U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 27, 2000

Jim McLean

JIM MCLEAN: Well, I haven't done much lately, that is for sure, for a long time. I played a lot of golf as a junior and a lot of golf as an amateur. I was at the University of Houston. I lived with John Mahaffey, Bruce Lietzke, and Bill Rogers there. We had really good teams at Houston. Then I played for a few years before I went up and started to work in New York, started at Westchester Country Club. I was a club professional up there. Then started the golf schools at the Doral Golf Resort in 1991.

JIM MCLEAN: No, I think I have done, you know, pretty much everything. This is kind of an interesting thing, getting back to play a little bit. I want all of my instructors -- I have a lot of instructors that work for me. And we try to have our teachers continue to play to be good players. So it is just something I was maybe hoping I could do, at least get to one Senior Open.

JIM MCLEAN: No, I think that is good. I have been able to play in a U.S. Junior -- I played in a number of U.S. Amateurs, played in the U.S. Open twice, then the Senior Open. That is a lot of years of at least playing halfway decent.

JIM MCLEAN: I am trying to make this just a fun week, and I guess my aspirations would be try to make the cut.

JIM MCLEAN: Well, that is a big, major weakness. When I was in the met's section, I played a lot of golf in the met section. I played not club pros -- I played a lot of golf then. Since I have come to Florida, I moved down there in 1993, I really haven't played too much. I play maybe a couple of events a year, so, I have really gotten away from that. My boys are starting to play a lot of golf now, so I am starting to play a little bit more. But I did the Little League -- all that stuff. And then we set up the golf schools. We have 8 sites around the country and one in Mexico, so business has been a major thing for me, starting our own -- my own business and running golf schools. There just isn't enough time to do everything.

JIM MCLEAN: Well, something I thought about. I said I did play some more golf a few weeks before, but I didn't put a lot of time into it. It's a big thrill to be here.

JIM MCLEAN: Well, it's certainly a lot easier to tell people what to do and how to prepare than actually do it yourself. I think it is good for me as a teacher to be in a situation like this where there is pressure on you, and I think because a lot -- I am out there, a lot of people get the Golf Channel. So it's an unbelievable amount of people that stop you and say something and, you know, I feel some little more pressure probably than I need to feel to play. But I guess I just have to deal with that. And I really haven't played much, so just need to go out and -- but I have played a lot of golf in my life, so it is not like I haven't played a lot of competitive golf. But as of lately, there hasn't been a lot; so, you know, getting out there -- it is a pretty big deal. It is a real major tournament situation. So I have just -- I just need to try to focus on staying simple; not getting too far ahead of myself.

JIM MCLEAN: Well, I think that is really -- it is actually true. Most of the people that teach a lot, don't -- kind of stop playing, but there have been a lot of good teachers Bob Toski would be one. Really taught a lot and still played really good golf. More of the old-time players, that is the way they did. They taught and still played. But you still definitely need to play. I go to a lot of majors, but I go working with people. I have been to a lot of U.S. Opens over the last 15 years and PGAs and other Tour events, so I am there watching them prepare, and that is probably an advantage. I get a chance to work with good players. I worked with Dana Quigley who is doing tremendous on the Tour now. And so I think I actually know what I should be doing. But it is a lot easier, like I said, to do that -- to know what to do, and then doing it is two different things. You can't stop -- you need to practice and hit balls and play to have confidence.

JIM MCLEAN: Mike Selopzinski is caddying for me this week. Mike is a Top-100 teacher in the country. I am asking him for a tip on every shot just about out there. Trying to -- just trying to stay in the present, you know. And today I played with Christy O'Connor and Dave Stockton, and Terry Dill, so, I feel -- I didn't feel too comfortable today. So I am just trying to have Mike help me relax a little better, and really concentrate on what I am doing.

JIM MCLEAN: Yeah, I think -- I think that is possible. Just have to have a good week. And what Clampett did is remarkable. But he is not that far removed from the game either. I think a lot of guys that have been commentators, it's been good for them. Colbert, I think, Andy North. I talked with Andy, felt like -- actually a good experience to see -- to step away from the game a little bit and come back and play it. So I think you do learn something about yourself because it is very different just going out to play or play exhibitions or corporate outings, things that I do, compared to actually going and playing in a tournament.

JIM MCLEAN: I definitely think that is true. I think that I have always been like that. I have been more of an analytical person and when I was younger did way too much of that and I always thought about the golf swing a lot. I think it helped me a lot as a teacher, but it is not good as a player.

