FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 10, 1997

John Schroeder

JOHN SCHROEDER: Yeah. I really haven't -- I've been having a struggle all year long swing-wise, and I really haven't hit the ball well since the first week of the year. So this is probably the best round I've had, on the whole, of ball striking all year. I think I only missed one fairway, and I hit a lot of real, real quality shots, which you need to do out here. I made two solid pars opening up, knocked around the front edge of the 1st hole, 2-putted from about 40 feet, 35 feet, about ten feet off the edge of the green for a 2-putt-par. Then the par 3, the 4th, I hit a 6-iron, real tough pin, and the front part of the green 170 yards, about four feet and made that. Then the next hole is 5. Hit a real nice 3-wood. Then hit a 9-iron in there about three feet from 135 yards and made a birdie. And then basically played real solid golf coming in. I hit a 6-iron at the 8th hole, about 15 feet, made it. And, you know, shot 4-under 32 and missed --

JOHN SCHROEDER: Yeah, I said I made a birdie on four.

JOHN SCHROEDER: Had a 6-iron in there about three feet. Sorry, Jack. 170 yards. And then backside was, I think, played a little harder than the front. I think 10 and 11, the pins were very tough, and 12 I think, with the back end of the wind, was not the easiest hole. I kind of stubbed my toe on 11 and 12, made a couple of bogeys. Then I made a real good birdie at 13 after a big drive, I pushed a 4-iron for about 215 yards and got it pin-high out to the right in the rough, had to chip it all the way across the green and made about a 6-footer for birdie. Parred in, nothing real exciting. I missed a couple of chances. But I made a great save at 18 for four. I think the trees they've put in there this year and the rough up the right side have changed that hole significantly; where, before, you could be a little more aggressive off the tee and if you missed it right, there wasn't much over there except the big tree up by the water hazard you could go under. Now, with those trees, you cannot miss this fairway to the right or you're dead, and of course, you don't want to miss it to the left. I hit a 3-iron off the tee and then I had about 180 yards to the hole, tried to hit a low-cut 4-iron and pulled it in the bunker. And, I thought it was a pretty good bunker shot, but the greens way above you, it is hard to spin it when it's way above you like, ran about 12, 14 feet by, made it coming back. So that was good.

JOHN SCHROEDER: You never know in this game. You never know. I mean, I played last Sunday, I really had a chance to finish up high, hit the ball, probably for shooting 70, as poorly as I think I've ever hit it as far as having control of my swing. So I came here a little -- with a positive thought, and then I finished well. But I was really kind of trying to sort things out with my swing. And I did. I finally figured out what I've been trying to do, how to feel it. I just hit the ball beautifully today. But, I think it's a combination. I mean, as you know, I went to the -- Ann Arbor to school, and I played in Bo's event Monday. My youngest daughter Jennifer is going to be a freshman at Ann Arbor this year. She's going to play volleyball. She's here this week going to orientation. My cousin Dell Dewitt (phonetic) who is a Bloomfield Hills resident and a former state amateur champion, a close friend of mine, he's here. My in-laws coming back and forth. It's great to be kind of in my second home. That's real positive.

JOHN SCHROEDER: Yeah. You know, and I like the golf course very much. I think it requires obviously good shot making, good putting. Par is a good score. I think that kind of goes to my strong suit. And I did beat my opening score last year by nine shots. I shot 78 last year opening up, so I'm pleased with that, too.

JOHN SCHROEDER: No, it really depends on the weather conditions more than anything. I think if it continues to warm up and the wind blows, it's going to make the golf course play much more difficult because it will play fast and firm and make the greens faster. A good example would be 14, the par four, around the pond there. A lot of guys were laying -- it's a layup hole off the tee anyway, but a lot of guys are laying up into the water hazard because they didn't realize how firm the ground is up in the fairway. I hit a 3-iron. Hit it almost 260 yards. That was like a yard in the fairway. So those are things you're going to have to really be aware of because a lot of these fairways turn in the landing areas and you can basically run through them if you're not real careful, like on No. 10, for example. So, that's really what will happen. And, of course, how they set the golf course up. But, they'll set it up tough.

JOHN SCHROEDER: Well, it rolled about 40 yards, though. Didn't carry 260. But it's great to be here, and I'm just delighted to have gotten off to a good start, just got to do the same the next three days and we'll see what happens.