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BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 8, 2002

Neal Lancaster

MARKHAM, ONTARIO

NEAL LANCASTER: Obviously, I blew the golf tournament. Looked like I blew it on 18, but I blew the golf tournament way before 18. I just made one bad swing on 18. I think it was the third time I had chipped the ball in three days and I just hit a poor chip and I had my only 3-putt of the week. Actually, I misread it from three feet.

So I was playing it inside right, and it went right, as soon as I hit it -- obviously, I was nervous, but the second shot, I was just trying to play for the left and just, you know, I was trying to play front middle left of the green and actually take my 3-putts and win the tournament because I know Justin bogeyed the hole -- I don't know what he did before.

But I gave the golf tournament away. What can I say? I gave it away on the last hole, but basically, I gave it away long before then. I hung in there, still had a two-shot lead with one to go, but I missed so many putts out there, it was a joke. Every one I hit, if I hit them good, they wouldn't go, lipped out three times and I just couldn't get a break when I needed one -- inaudible -- I hit a great shot right at it and got a break and the ball hung up on the fringe and got a bad lie and missed about a 12-footer.

Just wasn't meant to be, I guess. It was a good week, like you say, but I don't think I'll ever forget that I blew the Canadian Open on the last hole, a double-bogey 6. I told my caddie when it was over: "The hardest thing to do is play for 4 or 5 on a hole." I hit my second shot and that was the only bad swing, only bad shot all day and hit it behind the bunker where I really didn't even have a chip shot. If it got in the bunker, I think I could have won the golf tournament.

And I guess I know how Jean Claude Van Dame or whatever his name is felt.

JOHN BUSH: Go through 6 and 14 for us.

NEAL LANCASTER: No. 6, par 3, just holed out there -- in there about five, six feet and made the putt.

14, I got a bad break there. Hit a perfect drive, hit 3-wood right up the gap and it kicked right and goes over there in the rough and hit a chip 60 feet across the green, missed it, I couldn't make a putt. I might have missed one green and that might have been the last hole.

I blew it, what can I say.

Q. Is it harder to play in the lead in a way ? How comfortable were you?

NEAL LANCASTER: I was on the last hole, after I hit the ball in the fairway, I pretty much thought the golf tournament was over if I could make just one decent swing. Made a horrible swing. Just playing to the left side of the green with the water over there, just hit a bad shot.

I mean, I don't know what to tell you. Sure, I was nervous. And then actually if my chip shot is another foot to the left and it stays up on the top level and the golf tournament is over again. I just beared down.

Actually I wasn't really worried about it because I was straight uphill with two putts to pin win. I misread the first putt. I was playing probably two cups to the right, and then it went to the left. And the next putt I was playing it inside right and it went to the right -- I shot 16-under and I played like a blind man for four days. I probably didn't chip the ball five times in the golf tournament, and I think tee-to-green is probably as good as anybody can play until the last hole and just folded up like a cheap suit, I guess.

Q. After your double-bogey 18 and you went back to the 18th tee for the playoff, what was going through your mind standing over your ball?

NEAL LANCASTER: Well when I walked up I told Justin, "You're welcome."

I mean, what do you do? It was like, I'm playing for birdie now. I hit a good shot and took a 5-iron out and tried to hit a cut shot in there. I hit the same exact shot that I lost the golf tournament 20 minutes before. Just trying to -- I was trying to hit the ball close. I wasn't even aiming to the left side of the green last time around. I was playing for the pin.

If I made -- you just made a double-bogey, what in the hell else could happen? It doesn't matter. It was 3 or 6 for me again, I didn't care at that point.

I regrouped all right. I hit a good 3-wood down the fairway, but obviously I can't hit a cut shot for some reason. You know, it's disappointing.

Q. Are you going to beat yourself up over this?

NEAL LANCASTER: I'm pretty sure I will. I'm pretty hard on myself anyway. You just feel like -- basically, the bottom line is, I choked. There's nothing else to say, but I bit the bullet out there. I told my caddie in the playoff hole, "give me a ball and give me a bullet." I choked. I blew the golf tournament.

But congratulations to John Rollins. He's been playing great all year. He probably deserved to win, anyway. I was glad he made the putt to win. I didn't want to see somebody win doing like what I was doing out there.

Just highly disappointed. I hit one bad shot all day. I hit two -- one on the playoff hole -- actually a lot of shoots, I hit too good. It wasn't meant to be. I didn't get my breaks. I couldn't make a putt. I felt like I played the golf course the whole way, didn't play the leaderboard and then got down to 18 and just going to keep it left and probably was a little excited, a little nervous, which I know I was and I just came over it. If it was in the bunker, I would have won the golf tournament, I think. But it's behind the bunker; it's dead. I didn't even take enough club out to play to the flag.

Q. Are you looking forward to coming back to Hamilton next year and giving it another shot?

NEAL LANCASTER: Yeah, I like the golf course. The people have been great. Even with that double-bogey, basically the whole crowd was pulling for me. They were behind me.

Q. Inaudible?

NEAL LANCASTER: I couldn't do it. It's a disappointment. I've got some good friends. I just lost the golf tournament for Kenny.

Q. Your 40th birthday is coming up; is this the kind of thing where you feel like you played well, so you'll have more chances to win soon, or at this stage, you think "I don't know how many more chances I get like this"?

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, I've had a lot of chances this year. For some reason, I can't break par on Sunday, even when I had 20-under with a two-shot lead, I still couldn't break par on Sunday. If I keep getting there -- it's so hard to get there. That's the big deal, just getting there. It's so difficult to get there, and once you get there and you don't do it and you have that kind of chance, you just feel like a total failure.

I'll get over it. At least I secured my card. That's the only positive I can find. I can take the rest of the year off if I wanted, but I'm sure that I'll play again. And I don't really know what to say except I lost the golf tournament. I blew it.

Q. (Inaudible.)

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, you're battling your nerves, your emotions. It's just tough. I mean, you don't have to play perfect. I didn't make any putts and I shot 16 under par for the week. I don't think I ever made two putts over 15 feet for the lead. If you can get in that position and then you've got to change your whole mindset to do what you can do -- basically, if you can do what you can do, I was doing what I was doing, and then pretty much I did something I usually do, too, on the last hole, made a 6.

I made one bogey the whole week up to the last hole and double-bogeyed and lost the golf tournament. It's so hard to get in position. And when guys get in there, you know, they are out of their element, and I'm learning more and more to get in my element. I actually was comfortable all day until I got to the 18th hole, and when I had a two-shot lead, I hit a good drive and then just, I guess the nerves took over or whatever, but, you know.

JOHN BUSH: Thanks for coming by. You made a lot of fans this week.

End of FastScripts....

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