FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 14, 2000

Dana Quigley

DANA QUIGLEY: Well, first of all, it's a real surprise being in the action on this golf course. I don't think I've played it well in the three years that I've played it. I know one year I had the first round, an opening lead with 66; I think I was tied with someone, but I lost that pretty quickly. So it's -- after two rounds, to be anywhere near seeing where the leaders are, it's going to be a different feeling.

DANA QUIGLEY: Yeah, I mean, I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. I don't expect to hit a lot of these greens because they are all kind of -- they go way from you, and I'm kind of -- my ball comes in kind of hard to the green. You know, I just got off to a nice start today where I made a couple eagles. Again, I feel like I'm not real comfortable playing the golf course. I don't feel -- I just don't feel like it sets up for my game; it's not to my advantage to play here. But when you come out of it with a round like this, it's pretty good. I made a nice par on 1. I had a 15-footer for birdie and I had about an 8- or 10-footer for par. And I think making putt for par kind of got me off to a good start, kind of a good mood kind of start. And then I hit a good driver, 9-iron on 2 to about five feet and made it. And then I made five -- I made a good five there yesterday. So that hole always plays hard for me. So to get off to that start, 4, 3, I really felt like I've got a shot to take advantage of the golf course. And then I hit a great drive and a 9-wood on No. 3. Hit in the green-side bunker about pin-high and made the bunker shot. The bunker shot was probably 25 feet, I would think. It was just on line the whole way and it just ran up the hole and into it, just like a putt. It was pretty incredible.

DANA QUIGLEY: I hit a really good 6-iron on 4 and didn't make the putt. Hit a great putt on No. 5. I hit driver, wedge about eight feet and missed it, but I was really happy. I really hit the ball solidly on all of those holes. And I missed about a 20-footer on 6, but really hit a nice putt. And then I got to 7; killed a drive. I had 226 to the hole and I hit my little 7-wood. I'm definitely the only player in the field with a 9-wood and 7-wood I can tell you that. At each U.S. Senior Open, I always pick up another wood to play out of the rough with. So I hit the 7-wood in there about 13 to 14 feet behind the hole, and hit just as purest putt as I can hit and made it. Parred 8, hit the green with a good 5-iron. That hole played really hard today. And 9, I hit driver, 8-iron in there about -- probably 20 feet and made it. Made good pars on 10 and 11. Just routine. Hit the green and missed putts. 12 is always a scary little swing. So I got that on the green and 2-putted and I was pretty happy. 13, I hit a really nice drive. It was playing into the wind. I had 214 front, 232 home, maybe, something like that. And I hit my 7-wood again and hit it right in the middle of the green. That's a really sloppy green. I played about a 40-foot putt with about a 10-foot break, and just trickled down there right next to the hole. It almost looked like it was going in for the third eagle. That would have been some kind of record, for sure. And then I kind of hung on, I guess, you would say from then on in. I got a bad break off the right edge of the green on 14, and it went about 40 feet way and I putted up about five feet and made it. 15 is the par 3. I had the a beautiful 5-iron in there about 12 feet behind the hole and missed it. And 16, the pin is in a little front spot that's getting really hard already this morning; and this afternoon, it's going to be treacherous if it doesn't rain. And one bounce with a sand wedge over the green there and really made a nice up-and-down. Made about a 4-footer for par. Then 17, I was going for the green with my 7-wood again, and I actually was trying to -- I was going to be happy if it got in the right bunker, because the pin is kind of back right and the best way to get it close there is a bunker shot. And somehow, I missed the bunker by about a foot and I was a foot above it with my feet down below. And I tried to hit this beautiful cut shot that I have made famous where I go underneath the ball, and then it went about a foot in front of me into the bunker. And then I made a nice bunker shot to about four feet and made it. So those are two pretty good saves. I saved them on 14, 16 and 17. I made some really nice par putts; so that kept the rounds going.

DANA QUIGLEY: Yesterday, too, I made three of them. The wind is downwind on three of the par 5's: 3, 7 and 17. If the wind ever turns around the other way, I mean, then the course really plays hard. Then you don't have any holes that give up any birdies. So, you know, we're very lucky in that the 5-pars are playing like they are. But the other ones, when I'm hitting my iron shots into the green, the Nicklaus-designed greens, he doesn't give you a lot of room depth-wise to hit the shot. And my ball bounces a good seven, eight yards on the first bounce before it hits the ground again and then it spins, but I'm really at the mercy of the golf course the first seven or eight yards if it lands, if there's room there to land, or I'm either chipping back or hitting a bunker shot.

DANA QUIGLEY: I used to laugh at all the guys I caddied with that had all these head covers on. Maybe they had something. I take out my 3-iron. Never had a 2-iron. I can't get that airborne. I take out a 3-iron. I used to have a rescue in there, Taylor Made kind of utility club. And when I played the Open, the rough was really thick and I put a 9-wood in there and gee, I'm hitting that thing like -- I hit it 200 yards and it goes straight up in the air. It even stays on the green, even on these par 5s.

DANA QUIGLEY: Three wedges, one putter.

DANA QUIGLEY: I've got a putter that's good and I've got a driver that's really good. I'm pounding my driver. I'm hitting a long ways, as long as it keeps going straight. I think this year, maybe why I'm playing a little bit better because I'm hitting it probably 25 yards longer than I did any other year I was here, and I think that maybe that's, you know, giving me a little bit better shot to hold the ball on the greens. I didn't really think of it up till now, but that's probably a good reason.

DANA QUIGLEY: No 5- (wood). 1-, 3-, 7-, 9- (wood). No 5- (wood). I can hit that 7- (wood) so far, I can hit that 7- (wood) to 230 sometimes; so I don't need a 5- (wood).

DANA QUIGLEY: I got a new Ping drive. They put it in my locker at the PGA Championship this year. And I didn't switch drivers in three years, and they put this thing in there with this prototype shaft, and it is just taking it deep. I'm swinging harder at it, because I know it's going to go straight, and I guess it gets a little more distance swinging hard.

DANA QUIGLEY: I don't have the hot ones. I've got hard ones. I use the HP Tour Titleist that is just a rock. But I went to that because I don't hold the greens with a soft ball anyway so; I might as well get the extra distance out of the hard one. I'm going all for distance now.

DANA QUIGLEY: The ball flight. My club sends the iron shots out very low. They don't go this way (indicating in the air); they go this way (indicating straight out). And the first bounce, it is just, believe me, it's at least eight yards on these greens, the first bounce; so I've got to really, really be careful with my club selection.

DANA QUIGLEY: Well, I don't think it's mental thing. I don't feel negative when I'm out there the. But Nicklaus-designed greens, he never gives you one that's fully deep, depth-wise. It always angles a little bit, so you've got to carry the front bunker and stop it while you're going through a very narrow part of the green. That's just his -- one of his techniques in designing golf courses. Glen Abbey in Canada is a great example of that. That's one of hardest courses they play on tournaments because you've got to fit the iron shot to the green.

DANA QUIGLEY: None. If you went front to back on the angle, but if you're going front to back straight on as your ball comes in, you might have 12 yards, 15 yards at the most. You might have a 30-yard deep-green, but you're only hitting 15 of it. It's one of his design techniques which he's done on most all of his golf courses, and it makes it very, very demanding. Very demanding.

DANA QUIGLEY: No. For me to play again? Hell, no. I'm going to play anyway.

DANA QUIGLEY: No. I keep thinking that I might break the string, and I'm not really disappointed if I don't, either. I've got another golf tournament to play next week in. I just go with the flow and just try to piece together a round of golf and see what it comes up to. Today, it came up real good.