U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 2000

John Huston

JOHN HUSTON: Thank you. I'm pleased that I was able to go out, take advantage of a really good tee time. When I saw the tee times, I thought it was going to be a big advantage, and I wanted to go ahead and take advantage of it; and fortunately, I did.

JOHN HUSTON: Yeah, this morning it was just perfect. There was no wind, and the sun was out. The greens were perfect. And then we actually probably got through at least 15 holes without any wind at all, really. And then probably not until the 17th tee, the wind kicked up, and then on 18 it was blowing pretty good.

JOHN HUSTON: No, not necessarily. I think you have enough early tee times out here that you kind of get used to it. I probably got up about 5:00; and fortunately, I'm staying here pretty close. It was really nice by the time -- by 6:15, so it didn't seem like it was all that early. I've had some early tee times where it really seemed like it was earlier than it was.

JOHN HUSTON: Yeah, it was coming right in off the ocean, so 17 it was blowing dead in your face. And 18 it was blowing pretty hard left-to-right. So I think that's probably the hardest wind for those last couple of holes. It's going to be difficult if it stays like that the rest of the day.

JOHN HUSTON: I don't know about that. I think I've gotten a lot better at being patient and not beating myself. I've made a lot fewer double bogeys and higher in probably the last several majors that I've played in. So I'm getting better at that. And I think everybody is probably pretty focused, but I like to think that I'm pretty focused every week.

JOHN HUSTON: Sure. Started off on the 1st hole. I hit an 8-iron about 10 feet and made that for birdie. The 2nd hole I missed the green with a 4-iron and pitched up about 20 feet; 2-putted for bogey. No. 3, I came right back. I hit a 9-iron about 12 feet. No. 6, I hit it just in the right rough short of the green and pitched about 12 feet past, and made that one. No. 7, I hit a sand wedge about 20 feet. No. 8, I missed the green left, pitched up about ten feet; missed that. No. 10, I hit a 6-iron about 35 feet; made a nice putt there. Number 11, I had a 9-iron, and it spun back about 20, 25 feet, and made that. Then No. 13, I had about a 30-footer that I putted about three feet by, and misread the next one and missed that one. No. 15, I hit a pitching wedge out of the left rough about four feet; made birdie there.

JOHN HUSTON: Every time I was in the rough today, I had a good lie; I had a lie that I could get to the green. So certainly I was fortunate there. I think there's certain holes where one side of the rough is a lot easier than the other. 15 is one of those holes. I think 13 is one of those holes where you can get a better lie, and plus you have a better angle at the green. But I did, I had a pretty reasonable lie every time that I was in the rough.

JOHN HUSTON: I think a lot of times -- I think, certainly, whoever wins certainly plays well. But I think the difference is, if you make a couple of bogeys in a row or -- not trying to save a par so much that you cause yourself to make a double or triple, and just learn that you've got to give -- certain situations, you've just got to try to give yourself a putt. And I think I've gotten a little better at that. I used to pretty much not want to give away a bogey under any circumstance, and try to hit an impossible shot, try to make par; and I've learned not to do that.

JOHN HUSTON: The greens this morning were perfect, and they were the perfect speed. These are the type of greens that later in the day I think there's so many different grasses and they grow at different speeds, that later in the day they do get a little bumpy. I knew that being second off was going to be a big advantage.

JOHN HUSTON: Second round last year? I think I played good on Friday last year. I think so.

JOHN HUSTON: Actually, I think I played good the second day, and then the last two days wasn't so good. But it was pretty difficult last year. There was definitely a fine line. Certainly, last year was one of my favorite Opens, but there was really a fine line. You had to be really playing well last year.

JOHN HUSTON: A lot of it will depend on the weather. I think playing at 11:00, there will still be plenty of moisture in the greens, so the greens still should be pretty good. But you just have to -- this course, I think, is totally dictated by the weather. Probably different than a lot of Open courses, if -- on a good day there's a lot of birdie holes, but when the weather gets nasty, it makes this course incredibly hard.

JOHN HUSTON: Actually towards the latter part, probably the last three holes, you could really feel it cool off and the wind pick up, coming in off the ocean. It was kind of foggy and pretty much a typical Pebble Beach day. But I think if our group would have been first off, we would have finished without ever seeing any wind; but unfortunately, the first group was a little slow.

JOHN HUSTON: Well, when we played it this morning, it was a pretty easy shot. The thing that makes it difficult is the big elevation change makes it a little difficult to judge the distance. But on a day like today, early in the day with no wind, it's relatively an easy shot.

JOHN HUSTON: Well, actually I've never played here when it was like that. I can only imagine that the only reason that short of a shot, and we have to hit that kind of club, is because of the elevation change and the wind coming in off the ocean. But that would make that hole almost impossible. You're just kind of guessing.

JOHN HUSTON: Oh, no question. If the wind stays like it was when we were on the last hole, it's going to be much more difficult.

JOHN HUSTON: It was a little deceiving, because it seemed like it was kind of hurting a little bit, too. I hit a 4-wood off the tee, and I was trying to hit it almost right at those two trees. I didn't think it was flying as far as it did, and I was surprised that it flew up there and into the tree. I don't guess I've played here enough to really have a feel for when the wind's blowing that hard off the ocean. From what I remember, there was a lot more fairway last time when I played.

JOHN HUSTON: I probably wasn't playing quite as well last year going into the Open. It was just the kind of course where you really have to have a great feel for the speed of the greens that week. I don't think -- I may have made one, maybe two doubles for the whole week last week. And I may not have made any. It was just the case where I was that little bit off, and I made a lot of bogeys. And that's just the kind of course that that was. Certainly I learned that you've got to hang in there. Certainly, on a course like this, if you hang in there, there's enough birdie holes that you can make a good streak.