FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

August 1, 1998

Paul Azinger

PAUL AZINGER: I hit it really good today, tee-to-green. I hope I can hit it that good tomorrow. I will probably make -- I made one, maybe two real bad mistakes, hitting driver off 10 was a mistake. I think today I hit it into the bunker and trying to go for the green out of the bunker was a mistake and I made double bogey there. I missed a lot of makeable putts today. It has been -- it was frustrating. I have been putting exceptionally well and today I didn't capitalize on what could have been a really good score. So I am a little disappointed, but I have said for the last several months that my goal is to just get in contention as much as possible and it is like, first things first, and I have got myself in contention and so I will just be satisfied with where I am. I can only hope I hit it that good tomorrow.

PAUL AZINGER: I hit 5-iron short of the green by 15 yards and chipped it up about six feet. I hit driver, 6-iron on 6, 15 feet.

PAUL AZINGER: Missed it left with a 9-iron, 2-putt bogey. 9, hit driver, 7-iron, three feet. 10, I told you about. My shot out the bunker hit the lip and went in the water, double-bogey. Hit it close on 12, close on 13.

PAUL AZINGER: Close, you know, seven feet, six feet. And I hit, stiffed it on 18 to about six feet, five feet, missed that. That was disappointing, but I made about an 18-footer on 15 for birdie - 1-iron, 9-iron, and I got it up-and-down from pretty far left of the green on 16, the par 5 and made about a 6-footer.

PAUL AZINGER: Were you out there?

PAUL AZINGER: I didn't see you out there. 4, I hit 6-iron long, thought I hit a good chip, big breaking thing, went 15 or 20 feet by, whatever it was, down under the collar; putted that with sand wedge, kind of bladed it, on the collar. That was a miracle. I forgot about that. All I can remember are the ones I missed, forget about the ones that go in. And I hit 4-iron out of the bunker on 7.

PAUL AZINGER: 202 to the hole. Pretty good shot. Only 15 feet away or so. Unbelievable shot, really. I caught a decent lie in there.

PAUL AZINGER: Putter.

PAUL AZINGER: I could have dropped, but to go on the good side of the cart path, it was closer for me to go backwards and drop would have been closer to the hole -- and placing on the downslope that would have been terrible. There was a ramp, my ball was only this far on the path going that direction and there was like a little tiny little ramp and I just thought that I would putt it and it might hit that perfect bounce up in the air and who knows it will have topspin, hop out of the rough. I chose to putt it. It didn't hop up like I thought. It kind of came out a little lower and actually I guess it must have just skimmed the top of it. And it went 30 or 40 feet by. It would have been a miracle shot. That was my only option, really.

PAUL AZINGER: I don't know. I mean, it is not like I have been in contention a whole bunch. Just only recently and you know, Peter Costas asked me today, you know, the classic question: What is missing now? What do you need to do now? Well, I mean, I don't know the answer to that. I said: I don't really think anything is missing, I just have to pull it off. Just got to do it. It is not easy to win. It is not like if you go through the motions you will win. It is -- I don't want to ever pretend that it was ever easy for me to win because it never was. Not one win ever came easy to me. And if I happen to play good enough tomorrow to have a chance coming down the stretch, it won't be easy either. It is always a grind. You always have to -- you know, really think about what you are doing out there. You can't forget a simple key. You can't make bad decisions off the tee. I mean, if you say it is mental, I don't know. I don't think so at this point. I think it is just the whole package, being able to pull it off.

PAUL AZINGER: Yeah, I am completely confident. I feel like right now I am, you know, right where I need to be to give myself chances - back when I played my best golf - 1993 was a monster year for me, and I would say that I am probably, tee-to-green, not any different than I was then. And I think around the greens, I am probably not any different than I was then, right now, right this minute. Now, the difference in now and 93 was 93 I sustained it for a whole long time. I actually sustained it for a number of years really where, at any given week, it could happen for me and I could have a chance to win, that was probably from 87 to 39. Now I am back to that position really where I feel that any given week now it can all come together and I could have a chance. And I don't know that two years ago, if I put it all together, I could finish within 10 shots of the lead; let alone have a chance to win. So there has been a lot of little things have gotten good enough that have afforded me some opportunities.

PAUL AZINGER: I feel great. (laughter).

PAUL AZINGER: Anywhere I were to play well and if I were to pull it off anywhere, it would be very special for me. I think that the difference here would be that it might be special for some other people. It might be special for some people that are really sick and battling what I kind have had to battle and they may be able to draw some hope and inspiration from me. That is kind of a -- that is a nice other story, you know, if I were to be able to do it.