U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 30, 2002

Tom Watson

Q. Five behind with ten holes to play, simply scintillating golf you played. It was quite a ride.

TOM WATSON: Thank you. I had my opportunities today, got a little sloppy alternative 16 in regulation and a little sloppy driving the ball on a few holes in the playoff, so the way I drove the ball in the playoff, I didn't deserve it. The credit goes to Don, to what he did. He made the birdies at 18 when he had to, the last two. He got in the groove there in the playoff and I was struggling to get the ball in the fairway, it was a big, wide fairway and I didn't do it. But I made a couple of putts to keep my hopes alive. I'll remember those. Those are good memories. The putt at 17 in regulation was -- that was a good putt, too. I had a good week striking the ball. I had a pretty good day putting the ball, as I tried to do -- I said I was going to do yesterday. I putted the ball pretty well today to make a bunch of birdies and get back in the golf tournament. I'm pretty happy with that.

Q. What about the excitement level, the fans, you could cut the tension with a knife. What was it like for you guys?

TOM WATSON: The fans were having a great time. They really enjoyed the playoff. They enjoyed the competition. When we go to a new location like this and play golf in front of new people, we get that excitement, that new excitement. It's always fun to have. It's fun to listen to, fun to be a part of.

Q. Do you think your experience might help you out there? This is the first time Don has been involved in something like this, in terms of a playoff?

TOM WATSON: The only thing the experience helps you with is hitting the quality shots when you need to. And I didn't do it in the playoff, I hit too many -- I don't think -- I hit one fairway -- one fairway out of the four, that was it. And that wasn't good enough.

Q. Because of the emotional ride, the adrenalin flows, did it back fire, did you feel any fatigue towards the end?

TOM WATSON: No, the adrenalin is still pumping through my body. I could still go another 18 holes again. I might limp in, but I could still go under the adrenalin. The golf course played to my expectations, I thought it was going to be 6 to 10-under par to win the tournament. 10-under was the number, and that was with perfect conditions. Caves Valley -- it held up as a very good open venue, very, very good one.

Q. How about the way Don played, you kept applying pressure hole after hole and in the end --?

TOM WATSON: I had to make birdies, and Don was -- he made several good par putts to stay right in there on the back nine. And that was -- and made very good chips. And he did what he had to do to stay right there. I did what I had to do to catch him. In the end, it wasn't good enough.

Q. There was a time when you were making all the putts and Don was driving the ball in the rough. Did you sense that you had momentum there?

TOM WATSON: That's when you get light on your feet. You get -- you can just skate up the fairways when you're like that, and I had a little bit of that today, not so much in the playoff, but kind of through the middle of the back 9, especially after birdying the 17th hole.

Q. The second shot on 16?

TOM WATSON: 16 was in between clubs, I tried to hit an easy wedge, and I just -- I eased into it too much, left the face open and I actually, hit it pretty much the distance I wanted to hit, but I hit it to the right. And I wasn't going at the hole, because the hole was on the left side of the green, I was going to the right of the hole. I don't like going away from the hole, I like going at it. And when I do that sometimes, I get lazy. And I got lazy with that swing.

Q. Any difference in your putting today Tom? You seemed --?

TOM WATSON: Today I just tried to make it happen, no matter -- I went with about three or four different strokes, and the fourth stroke worked. I made a few putts with the fourth stroke.

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