THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 27, 1999

Skip Kendall

SKIP KENDALL: Well, it was just -- it was survival day today. I knew it was going to be brutally hard out there. I guess hard was the key word. It sure was. I just tried to stay patient, and when I hit a bad shot, I was actually trying to miss shots in good places. Like where I did on 18 or, you know, if the pin was in a place where I knew there was no way I could get after it, even if it was to miss the green to the other side, to where I had a good chip shot at it, you know, you just -- you just had to think your way around and try to hit the shots that you wanted to do. And fortunately it worked out pretty good for me, so....

SKIP KENDALL: My caddie wanted me to actually putt it. Shows you how much he, you know, likes my chipping abilities. I said: No way. This is definitely -- I just want to get it over the hump there and let, get it to the hole. And it came off perfect and was one of those about three feet from the hole. It just looked like it couldn't miss, so it just hit it dead center.

SKIP KENDALL: Well, probably about it was probably maybe a 20-foot chip shot, somewhere in there. I was just short of the green, but into the green, just right at the hole.

SKIP KENDALL: Well, for me, I mean, it is the kind of course that the guys that hit it real long, it kind of brings, you know, my kind of game back into it, I think. I mean, fairways and greens are very important. Length necessarily isn't, you know, an attribute on days like this or courses like this. It is if you can hit it straight. But as firm as the ground is, I think it is very difficult to hit it 320 right down the middle without it rolling off somewhere into the rough. So it is just kind of a day that you just go to the best you can, and for me it is good.

SKIP KENDALL: I am not amazed at all. I come here to win. I want to play well.

SKIP KENDALL: No, for me I don't think of a number. I just want to take one shot at a time - the old cliche - do the best I can.

SKIP KENDALL: I got to be honest, I didn't notice. I do look at leaderboards, but I honestly didn't notice at the time. And we were walking down 18 and looked at Joey Sindelar. He said the guys are moving backwards, I saw I was at 4-under. It is kind of a surprise to me, not so much, I mean, a surprise, but I guess being, now that you told me 8-under, I know how hard the golf course is playing. One little error out there and you are making bogey for sure. I am kind of glad. I mean, it has worked out nicely for me, and I doubt it is going to be leading at the end of the day. But you know, yeah, whatever happens, happens. If I am, I am. If not, that is fine, just go to the best I can tomorrow.

SKIP KENDALL: Did I? I think 3-under was going to be leading.

SKIP KENDALL: I just knew it was going to be a tough day. When I looked out the window this morning, 8 o'clock, I saw it was a little windy already; then as hard as the golf course is, as firm as it is, as firm as the greens are, I mean, it is just -- you know, you got to pucker up a little bit and hit some shots.

SKIP KENDALL: Borderline, I would say. I mean, when I have a shot that is 161 yards to the hole on 14 and I am trying to land the ball probably 132 or 133 yards to keep it anywhere just on the green, I don't know, you guys tell me. I am not sure. I mean, I don't think I should be the one to answer that. But that is the way it is. Everyone is playing the same golf course, so I guess it is fair for the tournament because everyone is doing it, so --

SKIP KENDALL: It is the same every week. That is the way the golf courses are set up now, so, that is just the way it is. Until somebody, a committee, the Tour, anyone -- I won't say it is unfair. But it is borderline. I mean, when you got the wind blowing 20 miles an hour out there and the greens as firm as they are, I saw some great shots today land that would have been great shots probably, if we are playing at home or something that's just gone. I mean, they just one-hop and adios. I don't hit the ball real high with a lot of spin either, so that is another thing. Should I have to change my game to suit the PGA TOUR, I am not sure. A lot of it depends on weather conditions though too. If it would have rained Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it would have been real soft and, you know, that is not the case.

SKIP KENDALL: Yeah, if I hit it in the rough, I pretty much am chipping out, so, I just take my sand wedge, 9-iron, 8-iron, and just try to hit it up the fairway as far as I can; and you know, just rely on my wedge game to get it close. That is the only play I have and I played with Joey Sindelar today, who is real strong, and he is pretty much in the same boat, so you know, if a guy like that is doing it, you know it is pretty deep.

SKIP KENDALL: It is an okay start. I haven't been real pleased lately. I really, I struck the ball well through San Diego. I played L.A., Doral, and Bay Hill last week. Three tournaments since then, I have hit it horribly. But I have worked hard with my instructor, Gary Smith, and things seem to be back on track and hitting it nicely, real solid.

SKIP KENDALL: You always hope that. (laughs) I had a good feeling before the week started, or actually during practice rounds. However a little side note, I threw my back out on Wednesday picking up a ball on the first green, and Thursday morning couldn't get out of bed. My wife actually had to even put my socks on for me; I couldn't bend over. I told her when I left that I would be right back and Billy Ray Brown, first alternate, he was watching me like a hawk. But it loosened up enough, and I am wearing a brace to where I could play, obviously. And it really hasn't affected me too much on the golf course.

SKIP KENDALL: I guess that is true. I honestly didn't think there was any way I could play Thursday when I got out of bed. I could not bend over to put on my socks. My wife was actually calling me our son's name, joking around, you know. He is nine months. Noah. I know I am going to pay for it later.

SKIP KENDALL: Yes. It actually hurts more when I sit, when I get back up, because it stiffens up. And it has been kind of nice. I haven't practiced at all after the rounds. I can -- I just go get worked on in the trailer and, you know, just trying to get by day by day. I don't know, maybe it has been a blessing. I am not sure. But I am thinking more about if I can play the next day rather than where I am in the tournament. That has been -- maybe that is a blessing.

