THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 30, 1996

Michael Bradley

WES SEELEY: Mike Bradley, 72, 67, 66; 205, 11-under-par. Eight birdies, two bogeys today. How was it and when did you start getting wet out there?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Actually, it wasn't too bad until we got to the 10th tee, that's when we walked from 9 to the 10th tee then it started raining pretty hard. We were pretty much out of the umbrella all of the rest of the day.

WES SEELEY: Take us through this round.

MICHAEL BRADLEY: You want birdies and bogeys?

WES SEELEY: Yes.

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Let me think. Birdied 2. Drove it down left side of the fairway, hit a 2-iron short and left of the green, got it up-and-down. 3, I hit 7-iron about probably twelve feet right of the hole, made it in. 4, I hit driver, L-wedge about twelve feet behind the hole again and made it. And let's see, 7, hit driver, 5-iron about 15 feet behind the hole, made it. Then 10, I drove it in the left-hand bunker; hit a really good shot with an 8-iron out about six feet for birdie, and made it. 11, hit driver to the left rough, laid it up with a 4-iron, L-wedge to about five feet, made it in. 12, driver down the middle, L-wedge to about five feet, made it in. Let's see. I bogeyed 15, drove it right down the middle, 9-iron in my hand, spun it off the green, and I guess I hit kind of a poor putt up the fringe about three feet and missed it. 16, I hit a good drive down the left side, 2-iron to about 20 feet for eagle, and 2-putted for birdie. 17, hit 9-iron, landed eight, ten feet short of the hole, spun it back into the rough and hit a really poor chip. I had a good lie, but I hit a bad chip though ten feet by the hole and 2-putted; made bogey. Then parred 18, so, got out of the rain.

WES SEELEY: On 2 you chipped to how close?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I'd say about 15 feet behind the hole.

WES SEELEY: All right. Questions, folks.

Q. Can you talk about how the rain did affect your play.

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Me or play in general?

Q. You and -- yeah.

MICHAEL BRADLEY: If guys can tolerate playing in the rain like this, I think, as you can tell, the scores are going to be low because the greens are a lot softer. Makes it a lot more receptive for iron play. And if you do happen to miss the green, the greens are softer to work with; get the ball up-and-down easier. So I think guys played probably a lot more aggressively today. I don't think the pins were easy. I just think the greens were softer; guys were shooting at the flag, there was no wind-- not much, I mean at times there was.

Q. What do you think Doral will do for you tomorrow?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Tough to say. Only thing I can tell you is I will tell you after tomorrow's round, I guess. I am human. I am going to play good. I am going to play bad. I am going to play indifferent. Whichever Michael Bradley comes to the golf course tomorrow and plays, that is the person I got to live with. Whether it is 65 or 75, or whatever, I am going to go out and give it my darndest the next -- tomorrow for 18 holes. Hopefully, it is good enough to win. If not, you know, so be it.

Q. Do you feel like you got anything off of that Sunday round at Doral that you will build on tomorrow?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I would think so. I would hope so. It was a good confidence booster. This is a different style golf course. I was probably -- not that I am not comfortable out here, but I was definitely a lot more comfortable with Doral. The golf course, I was more comfortable there than I am here. I think that -- I mean, I think that golf course sets up for my game better, so...

Q. There has been a lot of talk about the first-time winners lately, and this tournament has never produced a first-time winner. You got Tommy in front --

MICHAEL BRADLEY: He is playing great.

Q. -- you're in the hunt. What do you make of all of this?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I took New Orleans off and, you know, Scott McCarron was winning. I was driving over with my friends, I said maybe I'd open the door at Doral. And I didn't win, I got second, but Tim Herron won last week and Paul Goydos at Bay Hill, and Scotty last week, so I said maybe I opened the door. I said man, these guys -- Bradley finish second, I know I can win. (AUDIENCE LAUGHTER.) So, you know, maybe that -- maybe I opened the door. I think young players see that younger players winning and playing well, and I think that kind of motivates them. They say hey, this guy can do it, it is not impossible; Norman or Price or Couples, they don't have to win every week, we can win. So I think it gives the younger players a little boost to see their peers, so to speak, playing well.

