THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY MERCEDES-BENZ AND MICHELOB

October 26, 1996

Brad Faxon

BRAD FAXON: Well, I've played with three superstars the last three days: Tiger, Freddie and Tom. And I get the tournament leader tomorrow, it looks like. I feel like today the golf course was one of the tamest, the best chance to shoot a low score. The wind was down. I think when we play a course and keep playing the same wind conditions, you get a little bit used to the clubs you're hitting off the tees, and the shots you're hitting into the greens. And with wind up here blowing around in circles, it's difficult to pick out a club, but today there wasn't enough wind to really make it a difference. And for some reason, I think the greens may be a little bit softer or a little bit slower. Something is a little different than it was Thursday. And I don't know what Tom's doing differently than anybody else. But it's great playing. Everybody I've talked to in the locker room said he's sending every shot down the middle, but to have a 9 shot lead is some kind of good golf, because this is a pretty good field.

BRAD FAXON: I don't know. I lost two shots. Boy, I can't remember. It happens a little bit out here, but not with a guy leading like that, not too often. Usually it's from the guy back in the pack a little bit that comes out. It looks like there were a lot more lower scores today than there were yesterday.

BRAD FAXON: Obviously he's never been in this position; I've never been 9 shots back in second place. You can't say that it's impossible to catch up. We've seen some weird things happen this year and over the years. But I certainly don't think it's the most probable thing I've ever seen. He's got to shoot his worst round of the week, and somebody has got to go out and do what he did today. So making up 9 shots in 18 holes is very difficult.

BRAD FAXON: I told Brent Mussberger in the ABC tower, if Tom wins convincingly, which it sure looks like he might do, he's got a pretty good case. I would say that his British Open performance, winning by a bunch here and his runner up at the U.S. Open, and I think if he wins -- it depends if he captures the money title from Phil. I think Phil has to finish third or better; I know you guys have that figured out. If he can win money title, scoring title and here, I would say he'd be my vote. Normally you'd go for a guy that would win four over a guy that would win two. But when he dominates some of the other stats, it might be a good case.

BRAD FAXON: I did. I was very comfortable playing with him. I got a little caught up watching him. He looked like he was serious for a while, the first 8 holes he was four under par, made a big putt on the 8th hole. The crowd was following him around and watching him, and I was kind of poking along. But it was fun to see him hit some putts hard into the back of the hole. And I'm kind of a golf fan, too, of getting to watch some of these guys play, it's nice.

BRAD FAXON: I played well today. Something sort of clicked on the back 9, and I felt like I had the ball going where I wanted it to go and made some nice putts. The greens are pure. Obviously you only have 30 guys, 29 guys playing, so there's no spike mark problems out here. You get it on track and it goes in. So I was comfortable. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and playing with Tom.

BRAD FAXON: Yeah, somebody joked about my second shot, Joe. Can I defend my topped shot there? I was actually kind of on a little downhill lie, and I had to hit a high forward to get it up over, but I was really down low, and there was a big hill. But I didn't top it; it skidded into the hill and killed it. Fortunately it did, because if I didn't it would have gone right in the pond. It was a hard shot to hit it high enough to get it over that slope. And I didn't quite get it the way I wanted to, but it turned out to be great, because I hit a wedge shot over the back and did a chip with the wood out of the fringe, and usually I hit it 15 feet by or something, but it went in like a little putt. It was an adventure. It was a turnaround, because I birdied the next hole and birdied 16. I kept looking at the leader board and I knew that there weren't many guys falling back, but nobody was really making any moves. It's a frustrating golf course. You have some holes that aren't very long or some greens that you think you can attack, and you put it in the wrong spot and you can make a bogey on any hole in a heartbeat out here.

BRAD FAXON: Yeah, I would, I still would like to win a tournament this year and I've got one round to do it. The other thing I'm going to use for a positive today, look, you played great going in the last tournament of the year. It's a good way to quit. I'd rather have a streak, like if you're playing 3 weeks in a row, if you're playing great, old school players say keep playing until you start playing bad, but I'd rather have the week off, and have good thoughts so when you come back you're ready.

BRAD FAXON: I think mentally he's tough. He's a strong guy. He's obviously got some great confidence going right now. If you watch his golf swing, he repeats his move the same time. He hits a hard draw. He hits the ball long, and he keeps it in play. For a guy that's as strong as he is, he doesn't make too many mistakes, but he's so even-keeled out there, he doesn't let things get to him, either way. If he gets it going badly for a while he won't get down or discouraged, and if he gets hot he doesn't let that affect him in a negative way. So he's obviously done some stuff under trying conditions this year, winning the British Open with Faldo in the last group on a windy day. And everybody thinks that's a piece of cake, but it's pretty good stuff.

BRAD FAXON: Could be? We talked about that for a while.

BRAD FAXON: I have no idea why that would be. The only thing I can say is if you get into a little groove out here and learn the shapes of some of these holes you might get comfortable playing the golf course. I would say this course favors a guy that draws it more than a guy that fades it. And he tends to play a draw. But Price and Floyd they both, they hit it pretty straight. It's definitely a ball hitter's golf course.