U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 3, 1994

Graham Marsh

GRAHAM MARSH: Pretty easy, two birdie's and two bogey's. I guess you all saw the bogey. Birdie at the third from about 8 feet, with a pitching wedge from the left rough and birdie at 16. When I knocked on the green with a 4-wood, 2 putted from 30 feet. Tried to 3-putt, I think you should write that down, but I only 2-putted. But it was a pretty interesting day to be out there watching that. In between it all watching Simon and Jim go at it. And, I guess, when you start a day like I did today when I am that many behind, two things either got to happen. I had to play very well and put pressure on them, or they had to come back to me. And they did everything right in that regard. Simon bogeyed the first 3 holes and Jim struggled the first couple there and made a double bogey at -- all of a sudden they are back. I didn't do anything special, but they are back within range. And, I guess, I thought the championship was over when Simon made the birdie out of the boondocks there on, I guess it is 13, it is the par 4 up the hill and he made that birdie. I thought, well, that is the championship. Now, it is a question of who runs second and third, and I guess Jim and myself were the obvious people to do that. And then all of a sudden things started happening again action double bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, and all of a sudden it is a new ball game. So, it was just almost a little bit of a shock to suddenly be there and find myself there equal leader of the golf tournament. It's one of those things that can happen, but you know that is what you want to happen, although you don't particularly like to see it happen in that way, where other guys are, sort of, giving it away. So that was the position. The only bogey I made all day was 18. I guess, if I had my time again, I would go back and hit a 6-iron, not a 5-iron. I was anxious to get the ball all the way back to the hole, although I knew the pin was only on the front, but in my anxiety to get it up to the hole I went for the extra club, the 5, and in hind sight, I think, I could have probably got it with 6 and my miss with 6 wouldn't have been anywhere as bad. If it didn't get on the green it would have been on that front section there. That would have been a much easy section to get it up and down because I could have putted it or something else with it. It was an exciting day, I think -- but just wasn't to be.

GRAHAM MARSH: I had 157 to the front, but I figure that I had 170 -- 165 to the hole, that is what I had. But it plays a little up hill and there was a little breeze in our face not totally in our face, probably on the left coming in from the left to right. The ball was just -- it was against the grass, which is also another reason why I went with the 5-iron sitting against the grain and sometimes if you try and hit it too hard when the ball is sitting against the grain like that, you can stub the club into the ground or hit it just a little bit fat and lose that shot. The ball was also a little bit below my feet. I felt it was going to fade out that lie a little bit. I was trying to put 80% 5-iron swing on it. Didn't come off. And the chip -- I went with the sand iron because it was sitting well. But I did hit that a little fat to get it -- not to get it up there.

GRAHAM MARSH: Yeah, I guess that happens, I tend to do that. I would have to class myself as a defensive putter. I mean, you have only got to get a look at the stats; I hit a lot of greens in regulation and keep it in the fairway most of the time. So I get a little defensive on my putts. And of course, coming out this morning, and as from yesterday too, where you got all that water on the greens, you start -- when you come back in the afternoon, you always feel that these things are going to be a little quicker when they are drying out. You just don't want to be knocking three, four foot passed and leaving yourself the ones over those awkard spike marks that we had out there this afternoon. I didn't hit the ball firmly enough this afternoon. The few chances that I had earlier on, I was getting the ball sort of four, five inches passed the holes. That is not enough. You really need to be hitting it about eight or nine inches past the hole to keep it on line, but particularly when the greens get like this and they are drying out.

GRAHAM MARSH: I hate to see guys blow golf tournaments, and I mean, if we tied today and gone out there and I had won tomorrow, I mean, I don't think anyone of you would be sitting down, seriously, tomorrow night saying that I won the golf tournament. I think you'd probably be saying that Simon Hobday blew the golf tournament. I don't like to see that happen. And I am not saying that I backed off because I didn't want to see it happen. But, you know, Simon really played fantastically well yesterday and when he came back this morning and went out. When he was 15 under par standing on that 17th tee, he had the golf tournament right in his hand. Never looked like anyone else was going to win it. I mean, Jim could have won it if he played very well today or this afternoon. But, you know, I think just one of those things. I just don't like to see guys blow a golf tournament.

GRAHAM MARSH: 18, it was about 14 feet.

GRAHAM MARSH: Well, he had done it a few times before he got on the 18th. In fact, one time I thought he killed himself.