MCI CLASSIC

April 17, 1997

Brad Faxon

BRAD FAXON: Really? I didn't know that for sure. I got off to a good start, obviously. Playing the back 9 wind wasn't quite howling yet. But hit 2 good shots into the first hole, lipped it out to about a 30-footer. I just said, okay, everything is feeling pretty good. 3-wood and 7-iron No. 11 to about seven feet and hit a beautiful putt. And, you know, 12, my third hole of the day, might have been kind of a momentum kicker for the rounds because I drove it in the right rough; had to punch it around the trees, and left it short of the green. Pitched it up to about five feet, then kind of lipped in and squirreled in a putt. After that, everything went great. Hit 8-iron into 13 to about five feet. Made a 9-iron to about two feet on the next hole. Wedge to about three feet on the next hole. 9-iron to about 30 feet on 16. And I hit a good shot into 17, 5-iron about twelve feet and missed that. And then 3-wood, 7-iron into 18, probably twelve feet. Hit a good putt, so it was a great -- I said, geez, that is nice, because usually the front 9 gets lower scores and, you know, 1 and 2 were playing kind of downwind when we got there. And, hit a good shot into 1 with a wedge to 12 feet and missed that. Drove it good on 2, just a little too far right. And had to cut it around those palm trees and just nicked the palm tree, made bogey. But played well after that. Hit a lot of good shots into some greens. And just didn't get anything going. I hit a bad iron shot on 8, 4-iron into the water and made about a 10-footer there for -- about a 6-footer for bogey. Then birdied 9, hit a wedge to about ten feet. The back 9, the wind really kicked up our back 9. And it was very difficult to pick a club. The pace of play slowed down, it seemed like, because everybody was going back to the bag pulling out a different club then setting up. I told Jaime that on number 9, I was with a wedge from 109 yards on 9, and the wind is blowing strong left-to-right, but the flag was up on the green blowing right-to-left. So you see a lot of that kind of stuff. You have got clouds blowing one direction; trees blowing the other; the flag is blowing different. And the greens here are pretty small, your targets are small targets here. So it is a hard course to get the ball on the green. I hit every fairway today but one. I want everybody to know. Good for me.

BRAD FAXON: Well, I think that is true. I don't think it is going to get anything but harder. I don't think the wind is supposed to die down. It seems like it is maybe switching direction a little bit. But, when the wind is against left-to-right on 18, I think that is a difficult wind to play this golf course. Makes some of the holes play very tough, like number 8, 10, 11. And we didn't get those maybe as hard as they could play. But, you know, these greens, to me, they are receiving a good shot from the fairway. They are not so hard that the ball is going scampering over, but they are also good enough greens. The spite marks don't affect these greens at all, you know, very much like the greens in New Orleans. I think same sort of textures and speed, which is good.

BRAD FAXON: Well, I played well the week before New Orleans; then played good there, and was kind of shocked I didn't play well last week, because I hit the ball pretty good for me and really didn't putt very well. I have always had success on those greens. It was disappointing. And I think the only -- like the biggest benefit I got from last week, I got some rest, because it was four weeks in a row, and I was kind of maybe at the end of my rope a little bit. I love playing here. This is one of my favorite courses, and it was nice get off that great start. It always helps.

BRAD FAXON: Well, a lot of it is just timing, really. You have got to know -- you have got to know the course. I think, playing here a lot, you kind of get some tendencies for what the wind does. I think a good example is 14th hole, the par 3. The pin is right on the front, and it is always a 9-iron to that flag, when it is downwind. But you never want to hit it. And today I said, "hey, I am just going to hit this thing," ended up going past the hole and spinning back to about 2 feet. That is something a first-time player here wouldn't know what club to hit.

BRAD FAXON: I think I do well in the wind. I can hit the ball down if I have to. I feel like I can hold it into the wind. Which is important on these greens. I mean, really if you hit in the middle of the greens here in Harbour Town, you are not going to have the longest putts in the world.

BRAD FAXON: Well, I think one thing that is a help to me is here is even the best ball strikers in the world are not going to hit every green so you are going to have to get up-and-down. I felt like New Orleans was a lot like that. Bigger greens, but pocket to the greens, that you really had to play to and a lot of times good shots wouldn't end up close or wouldn't end up on so you have to be able to be patient enough, or good enough with your short game, not to let that stuff bother you.

BRAD FAXON: I tried to played aggressively. Hit a great shot into No. 1 with a wedge just past the hole; hit a good putt; hit the edge. Number 2, I am thinking, geez, this is a good chance to make birdie. I hit my driver little too far right; tried to get it on the green. I felt like I did a pretty good job on staying aggressive. At the same time, making sure that you know missing your misses, getting to the right spot. I didn't hit it too much different on that side than from that side. I hit a couple of shots real close, though, tap-ins.

BRAD FAXON: That was nice. I was kind of just disappointed. Hit a good drive on 8, tough driving hole. I was hitting with two minds over the shot. I kind of stood there, don't swing yet, and I swung anyway and hit in the water so I made a good up-and-down there.

BRAD FAXON: It helps. I am in a spot now where I am right on the cut of making the Ryder Cup team and the other things that go with that. And, obviously, I have got the bug to win some tournaments. It felt good at New Orleans to do that again. I'd like to kind of think that there is a little bit of streak that carries over on those.

