ENERGIZER SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

November 5, 1998

Bob Duval

BOB DUVAL: One or two?

BOB DUVAL: I played really good up through the 6th hole before I made the eagle. I only missed one green and had it in there pretty close for birdies on 1, 2, fairly good 3. And then on 4, the par 5, I hit a 5-iron over the green, didn't make par there instead of making birdie there, and then that kick-start was that wedge going in and then just paring out, and then making a really good birdie on that 12th hole.

BOB DUVAL: I had like 97 yards. Sand wedge. And then I hit a good 3-iron on 12 and made 2.

BOB DUVAL: Probably about 20 feet. And then 13, I made about a -- I made about a 25-footer there for birdie to get to 4-under. And then 15, I had it real close. I left it on the lip. 16, I hit what I thought was a really good wedge shot. Came up short and I chipped it a little long and then made the putt coming back down the hill. And then 17, made a good putt there for birdie. And then 18, drove it with a 9-iron up to the green. I don't know if I hit it at -- I only had 142 yards straight down to the pin. And then just a solid 9-iron puts it into the green on the top level. So that was my only bogey of the day. It was a good round. I hit a lot of greens and a lot of fairways.

BOB DUVAL: 13, I hit a driver. I hit a 3-wood and I hit a 9-iron, and it was about 25 feet.

BOB DUVAL: 17 I hit a 9-iron probably 15 feet. Mike McCullough had just hit a -- I had to move my mark, and he rolled his about 15 feet by the hole. And I said: Man, this putt must be fast. And I got a good read off him and made it.

BOB DUVAL: Oh, I think it did. Because it was pretty cold last year. And I knew what to expect. I really don't try to attack the course today at all. I just tried to hit a lot of fairways and greens, which I did, and make a couple putts and anytime you hole a wedge shot, that's a plus. I figured today was an even par -- anything under par is a great round, even par was a good round. And that's how I approached it today, was to try and stay in there -- or get it under. So it was cold.

BOB DUVAL: No, no, I don't. I've had a great time out here on the SENIOR TOUR, and I've had two or three opportunities this year to win and didn't. You know, probably because -- I don't have the experience and, I don't know, maybe -- maybe I'm going to be like David. It took him two years and then he took off. So my window of opportunity is a little less than his. But, you know, maybe the more experience I get -- because today when I got to 5-under, I was very calm. And last year, if I got to 5-under first round or any round, I get a little jumpy. And today I was really calm and hit a lot of good shots. And so I think I'm learning; learning how to handle my emotions more. And I think the more experience -- like I've 56 or 57 total tournaments on the SENIOR TOUR. And that's not a lot compared to what the Mike McCulloughs and Hubert Greens have played over their career.

BOB DUVAL: I think that's part of it. And not knowing how to handle, you know, my emotions. And, I mean, everybody is going to get a little nervous. But if you're there enough, you know how to handle it. And I know they call David the best player not to win, maybe 14 months ago. And, you know, once he -- once he broke the dam, you know, the flood waters came through. So I hope I'll be the same way.

BOB DUVAL: Well, being from north Florida, if you've ever been there in November, on the beaches in November, December, January and February -- it's just like this. It really is just like this. We'll get a lot of days like this and we go out and play. I mean, I enjoy playing in this kind of weather. Because it is a challenge. And it -- if you -- if you hit the ball well, you get rewarded. And you don't have to putt it real good. By that, I mean it's not a putting contest for the golf tournament, because it takes a lot of people and it puts shot-making into the game instead of just putting. And the course was long. This course suits my game a little bit more than -- I mean, playing with Hubert today, he played well, except he made a bogey on the last hole. But he'd have been at even par. But he was hitting a lot of woods to the par 4s and I was hitting 5-irons, 4-irons, 5-iron, 6-iron. So that makes a big difference. And he's great up-and-down, so he makes up for a lot. But it's hard out there.

BOB DUVAL: Yeah, couple shots I hit a 150 -- a 145 to 155 yards into the wind, and that's normally an 8-iron shot, into the wind -- not into the wind, just normal circumstances. And today I was sitting the 6-iron and 5-iron and had 179 -- 178 yards on 12, the par 3. And that's -- that's usually a 5- or 6-iron, and I hit a 3-iron today. So it was -- at times it was an one, two, and three club wind, depending on what gust you've got. So it was hard to figure sometimes. Guessing game. Just pick it out and catch the right one, hopefully.

BOB DUVAL: No. Because I -- I missed a short put on 15 for birdie and, you know, and then 16, I thought I hit a really good second shot. And then 17, I birdied. And then 18 I drove it up there with a 9-iron to the green with what I thought was a 9-iron, maybe I should have hit 8. But it didn't have any effect. I was trying to make birdie on the last hole. I think last year I was tied for the lead after two rounds here and got paired with Gil and Hale. So that was a tough third round, but anyway, I think I finished 7th here last year.

BOB DUVAL: He makes a lot of money, first. David never pressured himself to win, okay. Everybody else put pressure on him to win, but David never put pressure on himself to win. He knew he was going to win, and it was just a matter of timing and when. And all the circumstances have to be together for you to win. And you know, you get in position and you play good coming down the stretch and somebody else plays better and you don't win. I mean earlier in the year, one of our senior events, I think it was Larry Ziegler bogeyed the last three holes and won it. So you never know when those circumstances -- if you get there enough, I think something is going to happen, good. And you know, I mean, guys like Hale and Gil, they are just there all the time. So they win -- they win all the time. But there's 37 events out here and they have won five or six or seven each.

BOB DUVAL: I'm trying to be more calm on the golf course, yes: In other words, level with emotions, like David has. David hits a bad shot and it really doesn't effect him and he's not afraid to go hit a golf shot either. If he has to hit a 2-iron over water, he'll hit a 2-iron over water. So he's not afraid to hit the shots. I've learned that over the last year is I'm not afraid to go and hit a shot and maybe make some stupid shots like I did in Hawaii, make 9 on the last hole. But you've got to be there and hit it, because you hit it all the time when you're just goofing around back in Ponte Vedra. And the more you put yourself in that position, something is going to come through and I make a plot of birdies. So if you make a lot of birdies and eliminate those mental errors, I think, something good will happen. But I'm looking forward to next year. Now I've played all the golf courses. I'll be able to really, I think, not pick and choose the tournaments I play in, because I'm going to play a full schedule. But to get up for golf courses that I really like and other golf courses that don't suit my game, just like this course doesn't suit somebody else's game. So I'm looking forward to next year. It's going to be a good year.