BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 18, 1998

Bruce Lietzke

BRUCE LIETZKE: It really wasn't a good day for any of us, at least in the threesome I was in. I think the golf course seemed to play the same as it did the first day I was here, which was Wednesday, but, you know, Sundays, things change. Much of the mental part of the game changes. And, I was not nearly as sharp today with my iron-play. My driver was real good today, and I missed some very makeable putts throughout the round. And really, I come away very, very disappointed, especially to come into the last hole with a one-shot lead - which is kind of what you want to have happen - but with the circumstances as they were - my fade on the last hole, it was a right-to-left and an into-us wind. That is the kind of wind that really knocks down some of distance. Really, Freddie and I have been driving at about the same distance all day. I wasn't able to hit two big drivers on the 18th hole either in regulation or in the playoff to really give myself a decent chance to go for the green. I had -- The first time, I had 266 to the pin, 230 to the front left, but I was going to the front right of the green, and that was 240, but it was into the wind. And I just wasn't -- I just wasn't far enough off my tee ball. I hit both tee balls solid to give myself a chance to go for that green, a legitimate chance around. I hit it in the fringe both times. Pretty difficult pin placement; one that we are not used to seeing, and that is a brand new green. The old green used to be real flat. I used to know it like the back of my hand. We were all learning at least a new set of greens here at Bermuda Dunes. I hit both putts, both in regulation, and in the playoff, exactly the way I wanted to. I misread both of them. So, I come away very disappointed. But, you know, you always have to take something away. You can't let the game beat you down totally. And I never do let it do that. But, I do take some positive things away. I played five good solid rounds of golf, and I hung in there real good. As a matter of fact, I hung in there good enough that I really think I should have won if I had performed a little bit better. So, I take some positive things away, but I always like winning, and I didn't win today. So, I am going to go away disappointed also.

BRUCE LIETZKE: We talked a little bit today. He is so very cautious about his back. He is living out in California now, and he mentioned that it is much easier for him to get warmed up, and he has been practicing some out here because the weather is good enough. He has lived in Dallas for five or six years, and Dallas has its cold spells. This time of year right now, it is nice weather, but he mentioned that it is much easier for him to stay loose out here, living here now, instead of Dallas. And he played that way. He said he was very apprehensive about coming here especially since he didn't play any during his normal season, which we call the off-season. He didn't get to play any of those tournaments that he usually plays, and he usually comes to the west coast pretty warmed up from those events. And, he told me he was pretty scared about the way he was going to perform in his first tournament. But, obviously the weather cooperated for him and Freddy, you know, Freddie says he is struggling, but that swing is still as pretty and fluid as it has ever been. And, his touch was good today. Good chipping and putting for the day. So, he has got to be very, very encouraged. I still think he is going to be very selective about his tournament-play and we talked a little bit about that. This back thing can come and go real quick with him. So he is very cautious. But, what a great way for him to recover after - I don't know if I would call last year disastrous for him, at least, on the golf course - he was a pretty good player last year, but he had a lot of things happen to him off the golf course that is devastating for him. So, this has to be very, very encouraging probably to a guy that has not been too happy about a lot of things in the last few months, so you feel very, very good for Freddie. The fans -- obviously, it is going to be a very, very popular victory; popular among the players; also the Tour needs people like Freddie Couples. And, so, it is encouraging for all of us. Like I say, I am still a big fan of the PGA TOUR. I love to see good people win, so I am kind of happy he won, but I am very disappointed that I lost.

BRUCE LIETZKE: Yeah, I did. Back 9, a few on the front 9. It took me almost nine holes to get used to the speed of the greens. I thought I had a pretty good handle -- I played here Wednesday, so it was five days ago that I played and I got it in my head that I thought I had a good feel of how the greens were on Wednesday; I came up short with the three birdie putts on the front 9. Two of them were on-line. One of them was not on-line. It wouldn't have gone in any way. I finally adjusted on the back 9, but, boy, I gave -- boy, I gave up two chances of birdie putts that were dead in the hole and came up short. They were about 15-, 16-footers. And, then the back 9, I missed a very makeable birdie putt on 12, the par 3; had about an 8-footer there that I misread. I did make a nice birdie putt on 13 after a poor bunker shot. And then a couple of poor iron shots. I should have never had to have made that putt on 16 for par. I had a big, big green to hit to in 16, with a 6-iron and just made a bad swing there and made a real nice putt for a par saving -- for par. But, that -- I shouldn't have been putting for par anyway. Yeah, I made some putts today and I really thought I made both the putts on 18 both in the regulation, I didn't expect that putt to break that much left and actually I even hit a better putt, better speed on the playoff hole and I thought, for sure, that putt was going to break to the right and it didn't. So, you know, I did a lot of decent things today. I definitely wasn't sharp today. I don't think Freddy will tell you that he was very sharp; Andrew Magee.... It was a different day. Sundays usually are different. I really -- my goal today was to shoot a 65. And, I birdied the first two holes to put myself on that track and I was not going to try and slow down until I got to 7-under par for the day. And it all -- it all slowed down, whether I wanted to or not; the remainder of the day I struggled for pars occasionally, and missed a few -- I missed a few birdie opportunities. But, Sunday, it usually is different. The mental part of the game is much tougher to stay focused and again it is pretty much the same golf course I played on Wednesday and I shot 65, but that is the difference a lot of times between Sundays and Wednesdays in tournaments.

BRUCE LIETZKE: On 18, they were pretty similar. The first one was probably just over ten feet, maybe twelve feet. That I tried to play on the right lip and it broke all the way across the hole and just caught the left part of the lip. The second putt was a little longer, probably 14 feet and that was a putt that I played just maybe a ball outside the lip and it stayed exactly right there. It caught part of the left lip, but, again, didn't do any breaking at all.

BRUCE LIETZKE: Phoenix, and Tucson.

BRUCE LIETZKE: Got nine tournaments left. I already got them marked on my calendar.

BRUCE LIETZKE: I am not sure. I was going to wait and make those decisions. I don't know that I would have changed my schedule at all. I was going to wait and make that decision at a later time. I am pretty committed to the ten tournaments. I am a believer in the advance commitment sheet that we get sent out and I never break those. I have committed for tournaments all the way through Houston or somewhere in that area there, and I don't -- I am pretty loyal to my schedule. I don't know that I would have added anything. Five years ago I would have definitely bumped out a couple of tournaments -- well, actually I would have added on. I don't ever bump tournaments off my schedule, I just -- I have added tournaments occasionally, the Masters or the World Series or something like that and I don't know that I would have done that this year.

BRUCE LIETZKE: I might not have. I don't know.

BRUCE LIETZKE: Thanks.