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BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 20, 1999

Jeff Freeman

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

DAVE SENKO: Jeff, how about you finished at 7-under today.

JEFF FREEMAN: 8.

DAVE SENKO: How about some quick comments about how your round went today, 8-under, 64.

JEFF FREEMAN: Yeah, a little nervous starting off. I haven't had a chance to play a whole lot of golf; I have been teaching a lot. As soon as I got the rhythm, I kept it going. And then started making a few birdies. So I had got some momentum; made some more birdies, then I made a bogey on No. 14, and then 17 and 18 coming in.

Q. Dave, how about starting -- just go through your card real quick, birdie No. 1?

JEFF FREEMAN: Birdied 1, birdied 4, birdied 6. Birdied 8 and 9. I birdied 11, birdied 12. 16 birdied, 17 and 18.

DAVE SENKO: What did you hit on your third shot on No. 1, what was the sequence of shots on 1?

JEFF FREEMAN: No. 1, I hit a driver, 4-iron and came out a little bit; had to hit from the right-hand side of the green.

DAVE SENKO: How long a putt did you have?

JEFF FREEMAN: Two and a half to three feet.

DAVE SENKO: Birdie at 4.

JEFF FREEMAN: Yes; driver 2-iron, and then 2-putted.

DAVE SENKO: 6.

JEFF FREEMAN: Hit a driver sand wedge to about a foot. No. 8, I hit 3-wood, wedge, and made about a 25-footer. 9, I hit driver, wedge, made another 25.

DAVE SENKO: 25.

JEFF FREEMAN: 11, par 3, hit 4-iron to about four feet and made that.

DAVE SENKO: 12.

JEFF FREEMAN: Driver, driver, and hit a pitch shot up about three and a half feet made that.

DAVE SENKO: You say you 3-putted 14.

JEFF FREEMAN: Yes.

DAVE SENKO: 17 and 18.

JEFF FREEMAN: 17 and 18, 17 hit a driver, wedge to about three feet. Made that. And then 18 hit driver, 2-iron and just missed the green to the left. Pitched up about a foot and made that.

DAVE SENKO: Questions.

Q. I want know if you're crowd over there was bigger than the one following Jordan?

JEFF FREEMAN: Maybe. Are you kidding me? Nothing is going to be.

Q. Did you have a lot of people following you over there, members and the like?

JEFF FREEMAN: Yes, I did, quite a few from the first tee on. It was a good feeling.

Q. Seriously, did starting over there make it a little easier for you, a little less nervous than if you started at another course this week?

JEFF FREEMAN: Actually, I think I put a little more pressure on me because of all the people that were rooting so hard for me. There were a lot of them out there.

Q. Not counting the year, you were out there on the Nike, how many PGA TOUR events have you played now?

JEFF FREEMAN: This is my second.

Q. What was the other one?

JEFF FREEMAN: Greensboro.

Q. You have got what, Nissan and Buick, right?

JEFF FREEMAN: Right.

Q. You said you hadn't been playing that much?

JEFF FREEMAN: I haven't played much at all lately.

Q. Did you try and get out and play the other three courses or did you just sit there and help people stop their slicing?

JEFF FREEMAN: I played PGA West a couple days and practiced out there.

Q. Have you talked to Robin (sic) much about this week and the two of you playing not only in the same tournament, but I guess he was over there today too, right?

JEFF FREEMAN: He is. I haven't really talked much about playing in the tournament. I probably given me some hints and that kind of stuff. We have played a little bit together and kind of got me settled down.

Q. Coming into this tournament realistically were you thinking: Well, I am happy to be here, or I am going to finish Top-10 do you have any specific goals?

JEFF FREEMAN: I'd love to win every tournament that I play in; certainly love do that, but if that didn't happen, Top-10 or my goals are set high and I have got to be realistic too. Haven't played a whole lot. I don't play very much this time of the year. I got to be -- I want to set my goals high. I want to be able to try to work towards winning this tournament. I will just have to go hole-by-hole and minute-by-minute and stay in the present see what I do for the rest of the week.

Q. Can you run down your career a little bit for us, how do you come to be a teaching pro at Tamarisk if you have the kind of skill that you have like you shot today, other question would be have you ever shot a round like this on your own course before?

JEFF FREEMAN: Yeah, I have the course record here at 61. A long with the skill, you have got to have the mind to go with it. That is probably where I have been lacking a little. You got to be very mentally tough in order to do well, especially out here. That is where I think you are going to find your best players the ones who are capable of knowing that they are going to do it and who are mentally tough and don't let anything bother them really. There were a couple holes out there today where I kind of started thinking a little negative. Other than that, I kept within myself and hit it pretty well. We will just have to wait and see what happens the next few days.

Q. Now that you are moving away from Tamarisk tomorrow, they are going to have the pro shop open over there. Are they going to close it when they go to follow you?

JEFF FREEMAN: (laughs) I think I might just let them close it down. There won't be anything out there for them. They are going to stay right here and I am just going to go with my friends and caddie and play the best I can play. Got a little wind coming up now. Do you have some wind?

DAVE SENKO: Just started.

JEFF FREEMAN: Holy cow.

Q. So you don't have a lesson or anything this afternoon?

JEFF FREEMAN: I will go practice - actually blowing about 25, 30 right now. I might just go home and rest. See my family.

DAVE SENKO: Thank you.

End of FastScripts....

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