SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 25, 2003

D.A. Weibring

PHIL STAMBAUGH: You got it going pretty good out there. A couple of players said that today was the day to go low, and you did that; even with a bogey at last, you had 63, and right now you are the leader at the tournament at 8-under. Let's start with some comments about your round and then we'll go hole-by-hole.

D.A. WEIBRING: First of all, yesterday our first nine holes was fairly mild. The wind picked up the last nine holes, for sure. But I didn't get started as well as I would like to yesterday. Didn't make a few putts. And I knew today, I guess we had some overnight rain, but there was a good chance to shoot a good score out there.

I got started well and kept it going. I played well through the turn and coming home both days and feel good about that. I didn't like the bogey at last, but it was a good opportunity to score today. Golf course played very nicely.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Take through you birdies, the bogey and any good saves.

D.A. WEIBRING: Hit it pretty close to the first hole, about five or six feet, hit a good putt and missed it.

2-putted at 2.

Birdied the fourth hole with a little 8-iron just behind the hole and made maybe about a 20-footer.

5, I hit 3-wood off the tee and a 9-iron in pretty close, maybe five, six feet.

2-putted 6 just behind the hole. Almost made it coming down the hill from about 20 feet.

Made a good 2-putt on the par -5 7 for birdie, from probably 35 feet, I'm guessing. I just chipped an 8-iron. I only had 125 yards to the front.

No. 8, I made a good 2-putt from under the hill up and over.

9, I hit a poor tee shot in the left rough. I was able to chase it down just short of the green and 2-putted about 30 to 40 feet.

10, missed it from probably 18 feet.

11, I hit a 6-iron that rolled just over the back edge. Could have hit a variety of different chips but chipped it down four or five feet and made a good par putt there.

Turning back, I hit a good tee shot and a 9-iron on 12 to maybe four feet.

13, I hit a good tee shot and a pitching wedge to about ten feet behind the hole, maybe 12 feet.

14, a good tee shot. The wind was more back against us rather than across and I hit 6-iron to about five feet again, maybe five or six feet. A little curler putt, a good putt.

15 always plays tough. I hit 4-iron on the back of the green, 2-putted; made a good 2-putt.

16, hit a good tee shot and hit a pitching wedge to around that same length, four or five feet, just behind the hole.

17, I hit a good tee shot. I was lucky, I just avoided the bunker on the right edge. I was kind of trying to go at that one shot. I only had about 200 yards into the green and hit my 3-iron, trying to chase it up in there and pulled it a little bit, put it in the left bunker a little bit up against the back wall. That's a pretty good slope down to the hole. I hit a pretty good bunker shot that came up a little shaft and stopped on the downhill but made about a 15-footer, I guess, for birdie.

18, I think I chose the wrong club off the tee. My caddie, Lee, has done a wonderful job. He's one of the local caddies here. He's been very helpful all week, but he has a lot of respect for those bunkers out there and he's had me playing quite conservative off the tee. He thought 3-wood, I kind of did, too. I didn't even really think about driver; it should have been a driver, just to knock it over the bunkers. But I pushed the 3-wood down the right side and caught a pretty thick lie and kind of chopped an 8-iron down the fairway and wedged it short of the hole about 20-some feet. Hit a good putt. Just crawled over the right edge.

I really didn't know what the course record was. I really enjoy the golf course and just trying to enjoy the day, and get as many as I could. But I heard there was a few whispers in the crowd about the course record, so people were paying attention. So I had a feeling after I drove it in the stuff there on 18 that I needed to make a par, but I didn't do it.

But I feel very good about the way I played and look forward to the weekend.

Q. Was that a career-low round for you?

D.A. WEIBRING: The 63 probably -- I shot a bunch of 64s on par 72s and 71s and 70s, but it might be the career low number. Not the most under par. 62 was sounding good, though as I was walking down the left side.

