GREATER GREENSBORO CHRYSLER CLASSIC

April 24, 1998

Neal Lancaster

NEAL LANCASTER: Actually, you know, just trying to be patient out here. If you get it in the fairway, that is the most important thing. I mean, putting has a lot to do with it, but you got to get it in the fairways the first thing. I am actually having trouble laying up with my irons on the par 5 more than anything; scared I am going to miss the fairway with those. If you get it in the fairway and miss a couple, you have got to save -- you have got to make some putts for some saves. But, so far, I think I have missed probably 6 or 7 fairways, which is excellent for me. I think I only missed 2 today and 4 yesterday, actually. And what's really funny is I am 7-under par. I am probably putting the ball as good as I am putting the ball. Last three, four years been working with a Dr. Coopman Chapel Hill. He's kind of helping me with a preroutine shot, to slow myself down because I'm a pretty fast player and I saw every Tour official in two days - they followed me around, so, evidently, I have gotten slow. But I have slowed down a little bit and tried to focus on what I am doing before I hit the shot. But I am 7-under par and I am not real happy with my golf swing right now. Been taking some lessons from Ben Theaby (phonetic), Ben Theaby (phoneti) from down at the Jim McLean Golf School. He helped me a lot about a month-and-a-half ago. Actually, I am going to place a call to him this afternoon as I am having a little trouble right now at the top. I am looping a little bit, and I am across the line and it is just -- I am hitting -- I cannot cut the ball. I am 7-under par and I cannot cut the ball. So, now it is going to go left; it is just a matter how far left. I know it is going to go left. Basically, today, I shot 67; I actually could have shot lower. I mean, I chipped in on 18 from about 15 feet. But, I had some putts, you know, just hit some excellent putts that didn't go in; just stopped right on the edges. But, any time you shoot under par you never -- you can always look back. Yesterday, I looked back, I shot 2-under, bogeyed 18. I, actually, played better yesterday than I did today, I thought.

NEAL LANCASTER: The hardest thing right now is getting to your ball. It is really, really wet. I know we have had a lot of rain, but it is really, really wet out there. I see no way this week when we play the ball up - even with perfect weather - it looks like we are going to have to play, lift, clean, and place the whole way. It is tough. You hit the in the rough -- I mean, you just wedge it out in the fairway. It is a U.S. Open out there. Scores don't look like it's a US Open, but it can be. If you get the going bad, you can just really get the going bad.

NEAL LANCASTER: Wasn't getting any better -- (laughs) -- and, actually, after I finished 125th on the Money List last year, something had to change. And, I have been working at it really hard. And, you know, it is all a matter of who can make the putts and whose got the best patience out here. The best ball-striker doesn't win every week. I mean, he don't win. Davis Love last week shoots 18-under. He must have made everything he looked at. I didn't even watch him or see him play. I know he hit it good, but you shoot 18-under, you are making some putts; you are not hitting it a foot to every hole up there. It is all a timing thing, too. Everybody has a lull in their round where -- 13th or might be the 9th hole or usually two holes in there where everybody kind of, you know, you fall asleep or something, you have a putt and you have got to keep moving on it. Luckily the last two days I have had some crucial putts and I made them to keep going.

NEAL LANCASTER: My sports psychologist told me to forget each shot and you want to know about them? (laughter) Let's see, I made 8 pars in a row starting on the tee -- actually had some good chances on 11 and 13 actually hit good putts; they just didn't go. So I was trying to be patient and trying to be patient and hit it right of the green on 18 and probably 20 feet and I chipped it in. So, you know, wasn't really that difficult of a shot. But, I look at my caddie, I said: You know, I hadn't chipped a ball like that all year. He said: You sure hadn't. I just chipped it. I going a little hard; it went in. I was a good break for to it go in. On one, I said: Let us go with it. This is a critical 9. 3-under, 25 guys shot 1-under, 25 guys shot 2-under, yesterday. I mean, if you are going to make the cut -- I mean, if you miss the cut, just be aggressive missing it; don't try to guide it in the fairways. I bombed it off the first tee; had a wedge in there; hit it about, I'd say, wasn't really a good wedge shot, 25 feet behind the hole, left to right; I made the putt. It is funny because last night right before I laid down to bed I said: I hadn't made any left-to-right putts all year. And, today, I made like three of them. So I birdied 1. 2, I hit another really good drive; had 230 to the hole; hit a 5-wood. We thought it was going to be a double eagle. It flew about four feet right behind the hole. It went off the back of the green and I 2-putted for birdie there. Then the third hole, parred it, par 4, with a 5 -- 5, dog-leg right; hit a good drive right over the bunker. Kind of grasped (sic) it with a little bit of the club there from 162. Hit a 7-iron, oh, about 15 feet left of the hole; made it. Next hole, I made -- actually, next hole I made a good 6-foot putt for par. I ran it by six feet from about 30 feet. Next hole had a good chance for birdie on 7; didn't make it. 8, hit a 4-iron and was probably a 5-iron shot, but I was -- I wasn't swinging like I wanted so I tried to punch it forward about, oh, 18 feet left of the hole; made it. 9th hole, laid up bad, had a 20-footer for birdie; hit this putt. It just rolled over the right edge; stopped right behind the hole. 5-under.

NEAL LANCASTER: I think Lee said Bob Estes was 12-under and I don't know what the next best is, but 12-under is pretty strong. But, the next best is 8, he says. So you have got to look at it, really, as the leader is 8-under because a guy with a 4-shot lead most of the time is going to go out -- is going, you know, kind of hard to be aggressive, so, I figure somebody is going to be 10-under. Don't matter what week it is on the PGA TOUR, if you are not 15 to 20, you don't have a chance. So 15 to 20 and you give me -- I am thinking think I am 7. You give me 15, I won't go back out. I might lose by 9, but I will take 15; won't go back: Everybody home -- to add to that, everybody is saying: You are really on the verge all this. Everybody, you know, is: You can win a tournament. And, the way I look at it is: Hell, I'd like to lose one on the last hole right now. (laughter) I love to double the last hole and finish second one week - the way I have been playing for so long.