GREATER GREENSBORO CHRYSLER CLASSIC

April 22, 1999

Robin Freeman

ROBIN FREEMAN: Yeah, can I start on 2? I drove it in the rough on 2 and hit a -- well, first of all, let me preface that by saying if you drive it in the rough here, you're asking for trouble. The rough is mean. The greens are hard. Although, they were a little softer today. This morning, anyway. They are holding some moisture. I missed about an 8-footer for bogey. Not a nice way to start the day, but I came back with a good driver in the bunker. I hit wedge to the green. Made a 4-footer for birdie there. Made a nice par-saving putt of about eight feet on 3. 2-putted 4 for par. 2-putted 5 for par. Got it up-and-down at 6. Made a nice 15-footer for par there. 2-putted 7 for par. I chipped in on 8, just from the back fringe. The pin was back in the middle of the green back, and I hit a 4-iron back to the back fringe and chipped it in there. And I got it up-and-down on No. 9 for birdie. I missed a 6-footer for birdie at 10. 2-putted from about 20 feet at 11 for par. 2-putted from about 30 feet at 12 for par. Actually knocked it over the green on 13. Hit 5-wood, 5-wood over the green; chipped it down and made birdie. Holed about 20-footer on 14 for birdie. 2-putted for par on 15. Made about a 15-footer at 16 for birdie. Almost holed it at 17. Hit it about a foot behind the hole for birdie. And I made about a 8-, 9-footer for par at 18. 17, I hit 4-iron.

ROBIN FREEMAN: So far, so good. I've been putting so lousy all year. It's been atrocious how bad my putting has been. I look the last couple weeks off because I didn't play in the Masters or the MCI Classic and just went home and worked on had I putting every day and found a couple things that I was doing wrong; and hopefully, I've got those cured. I would love to putt the way I putted today every day. I actually rolled my ball on the line with the correct speed and just made a few. It was like night and day today compared to the first quarter of the year.

ROBIN FREEMAN: If you drive it in the rough, you're asking for trouble.

ROBIN FREEMAN: The greens are fairly firm. Actually, a little softer this morning. There was some moisture in the grass this morning; so they are actually holding some shots. But you have to drive a ball in the fairway in order to score well. You just have to. I drove the ball in the fairway probably -- I probably hit 10 fairways today. It wasn't bad. With the wind coming up on the back 9, it was actually pretty good.

ROBIN FREEMAN: Yeah, but I've got to play in the afternoon tomorrow. Yeah, after the 1st hole, it was really quite fun.

ROBIN FREEMAN: Yeah, it was -- I was trying to lengthen my stroke to get a little more pace in my stroke earlier this year. I was trying to lengthen it to get a little bit better rhythm in my stroke, but what I found out is my putter blade -- my hands were stopping, or actually my arms were stopping and my putter blade was pulling left; and I would pull 90 percent of my putts. And in order to keep from pulling it, I would speed up to compensate and then I had push putts. I worked on just the basic mechanics of letting the club to be able to lag behind the force of swinging the putter, which is either your hands, arms, shoulders whatever you want to use. But I was able to accelerate with my arms a little more and have the club head hanging behind a little bit. David Frost actually helped me a little bit yesterday. Basically, my stroke was just stopping and the putter blade was going through on it's own, and I couldn't control distance or line very well that way; so, I just basically changed that and allowed my stroke to be dictated with my arm swing.

ROBIN FREEMAN: After today, I feel pretty good. I feel really close. I'm going to go work on it for a while this afternoon and make sure. I haven't made anything anywhere close. I'd miss 3- or 4-, 6-footers, 4-footers. That's how bad it got. Putting is all confidence. Once you feel like you can get your ball on line and you know you can go ahead and start running for putts. You can actually think, well, I can make it, as opposed to saying I don't know if I'm going to push or pull this.

ROBIN FREEMAN: Just defensive. And if you get defensive putting, you've got no chance; so you have to have that confidence. And I got a little confidence back today. Today was a big round for me and my putting.