U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 7, 1999

Bruce Fleisher

BRUCE FLEISHER: My wife is a millionaire. I haven't seen it yet. That is a very good question. I think there is certainly different levels of success, and in today's world, obviously it is dollars, especially in sports. I never felt that I failed on the other Tour. I did win in 1991, which was my one and only, but there is different people that have different goals in life. I saw the SENIOR TOUR starting to grow in my early 40s. At that time, I wasn't happy with what I was doing, so decided to go back on Tour after being off for about seven years. So I felt that if I could survive and play somewhat -- you can call it mediocrity golf or survival or journeyman -- whatever you may want to call it -- I was able to do that through my late 40s, and had relatively good success from time to time, and prepared, I guess, very well for this, this occasion. I think one of the things that helped me come along is that when I went to the Qualifying School I looked around at guys that I grew up with, that were still trying to hang in there, that I felt that I could beat, you know, 20 years ago. At 50, you are on a much more even playing field. Unfortunately, we all get older, and I felt, if I live long enough, I might be able to beat Jack Nicklaus at some point -- maybe when he is 80 years old and I am 70, so.... But, honestly, maybe I am just at the right time, the right place at the right time. Certainly in my life at 50, I don't know how long this is going to last. That is why guys like Dana Quigley who is playing every week.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Yeah, I was explaining to a gentleman here from Kansas City, about five weeks ago I had met a guy in New York during the Cadillac Tournament there, Upper Montclair, that had a new invention. He calls it the training board, or the drawing board. It is a swing-plane device that I tried and I liked. So at that point, which I know is kind of crazy, I decided to make a change, because I finally had the time and the dollars to do it. Never having the luxury throughout most of my career, because I was always trying to make a living and feed my family, but now I am amazed how quickly I have made the change. I am not there yet totally. I don't know if that is the answer to your question. But the last four, five weeks, I have actually played pretty well.

BRUCE FLEISHER: You guys are doing a nice job. (laughs) I tell you, the more I play it, the more I like it. I caught it on Monday with a lot of wind, I thought it was very difficult. I think if we have four days like today, you are going to see a very good golf tournament. I think it is going to be an exciting tournament. Hopefully, no one will get so hot like, you know, Irwin did a couple of weeks ago and blow everybody away. He may do it again. Who knows. But I don't think a low number is going to be the answer this week. I think the greens are too difficult. I don't know if anyone knows the greens that well to really excel at this time. So depends on the pin placements that the USGA use. I like the golf course.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I have always -- as basically more self-image than anything is how we perceive ourselves, you know. And I never liked -- I understood what I always did, but I never liked it. I always thought there was a better way. This drawing board is an apparatus that makes you feel the correct swing plane, which is very unusual, because I have really never seen anything like it before. There has been things similar to it, like the Sam 500 or the Sam 2000 -- whatever you want to call it. It was basically, physically incorrect. It looked simple. I think it is very unique. As a teaching pro, at one time I did in my career, I was very unsuccessful. And I think it is very difficult to teach, because what you teach, you are trying to teach feel. It is very hard to teach feel. But if you felt what it feels like physically, I think a light will register very, very quickly. This is what this apparatus does. You can actually feel what a correct swing feels like. It is a big change, because even an inch feels like a mile, so, it is going to take time.

BRUCE FLEISHER: If you look at the numbers, you know, I am putting pretty good. I have never really considered myself a real good putter. Again, I think you got to be patient. I think you got to be lucky. I think you got to miss the ball on the correct side of the hole. I think you got to be satisfied with a lot of 20-, 30-footers this week. I think your pace has got to be excellent. But every week it is won on the putting green, really. No matter how well you strike it, you can hit it six feet all day long, if you don't make it, it doesn't make any difference.

BRUCE FLEISHER: It is going to be difficult because you have got a lot of undulation, a lot of rough around the greens. It will be interesting.

BRUCE FLEISHER: It does.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Absolutely. I wasn't lagging that well today. I was trying to lag a lot; see what would happen. You do have a lot of 4-, 5-, 6-footers so you have got to make sure your putts are solid and not get frustrated. I think everybody is going to be in that same boat. I think if you understand that -- you know, it is interesting, it is like the Qualifying School. I went in wanting one spot even though there were only eight spots. Most of the other players looked at 144 guys for eight spots. Just like here. You have got to realize that no one really is going to be running away here. You are going to make a bogey.

BRUCE FLEISHER: That is all. You got to just play hard.

BRUCE FLEISHER: My hopes and my dreams-I had goals but nothing like this. Allen is just an incredible competitor. He is tough. He is mean. I grew a lot of confidence actually before Qualifying School. I was able to play against a lot of the seniors players and I happened to end up on top so that gave me a big lift. Pebble Beach Invitational which took over the Bing Crosby ProAm at the beginning of the year, is now moved back to November, there must have been about 30 or 40 senior pros last November and by whipping those people there, they are still the same guys playing out here there, it gave me a big lift. There was a lot of confidence. Being home, being my first tournament at Key Biscayne, knowing most of those players probably weren't ready, been on vacation, you know, I got ready. The rest is history.

BRUCE FLEISHER: You are talking about Tom Watson? Everybody is talking about--

BRUCE FLEISHER: There is a lot of talent. I am not even talking about myself. I think if Tom Watson or Lanny Wadkins or Tom Kite don't get their putter going, they are going to be just like everybody else. I think they will have their weeks, but I don't think they are going to come out here and dominate. I think Wadkins is going to tee it up with Dana Quigley and Allen Doyle and they are going to pin his ears back, you know. Dana Quigley is going to hit 12 greens and shoot 64 and Allen Doyle is going to hit 10 greens and shoot 62 and Lanny is going to hit about 15 greens and shoot 71. No, I think -- I was surprised at the difficulty of the courses we do play. We don't have a cut. There are 54 holes, the rough isn't as bad, but yet there is a lot of good golf. So time is going to tell. We need those players and we welcome those players.

BRUCE FLEISHER: I think the USGA sets it up where even par is a very good score. I mean, look what happened at Pinehurst, so.... Were there two guys in the red there, Irwin one and Vicente -- at Riviera?

BRUCE FLEISHER: It just stands to reason, again I think the pins and the weather -- I think if the wind really blows I think over par is a real figure, but I think if we get four days like today, somebody is liable to go out there. It is not going to be 12- or 15-under though.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Let us put it this way: My wife won't let me come home and I want to come home so bad. I say: Honey, please let me come home. This is my 17th straight week and I am tired. But you guys write about this. I think if you talk to Bob Charles or Geiberger or Gary Player, they would tend to disagree, but I guess record books show that most of the players between 50 and 55 win most of the dollars. That has got to be true; therefore you must take advantage.

BRUCE FLEISHER: Did you ask J.C. Snead that question? (laughs) - most of these guys couldn't find jobs, I am sure. If there wasn't a SENIOR TOUR obviously I still would be in the golf business some way. I was director of golf at two different facilities in my 40s, or actually in my 30s. But which I liked a lot. The SENIOR TOUR has been around what, 20 years?

BRUCE FLEISHER: 19, 20th year -- I mean, you know, 30 years old - you are not looking at 50 you are still in denial of death. About 46, 47 I gave it a lot of attention and every day I breathed, every canteloupe I ate, every mile I biked, was really geared to The SENIOR TOUR. The other Tour I played to just stay competitive.