Q. What have you been doing for the first five months of the year?

D.A. WEIBRING: Well, I didn't play as much the last couple years. I won in '95 and '96 and slowed down my play my last couple of years, playing about ten events a year. Made a pretty good, high percentage of my cuts the last number of years, but I chose to step back. I played only one event; I played Hilton Head this year and made the cut, played okay. But only one event, I guess October was my last event, last fall.

So coming in, turning 50, I felt I was prepared, I was in good condition, but maybe not as experienced, a little rust in my game. I played that way a little bit. I made a bunch of birdies my first event at Nashville and made some mistakes I don't normally make. I had a bad third round at the PGA Seniors and then played pretty well at Grand Rapids. I was one back with five to go and pretty good shape but hit some pretty good shots that didn't work out coming in. Then I had a little break here. I wasn't in the Senior Open, nor the Ford, so I've had a little break, being off.

Actually I got here and I'm using a new driver this week. The driver I've been driving with was cracked and wasn't performing well, so I've used my back up driver I've never used before the last two rounds, so it's holding up okay. That's why you bring a backup, I guess.

Q. What driver was it?

D.A. WEIBRING: It was a Titleist driver. I'm not sure it's cracked. Just the sound, the performance wasn't there, so I didn't trust it. I changed the grip, kept changing some things and I changed to a TaylorMade.

Q. Do you feel you and guys like Stadler have an advantage fitness-wise coming in to the Tour at 50?

D.A. WEIBRING: Well, I think those who have played the best coming out here right away are those -- Bruce Fleisher played very well. He played a lot going into it, and I realize that.

But we really do feel like rookies again. Here I played 26 or 27 years, and now I'm coming here -- and I've played in both Opens in my career, '86 and '93. I played pretty well in '86 until I made 8 on the 18th hole in the third round from about 30 yards from the green. So I feel comfortable playing here.

Some of the other courses, we are just learning the routine and the double Pro-Am and whatever. Other guys have been very nice.

But I've got a lot of respect for the players 50 and above. These guys work hard, they practice hard, they are very passionate about the game; so I want to be a part of that.

Q. How well did you perform in your career in the majors?

D.A. WEIBRING: Well, on the regular tour, I finished second in the PLAYERS Championship, which is our fifth major, you might say. I finished third and fourth in the PGA. I lost by a shot in '87. I finished -- my best Open Championship was actually my first one at Royal St. George's; I finished 7th, three shots behind Sandy Lyle. I had a good chance down the stretch. I was tied for the lead a couple different times during the week. I finished seventh in the Masters. I've had all of my nibbles at the majors and my fair share of 1-ups. I've won five times on the regular tour and three times overseas and around the world.

Coming to the Champions Tour, that was one of my goals. I'd like to win a major championship. I think we all would. But you do that by playing well and being consistent and getting yourself in position.

Q. Do you remember how you fared at Turnberry?

D.A. WEIBRING: You know, I do remember. I was finishing the third round -- if anybody remembers, we had a heavy rain storm, wind coming in, and I was in second place or third place playing 18. Greg was leading. I drove it right in the middle of the fairway. I tried to chase a 2-iron down short of the green. I went to look for the spot, matter of fact, because if you recall, from the drought of '86, the rough was not mowed the next nine years. I found one of those spots about 50 yards short of the green. I hit a pitch, it was maybe 50 yards. I could get it on the green and have a chance for four. I hit it and the ball didn't come out, and then we couldn't find it. We were on hands and knees and then we found the ball. I actually swung again, the ball hits the grass and went with backwards. I chopped out again and it went out in front of the green and I chipped on and 2-putted.

As I walked through the bleachers, the American press was there and I remember one of the guys said: "D.A., way to hang in there. D.A., Designated American."

I said, "Did y'all see me play the last hole?"

They said, "You made 5?"

I said, "no, I made 8."

"See I can't later, D.A.," and off they went. (Laughter). That story was over, so they had to go find something else.

But I think I shot 75-76 on the weekend and finished 30th or something. Disappointed but enjoyed playing here. I think I missed the cut in '93.

Is the forecast okay over the weekend? I thought it was going to be bad today. I was prepared for rain and I was surprised we had sunshine pop out.

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