SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 8, 2002

Bobby Wadkins

BOBBY WADKINS: Everything was good until the last hole. I was not playing great all week and realizing par was a pretty good score. I was just trying to hit as many greens as I could, and if I had a putt I thought I could make, tried to make it and the rest two putted, except for finishing with a six on 18, I did what I needed to do.

BOBBY WADKINS: Bogeyed the hole right out of the box. Hit an 8-iron on the front of the green, it sunk back off the green, probably 40 yards short of the green, chipped it up and two-putted. Birdied the second hole. Pin high in two, just off the right of the green, chipped it about three feet and made it. The Par 3, I had a 5-iron, probably about 10 feet right at the hole and made that one. The next hole I had 152 into the wind, hit a 7-iron about a foot, two feet. If Lanny was here, I would say two feet. I drove it into the left rough at 8 and had a horrendous lie, couldn't get it to the green from 145 yards, not a great chip, about 12, 15 feet, and missed that. 11, I had like 127, hit a baby 9-iron about 6 feet. 14, I had a good drive there and hit a good 9-iron there, 140 against the wind, and hit it in there about six feet and made that. 18, I had a crummy drive. It was ugly to the left, just tried to chip it out, couldn't get it all the way out. I was underneath the Pine tree. Hit a good shot just off the green, and had another bad lie, didn't hit a good enough chip shot, pretty good putt that didn't go in, and it all adds up to six.

BOBBY WADKINS: I think two under was leading going into today. It was a surprise. My goal was to shoot somewhere in the 60s today, and I felt like I would be close enough to be in contention tomorrow. My whole goal was to go out there and play like I played the first two days, make as few bogeys as possible, make a birdie whenever you could. I felt if I could get it into the 60s today that I would be within two or three shots of the lead. I was very surprised that one under was leading. It's just a good golf course. You've got to drive your ball. The older generation that we are now, you knock it in the rough, you're not as strong as you used to be to get the ball out. I think 25 years ago, I could have gotten some of these balls on the green that I'm looking at now. It's a good golf course. You have got to play from Hole 1 to 18, there's no let up holes out there.

BOBBY WADKINS: Because you have to put your second shot -- your second shot has to be in the fairway and you have to be down there past the bunker where you have a wedge, 8- or 9-iron into the green. It's not the widest green in the world to shoot at. I imagine most of the guys that hit a bad shot are the guys in the last couple of groups. You just don't want to mess up. So the thing about making a birdie, you try not to make bogey, and that's the wrong mind set. You could go back in the history. You've seen a lot of great shots there and a lot of guys hit a bad shot when they didn't need to do it. It's just a good hole.

BOBBY WADKINS: I've had trouble with my back all year, and I get here about three hours before I play every morning. I've come to the conclusion I have to putt when I first get in here, and go into the trailer and let them work on it, and straight from the trailer to the practice tee and hit balls and straight to the first tee. Once I stop it gets real tight. It's been messed up ever since -- for a while, and I just have to work it out. Sometimes I've played pain-free. In the day, the couple of bad shots, I'm going to blame it on my back. I can't blame it on myself, so I'm going to blame it on my back.

BOBBY WADKINS: If you can't walk 18 holes, you shouldn't be out here.

BOBBY WADKINS: I hadn't thought about that, but since you said it, it would be very special. It was special coming out last year and winning my first tournament like he did. He was the last one to do it. I hadn't even thought about that scenario that he has won here. Only thing I remember about playing here is, in '86 or '87, I won in Japan and he won in Australia, so we got paired together the next year. His son was born on Wednesday before he played on Thursday. He came and played a practice round and then he flew back home, but we got paired together and I shot a 64, and he shot like 76, I whipped him by 12. That's my fondest memory of Firestone.

BOBBY WADKINS: It's a senior major, yes. There are only four majors. For us senior golfers now, it's great to play in front of people. We've had some nice crowds here, and it brings back some great memories of playing golf in front of people. When you hit a good shot, they clap. When you hit a bad shot, someone is going to tell you you hit a bad one. I was playing with Fuzzy, and I heard all the "Go Fuzzy" stuff all day. So it was fun.

BOBBY WADKINS: I think at that time we weren't talking to each other. (Laughter) I watched it on TV. I played in the World Series I think in '79 was the first time when I got in off the money list. And then I got in again in like I said '87, I think. I played the American Golf Classic a couple of times. You've seen the last five or six holes on TV since you were a kid, so you know everything about it. The only thing that's changed since the last time I was here are the greens. From tee to green, it's pretty much the same, your tee shots and stuff, but they've made some changes with the greens.

BOBBY WADKINS: I attribute is to a tough golf course. The greens, we've been lucky. Lanny and I played a practice round Monday, and the greens were twice as firm as they are now. We've gotten a break with the rains softening the greens up a little bit. They've picked up some speed today. But on the other hand, we're losing some roll on the fairways and stuff. Quite frankly, it's a golf course that myself or Thorpe or a couple of guys who hit the ball high and basically long, should have a good week.

BOBBY WADKINS: They were just good Saturday pins. You have to realize, it's the third round of a tournament. Things are a little bit different now. People start thinking different. Some of them knowing they're going to get on TV, and whatever it is, you're just a little bit more nervous than you normally are. And for some of the guys on our tour who walk every day, I'm sure after playing two practice rounds walking, and then walking in the rain and stuff, that there are some tired legs out there.

BOBBY WADKINS: Hell, no. I knew 17 and 18 -- you're never home free here. You won't be free here tomorrow until you walk off the last green and you have the lowest score. Too many things have happened. I'm disappointed by making 6, but it's not going to ruin my day. The whole goal today when I teed off was to make sure that I had a chance with nine holes to go tomorrow. If you can't run away with the golf tournament, then you want to be there Sunday afternoon. And I'm going to be in the last group tomorrow, so I can watch everything that takes place.

BOBBY WADKINS: I think the guy that goes up there -- it always boils down to the guy who trusts his swing the most the last nine holes. If you're hitting some good shots, and we've all been in that situation where we've had a chance to win and won some and lost some. You have to trust what you're doing. It might boil down to a good break, who gets a break here, a break there. You're right, everybody that's on the Senior Tour, most of the players who played with me on the regular tour, they've been in this situation before. So it's not like you have any rookies out here in the last couple of groups.

BOBBY WADKINS: Yes. There is no reason. I can go out there tomorrow, and play halfway decent and shoot 72. Somebody is four back, they go out and shoot three or four under, then we have got a ball game. Very easily, yes.

BOBBY WADKINS: Thanks for coming down