JIM MCLEAN: Yeah, I have had a couple of guys say some things. One of my goals was to not give a lesson this week, but that's really, you know, that is my job, that is what I do, and I love doing that. It is hard not to. I really don't mind that.

JIM MCLEAN: I think -- actually, Stockton was showing Christy O'Connor some shots around the green. So that is actually pretty common. I have had a few people ask me some questions on specific shots that they are hitting, but it is probably kind of normal actually for guys to just talk amongst themselves.

JIM MCLEAN: Well, there is different guys that I have worked with from time to time. Gibby Gilbert withdrew. I worked a lot with Gibby. I worked some with J.C. Snead. I guess, if I thought about it, I have spent some time with Gary Player over the years when he was at Sleepy Hollow which was great. And Al Geiberger. I don't even know if Al is here this week. Is he? Some other guys that you don't know, a lot of club pros that I have spent time with. There is quite a few of them that I have worked with, periodically, you know, not inasmuch as I am working like full-time with them, but people that have come -- Tom Kite, yeah, I have spent a lot of time with Tom over the years. Not so much right now, but I have worked hundreds of hours with Tom. Dave Eichelberger, I have spent a lot of time with Dave. That is actually when he first came on the SENIOR TOUR, he came to Sleepy Hollow quite a few times. Again not working with him right now, but a lot of the guys I have spent some considerable amount of time with.

JIM MCLEAN: This course reminds me of a lot of the courses in the met section. I was head pro at Quaker Ridge where they had the 1997 Walker Cup right next to Winged Foot. It was an AW Tillinghast course. It reminds me very much of the great northern metropolitan golf courses. It's a very straightforward golf course, very super fair golf course and I think probably everybody will enjoy playing here this week.

JIM MCLEAN: I think it is definitely -- the mental aspect is the main thing for me. And just no competitive practice. I have had no competitive practice here for quite some time. I just have to calm down, the emotional mental aspects of the game are important for everybody, you know, I think all players have to deal with that, but the guys that are playing every week, of course, they are going to be a lot better at that.

JIM MCLEAN: I'd hate to teach myself, yeah. It would be tough.

JIM MCLEAN: I think everything for Kite is mostly his short game. He was always a great short game player. When I worked with Tom in the early '90s, I worked with him a lot in 1992, 1993, 1994, and he had a great short game. He was a very good putter. I think that is what it is for Tom right now. He still hits the ball great. Probably Tom Watson as well, but they are just tremendous ball strikers and Hale Irwin, and Eichelberger, they all made the cut at Pebble Beach which was very impressive. So I think it is just for Tom Kite getting here and having confidence in his putting and maybe his pitching, I think, those are the two areas and his bunker game that were his strongest parts of his game for his whole life. And I think, by far, the strongest part of his game is his ball striking now.

JIM MCLEAN: Yeah.

JIM MCLEAN: Just we get old. I guess you -- I think some people -- actually some of the guys don't lose their short game. Maybe even improve. But I think a lot of people could be -- your eyesight could be just -- that you -- just too many years of making 3- and 4-footers and Tom was always great at doing that, but I know he struggled with that on the PGA TOUR his last few years but he still hit the ball great.

JIM MCLEAN: No, I think that is correct. I think most -- it is all in your head mostly the short game, the short shots, it is not that difficult to make a four-foot putt, but it is just having the confidence and the belief that you can do it and keeping things simple in your mind. But the fact is a lot of people -- you know, especially the guys that hit the ball well because they have so many opportunities, I think you start missing short putts and starts to accumulate and what was once a strength becomes a weakness, and it is sort of -- it is like a total change for Tom. But with his work ethic and as hard as he tries, wouldn't surprise me if he got back to doing pretty well with that part of his game.

JIM MCLEAN: I don't really think so. I am really pretty pleased with what I do and the way my life is now. You know, if I could play in a few events I think that would be a fun thing to do but I am not planning on being a player. I do love golf and I do love to play golf and I like to hit balls and do those -- I'd like to get back to doing some more of that. For I say the last five, six years has been very little compared to what I used to do the rest of my life. Even when I was a club professional I still played quite a bit of golf and had the winters off. So if I can do that, yeah, I think that would be fun to play at several events, maybe the Senior PGA, try and get back in this tournament again. That would be a lot of fun.