BUICK OPEN

August 11, 2000

Rocco Mediate

ROCCO MEDIATE: I gave the basic answer that you -- twice I hit 17 greens, I made eight birdies and all pars. I drove it most -- I think I drove it every fairway. I hit every green, but, one, I just had a lot of chances. I made almost half of them. So it was a good putting day.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I wanted to make birdie on the last two holes because 63 was one of my lower scores ever really, so, I was disappointed. I love it. If you are putting good here, you can shoot these kind of scores. There are going to be some more of these if they hit it that good. That is the whole key. Easy to shoot 72 here - hitting it the same way, you still can make anything. So I just made putts. Yesterday I didn't make hardly any. Today I made a bunch of good 7-, 8-footers and long one on No. 8. I always loved this golf course. It is a ball hitters course but you have to do both because you have got to make birdies here. Like next week, it will be a lot of pars and couple of birdies but not here. Got to make lots of birdies.

ROCCO MEDIATE: That is about right on the number. I just hadn't putted well all this year. I have had a couple of days of putting, but never -- I hadn't sustained anything. Today was good. Yesterday was mediocre, tell you the truth; missed a whole bunch yesterday. If you are hitting it good, you have a lot of chances. I am not the only one hitting these greens. I am pretty bad - down in putting, I should say.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I don't know. I am working harder at it now. It's not like I didn't practice -- have never been really a great putter, never have.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Long. It doesn't matter what I putt with. Other one doesn't work. I had trouble in the past reading most greens not just these, I am just starting to trust it more and let it rip; like today, I really didn't think about anything else. I putted really good; never was in danger. I made the putts I really should have made. I only missed a few, three or four. Like three or four 6-footers for birdie. But having 17 chances, you are going to do that.

ROCCO MEDIATE: I am not a bad putter. I just don't hole as many. He is a bad putter. (laughs).

ROCCO MEDIATE: Absolutely. Because if I keep giving myself the opportunities, I am going to make some. I definitely -- it's going to take probably 8- or 10-under to win this tournament, I would think, unless Woody -- he has got five or six holes to go, I guess. It is going to take at least 21- or 22-under unless the weather goes funny. It is not supposed to. Yeah, it can be done. Yesterday I really didn't putt that great, I shot 4-under. Today I did. There is no question about it because I have been there before. Even at Phoenix last year, with three days last year, I putted horrible except for two holes coming in and still snuck that one out. Yeah, I think it will be good. I am trying to convince myself I just need to work on it more. Practice makes perfect.

ROCCO MEDIATE: No, I kind of do it myself because I am kind of self-taught with that thing anyway. Not really many long putter gurus out there. I am really not that bad. I just -- what gets me - and most of the guys are the same thing, if you hit that many good shots you start missing them; you feel like you are putting bad, but you are really not. Yesterday I probably hit 16 greens; made five birdies. That is really not that bad. Today I hit 17 greens made eight birdies, so I putted butter today than yesterday. I just holed a couple more putts. I don't want to make eight more. I want to make two more a day. I think we can all say that. Give me two more putts a day and it is all over. That is what I did today more than yesterday. That is the only difference. I am not saying -- from three, four, five feet I am extremely good. I think I am above average from there. It's the 15-, 16-, 20-footers I don't make a whole bunch of. That is where you got to get better at. Because I guess my average putt -- most guys' average putt, if they hit -- my average putt today was probably 15 feet at the most. It is hard to make six or seven of those things. Especially on these greens, they are so good; a lot of undulations; a lot of subtleties. That is the only difference just keep working -- as long as I keep making 4-, 5-footers I am not real concerned. My wife said something -- you will love this. I said: I just got to putt a little bit better. I am not just not making the putts I want to make. She goes: Well, I really don't know much about golf. You have all heard this before, she really doesn't. She kind of watches me, but doesn't get into what I am doing; just asks how I play and then talk about the kids. She goes: Well, if you are not really putting that well, why don't you work on the things that put you closer to the hole. Very funny. Yesterday coming in my front nine, I hit a gimme on 13 and then 16, 17, hit gimme both times. I said: Maybe I will take her advice on this. It was kind of funny. I said, that is fine, I hit it close, though, just got to make the little ones.

ROCCO MEDIATE: She was very sincere. It was beautiful. Yeah, why don't -- we all heard the Hogan story, but her not knowing golf, it was hilarious, you know, if you are not making those putts, maybe you should work on this stuff. I said, I do enough of that. I need the other stuff. So it was funny. We will have a good weekend. The weather is supposed to be good. I am looking forward to it. It is always good to be close to the lead and see what you can do on the weekend.

ROCCO MEDIATE: The bottomline is my back isn't 100%, I will say that for sure. It is still -- I can still work more with the short than the long one; whether the long one has its short comings, I don't know, but I just feel more comfortable with it. I don't feel like I can get hurt with it. I can stand out there for an hour and hit putts if I want. Other one I really can't -- really shouldn't, even as strong as I have gotten my body, for the back it still doesn't feel good on me.

ROCCO MEDIATE: It's hard to say. All I have ever said was if it was easier to putt with why only are there a few of us putting with it. It definitely doesn't make it easy -- makes it easier for me. Like I said, I could practice it more, but if it was the best way to putt, everyone would putt with it.

ROCCO MEDIATE: Ten years. I know what is going on with it.

ROCCO MEDIATE: It is 48 inches. Yeah, I am actually very good with it, believe me. I know what I am doing. We have those days. Don't we have days when we just don't make a lot of putts, Hal? He is a good hitter of the ball as there is. He has days where he doesn't make any either.

ROCCO MEDIATE: McCarron uses it. I don't know who else. There could be a few more, I am not sure.

ROCCO MEDIATE: He doesn't play anymore. He plays twice the year, so….

ROCCO MEDIATE: As you see, I didn't make a whole lot of putts; just made a couple of good ones and hit it close a lot. That is how you do it around here. Hope I can do that two more days and it will be fun on Sunday.