that are out on Tour. That says a lot for him right there. I don't know whether I can add to that. I think his record speaks for itself. The program wasn't much of a program before he took over and it became one of the best in the country.