U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 1, 1999

Bill Colloredo

BILL COLLOREDO: 17?

BILL COLLOREDO: Okay. I understand now. I don't even know the yardages, I am sorry to say. They changed the yardage on hole No. 17. I will go by the blue markers or the goal markers, I will try to keep it simple. But originally the hole was going to be played at -- Tim, help me out? Do you have the original card?

BILL COLLOREDO: Originally going to be played from the 172 marker. Now they have moved it back to the 188, which, for us, that was nothing. That tee's always been maintained, so it didn't affect us at all. Now it will affect the play of the hole.

BILL COLLOREDO: Yes, recently, or the USGA requested years ago?

BILL COLLOREDO: Okay. When Judy Bell and Kendera Graham came in three and a half years ago, they requested 11 tees be changed, which it might be shifting them forward five yards, backwards eight yards; shifting them left four yards, or right four yards, just to change the alignment of the hole, the length of the hole. Either make it a little bit shorter to bring a bunker into play or a little bit longer to make the hole, of course, longer. We did -- Miss Bell asked us to move the cart path that might possibly come into play on 15. So doing that, our designer Jerry Pate, Bob Cupp, said: Let's go ahead and move the cart path and put 12 bunkers in here so that it will affect the second shot. We rebuilt No. 3 and 9 green. They were basically what Mr. Bryan our owner felt like they were flat, unflat, uninteresting greens, and Bob and Jerry added undulations to it. We did those greens about three years ago.

BILL COLLOREDO: That is entirely up to the USGA. I worked with Tim Moragan and Kendera Graham, and they work with me daily, both in the morning, throughout the day, and I can't get them to leave. They are still there late in the evening. But any changes that are made, I guess, comes from the Women's Committee down to them. And then we deal on the situation as -- I think it is --

BILL COLLOREDO: I think we don't have as much rough as they would desire today. The only limiting factor is the heat. Now, it is just -- today is just Tuesday, so I think we have seen a little bit of growth the last couple of days. Tim and I looked at it this morning and we all know how Mississippi is. You can get a few warm nights and --

BILL COLLOREDO: No, warm nights --

BILL COLLOREDO: It is -- Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass. The hotter, the more it grows.

BILL COLLOREDO: Yes, having the two totally different types of grasses, bent grass which is on the greens, that is cool-season grass. Our fairways and roughs are Bermuda grass and they are warm-season grass. So cool-season grass thrive in milder, of course, cooler climates. And Bermuda grass is just the opposite. Right now the weather is favorable for the bent grass and less favorable for the Bermuda grass. But it is right in there where it is close to both. As far as my job is concerned, this weather couldn't be better, but if it could be just a little bit hotter to get some Bermuda grass growth in the roughs. Fairways are fine as far as growth-wise.

BILL COLLOREDO: No, as Miss Bell said when we were -- they were looking at us to have the Championship they had not awarded it to us yet, she said if we do award you all this Championship, we will leave the course better than we found it and the changes made certainly made the course better and us stepping up the maintenance, we hoped made it better as well.

BILL COLLOREDO: 100% favorable. I don't know if I heard a negative comment yet. I haven't heard it. It's all been positive. Everybody is excited; not just the members here but the guests and all the community. We could have gotten away with murder, I think, leading up to this.

BILL COLLOREDO: Tim, I think I saw you paged (laughs) it has been -- really been fun. It is fun -- this is the first National Championship that I have ever been involved in. So dealing with Tim and Kendera and Miss Bell, Mary Capouch, the Women's Committee chairman -- really been entertaining to me to hear the stories about past Championships and maybe some weaknesses that may have been at other golf courses. It has been a great learning experience for me from all these people. To have Tim, with as many Championships as he has had under his belt, it has been helpful for me. It's made me feel a little better the last week or so. I am calmer now than I was last week.

BILL COLLOREDO: The lowest one. (laughter). I don't know. I need to be out there watching them. But I am more of a superintendent than I am a player. I think I am a decent player, but what score will win, I have heard real low to not so low. I think it depend on the weather a little bit, whether we get some -- hotter, drier conditions.

BILL COLLOREDO: I have been here for almost twelve years. It will be twelve years in July. Before I was superintendent at Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, Desoto Golf Course, five golf course resort.

BILL COLLOREDO: I was taking care of two back there. Two of the five. A lot easier to take care of the two. Not as rewarding though.

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