U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 20, 1997

Raymond Floyd

Robert Floyd

ROBERT FLOYD: Yeah, it's always nice to come out on top, and you obviously have to win the first round to get to the second. So it's nice, and it was a tough match. So I'm really happy to get through it.

ROBERT FLOYD: Okay. On 2, we both hit it about 3 feet, tied with par.

ROBERT FLOYD: We both hit 6 -- I hit a 6-iron. 3, we halved. 4, I hit my drive in the left hazard and took a drop and then pitched up and missed about a 15-footer for 5 and conceded his 4, so I was one down. 5, I had about 20 feet for birdie. He hit a bunker shot by about 22 feet, missed, conceded my 4. Then both made 3s on 6. Both made 4s on 7. Both made 4s on 8. And I made about a 30-footer for birdie on 9 to go one up. Both made 4 on 10. Both made 5 on 11. Both made 3 on 12. Both made 4 on 13. I hit it about 4 feet on 14. He ran his by -- he ran his chip by about 20 feet and missed, and I 2-putted for a win there. 15, he missed -- he hit par 5, right? -- Yeah, he -- I hit a 2-iron about 20 feet for eagle, and he hit it just in front of the green, chipped up about 15 feet. I missed my eagle putt. He conceded. He missed his birdie. 16, he hit it about 20 feet and made it for birdie. 17, I hit it about 8 feet. He pulled it left of the green, ran his chip by probably 30 feet. I conceded and 2-putted for the win.

ROBERT FLOYD: I played as good as I can play. I missed two drives. It was 4 and 5. Obviously 4 cost me. I made double bogey. That was my only bogey or double bogey. I think I made five birdies. So I played, like I said, almost as good as I could play. I think I hit 15 or 16 greens, you know. I hit a couple of fringes, so I don't know if that's accurate, but a lot of fairways, and I kept the pressure on him, and that was the key.

ROBERT FLOYD: Well, like I said, every day that we go forward, he's going to make more of a difference. And, you know, I've just got to keep winning and let him take over the last few days.

ROBERT FLOYD: Yeah, right, keep it in the fairway and on the greens. Make him do something that he's not accustomed to doing, and I think that happened. He was -- from what it looked like, he got frustrated there a couple times. I hit it real close on 14, right ahead of him, and then he missed the green right trying to sneak in on that pin. I think that's the key. If you can keep hitting the fairways and the greens, you're tough to beat regardless who you're playing.

ROBERT FLOYD: It's a tremendous help, I think. Obviously you've almost got a taste of something before. You want it real bad. I think last year, I got a taste of it. And obviously the experience you gain from reaching the semifinal in the U.S. Amateur is second to none. And I think, you know, that's why you see so many people who have played well in the past here play well again. And so I think it's a big, big help.

ROBERT FLOYD: I don't know if I'm 100 percent over it yet. You know, it was -- the start of this week helped a lot. Obviously I put it behind me and, you know, I wouldn't say it's affected me, but it took me a couple months to put it behind me. You know, I would think about it every night, stay up thinking about it. And, you know, that doesn't happen anymore, but every once in a while I think what could have been. But it's nice to be back here. I think everything happens for a reason, and maybe that happened for a reason. And I'm back this year, and I'm playing better than I was playing last year, so hopefully something good will come of it.

ROBERT FLOYD: I've played well, extremely well. I haven't, you know, had the finishes that I'm accustomed to having, but my golf game is as good as it's ever been, in my opinion. I've made a couple key double bogeys, it seems like, all summer, and I finished 11th about every tournament I've played in, and I'm happy with the way I'm going. Obviously I'm not happy with the final results. But when you're playing well, something good will happen. And, you know, if I missed the cut in every tournament all summer and won the U.S. Amateur, I'd consider it a success, so we'll wait until after this week until I really evaluate it.

ROBERT FLOYD: He's so knowledgeable of the game, and of, you know, pressure situations. That's why I said it would be such an advantage the further I went. You know, he can slow you down. He can see when you're getting a little fast, a little anxious. That's the key. You know, when -- the word "choking" is I think anything that you do out of character -- out of your character under pressure, and he knows my character as much as anyone, and he can prevent that from happening. And the further I go in this tournament, like I said, I think the more of an advantage it will be.

ROBERT FLOYD: You know, he was just supportive. We joked out there, actually, you know. He was -- he was a calming influence today, if anything. I played so well, you know, that it was almost -- there's almost nothing he could do, but he was very calming. You know, through that stretch of holes where I think 14 -- 13 and 14 or 14 and 15, whatever it was, we had a good time out there, and I think that's the key. He's my dad, but he's also a friend of mine, so he's very calming.

ROBERT FLOYD: This is the first time he's ever caddied for me or my brother, so it's something new. We're still getting used to each other.

ROBERT FLOYD: Yeah, and I wouldn't be able to tell you where that was. I was obviously not a twinkle by then, but, you know, I guess that was home course or something or for a friend. I don't know where it would be.

ROBERT FLOYD: Yeah, he's getting 100 percent of my winnings for this week, so....

ROBERT FLOYD: Yes and no. I think it's more of an advantage to have him right there. You know, he doesn't -- he hasn't been to a lot of my tournaments. He's always kind of stayed off and let us do our own thing. And, you know, I think it's hard -- I think it's easier to have him inside the ropes than outside the ropes. He's able to help. You're able to talk to him and, you know, I don't -- obviously, I'm not going to yell at him to get out of my face or anything, but it's neat him being here.

