U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 18, 1995

Neal Lancaster

LES UNGER: Neal, you are aware this is the low round at Shinnecock at an Open.

NEAL LANCASTER: Definitely. Definitely.

LES UNGER: Since you are the first to come in, did your play improve dramatically; were the conditions better this morning? Let us go through that a little.

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, obviously when you play so bad on Saturday you get early on Sunday. I think the pins were a lot easier today than yesterday. The wind is getting up now and blowing pretty good, but I think the pins are more accessible; you can get to them. For example, the first holes over to the right you can get in 2nd hole kind of in the middle of the green left side. It helps when the greens are this hard. There is a lot of holes out there you can run the ball up. You don't have - you can't fly it on the green anywhere, it will go right over. So, I think the pins had a lot to do with it, and getting the start earlier and I also playing with Fuzzy helped.

LES UNGER: Is AP here? Do we need any particulars on shots?

Q. Yes.

LES UNGER: I think since it is probably the low round, if you would take us through - I am sure this is going to be a joy for you to do today.

NEAL LANCASTER: I will try to remember them all. I don't know if I can. 1st hole, I got up, took a driver, and I have been debating all week what to hit on that hole. I said it's pretty hard to get started when you don't even know -- the first tee, I hit driver right down the middle; had somewhere around 104 yards really bad sand wedge right of the green; was able to put it probably 20 feet. Rolled it up there close and made 4. 2nd hole, hit 3-iron probably 45 feet right to the holes. Misread the putt at least a foot playing to go left; it went right. I had 4 feet left. I made it for par. 3rd hole made. A lot of people - I hit it way right, way right over in the hay. Luckily the gallery trampled it down; hit 7-iron out of it up on the front of the green and was right behind the sprinkler head; I had to chip it. I chipped it about, oh, 3 feet; made it for par. 4th hole, hit it right down the middle; hit probably 25 feet with a 9-iron, 2-putted. Then I get to 5, I hit driver, 3-iron, and I pushed it - I was trying to roll the ball up on the green; pushed it; hit it in the bank of the bunker; it stayed there. Had pretty nasty lie; hit a great chip, foot, tapped it in. So I am one under. Next hole, really bad drive, way right in the hay again. Drew a good lie; hit a 5-iron right to the green and flopped my wedge up; made about probably 12 footer for par. 6 -- 7th hole, par 3. I hit a really good 5-iron in there and it hailed the green. That green has more slope on the golf course. There is probably 15 feet straight uphill and I hit a really good putt and didn't make it. And 8th hole, I hit a driver through the fairway there and it ran through the bunker and got into the winds again and hit short of the green. Right bunker, chipped it about 6 feet and I missed it. Then 9, I drove it in the fairway on 9. If you drive -- I drove it into the rough. If you drive it into the rough on 9, you can't go for the green, so I chipped it out; still got a sand wedge left 100 yards so I hit it - 12 feet; I missed it for par and I go, "well, let us go shoot 42 on this 9 and get it over with." Tee off 10, I hit driver down there. I hit a bad 60 degree lob wedge, from like 90 yards left. It was short in the bunker. I got it up-and-down; made about 8-footer for par. Then 11, I hit a really good 8-iron there about 8 feet right behind the hole. Big break and I made that. I go "oh, back even par." We go to 11 and hit really -- the hole is playing really short today; the wind was really getting up that time. Hit a driver, 9-iron, just played it to the front of the green because the pin was on the back. Fuzzy just hit it over, and probably had 40 feet and breaking left to right about 3 feet and I hit - the hit -- it just was perfect speed; it fell in, fell in the hole on the low side. So go the next hole I say, I am going to hit driver here. I hit driver and my caddie is going "hit your 3-wood." I hadn't been hitting my driver in the fairway; I said, no, I am not leaving here until I learn to hit it in the fairway. At least you will make par if you look real wide if I can get it in these fairways. So I get it around there, I got -- I hit a foot out of the fairway, short rough, I didn't play for a jumper. Came out on a hop; hit next to the hole probably 65 feet on the back of the green. And scoring off the front, I am telling you, this putt was going off front. I hit this putt. It was dead in the hole way too hard. Just luckily went in somehow. Got to the next hole and hit a 3-wood off the tee because it is dead down; went on 14 and still drove it through the fairway too far and played a little wedge from 146 yards -- a little wedge, and it ran on the green and me and Fuzzy were side by side; probably had 25 feet short of the hole. Breaking left to right again. Just like the putt on 12, it just kind of rolled up; ran out of steam and fell into the low side again. And going to the next hole, 15, I actually hit a good drive there. I had 85 yards left; hit a good 56 degree wedge and it probably hit 30 feet short of the hole and still went to the back of the green, 25 feet; I made par. A lot of guys like Mickelson have been having trouble with 16. That was the main thought in my head. I hit a good drive, and I decided to lay it up and the wind was probably blowing 30 miles an hour by now into my face and took a 2-iron out; I hit it. I had 60 yards left and I played my third shot left of the pin. The pin is like 5, on the front of the green, right on the front. The whole green slopes left to right and back to the front, so played it like an 80 yard shot; I hit it back left to the green probably 25 feet past the hole and it almost went in. Came back; almost went in. So now I am going just finish, just try to finish. 17 the pins, is -- oh, on the left edge of the green, wind is blowing 30 miles an hour left to right, probably the best shot I hit all week. I hit a 6-iron hooked it; held it against the wind and had to hit close to the hole, but we couldn't really tell. It was probably 30 feet just over the green, 30 feet, I am just going, you know, get the right speed and just don't 3-putt. And it was dead center all the way - just went right in. 18, now standing on the 18th tee and parring the last hole is going to tie the course record, but I had no idea it was a U.S. Open record if I parred the last hole for the last 9. So I got up there and I hit just get it in the fairway. That is the hardest hole. I drove it perfect. I hit a perfect drive. I got Fuzzy over there 20 yards away from me so I walked over to see what he is hitting. He hit a 4-iron and wind is right to left really hard. I kind of -- hard to tell if it's hurting you or helping you on the hole. The pin is on the left of green. I was going to play on the right side of the green from 194 yards and just have a good 35, 40 footer up the hill, 2-putt, and go home. Well, John Daly was in the left bleachers for 20 minutes, so I start thinking I am getting nervous; I am going, oh, man, this is no help for getting nervous. So I take 5-iron out which was the perfect club I am trying to hit it to the right side of the green, swing right to left. I got over it a little bit. Started left. It probably hit somewhere pin high left. We just thought it was left to the green pin high. It kicked real hard and it goes, oh, 15 feet over the green. I am going that is 5, just don't make 6 so you get back in The Open -- and the Masters, so I get up there and I am getting over the shot and I am thinking at Memorial this year, I practiced my short game this week; I said maybe this is where it will pay-off. The wind is back into me, so I got a chance. I am straight down hill; couldn't really tell how the lie was. I am going, just don't leave it laying here and make 6. I hit 3 feet. It was the greatest pitch in my life. I can't even tell you how nervous I was over that 3-footer. I was nervous over it because I knew what it meant if I made it and --