BRAD FAXON: I think so. I think it is a huge factor. I remember when I was in college coming down here and watching you know, early '80s, seeing some of the windy tournaments. I remember Watson and Frank Conner or whatever, freezing cold, I mean, it was tough. We played number 17 yesterday in the Pro Am with an 8-iron and today it was all of a 5-iron. By the end of the day it will probably be a 4 and; maybe even a 3-iron. So, to say that that is not a factor, it is a huge factor.

BRAD FAXON: Yes. I think The Masters and my caddy, Cubby, he says he carries this compass with him because he watches the weather channel: "Wind is going to be northwest." (Audience laughter.) He said only two places he doesn't don't the compass is The Masters and Harbour Town.

BRAD FAXON: I don't remember what year. I don't think it was '83. It was awful stuff. I don't remember the date.

BRAD FAXON: You don't feel it as much on the back 9 when you are back there in the trees on 12, 13, 14, 15, you kind of don't -- you know, there is wind up there, but your shots are actually staying below the trees. So it is not as much a factor as it is out on the front or on 16, 17 and 18. But, it was picking up. When we got to 16, it was blowing pretty hard into your face on the second shot and affecting the ball. It was a good club, club and a half for you.

BRAD FAXON: It was left-to-right and a touch of help. 3-wood, 7-iron which is pretty short really for that hole. Most of the time, practice rounds you hit driver, 4-iron, 3-iron.

BRAD FAXON: Last week and this week I hear a lot of Palladin; saw a few purple hats, but it is nice. I was there Monday playing the LPGA Pro-Am; had a fund-raiser. I was the first man professional to be invited.

BRAD FAXON: I can answer that personally or selfishly. What I have taken away from watching Tiger, I thought was very impressive, didn't hear many comments about it on TV, but this guy has an enthusiasm of a 21-year-old, obviously, that he is. But how many guys do you see after making a birdie on the 8th hole walk off the green pumping their fists? You don't see guys doing that because it is either not cool or because they are not as intense as he is. He has got that fire and spark inside that I, think is, remarkable. And, if you watch him play and they showed every shot he hit, practically, for four days, I mean, he is as focused and concentrated on the first tee Thursday as he is on Sunday afternoon playing the last few holes. And, it looks, to me, like every shot he hits he is right there ready to go. And I mean, the kid has got some emotion to him. I when he hits a bad shot you can tell right away when he hits a good shots he walks from the ball. A lot of times you kind of get out here and you are just -- I am not saying you don't want to be relaxed, but you are maybe a little bit casual. But, I kind of say, "this guy is burning here; he wants it." And, it is like any great player, great athlete in any sport - I took away that part from him - I know that it is not exactly what you are asking. You are asking me more about the fact that a 21 year old kid that has got three different ethnic backgrounds what he is --

BRAD FAXON: Yes.

BRAD FAXON: Another comment I could make, I played with him at the mixed team and we played together first two days. And he played very well. But he made a lot of comments at the end of last year. Most of you will probably remember: "I don't have my A-game working. I haven't been putting well or irons" -- always one part that was not there. I finally called him up. He did something somewhere right at end of the year. I said Hey, Tiger, I am listening to some players comments listening to what you say, you are really beating our brains out; you are telling anybody you are not there yet. I say, maybe you might want to not say it even though you are thinking it. Because if you are thinking it, then we are all in trouble. He said, I understand that. He said, last week, I finally have my A-game where everything was working. And, the course is obviously suited for someone with that much length, but, all the length in the world, doesn't matter if you are not hitting it right distances or inside the tree-line. And, he pounded away on every shot. He hit with every iron. The shots into the hard holes -- number 8, I mean, number 13, I mean his shots were over the tops of the flags. Number 9, he hit it on the green. The last three rounds, when the pin was back to the right a little bit, had great control of his distance. He never 3-putted. So, you know, I don't think this means he is going to win Majors by 12 shots every time he tees it up. Certainly hope not. (Laughter) But, it is a different ballgame. He wouldn't have the advantage that he has at The Masters on this golf course because, you know -- I mean, I felt like I was pretty good off the tee shot, but I only hit 5 drivers. Maybe you hit a lot of 3-woods, a lot of -- couple of 2-irons, but you don't have to drive it everywhere. And, that is why it has been amazing to me that Davis Love -- not amazing -- has done so well. You think Davis would be better at a course that you just blast away and this course is the opposite.

BRAD FAXON: Well, in the past, you have seen other guys, Floyd and Nicklaus shot 17-under, one shot different. I mean, you see -- did you see the same talk then that you do now? I don't know. But to see it from a 21 year old, you haven't seen that since Nicklaus played when he first came out. I am very impressed. I can't say enough.

BRAD FAXON: You know, it is like if he keeps playing the way he is playing and you win a tournament, he is not there, you need an asterisk next to your name, "Tiger wasn't there that week," you know, (Laughter), obviously he creates a tremendous -- a draw, an aura when he is around. The people -- I kind of think people that don't know much about golf when they say Willie Wood's name on the scoreboard, oh, let us go see Tiger, wait a minute. (Audience laughter.) So, it is incredible stuff. Since I have been on the TOUR, there has obviously been nothing to affect the game like he has in a positive way. And, you know, I said a few months ago to a couple of people, I don't think there is an athlete as popular as Tiger except for Michael Jordan. Now, I imagine he will be on the cover of every magazine there is. So Michael might have to, you know, share his thrown.

BRAD FAXON: Cubby. John Burke. Affectionately known as Cubby.

BRAD FAXON: 10, driver, 8-iron.

BRAD FAXON: 30 feet.

BRAD FAXON: Thank you.