ROBERT FLOYD: Well, because obviously every round you go, the pressure gets more intense, and obviously the more intense the pressure is, the easier it is to choke -- I don't like that word. But, like I said, he's able, you know, he knows what's going on, and he can prevent that, whether it be taking a couple deep breaths or slow down, and, you know, I think that's the key.

ROBERT FLOYD: Well, he had no chance today. If he played me today, he would have no chance. Day in and day out, I think, you know, he's a better player. Obviously he can still play. I get one up if I'm the best player.

RAYMOND FLOYD: I can't beat him anywhere that it's long. I've got a chance if it's shorter. Of course, they're only hitting wedges in the greens that way. It's pretty hard to beat him with that length they have. He played a marvelous round of golf today. I was thrilled to watch it. I think he probably missed what I would call missing two greens, missed a couple in the short fringe that were really good shots. And his opponent played very well. Robert just kept it in the fairway and on the green, and that's what you have to do in match play.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Well, when you play, you're so into it.

RAYMOND FLOYD: But, yeah, it's a little -- it's not as bad, though, as walking on the side behind the rope. Because at least caddying, you're a bit involved. You know the yardage. You're a part of the feeling. You know what he's trying to accomplish. So it's not quite as bad. But he hit a couple just fantastic shots today that just, I mean, when I hit them like that, I guess you expect it when you hit it, but when you're watching it, you want it so badly and then you see it, it's just very exciting, and he hit a lot of those today. Of course I walked off one green with a pin going to the next tee. He said, "Dad, put the pin in, will you?" He doesn't cut me any slack at all. I forget a divot every now and then. And of course yesterday, I walked off one hole yesterday without the bag. He says, "Dad, get the bag." So, you know, he's playing and dragging dad.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Oh, it had to be before I started the Tour, and I started in '63. So I guess the last -- and caddying would have been -- would have been for myself. The last time I caddied for money, I was probably 16 or 17 years old. So it's been a long time. Of course I guess I'm not caddying for money now either, am I? Robert said he would give me 100 percent of the money he won this week, right, Jeff? He's got some good one-liners like that.

RAYMOND FLOYD: We were in Scotland, and I carried the Sunday bag from the bus to the tee was as far as I've gone. St. Andrews from the bus -- actually, from the hotel, we walked over and played No. 2. That's about as far as I've gone with one.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Well, he was playing so well and I went brain-dead. I can't think of his opponent's name.

ROBERT FLOYD: Whit.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Whit was playing real well also, and you can -- sometimes you can have a letdown over that. You feel like you ought to be up, and it's a tight match, and my thought was to keep it light. You're playing great. So every now and then, I'd do something a little bit off color maybe to loosen him up a little bit.

RAYMOND FLOYD: It's very special. I guess anyone with children, to watch sons or daughters go out and compete at anything and excel at it, it's very special. And to be out here and be a part of it, I've always stayed out of the way of their golf and stayed in the background. I felt like it was a big distraction, just like here. Why should I be interviewed? Other fathers are out here caddying and not being interviewed. He deserves what he's got from playing golf. I've stayed away from it just for this reason. He's been a heck of a player, and he deserves that. So I've stayed away. But it's something that is very, very special for me to see him come here and compete the way he has. The first two days, he did just what he needed to do. He had it totally under control. Today is as good as I've -- if I played golf or watched golf all my career, you just couldn't ask to watch a better round of golf. He had one blip at the fourth hole when he hit a bad shot. Other than that, he just played beautifully, and that's special to watch if you're watching anybody compete, but especially when it's your son.

RAYMOND FLOYD: I would certainly hope that I'm a part of it.

RAYMOND FLOYD: We have a relationship in our family that we all talk about things. There's nothing that's done without any one of us. I think it's something that this will influence. What happens this week will have an influence on it, but we're not going to make -- you know, it's things that may or may not happen, but we'll just see how it goes.

RAYMOND FLOYD: I turned pro at 18.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Yes. But he's had three very good years of collegiate golf. He's had three marvelous -- actually, he's played better amateur golf than he's played collegiate golf. He's won a tournament each of his three years of amateur golf. Semis here last year, the finals at the Western Amateur. He's had a fabulous amateur career already. But we'll -- we're taking things one step at a time. That's as far as I'd like to delve.

RAYMOND FLOYD: About a week ago, wasn't it?

ROBERT FLOYD: It was kind of mutual.

RAYMOND FLOYD: It was a mutual thing.

ROBERT FLOYD: I have a buddy who's caddied for me basically all summer, just a guy that likes to travel and loves golf. He started teaching school this week, and he wasn't going to caddie, and we started talking about caddying and it mutually came up, and we were both thrilled about it.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Actually, I asked him who was caddying for him at the Amateur. And I said Mike, his friend? He said, "No, Mike can't go." And I kiddingly said, "How about the old man?" And he said, "Are you kidding?" And actually, I was. But he said, "Are you kidding?" I said, "No, you think?"

ROBERT FLOYD: I asked if he was kidding because I didn't think he could make it around the golf course for 18 holes.

RAYMOND FLOYD: But that's really how it came up. I hadn't really thought about it, but gee whiz, I said, "Yeah, I'd love to do it if you think -- if it's all right with you." That was the thing, I didn't want to be in the way. But it's special. I was tired as heck the first practice round, but after the tournament started, I had a little zip left.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Thank you.