LES UNGER: Sounds like you did pretty good. What did Fuzzy do for you?

NEAL LANCASTER: Fuzzy is always fun to play with. He shot 2 under. He played well. He had a bad hole at 16, but he just talks to you. He keeps you relaxed. I mean, when you play with a lot of guys, they don't talk to you. I mean, when you have somebody to talk to, a different player every day, I mean, it is something great. My caddie after I made 4 birdies in a row, he hadn't said much all day. When we got on the 15th tee I made four birdies in a row and he said, do this, do that. I said, "what? I make 4 birdie in a row, now, you get interested." And I think, obviously, I believe he was even nervous coming in and I just, you know, made the greatest 4 of my life on the last hole; picked the ball out of hole; he said, man, I was really hoping you made 3. I said. It is never good enough.

LES UNGER: Is this your regular caddie?

NEAL LANCASTER: He has been with me for three weeks now. He is a good guy.

Q. What is his name?

NEAL LANCASTER: Kenny, Doige. Looks like Squiggy on the Laverne & Shirley show. He is a Canadian.

LES UNGER: We have some questions here.

Q. How did you know you needed 29?

NEAL LANCASTER: Excuse me?

Q. How did you know you had the course record?

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, obviously I didn't know 'til I came off the 18th green and they told me that it was an Open record; nobody had ever shot in the 20s on one 9. I think 16 guys had shot 30 before and like three or four TV networks were telling me; I am going, I knew I did something good, but I didn't know it was an Open record for 9 holes.

Q. Saturday, as I understand, you had a little side thing on the round. Did you have anything going today?

NEAL LANCASTER: No -- oh, yeah, we did that; was double or nothing. Me and Jim McGovern -- I would probably think he lost again, so he owes me a case now.

Q. Neal, I understand you only showed up here Wednesday and didn't get much practice in. Kind of unusual. Can you tell us about that?

NEAL LANCASTER: Well, actually I got in Wednesday -- what, late Tuesday night, you know, I have been trying to take the road where I don't want to get to the tournaments and get burned out before they start, so I came in and Wednesday I played one practice round because I knew what it was going to be like. I knew it was going to be -- I must say -- nearly impossible. I knew it was going-- the rough was going to be up. I didn't know what the golf course was like, but I knew the greens would be hard; the rough would be tough and you know when you are in an Open, everybody is chipping and putting anyway, so you know, I don't think you need to spend a lot of time worrying about actually how you are hitting it. If you are hitting it pretty solid, you are going to have a chance to play - if you can just keep your mind sane. You can go crazy out there. But if you can just stay away from the big numbers. Only had one double bogey all week. The first three days I think I made 4 birdies and -- but I was just -- I was playing -- trying to make par the first 36 holes. I was just playing for par; even if I hit it on the green, I went -- I got a 20-footer I will just roll it up and try to play for par. But you know, I just didn't want to get burned out before the tournament started because I play competitive every week, actually, and you can actually get burned out; plus Kemper, last week, I had a pretty bad Sunday was one back with 9 holes to go and shot 40 on the last 9 and was kind of disappointing, so was really not geared to play this week, actually.

Q. How far was your birdie putt on 16?

NEAL LANCASTER: I'd say a foot.

LES UNGER: Congratulations. Great windup. Good luck.

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