VOLVO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2001

Andrew Oldcorn

ANDREW OLDCORN: I was in between clubs. Hit the wrong one and dragged it in the bunker; so, it was not a great start. 4, just missed the green left; 5-iron, chipped up to about two inches. Had a lovely 5-iron at the next to about four foot. 7, 9-iron to about 8 foot. 8, 8-iron to about 15 foot. 10, 6-iron to about 5 foot. 12, up-and-down out of the bunker and holed a putt there from about 15 foot. 13, an 8-iron to about a foot. 15, 6-iron to about 20 feet.

ANDREW OLDCORN: Debacle. Up until that time I riding my luck because I had a couple of poor shots on the back nine off the tee and got away with them. This time, I didn't. I was fortunate to walk out with a 6. I shouldn't have played it from under the bushes. I should have just either taken a drop or gone back to the bunker in the fairway. So, I holed a great putt, really for 6, which gave me a bit of a lift to birdie the next, which I did. The putt on 16 was about 15 feet. I felt like I played better yesterday, I think. I just didn't putt as well. I holed my putts today when they came. Just a little bit scrappy the last five or six holes. Nothing too bad, but a steery off the tee here which you can't do here. Ten minutes on the range and I'll sort it out. I played nicely. Played nicely for two days. So, I'm not surprised to be in this position, because that's the best I've played so far this year. Just nice to do it in this tournament. Not looking too far ahead, you know. Fatal mistake, I think, to make. If I'm anywhere near the lead coming to the 18th on Monday, then that's what I've got to try and aim for over the next two days. Any further forward than that -- I'm not going to try to look any further than that.

ANDREW OLDCORN: I probably would have uprooted the tree if I was trying to make the cut, to be honest with you. I just made on error in judgement, basically. I'm not saying would I have made the same error in judgement if I had been 12 shots worse. But, mentally it tempted me to go for a shot for that I would not have gone for had I not been that far ahead. So, instead of taking a chance to make 5, I turned it into a possible 7 or 8, which is a bit silly. So that's the sad thing of it, to try and cut out over the next two days, if I made a mistake I've just got to get on with it like I did at first today. I hit a poor shot. Coming to the course this morning my caddy says in the car, "Look, you played really well yesterday. You have no pressure on you today." Just go out and play the course and do your work over the last two days." That's exactly what I did. I was really relaxed and just went out and played. If I can try and do that over the next two days, that's where I'll finish. It's not as easy saying that, as doing it, and, you know, I'm probably -- fell into that position before when I've been.

ANDREW OLDCORN: I pulled a 3-wood. I was trying to hit it past the bunker because it was downwind today. It was not a desperately poor shot, but where it ended up in the bunker; that is what left me the difficulty. I didn't have a terrible shot. I just pulled it a little bit and it just kicked off into the bushes.

ANDREW OLDCORN: Yeah, there was a few people following us the last few holes last night that picked us round about the turn. Same thing happened today. I think once people saw where my score was on the course, they started to follow me around, so that was good. It's a great tournament. If you can't get up for this tournament, you never will.

ANDREW OLDCORN: '95.

ANDREW OLDCORN: I would have wholeheartedly agree with you there. It is something that rankles with me, no doubt about that. I feel I've been in position since then -- a classic one would be the Irish Open in '96 when I doubled the last to give it to Monty. But, there have been other situations, and I think it's trying to learn from those situations -- you try and play yourself into position like I am now, and draw from your experience. You know, I don't feel nervous. I don't feel like I shouldn't be where I am. You know, I just want to take it forward and try to do my best the next two days and not let myself down.

ANDREW OLDCORN: A while. More than I thought it would. At the time I thought I put it to the back of my mind and about two or three weeks. To be honest with you, it probably took me the best part of two years to get over that.

ANDREW OLDCORN: My wife and I had a baby in November, so I wanted to be around a bit for that. I didn't really want to do the long haul stuff, as much as that. I didn't want to go to South Africa or Australia. So, I started in Dubai. I happened to miss a couple of tournaments I was going to play, since I had an infection in my tooth at the Belfry and I could not even play there. I have just not got into a ridge. Yet, I feel so it is only my sixth or seventh tournament. In that respect I am kind of fresh mentally. I knew I was not that far away from playing well. I just had to be a bit patient, and I was coming to courses where I felt comfortable in venues where I was looking forward to playing. So, just got to try and take that with me.

ANDREW OLDCORN: Probably never been this low for two rounds, to be honest with you. I've played well in fits and starts this year, as well as this, but not consistently. My problem has been my consistency. I'm either really good or I absolutely stink. Getting somewhere in between, apart from the time I play well, is my biggest problem. You know, then again, I don't think other than the top 10 or 12 players on the Tour, I'm unique in that situation. I think it's what you would call the middle ground; players strive to get the consistency the top players have. It's a very elusive thing to get.

ANDREW OLDCORN: I just knew that somewhere along the line in my career I would have another chance to be in that position. That's all I kept telling myself, and if I am in that position again, then hopefully, I will think immediately of that, of what I did wrong then -- or what I thought at the time and try and think more positively. I just want to be in that position again to test myself.

ANDREW OLDCORN: I was a shot ahead. Monty was two ahead of me. He finished. It was a particularly tough hole that last hole. The one place all week you knew where you didn't want to go was to the right. So in my mind, I thought, try and draw it a bit more. I hit a draw into the rough and it was just a horrendous lie and I had to hit it outside a ways. I got it out on the green but it spun back down and I 3-putted. I think it was more what happened on the green, not what happened previously. I played those shots -- I would play those shots the same way again. It's what happened on the green; I rushed and I've regretted it ever since.

ANDREW OLDCORN: Pretty much the obvious, I would say. It would be, this is the premier event, next to the British Open for us, there's no doubt about that. So, to achieve a success here would be the highlight of my career. Hopefully, give me the impetus to keep going. I read in the paper yesterday that Monty was quoting that Mark O'Meara was 41 when he won his first two majors. I'm 41 this year. I still feel capable of winning here. I still have ambitions I have not achieved. I feel I've failed in certain areas of my career and I still feel I have a reasonable amount of longevity left in me. So, I have the desire to do it. No doubt about it.

ANDREW OLDCORN: No. There is only a hangover. I get it like everybody else, with the flu or a cold a little bit. Thankfully that's behind me.