Q. What do you think it is going to take tomorrow?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I don't know what the weather forecast is. If it is like today, with not a lot of wind, just some nuisance rain -- I mean, I don't know. If it rains all day, I don't think the score will be as low. You had a lot of guys that got in before the rain started, they had soft greens and no wind. But I think if the wind doesn't blow tomorrow, I think it will be a pretty low number, because the greens are going to be soft. There is no way they can firm them up. I heard we are supposed to get some rain tonight, so the greens are going to be soft. They can roll them and cut them and do all they want, they are still going to be pretty receptive. So I think the biggest factor is if the wind blows. If it is windy, there is no telling out here. If it gets windy you can shoot 80 in a heart beat out here. So hopefully it will be pretty calm.

Q. Do you show up with a number in mind; do you think you got to shoot 65, 66?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Well, depends what Tommy finishes at. If he finishes 16, 17-under par. If he comes in, maybe makes a couple of bogeys, finishes 10 11, 12-under, then it is a little different. I'd like to go out and shoot 3, 4, 5-under par. It is not an easy golf course, although they made it look easy today. But I promise you it is not.

Q. Have you played much with Tommy?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I grew up playing with Tommy. We played down in Fort Myers, South Florida Junior Golf Association. So we played a lot of golf together.

Q. What is your impression of how he has swelled up being in the lead here?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: He played good last week, he finished third. I think he made unfortunate bogey on the last hole, I guess, and Watson made birdie on 18 or he would have finished second. So to get players like that, they get hot, they have got some momentum. I guess he finished -- last year I think he finished third at the Hope, I think. It is rookie season, so -- the guy can play.

Q. What is your best story from junior golf?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: God, that is too long ago. This was probably 7th grade through probably -- you are looking at probably, I'd say, 11, 12, to like 17. So that was a while ago. So I don't know.

Q. No good ones jump out?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: No not at all. Same thing with Nolan, Henke. I grew up playing with Nolan. So a lot of guys in that area.

Q. Who beat who?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I usually beat Tommy, and Nolan was kind of, you know, back and forth.

Q. He says he is kind of shy; not real people person?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: He is. There is nothing wrong with that. He takes to himself. He won't get in trouble that way, you keep your mouth shut. In a way I'm -- I don't want to call myself introverted but I'd like to kind of be with a couple of people. I am not much for big crowds and hem-hawing and doing that stuff. I like to kind of to lay low and just relax. Tommy is the same way. You can tell just by him being out on the golf course. He is just laid back.

Q. Talk to him about his move to Flat Rock?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Where? North Carolina, no, not really.

Q. He couldn't stand the big city life down in Fort Myers?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Well, that is his discretion if that is where he wants to live. I don't blame him. Some people likes the country; like the slow pace. Some people like the fast pace so,....

Q. You guys hang any nicknames on him in junior golf or college?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: He might have, I haven't. I have never had any nicknames for him.

Q. Is there any sort of kinship that has developed among guys trying to get their first wins, you guys sort of hang together or is there a relationship there?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Yeah, I'd say so. I mean, obviously probably maybe some of big boys like tend to hang out in the evening just like you don't want to say little clicks, but I guess in a way, it could be like that out here, but me personally, if I can't win, I love to see Tommy win. I think that would be great for him; be great for the game of golf if he won. If I can't win, my hat is off to him. I hope he shoots 65 tomorrow if I can't win and blows the doors on them. I'd like to shoot 65 too and win and if I can't, I'd love to see him win.

Q. Do you feel more comfortable on this golf course than you used to?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: I guess so. I felt pretty comfortable today. I don't -- I haven't been as calm, I guess, as I was at the week of Doral, but I am pretty good. I was really -- I was just like I was out there on a Monday playing with the guys, back home playing golf. It has been a little different this week; had a few more butterflies, I guess, than normal, but I guess that is normal, but you know, I don't feel the same as I was at Doral.

Q. Just as far as your game suiting this golf course, have you felt uncomfortable because of the way this golf course sets up in the past?

MICHAEL BRADLEY: Maybe a little bit. I think this golf course is definitely a precedence on driving the ball because with how the greens are, they are so undulating, there is 3, 4 different little mini greens in each green and if you are not driving in the fairway, you are shooting at the middle of the green then now all of a sudden you got these 20, 30-footers that are just the -- they are breaking six feet going up-and-down. It makes it tough to make birdies. You are just trying to 2-putt all day so, I think you have to drive the ball in the fairways out here to be able to be aggressive to shoot at the pins. If you don't drive the ball well out here, it is awfully tough to shoot a good score, that is my opinion anyway. But the soft greens are going to help. If the greens are really firm, like they were, let us say, on Tuesday, you know, you are driving it in the rough makes it tough.

WES SEELEY: Anything else for Michael Bradley?

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