SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

June 6, 2002

Jack Fleck

JACK FLECK: Well, I was very fortunate outside the 18th hole, double bogeying and three putting, but it was probably the finest round of putting that I may have had in my lifetime. I made a lot of great putts for pars and I made quite a few. If I'm stopping to think, I think I missed the 10th hole, possible, and 14 and 15. Outside of that, I putted very well. One of the best -- for playing very little in the last 6, 7 years, I've been very fortunate. The last few weeks or so I've been doing a lot of walking, practicing, training. I had to learn to walk again, because I knew there were no carts here. Of course, I love to walk anyway. But most of the times I play -- I've been a member 22 years of at a country club at Fort Smith. It's quite a hilly golf course and they use carts. I practiced the last week or so throwing out three or four clubs and using the little bag and walking. The last two days I took a cart because even carrying the clubs and up and down the hills, it's quite steep. I thought this golf course, if I remembered playing it a few years ago, was just little slopes, just gradual little slopes, but it seems like all the holes are uphill now. They played awfully long. I'm fortunate too, they moved the tee markers up a little bit for us fellows, the first few rounds. Due to the weather conditions is probably why they did it. But I was very fortunate. Thank you very much.

JACK FLECK: No, I just don't do that. I know Jerry Barber used to. He was a friend of mine and we lost him and Paul Runyan did a lot of it, and he passed on.

JACK FLECK: I don't think Sam Snead counted his. He did many. I haven't played that much in tournaments. Here it's a championship and a long difficult golf course. If I played those all the time and did it all the time, I would do quite well.

JACK FLECK: Well, when I get a little rhythm and timing I would say under normal conditions, I probably hit it somewhere around 230, 240 yards. If it's downhill and you have a breeze, it's sunny and warm, it's possible I could do more, but I'm not aware of it. But out here in the practice round, if I hit it with another rhythm and timing. The back nine I didn't hit it as well.

JACK FLECK: I'm afraid I don't remember. To tell you truthfully, I don't remember. It was probably a spell in there in the '70s. I didn't play very much. I'll tell you one thing, I'm looking forward to -- at home or where else -- you see, there is one thing about it, maybe I shouldn't say it, but we lost Jerry Barber, and maybe you fellows don't have to write this or print it, please. We had a lawsuit against the PGA. That's the regular tour, because they wouldn't exempt us, you see. But on the old PGA, if you were in the club pro-division, which is right here, PGA of America, we would be exempt, the Open and PGA champs, lifetime, but when they moved in and had the Senior Tour, they didn't recognize that, and that was our lawsuit, but it caused Jerry Barber's death and they didn't do anything about it. And it's sad. Jerry always said, "I don't know why age has anything to do with playing golf."

JACK FLECK: Well, I think I always did enjoy training. I would really like to get back full time again. I practiced for quite a number of years yoga and after the Open there was attention and publicity and running all over the country and doing things. I never got around to really doing much. I do a lot of stretching exercises and a few weights and things like that. But I like to play and practice. I love health. And if you've got good health you're very, very fortunate. The Lord has been good to me and I believe that golf is a great longevity for life and living. There was a man in California, when I was living out there. He played four to six times a week until he was 103, and he had more contracts with banks, corporations and businesses the last 10 or 15 years. When he died, the city of Anaheim named their municipal golf course, Dan Miller Golf Course, so that gives you a good example of everyone can't have that kind of health, but it is really good. I tell older fellows and people, no matter how you score, play golf.

JACK FLECK: Actually, what I call competition is -- The reason I came here, I have not played. I told Lowell out there when he interviewed me, 5 or 6 years in this tournament was the last time, so that I played my own ball, and that's what I know about golf. My own ball, we're fortunate we play with the grand championships, the fellows over 70. You draw or they pair you up with a team and you play best ball. But today it was a real thrill to play my own ball and to see, other than the last hole, I was very very fortunate, finest putting. But it's a real thrill to see those putts go in, I'll tell you that. I told Bobby Nichols and Charlie Coody, that makes up for the last 40 years where I didn't make any putts.

