KEMPER INSURANCE OPEN

June 2, 2000

Steve Lowery

STEVE LOWERY: Thank you.

STEVE LOWERY: I played well in the first nine holes I played. I was fading a little bit mentally on the last nine. I hung in there and made a few good up-and-downs, and I think I did make one birdie on the back. But it was pretty hard out there. I was having a hard time concentrating. I'm hoping for cooler temperatures.

STEVE LOWERY: Obviously, I'd like to finish strong. It makes you feel a little bit better. But I made pars yesterday and pars today, but I just could tell it was a struggle in that heat out there. Just maintain concentration more than anything. I was able to make pars, but it was pretty tough to concentrate.

STEVE LOWERY: What's he shooting?

STEVE LOWERY: The problems he has, you can't say it's an advantage. He has such trouble with his leg. I've heard him say many times, "it's not an advantage," so I would think not.

STEVE LOWERY: Let's see. There was a little more wind today. It kind of was switching a little bit. On the driving range it seemed like it was blowing northeast and then it kind of turned south, southwest there I think in the middle of the round or something. Just trying to figure out the wind. Greens were getting a little scratchy. 8th hole is looking really kind of bluish with the spikes -- you see the footprints on them. It's kind of drying out. That was the main difference.

STEVE LOWERY: I guess the heat, just stressing them. I don't know if they put water on them. I'm sure it will be all right tomorrow. That hole is kind of sitting up and there's no shade. 1st hole was key. I missed the green left with a pitching wedge. I was probably 20 feet off the green and was just trying it put it somewhere up near the hole and it went in. Started the day with that.

STEVE LOWERY: I don't know, that was probably about 50 feet. 2, I hit wedge in there. A little shallow thing. It rolled just an inch off the green. But it was a nice uphill. Probably about a 12-foot putt. 4, I hit a 9-iron to the left about 25 feet and made a nice, long putt there. 5, I spun a sand wedge to the front of the green probably 25 feet there and made that putt. 7, I pulled a 6-iron in the left bunker, not a good spot to be. The ball came by and released about 15 feet and I missed that. 12, I drove it in the right rough. Hit a 3-wood off the tee, and just didn't really hit, you know, that good a drive. The second shot was pretty good. I was over to the left and I tried to run it, you know, put it just like I did on No. 1 and it didn't come out right. Really didn't get on the green there and 2-putted from the fringe for bogey. 14, I was starting to struggle a little bit right there. Hit in the hazard on 13 and made par. So I just played it safe, tried to regroup, hit 4-iron off the tee, sand wedge in there about 15 feet and made that putt for birdie.

STEVE LOWERY: It was hard to concentrate after about 8 holes out there because of the heat. I just noticed that I was getting really hot walking, you know, up and down the hills in the heat. Up until 8, I started having a little trouble with the whole thing. Because of the heat it was hard to concentrate and focus, to get the shots, you know, to where you wanted them.

STEVE LOWERY: Not really. I've played well in the summer. I won in August out in Denver and it was hot out there. I think in general the difference between shooting 7-under and 3-under a lot is being able to focus or concentrate. The golf course was a little tougher. The wind blew a little bit more. But it was just much harder to concentrate start to finish.

STEVE LOWERY: You know, I really don't know. Have to see how it is out there tomorrow, what conditions are like. If that front blows in, you know, I don't know if it's going to rain. It's going to make the golf course longer, soften the greens up a little bit. The scores might be low again tomorrow. Just hard to say until you see the conditions.