KEMPER OPEN

June 5, 1998

Brad Fabel

BRAD FABEL: Well, let's see. I didn't really feel good today on the practice range, kind of spread it around a little bit. But through about 12 holes, I don't think I missed a shot. Everything was just about as good as I could hope for. Got to -- had a little shaky drive on 13, was lucky, hit a tree, didn't go out of bounds. Shaky par there, birdied the next hole. 9 under. Then been working on some things in my swing. I think they left me a little bit coming in. I was hitting a driver right and the irons left coming in. So I got a little bit to work on. I'm a little disappointed with the finish. But all in all, it was a real good day.

BRAD FABEL: Well, I don't know. I think it's, you know, if you play as much as we do, they all kind of look the same. The holes, bunkers right and bunkers left and this, that and the other thing. I have played well here. I like some of the fairways. I feel like I control the distance with the irons, as well as everybody else feels that way too. But there's a few holes here that you have to get by. There's a few holes you can kind of pick on. The course sets up pretty well for me, I guess. I enjoy playing here.

BRAD FABEL: Well, I think -- you know, if there's not any wind, the course is always set up for low numbers. I think what you're going to see in the afternoon rounds are -- there will be some good ones. But I think the greens get more difficult in the afternoon. A lot of poa annua during the afternoon. They tend to grow during the day.

BRAD FABEL: This morning?

BRAD FABEL: They were perfect this morning. They rode very well. Of course, as the day went on they got a little spiked up and a little bumpier, but that's part of it.

BRAD FABEL: Well, I finished 10th first time of the year, and then I just kind of made a few cuts, then I took a little skid for six, eight weeks. And, finally, just took some time off and took a week off and kind of broke down the swing and found some things. And I've been playing really well the last three weeks, going into this week. I've had a little trouble with big numbers on holes that have held me back and hurt me some. Overall, the putting is coming around. I'm driving the ball well, and the irons are coming back. So hopefully we're on our way back in the right direction.

BRAD FABEL: Yeah, yeah. I've been working on some things with my swing, and I've got some old tendencies that in this game, when it seems like you have heat on you, you go with where your comfort zone is. That was my old tendency. So they caused me some problems coming in. I'm going to go work on it and try to learn from that, especially tomorrow and the next day.

BRAD FABEL: Well, you know, I got 9 under. And then all of a sudden the cameras show up, the people show up, you know you're leading the golf tournament. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little nervous. And when I get a little nervous -- in tight situations, my tendencies let my grip get a little too strong and it just causes me problems. So, you know, when you get under the gun like that, you kind of just -- you just hope your swing holds up. Because, I mean, a lot of things go through your mind. You set up there and try to swing it and hope your practice paid off. I think I got a little out of sync coming in.

BRAD FABEL: I think I was leading this tournament with -- I forgot what year it was. I was leading, standing on the 12th tee. I think it was the year Bill Glasson won.

BRAD FABEL: Yeah.

BRAD FABEL: That particular day?

BRAD FABEL: Oh, I don't remember much about it anymore. I remember making a couple bogeys, 16, 17 and 18, well, and 15. Those last four holes are pretty good holes. You can go through them, make them look pretty easy. But if you miss a fairway or miss a green, then they become really difficult. I think that's what happened that year. I think I missed some greens coming in and couldn't get them up-and-down. But, you know, this whole golf course is really very simple, if you play it from the fairway and on the green. But when you have trouble, it seems to be very penalizing.

BRAD FABEL: There's another question right there.

BRAD FABEL: That was to save bogey.

BRAD FABEL: Yeah. I didn't hit a very good putt. Even though it was a short putt, it was a hard putt. It broke pretty good to the right. It was one of those, if you get it out of the hole to the left, it may not break. It was just one of those -- I wasn't sure about the reads. Yeah, I had that one squirreled in.

BRAD FABEL: Yeah, 4 I hit 3-wood, 6-iron, probably 25 feet pin high, made that. 5, hit sand wedge 4 feet. 6, hit a driver 3-iron about 40 feet, two-putt. 7, I hit an 8-iron to about an inch. 10, hit a 9-iron to about 5 feet. 11 I hit 7-iron about 15 feet behind the hole. And then 14, hit a sand wedge about 8 feet.

BRAD FABEL: Oh, you would have to bring that up.

BRAD FABEL: 15, let's see, 15, I wasn't sure of my club selection. I took the longer one, left it out to the right a little bit, hit it in the right bunker, which is not the place to be, and fell into a questionable rake job. I didn't have much chance with that shot. I was lucky to keep it on upper tier and missed about a 20-footer for par. And I guess you want to know about 17.

BRAD FABEL: 17, let's see, Larry Mize hit first. He hit a 5-iron about 5 feet from the hole. I'm a little longer than Larry, and Andy Bean hit 5-iron short of the hole. I was a little confused on what club selection. I hit a 5-iron, again, pulled it, hit solid but pulled it, lands up and rolls in the back bunker which actually the dead. I had to play away from the pin just to keep it on the upper level. I had about a 25-footer there for par, missed it. As he pointed out, was happy to make four. Now they're gone.

BRAD FABEL: You know, I wasn't -- I wasn't -- I just, I just seemed like I was not hitting it that well on the range. First hole, I just nailed the drive, hit a 9-iron about 4 feet and missed the putt. But hit two good shots then I just got started hitting it very well, then after a couple holes I kind of got settled down, started swinging well.

BRAD FABEL: Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes, you know, the keys you're using that day are working, then you're not searching. When you have a tough day is when you try things that don't work, so then you try something else. But things I tried worked today.

BRAD FABEL: Thank you.