JACK FLECK: Well, I'll let you know. My book is coming out next week. It's coming here, and I told them to stick the dust cover, they haven't got ready yet, but send two or three of them, maybe it's back at the motel. Of course, it was a great thrill for me and I was an unknown. Of course, some of the pros on the tour at that time knew I could play a little bit. Jerry Barber told me two or three weeks later, we had lunch and he said, "Jack, I knew you were the only guy that would be able to beat Ben Hogan in the playoff" -- I don't know why he said "you are the only guy" -- "if you could just putt a little bit." He said, "You made it to the playoff, so you must have putted pretty well." I played well in the last three rounds. I was very fortunate and as I say in my book, the Lord had a great deal to do with my winning the U.S. Open. It would take too long if I tell you. Read the book. I got a hole for hole, shot for shot, everything about it.

JACK FLECK: I don't have it with me, but you call 800 numbers. It's not going to be in the bookstores or anything, fax numbers, telephone numbers, 800 numbers, e-mail, WWW numbers, everything just call the company and they'll ship them out.

JACK FLECK: I played a lot with Jerry Barber, what he really told me, he said the way you drive the ball so straight, and the way you iron it, if you could just putt a little bit. I don't feel and I never did brag about myself and my golf game, but I was very fortunate to be able to drive. I love that Olympic Golf Course when I got there. Everybody else said, "Don't play very many rounds here, you'll get scared." I've never seen rough like that again. I'm not going to make any statements. I know old-timers who were great players and won a lot of tournaments, and they said, "Boy, where they had those pins, they must have been trying to favor Ben." But I was still very fortunate. They all thought that -- the story was, now I'm going to repeat. Other than the first round, I putted the greatest for me there ever was, but I would like to bet money that it could ever be done, 10 or 15 guys in that tournament putted better than I did, but some of them said, because I could drive it -- I love the golf course. I wrote home to the democrat sports writer, John O'Donnell, late John O'Donnell, you ought to get your publisher to send you out here. There's only going to be a few guys that will win here. And you remember, Hogan got in on the 18th hole in the playoff, and we were out in the middle of the fairway there and we had to move back, and the officials, 20, 30 yards and he was aiming straight to the fairway with a wedge and all we saw about a bloop about six inches. He addressed and it went a foot and a half and then he came out. I love it had because I could drive the ball and I just told John O'Donnell, come on out and see this tournament. I named seven out of ten players that were going to finish, and I said yours truly is opening to be in the top 10 to be exempt next year for the U.S. Open.

JACK FLECK: Well, I bogeyed the 1st hole and bogeyed the 2nd hole. And the 3rd hole I hit it up there pretty well. About 12, 15 feet, something like that. I didn't make that one. But the next hole, I made a good putt. The next was a Par 3. A poor 5-wood, pulled it to the left in the fringe/rough, and I had to pitch over the bunker and it went by and downhill, I don't know, 15- or 12-footer or more. I knocked that one in. And then the next hole, a long hole, and I had a long shot, and I must have had a 50, 60-foot putt and put it up there like that and made it. So that's a great putt. And then the next hole I chipped it up and made that from about 5 or 6 feet, I think. See, I used to miss a lot of those putts. And then 8, let's see if I can remember. And the 9th hole, I made a good 5 or 6-footer. And the 8th hole I had a long putt, putted up fairly close. I don't know how close. 10th hole I missed the putt. 11th hole I put it in the bunker, blasted it out and went by 5 or 6 feet or so. I think Charlie Coody was on the same line and he didn't make it. It went to the right. And I made that 5 or 6-footer for par. That's good putting. Then the next hole I hit it on the edge of the green and I chipped and I made that putt. That must have been six or eight feet. So these are all great putts. Then they've got it on television -- on camera, I should say. So then the 13th hole, I pitched it up there, but I was short about 15, 16 foot, and I two-putted. And then the next hole, I hit a poor chip there and I didn't make it. The 15, the Par 3, I had a blooby iron just short and bladed a pitch and went off the back of the green. It's got to be 30 feet or so, and just off the edge, and knocked it and it hit the pin and dropped in the hole. And I made six on the Par 5. I had a possible putt there. I hit it a little easy and missed it left about 5 or 6 feet. And then I hit an iron up on 17, about this far, two foot maybe, maybe a little less. And then I hit a bad drive at 18, pitched it out of the rough and I didn't pitch it on the green, and frog-haired there and putted it way behind and missed that putt. But outside 18, I really putted well.

