SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2001

Allen Doyle

ALLEN DOYLE: I played -- you know, I thought I played very well, you know, especially on the back nine. I was one over going into 10 and then birdied 4 straight holes and then made a good birdie on 14. So, you know, at one time I was, you know, six back or something. And, you know, I decided on the back nine I had to get a little more aggressive. And, you know, fortunately I did and made some good birdies. I got back in this thing. Yeah, I birdied 10, I hit a pitch and wedge in from about 120 on 10 to about 12 feet or so, made that. Then I hit a pitching wedge about the same yardage on 11, about five feet and birdied that. 12 I hit a 5-iron, I think we had 180, about ten, 12 feet and birdied that. 13, I hit a sand wedge in from about 105 yards about 12 feet, made that. And then on 15, the par three, I hit an 8-iron in about ten, 12 feet and made that.

ALLEN DOYLE: Number one.

ALLEN DOYLE: The save on 14 was about six, seven feet from above the hole, so that was a hell of a putt to make.

ALLEN DOYLE: Well, you know, I don't ever feel that way. I feel, you know, I'm in a hell of a good spot, you know. If I can get out there the first one out there, you know, start the men, make some noise, those fairways narrow up a little and the greens get a little harder to read. So, yeah, I'm in great shape, I think.

ALLEN DOYLE: My oldest daughter Erin was on the bag. She's caddied for me full-time this year. I don't know of anybody who's ever had a calming effect on me. I had my children through the years. And I like to think I stayed a lot cooler than I did in years past. But, you know, I think the championship takes care of that. You know, you know that there's a little too much at stake to be losing control.

ALLEN DOYLE: Oh, yeah, there's always some of that, you know, sure there is. You know, because you -- once you see the ball going in the hole, you know, there are times it gets contagious. You know, I think that happened today. You know, you really don't think a whole lot of it after you, you know, get off the green. But, you know, when you're on the green and someone holes, you know, a 20 footer or a 15 footer, it seems like the holes are a little more accessible.

ALLEN DOYLE: You know, I have no idea. I try, you know, when I go into a last round, you know, to not have a -- put a number up there that I think I have to shoot or let's say I -- you know, or I have an idea what holes I should or shouldn't birdie. You know, if you start off, you've got one and two, you've got some pretty good chances on one and two, but if you didn't birdie those two, you know, you can't say geez, I let a birdie slip away so now I've got to birdie one of these next or two of these next five holes or I thought I only need to birdie one. You know, I don't ever think like that. I go out, I see how it plays out the front nine. You know, you hope you can stay close in the front nine and then you, you know, then you've got the back nine, you know, right in front of you, you know what's happening. You know, you were talking about leaderboards, you've got plenty of leaderboards so you know exactly what's happening. And, you know, if you're close, you know, you know what you have to do. But I don't ever go out with a goal score in mind.

ALLEN DOYLE: Well, they'd say -- well, you know, they wouldn't say anything, they'd probably say I should be doing better if they were the ones that were trying to change my swing. They'd probably -- yeah, I've played plenty of guys. You know, I had an old pro that I worked for where I caddied and worked in the bag room and he used to tell me, you know, if they can't beat you, you know, don't pay attention to them. And no one could beat me. And, you know, it looks odd, but it repeats. And, you know, I'm certainly I'm no Tom Watson. You know, I don't have his pedigree. But, you know, I'll go out there and scratch and fight tomorrow and, you know, we'll see what happens.

ALLEN DOYLE: Well, it doesn't matter when you're playing. When you get through and, you know, you -- following the week or two or three, you know, if you're fortunate enough to win, you know, and you're going places where they're congratulating you, you know, no offense to Jules Mason, but if I beat him, you know, it wouldn't be much to crow about. And no one, you know, would give you the credit and maybe that you were due. Now, if you beat the named players out here, then you've got, you know, a stamp of, you know, of quality on that win, you know, and that -- that's a good feeling.