THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 10, 2000

Dudley Hart

DUDLEY HART: Birdies first?

DUDLEY HART: Hit a pretty good 3-wood down there just short of the left bunker right, 8-iron about 40 feet past the hole and somehow wiggled that one in. Kind of nice because I have been hitting it pretty good before that and hadn't made much, but kind of sometimes you steal one when maybe you shouldn't. Next birdie was No. 2, I hit a good drive and hit sand wedge in about a foot, wiggled that one in for birdie. Then on 4, I hit a good drive down the middle, hit a 3-wood front bunker and hit a wedge to about eight feet out of the bunker, just a bunker shot, and made that for birdie. That was it.

DUDLEY HART: Yeah, I missed a few on the front. At the back actually my front. 10 -- not 10. 12, I hit it about ten feet right below the hole, missed it. What did I say? Did I say 12? 12, yeah. 13, hit it about twelve feet, missed that. 14, I hit it about ten feet, missed it. That was about it. I missed some 20-footers but other than the shorter ones, I missed about a 15-footer on 3, 2 and 3, but hit good putts. Hit a couple of bad ones, a couple of misreads, but still pretty happy with the way I was rolling the ball. Still felt like I had a chance to make every putt I hit and when I looked up, they were all rolling pretty good around the holes; just didn't get as many to fall today as I did yesterday.

DUDLEY HART: I would say easy two or three shots, I would guess. They tucked some of the pins -- we were talking about it, John and I, and they tucked some of the pins on the downwind holes which makes it even tougher, like 1, we -- I hit a good drive -- I shouldn't say "We" because John was about 30 behind me, but I hit a good drive. We both had-- had 80-yard shot but straight downwind, the pin is tucked over the left corner and I was even on the right side of the fairway and I just -- I landed it about five feet on the green and it just -- the whole front part of that green over there runs away from you. I hit it 15 feet by. I hit about as good of a shot as I probably could have hit with the pin, other than landing it in the fringe or, you know, I mean, it was kind of the shot I was trying to play. I didn't -- I was hoping to hit it a little softer the first bounce, but there on two, the same thing, straight downwind basically and I was lucky that I had like 112 yards to carry it on line with the flag so to the front edge of the green downwind and that is just a perfect sand wedge. I just -- you know, I had a good number where I could rip a sand wedge, put a lot spin on it, took one hop, stopped up there close. If you don't get a good number where you need to hit an easy shot and you are not going to put a lot of spin on it, on top of it like 1, 2 and 3 the pins were tucked, tucked pretty close to the corners of the greens and pretty much playing downwind, so it was tough to get them close.

DUDLEY HART: Yeah, I think so. All those pins have been used before. It is not like they -- I don't remember if it was Friday's round or whatever, but the pin on 1 I remember. I remembered -- I knew standing on the tee that I didn't really want to kill my drive because I didn't want to get it too close, but hit it good enough to carry the trap on the right and it was kind of a funny thing because I was like, well, to lay-it-up, and have to hit like 3-iron off the tee, then I would have a wedge. It is not a better angle, so just went ahead and hit driver. Sometimes you can kind of play around certain pins and try to position yourself off the tee a little better, but the first three holes really isn't, you know, you just got to hit a good shot and hope you get the right number where you can hit a full shot and put as much spin on it as you can.

DUDLEY HART: It is probably harder. There is just more distractions likes I said yesterday, there is just, family, friends, making sure everyone gets tickets, making sure -- trying to keep everybody happy and don't get anybody mad at me. But you know, other than that, I try -- I am -- I just try to take it as any other tournament but it is sometimes harder than others.

DUDLEY HART: Not too bad, really. I didn't --a few people called, but not a ton. I just kind of sat and watched basketball games and just kind of relaxed and not a ton of people. I think most of my friends probably are overcautious about calling me more than anything. They probably are trying not to bother me. Once I am home, it didn't really -- it wouldn't really bother me if they called or not.

DUDLEY HART: Not many times. Probably three or four times, not very often.

DUDLEY HART: No, period.

DUDLEY HART: Yeah. Most of the time when I am home I practice and I am a member of the club called Grand Oaks and it is real quiet and peaceful and nice place, great practice area, one of the best practice areas I have ever seen. And that is where I spend most of my time. I don't generally play a lot when I am home. I do a lot more practicing just because it is harder to get the quality of practice in on the road. There is a lot of commotion going on. All you media people bothering me, just kidding.

DUDLEY HART: If you were a member when it was Rolling Hills you were -- had to reup for Grand Oaks. They leveled it and totally redid it so I wasn't a member at that time. I joined after they redid it and once I saw the practice area it was a pretty easy sale for me.

DUDLEY HART: Yeah, last night. I didn't get a chance to see him because I finished late here and when I was done practicing, messing around, I didn't have a chance to, but I think he is going to get out later this afternoon; at least that is what it sounded like last night. I went over to the hospital to see him which is nice. I don't like those hospitals very much.

DUDLEY HART: No, I would say none. He was hoping to come out maybe yesterday or today, but the surgery was more complicated than they anticipated and his recovery time has been a little longer. I would imagine he is not going to be walking around too much for at least another week or so.

DUDLEY HART: I don't think it is too tough to be honest. Not that he doesn't care, he has always been one to stay away and let me do my own thing, playing. Especially when I was younger. I think he was always -- in a way I think I was very lucky because him being a golf pro and being a pretty good player and he just wanted me to go out and learn on my own and, you know, we would talk about my rounds when I came home or on the phone if I was on the road when I was in a junior golf college, whatever, he rarely, rarely, I mean, I would say two or three times through junior golf and college did he ever watch me in a tournament. I think he just didn't want me to feel the pressure to try to please him, or the pressure -- all kids wants to impress their parents. I think he just wanted me to learn everything on my own and not feel any added pressure and I am sure he wanted to be out there. I know he was always rooting for me, but you know, he was the opposite of the majority of parents. A lot of parents in golf and a lot of other sports are almost too hands-on with their kids and I don't have any kids so it is easy for me to say that, but I think sometimes it is better just to let them encourage them and give them every opportunity they can to play, but don't be too overbearing with it.

DUDLEY HART: Not much. He is still pretty tired. We talked a little bit about it and he threw a couple of jabs at me about being stupid and doing something here and there, which is normal, so I knew he was feeling better.