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BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 6, 2002

Neal Lancaster

MARKHAM, ONTARIO

MODERATOR: We'd like to welcome Neal Lancaster to the interview room. Congratulations on another very good round. You said yesterday you were not sure if you'd be around for the weekend, but it looks like you're going to be pretty safe.

NEAL LANCASTER: I'm looking forward to that now.

MODERATOR: 7:30 early for you this morning?

NEAL LANCASTER: Way too early this morning. Bogeyed the 1st hole right out of the gate. Actually hit a good drive. I picked the wrong line off the tee, hit it in the rough, I couldn't get to the green. I just laid up. Actually hit a bad layup shot in the left rough, then hit a good shot eight feet and missed it for par. I bogeyed 1. Confidence was a little shot. I hadn't been swinging like I want to swing.

Then I hit a good shot about 10 feet on 2 and I missed it for birdie.

3rd hole, drove it perfect. Hit it about 12 feet. I missed it.

Got on 4, played scared, played left of the hole about 40 feet, made two putts and went on.

The next hole, I hit a 2-iron off the tee on 5. The ball went in a divot. The group in front of us, first group out this morning, one of the caddies didn't fix the divot. Kind of half fixed it. I was in half a divot. I couldn't move the grass out of it so I had to play it. I just swung hard and beat down on a wedge from 132 yards, it went about 20 feet past the hole. I kind of skulled it. I made the putt. That kind of got me back in a positive frame of mind.

Next hole, pin was back right. Scary hole par 3. It was 211, I think. I hit 5-iron right underneath the hole 25 feet. Hit a great putt. It went around the hole, stopped on the back lip. Didn't go in. Satisfied with three on that hole.

Next hole, hit a good drive. Had 3-iron in there. I hit a good shot. It took a bad bounce out in front of the green. Short sided myself, didn't have a chip. I hit a great chip, hit it 15 feet. I misread the putt.

8, I got a great break. I hooked it off the tee. I think it went in the hazard and hit the hazard stake, hit a couple trees, bounced on the cart path. Hit a wedge to the green. Hit a wedge over 30 feet from the hole and 2-putted. Had red paint all over my ball. I had to have hit the hazard stake.

9, totally different wind out there today, that's when the wind started blowing. I hit driver, 5-iron, just off the front of the green. I was actually playing short because if I was long, it was impossible. Hit a good chip up about three feet, made birdie there to get to 1-under for the day.

10, wrong club off the tee, didn't hit it far enough down there with the wind. 3-iron, 5-iron, about 40 feet. Bad first putt, left it eight feet short, made it. That was kind of a big key for me too.

The 11th hole, I hit a good drive, hit a wedge about six feet, missed the putt. Just hit a horrible putt.

Got up on 12, the pin was back right. It was 223. I hit a 3-iron just playing left of the hole. Hit a really good shot, oh, about 20 feet, made the putt. Actually, it was just lagging down for 3 again. Made the putt. That put me 2-under.

Next hole, 2-iron, wedge, just off the green, chipped it up, made about a 3-footer.

The par 5, next hole, really big for me. I hit a good drive. It stopped on a downslope which was kind of a bad break. Tried to hit a 3-iron and run it on the green, pulled it in the left bunker. Had about a 75-yard bunker shot. Hit it three feet, great shot, to make another birdie.

Next hole, hit a great drive, had a wedge in there. Kind of a sucker pin placement, so I didn't go for it. I just played it out to the right of the I was going to take my chances on 16 because I knew I had another par 5 coming. Made par on 15.

16, hit driver. Hit a good drive. Had 211 to the hole. Hit a 6-iron. It went 25 feet past the hole. I wanted to hit a 5. Good two putts for birdie to go 4-under.

17, I hit a bad shot. I hit it right. It hit on the slope of the bunker, bounced hard right. It semi-plugged in the bunker, deepest bunker on the course probably. I hit a great shot ou three feet, like to have made it. I was kind of amazed at that shot.

18, 2-iron off the tee. I had 173 to the hole. The wind was a little right to left. I was trying to hit it right at the flag and let the wind drift it over 20 feet left. I hit the right of the flag, and the wind didn't move it. It started drifting to the right. I think it hit into the rough off the green and bounced up four feet from the hole. It was a great break. It could have been 5. I hit a good shot, got a good break. You have to have some good bounces in this game.

MODERATOR: What club?

NEAL LANCASTER: 7-iron, 173. Probably needed to hit 6. I didn't know. I was kind of guessing a little bit.

It's firming up a lot. Guys this afternoon are going to be guessing a little bit on some of their club selections. You have to hit it short of the green on these par 5s. I hit a 6-iron on one hole, went 230. The firmer it gets, it's going to get more difficult. It's kind of unfortunate we don't have any wind yet. I shot 11-under because of that. If we get a little bit of wind, the scores will go up a little bit higher.

There's some trouble on that golf course. I still can't believe the guy said it was too easy. I haven't found anything easy about it, even though I am 11-under par.

MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You're halfway to Tiger's scoring record for this tournament. If conditions don't get tougher, do you think the way you're going right now, you might be able to match 22-under or surpass that by the end of the weekend?

NEAL LANCASTER: You never know. I'm trying not to set any goals. I'm just trying to go out and play golf. I don't think I'll get to 22-under. 11-under, that's good as good as I can play for two days.

I could, but the golf course is going to get more difficult. I don't know where Tiger shot 22 under, probably Glen Abbey. That golf course plays a little longer than this one.

But somebody could get hot here and shoot 62 or three. Depends how they set the golf course up. The TOUR officials, they have some tricky pins. I'm sure the superintendent is not happy after the way they talked about the golf course the first of the week. I think it's a great golf course. We just need some wind. It's getting firm like it's supposed to play.

The wind comes up, you can shoot anything on the backside. But for me, 22-under, I don't see it, but I'd like to shoot it. I'll take 21, how is that, and forget the record?

Q. (Inaudible)?

NEAL LANCASTER: I just don't see me getting that hot with the putter actually. If I drive the ball well, I possibly could get there. If the par 5s play the way they did today, it's going to take 20-under.

They always trick it up on the weekends. I've been out here 13 years. This is my 13th year now. Every year they start tricking. The officials trick it up a little bit more each year every tournament. They trick it up a little bit more on Sundays. They're trying to put pins in a little more difficult places because we're hitting a lot of wedges in. They'll throw you three or four sucker pins that you might have 75 yards, but you know you can't hit it at it if you know the golf course.

You have to make some 25-footers out here. That's why Tiger is such a good player. He's probably the best putter in the world from 20 feet. All you hear is how long he hits the ball. It ain't how long he hits the ball; he's the best putter to ever pick it up.

Q. Yesterday you said you were very lucky.

NEAL LANCASTER: Today I actually struck the ball better. I hit the ball a lot better. I still was fighting my swing a little bit. But I still had a couple good breaks. By "good breaks," I mean some places you got to play the right shot. Like on No. 9, I hit a 5-iron to the green. Actually, I needed to hit a 4-iron. I couldn't hit a 4-iron because if you're behind the hole, it's impossible. I had to hit a 5-iron short of the green 10 yards and take my chances on playing uphill. It worked out.