U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2003

Vicente Fernandez

RAND JERRIS: It's a pleasure to be joined by Vicente Fernandez with a round of 7-under par 64. That is the lowest second round score in Senior Open history and ties for the second lowest score in any round in the Senior Open.

Vicente, a very fine start and finish to your round today. Maybe can you start us off with some general comments about your round.

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Well, I started as well as I did yesterday and the difference was that yesterday I made three or four mental mistakes and I make four bogeys, and today I didn't and that's in the middle of the round that kept me going and then on the last few holes I hit good shots and I took advantage of that.

RAND JERRIS: Can you take a minute and walk us through the birdies and no bogeys on your card.

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Well, it's tough to remember the course because there are so many holes that look alike, I get confused. But I started on the 10th, No. 10 -- I have to look here. I can't remember because one, 10 looks alike. 2 and 11 looks alike. 6 and 3 looks alike. Let me see. No. 10 , No. 11. I don't remember. Super-senior moment. No. 10, No. 11. I can't remember what I hit on 11. I'm sorry.

RAND JERRIS: We will skip 11.

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: I'm sorry. On 12 I hit a 9-iron about three and a half feet and I made it and then on 13 I hit a 3-wood, a 6-iron and I hit the pin and it stayed about eight inches from the hole.

And then on the front 9 I birdied 7. I hit a good drive and pitching wedge and I holed it from about 30 feet.

On 8 I was lucky because I hit my driver to the right-hand rough and I had a good lie so I pitch it out about 120 yards. Then I hit a sand wedge for about another 10 inches from the hole. And then on 9 I hit a very good shot, pitching wedge about ten feet from the hole and then made it.

So I still can't remember, I'm sorry, No. 11. Oh, yes, I remember now. I hit a 3-wood on the left-hand side rough, I was lucky again there because I had a good lie. I hit a sand wedge about eight feet from the hole, nine feet from the hole and I made it. Sorry about that lapse.

RAND JERRIS: Thank you. Let's take some questions out here, please.

Q. (Inaudible)?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: On an eagle I was 202 to the hole. 202 to the hole. It was downwind and I hit it just on the front edge of the green, it trickled, hit the pin and almost went in.

Q. What kind of mental mistakes were you making yesterday?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: I give an example. I started from the first and I birdied the first. I birdied the 3rd. I birdied 6th. Those were the tougher parts of the course. I mean from 3 to 7 was much tougher yesterday and I was 3-under-par. And on 7 I took a wrong club. The second shot I hit it just on top of the ridge about maybe five yards on to the green and it went back in the rough.

On 9 I hit a driver which I thought it was too much club but I tried to cut it around the tree. I hit it pretty straight and went to the rough, made bogey. I couldn't get it on the green. And No. 10 the same. Instead of hitting 2-iron I hit a 3-wood just off -- it went too far off the fairway. I didn't have a chance to get to the green. Those were the mental mistakes that I made. And then on 14, again, the pin was really tough, tucked on the right-hand side. I tried to cut it to be cute and I missed the green and made bogey. And then bogeyed 15 and 16. So those were the four mistakes that I made yesterday.

Q. You mentioned outside that the course had softened and was playing a little easier yet you're really the only real hot round of the day. Nobody else was able to take advantage?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Yes, it was -- I mean it was easier to hold the ball on the green if you hit it in the fairway. It is easy. No, it was a little bit easier than yesterday in that way, but that doesn't mean that the course is easier. It's a very tough course. And even with this condition it's tough. The score can tell. It happened that it was my day and I was lucky and I played well and I took advantage of it. That's the big difference.

RAND JERRIS: Had you been hitting the ball well in practice rounds or in the last few weeks, anything that would suggest to you that you could anticipate going out and shooting 64 on a day like today.

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: No, no. I don't think anybody can anticipate to shoot 64 on this course. I just felt that I was striking the ball well and I was -- I mean confident that I shoot par or under par today but no 64, no. That was not even in my dreams.

RAND JERRIS: Any other questions out here?

Q. How does this rank with some of the best rounds that you ever played?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: One of the best. What happened, I'm 57 years old and I played a lot of good rounds, thanks God, so that's a long period for being a professional. I have the opportunity to play a lot of good rounds, so this is one of the best to.

Q. As we age we seem to lose our eyesight a little bit to macular degeneration or glaucoma; have you found that you're getting little older, your eyesight has had any problems or are you doing anything about that?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: I will give you a example. I can't see the pin. I can see the pin; I can't see the ball landing farther than 200 yards. I will give you an example. On No. 3 we have almost 200 yards to the hole and I hit my shot. I hit it good. I knew it was getting close because the crowd reaction but I couldn't see. The ball almost went into the hole but I couldn't see it until I get maybe 180 yards.

The last four or five years I felt that I lost a lot until five years ago I have hundred percent vision. Now I think I lost about at least 30 percent. Yes.

Q. How will you approach playing with Tom Watson tomorrow and the weekend?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Pleasure. Pleasure to play with a friend and to play with a gentleman as Tom Watson is. I mean it's a pleasure. Always a pleasure.

Q. You two are friends?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Yes. I mean we are friendly. I mean I'm not really close, close, but we get along well together since we met in 1974 or '75 I think it was. And I appreciate his behavior very much and we like each other and always a pleasure for me to play with him.

Q. Have you been in a position like this before in a Senior Major?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Yes, a few times.

Q. Any stand out in your mind, that you contended this deep in a Senior Major?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: No; I would like to win one because I think the Majors owe me at least one on the Senior Tour.

Q. Maybe I'm wrong but you finished second in '97?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Yes.

Q. So what do you take from that experience to the weekend if anything?

VICENTE FERNANDEZ: Well, what you can take, especially on a Major is that I've been there before. I never won but I have been there before which is an experience that -- I've been there before. It's just a matter of play the golf well enough to go out there and win.

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