FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 23, 2000

Russ Cochran

RUSS COCHRAN: I had a great round considering I hit it in the rough several times. Greens are still soft and playing -- this morning, I think it was a great break. No. 1 for me the biggest issue is keeping my hands dry so that the early tee times -- they got those extra six or eight holes keeping my hands dry. I don't wear gloves, so a big factor for me. So that helped. And the greens were perfect and they were very soft. When you are driving in the rough probably, shoot, 10 or 12 times the last two days, you know, pretty lucky to be where I am at.

RUSS COCHRAN: I hit it in the rough on 1 and hit it in the rough on -- well, 3, I hit a weak drive which I couldn't go for it, so that was a poor drive. Hit it okay on 5. Hit it 25 yards up under the trees on 6 and hit a tree and bounced back out right on top of the knolls on the left there. Drove it in the left of the bunker on 7. Drove it right, pull-hooked it down in the trees by the lemon chill booth over there, so, yeah, I did, I hit it crazy a few times, kind of battled that driver. It was kind of odd because at Westchester I had a new driver and I was -- I had it set up to which I was pulling it a little bit and leaving my 3-wood out. I didn't like the combination of it, so I tried to add just the grip a little bit. Now I am leaving my driver out to the left for the most part. Got to kind of adjust that hopefully.

RUSS COCHRAN: It is playing a little bit shorter, yeah, and didn't seem like some of the pins were quite as tough as yesterday, but the greens are still real soft. Scores are going to be low. Obviously first group to finish 36 holes, but we were talking earlier, I didn't see a list of the people or the names, you know, up there but I know there were some 6-unders and 5-unders and those guys will be -- hopefully they won't be too much lower, but you know there could be a 12-, 13-under, you don't know. The greens are going to spike up just a little bit, but they will receive a shot. I think that is the most important thing. Got a few shots over water and that type thing and when the greens are holding the targets are just so much bigger.

RUSS COCHRAN: They are playing much shorter. As a matter of fact, we played, I think it was the upped tee box on 3, so like I said, hit a weak drive there, couldn't go for it, but both my playing partners went for it and played much shorter. 5 played -- didn't play real short, but the pin was accessible and still reachable. And 16, you know, we got there.

RUSS COCHRAN: 5 was about midway on the right side a little bit, so you know, you get it on the front of that green and get it started, the green slopes away from you kind of just get it on the front of that green and it rolls down toward the middle toward the hole.

RUSS COCHRAN: Again, after driving it in the rough so much, you just don't want to do too much. I pulled out a 3-wood, just kind of choked a swing. Just kind of released it real hard, you know, I haven't had a lot of feel with the long clubs. The irons have been pretty good, and I thought that 3-wood I might be able to get it in play a little bit. I kind of drove it through the fairway on the right side. Hit a 5-iron in the bunker, hit just that stellar bunker play of mine got me up there about 15 feet and I just missed the putt.

RUSS COCHRAN: I putted well. I think that is a big key. . I will have to drive the ball in the fairway more. The greens, baring rain, the greens are going to firm up as the tournament goes along. So you are going to have to drive it in the fairway. I don't know if I can do that or not, but rest of my game feels pretty solid. I felt comfortable over the putter. I made a lot of good putts today. Some breaking putts kind of little, you know, foot to have to 10-inch breakers and stuff, so when you are seeing the line like that around, you have got decent speed, that is where you -- that is where you make your putts. Because everyone can, with the greens fairly soft, everybody is going to have a lot of opportunities.

RUSS COCHRAN: Well, somebody was talking out there -- it was kind of funny I said, you know, it is exciting to me and I am glad I am playing well; especially after playing so poorly last year and last few years, really. But I said I am not too excited. I probably played 600 tournaments and won once. So 'til you get right there, there is no need getting too overwhelmed or anything. But it is great. You got a lot of people down to see them getting a little excited is fun.

RUSS COCHRAN: I don't know. I don't take care of that. It has kind of evolved over the years, people come down, family and friends and I turn as many passes as I can get to my brother and they kind of work through him. Pretty good crowd.

RUSS COCHRAN: I tried it last week. I absolutely tried it last week. I had trouble. I have gotten, you know, bigger the last few years and I guess more out of shape, I feel like, I don't know-- didn't have as much trouble as I have had the last two or three years, and you know, it has become a problem, but I have tried and tried. I tried last week to wear a glove. It is just too different of a feeling. I might -- I think what I might try to do is try in the off-season and, you know, go with it like that. But it is just impossible. I have got dry hands and these little sweatband things and I might try to hunt down a fan, I don't know what the forecast is going to be, but I am sure it is going to be, you know, but it is not my hands on the grip itself. It is the with the interlock grip and stuff, it is the sweat between the fingers that slips and gives way a little bit. That is where the problem comes in.

RUSS COCHRAN: You know what, that shows you how, you know, things change. I haven't blistered the whole year, but come here and your hands get, you know, chapped and chafed and stuff and I am working with little blisters on my hands this week when it gets super hot. There is a difference.