SKIP KENDALL: Not too much, no. It loosens up pretty good with what I do beforehand, before the round starts. It doesn't really affect me too much.

SKIP KENDALL: It obviously was something that was there before. It hasn't really bothered me -- I think all golfers have bad backs; but I think my back, I do stretching exercises all the time, and I am on a pretty strict workout program. It really hasn't bothered me in about a year and a half. I guess with all the practice that I have done lately because I have -- I hadn't been hitting it very well, and you're just working real hard at the game, that I guess it was bound to happen, no matter what I did. And I was just bending down, and I kind of twisted at the same time, and I felt it twinge, and I knew I did it. That was it for Wednesday, first green.

SKIP KENDALL: Oh, yeah.

SKIP KENDALL: Definitely mentally. You know, you really have to decide on where you want to hit your shots, and like I was saying before, really where you want to miss them is what it comes down to.

SKIP KENDALL: Yeah, this was definitely a distraction. It was just real bad timing, because I felt really good Wednesday day, Wednesday morning, warmed up very nicely, felt good, and just wanted to get my last practice round in and, boom, first green, just felt it go.

SKIP KENDALL: I can feel it. It is always there, but it really -- I can honestly say it really hasn't bothered me on any shots. It actually hurts more when I miss-hit it because, I guess, when you kind of clank it, the vibration when it goes up the shaft, so, I am working real hard on hitting it solid (laughs).

SKIP KENDALL: It is the truth, because it really does. It hurts more on bad shots than it does when you make a good swing and hit it solid.

SKIP KENDALL: I am just on a lot of drugs right now. Just kidding (laughter). I don't know. Just, you know, you really have to think your way around, and like I said, I am just trying to hit it solid and make the right play. I think that is the most important thing.

SKIP KENDALL: After -- I felt really good. I knew that it was okay when I could make a full stride walking, so I couldn't -- I was kind of shuffling Thursday morning, and after I went to the trailer and the guys worked on me in there for a while and I put the brace on, which I hadn't done yet, I could make a full stride. So I knew that -- they have some weighted clubs in the trailer too, and I was swinging it okay. It is different when you put the ball down there though. But it felt okay, and first tee I hit a great shot on Thursday morning, so I knew that it was okay.

SKIP KENDALL: I am scheduled to play next week, and I really think that it seems like when I have hurt my back in the past that I don't hurt it anymore. It is not like a disc problem. So I probably will play next week anyway, because I have the benefit of having the Healthsouth trailer out there. Those guys work on me. If I just stay at home, I wouldn't get any treatment on it. I could rest, but it probably will heal faster out here than it will if I just go home.

SKIP KENDALL: Never done it before. I could rewrench it at home more than I would out here, to be quite honest. It seems like once it happens though, it just gradually gets better until it is fine.

SKIP KENDALL: Yeah, and even 16 is a tough hole. I mean it is downwind, but the second shot into the green is -- you have to land it on the front left part of the green, otherwise it is through the green. At least my kind of shot, I guess. Or if you are hitting like 8-iron into the green, but I had to hit full 3-iron in. And even to hit 3-iron for me is -- you knew it was downwind. But they are all tough, yeah.

SKIP KENDALL: No, I am.

SKIP KENDALL: I don't think -- I think it is illegal, actually.

SKIP KENDALL: Shucks. Can I put it on my putter after I putt and then pull it out and then take it off.....

SKIP KENDALL: Bogeyed two, hit it in the left trees, chipped out, had 4-iron into the green and pulled it left of the green. Virtually had no shot; couldn't even see the ball because the pin was kind of tucked left on 2. Got it up on the green and missed about probably a 15-footer actually. Hit a good chip shot, but missed the putt. Birdied 3, hit 5-iron, caught the slope nicely, went down to about ten feet and made it. Birdied 13, par 3, hit a really good shot. It just landed on the top and ran through the green. Probably had 15, 18 feet from the fringe. Hit 6-iron. Bogey on 15, hit it just barely first cut on the right side, tried to cut a 4-iron back into the wind, hit a pretty good shot, but it landed just short and left and rolled down into a collection area. Had a pretty tough chip, though, and actually you hit it over the green back onto the other fringe. 2-putted from there. Birdied the next hole 3-iron into the green probably about 18 feet I had for eagle. Missed it, but 2-putted.

SKIP KENDALL: Right.

SKIP KENDALL: Hit 5-iron. I had like 190 something to the hole.

SKIP KENDALL: Yeah, I knew if I landed it up on the green where the pin was, it was all the way to the back, I was actually trying to land it just short and left and just have it collect left down there and have it 25 feet, whatever, I hit it actually right at the hole. When it landed it kind of stayed right there into the fringe, so, I only had probably, yeah, about 20 feet probably for the chip shot. Kind of lucky actually it didn't go into the long rough. I don't know if it landed in there or not, but it might have.

SKIP KENDALL: Not really, I don't think so.

SKIP KENDALL: Well, you know, as the week started out I really felt like I could play well here with the way the conditions were, hard and fast. Then I did that with my back and really like I said, all I was really trying to do is play. I have really -- I have played well. I just like to go out tomorrow and hopefully some good things will happen. -. I putted extremely well today as well as hit it pretty solid, so I think that will be a big key tomorrow. I mean, it comes down to on these greens, I mean, you know, putting and short game, really because you are going to miss a lot of greens and you are going to have a lot of, 3-, 4-, 5-footers, 6-footers for par; maybe even 10-footers and if you can make a large percentage of those hopefully you will do okay.

SKIP KENDALL: Yeah, definitely. It is just inevitable the way the greens are, you are going to have those size putts. So if you can do well on those you should do okay. If you can pretty much keep it out on the water and the rough and all that other stuff.