JACK FLECK: Well, I think so. I good friend back there, he's the Arkansas State Senior Champion, Ed Talick. He is a good friend of mine and he instigated me and talked me into coming out. I'm exempt, and also I had the book coming out. And fortunately, I shoot enough rounds I can come in and see you fellows. And I'm going to attempt to qualify for the USGA Senior Open at Brookside on Monday. I don't know about playing it without the practice round, but we'll do the best we can. And then we're going on Tuesday and Wednesday to Bethpage. May see a few guys. I'm not playing, of course, and then we're going to go home Wednesday and watch it on television.

JACK FLECK: Are you from Akron?

JACK FLECK: So you didn't get here Monday?

JACK FLECK: Monday's sports section, they had a big story and a picture on the second page and everything else, and it was Tuesday and Wednesday. I was swamped with autographs and everything else. You would think I won the Open. But anyway, it was a nice article and a lot of people making compliments, and good compliments, and saying, Boy, we like that, you're good for us old fellas that don't play so well. It's really good. It's good for golf. Thank you.

JACK FLECK: Oh, yeah.

JACK FLECK: No, my expectations was I just keep asking the Lord, keep me under control, have a calm game, calm attitude. It was very difficult for me years ago. If I had known a little bit about that years ago, I think I could have shot fair.

JACK FLECK: Do as well as I did today or lower. It might break, the weather, for tomorrow, right? I think it's supposed to be breaking.

JACK FLECK: Yes. That's another thing. I mentioned to Ed and a couple of other people, I knew it was going to rain, and then it was raining, the PGA officials have to decide. It's a tough job to decide where you're going to put the tee markers and the pins and everything when you've got this kind of condition. They have the pins up on the high ground where they don't have casual water on the green. It's slopey so they drain well, but I wish they had the tees up a little further on 16. That's long, the Par 5.

JACK FLECK: Well, I think you would have to look in a PGA Senior Championship -- I'm guessing four or five or six years ago was the last time I played. The last time I think I played was the PGA National.

JACK FLECK: Maybe some of you fellows remember what year that was. A par 3, Ray Floyd I think put two balls in the water. Did he put one in on 17? Anyway, he had some trouble and I think the third round I shot a pretty good front nine.

JACK FLECK: Who did?

JACK FLECK: Maybe that was it. I know I shot 31 on the back side one time, and the guys said I didn't play all the holes. "How did you shoot 31?" I don't remember what year it was. I know in 1979, when I won, my pro friend was the marshal for our group, and I did check the score card the first round well enough and I put a 5 down on a Par 5 and I had a birdie 4. And I went into a playoff. The year before I three putted three or four times, coming into the last few holes playing with Roberto in '78. Putting has always been my nemesis, but it's with me now, and I hope so.

JACK FLECK: I don't know if you fellows know that. I'm still exempt as the past U.S. Open Champ, I can go out and play every week with Tiger Woods. Of course., I wouldn't, but they did carry the lifetime exemption over for the Senior Tour players and that was our lawsuit. As I said earlier, that they didn't recognize what was in the by-laws when they took over the Club Pro PGA of America entity. But that's all history.

JACK FLECK: You're kidding? I wonder why? If he plays long enough, I'm sure he will.

JACK FLECK: I would like to play in the Grand Champions and our outings. If I play pretty well, I might ask one of the senior tournaments if they'll give me a sponsor. I used to work and started in Des Moines, Iowa. They have a tournament. I hear it's a new course and whatnot. I haven't played it.

JACK FLECK: All I have to do is do well and know I'm capable of playing halfway decent golf.