RUSS COCHRAN: It is different.

RUSS COCHRAN: They were too much money, man, playing little Publinx course, I think they were $7.00 a glove, $6.00 or $7.00 a glove and that was -- that is too much money.

RUSS COCHRAN: Yeah, there is a half dozen guys that could. A lot of them go with cork grips and stuff. They will run into a little bit of trouble. There is, I'd say, a half dozen. Freddie Couples doesn't play with one. There are a few guys that don't. I don't know if Tom Byron is playing with one now. Bob Estes kind of goes back and forth. There is some players, you know, it goes back and forth.

RUSS COCHRAN: Hey, I had the greatest -- I had a pocket full of money, but I just couldn't see spending 6 dollars for a glove when you had a certain amount, you know, I started off with ladies clubs just at the age nine, you know, for the fit size-wise and I started off, you know, people left-handed and stuff because no one really played golf in my family, so, you know, they just got the closest fit for me. But I have always had a glove -- be honest with you, I think it is better feel. That is basically why I don't wear a glove. I just -- I think it is a better feel, you know, 90% of the time, or 95 percent of the time and I think probably if you talk to Couples and Estes, those guys, they will tell you the exact same thing. Gloves, you know -- years ago you'd get a glove for your right-hand being left-handed and they'd fit, you know, you'd get six gloves and one or two of them might fit so,.....

RUSS COCHRAN: Yeah, they do.

RUSS COCHRAN: No, Estes wore them and I kind of took note of that and like I said,, it is the sweat that comes down between your fingers and stuff and that is where the problem comes in, so try to keep -- then after a certain time your hands aren't even wet, they are -- but they are sticky and chapped and that kind of thing and that is when they start slipping a little bit.

RUSS COCHRAN: Yeah, it is. I will be nervous next couple of days, but there were a couple of times even at this tournament that I thought I was going to be win to be honest with you. I played, I remember one year I drove it under that dumb tree over there at Colonial on 17, I mean, I really had a feeling I was playing well enough to win and drove it right down the middle of that fairway, right under that tree and instead of being able to hit a 6-iron, you know, I had to choke a little 5-iron to keep it under the branches. That fairway was about that wide. (indicating narrow); then you'd go to the trouble of hitting the fairway and you are under the trees. Make bogey there and lose by one, I think, Curtis won that year. So I have had opportunities, but you get excited -- that is just -- I mean, that is part of it. Hey, I am not going to play that much longer, man, it is fun, I mean, I have certainly busted my butt enough that I have fallen on my rearend enough that that doesn't bother me a bit. So, you know, if I get it going, man, that is exciting, shoot.

RUSS COCHRAN: I think there are certain swings just throughout the golf course, in other words, if you drive it out there pretty good on 3, you know, you have got a shot that definitely catches your attention over that water there, you can kind of take what you want and gamble what you want there. 4 is a treacherous little hole down the hill, the wind comes off the right there up 5, you know, at certain times and it is hard to feel. You are hitting that shot over water with kind of a dog-leged green, so treacherous little hole there. Then you come around to 13, 15 depending on the pin placement, 11 now, 11 is a real, you know, tough little hole now. There is not -- that green was made for a 9-iron. Now we are back there hitting 6-iron if the wind starts blowing that is a tricky little hole. Greens are soft. It is negotiable, but when they firm up, that is a tricky little golf hole. There are a lot of little swings throughout the golf course that catch your attention and hurdles you have got to make. That 13th hole, I say keep saying 13, I think I mean 14, down the hill, 14.

RUSS COCHRAN: I keep saying 13, but 14, that is a tough hole.

RUSS COCHRAN: I don't particularly like them. They are tough holes, man. They are not my favorite holes. 17 I have hit it right down the fairway a couple of times on 17, what he was talking about I drove it a little bit better on the back side but split the fairway on 17, but that is not a real generous fairway. Then 18, you know, you want to, you know, I think human nature want to kind of keep it right there, so it is hard to aim down that left side and just let it go.

RUSS COCHRAN: He plays golf. 16 years old. He wants to play golf. People are catching up to him a little bit in the basketball, and he is not -- he doesn't want to play college basketball or anything, he wants to play golf and he has got a good start on it and pretty good idea of what is going on and which way the game is going. He qualified a couple years ago. I will tell you a story about that, Jesse back there, a couple of reporters came up and he almost qualified in the four spot at 14, I think he missed a playoff by a shot. They came up and they said -- he said dad, some guys want to interview me, do you mind. I said no, I don't mind son and I said, times have changed a little bit too. I said, when they ask you a question, think about it and tell them what you think, you know, tell them exactly the way you feel. He said, okay. They sat down, first thing the guy said was, boy, great playing, he said a lot of people say that you remind them of your father. He said, oh, I don't think so, my dad has kind of a made up swing. My swing is a lot more classic. So he threw me in the grease on the first question. So he is a little go-getter. Good little player. (laughter).