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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


July 25, 1998


Roy Vucinich


PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA

ROY VUCINICH: Well, there is no question I was definitely more nervous today playing with Raymond Floyd. I think that was the big part. Yesterday, I drove the ball so poorly and I went down to the practice tee yesterday where I thought I worked it out. Went down this morning, hit the ball really well, and hit the ball off the tee real well, then I get up to the first couple of holes, I get a little tentative out there. I am sure that, you know, when the nerves kind of go, sometimes they go with a driver; sometimes they go with the putter; sometimes they go with the irons. So, I guess it was my way of -- my nerves telling me you are in trouble.

LES UNGER: I think we came in here before you finished. Your final today was.

ROY VUCINICH: 75, 4-over.

LES UNGER: You were therefore 5 behind?

ROY VUCINICH: I think Raymond is even par now. He bogeyed the last hole.

LES UNGER: You still feel you could win this thing?

ROY VUCINICH: Oh, I am not sure about winning it. I think the players right now that are the leaders, I think Raymond and Hale Irwin and Dave Stockton, they are one of the three to be looking at as the winner. I think my objective now is to try and play as well as I can; shoot a good score tomorrow if I can, and finish somewhere as high as I can in the event.

LES UNGER: The nerves are now gone?

ROY VUCINICH: Well, I felt comfortable, yes. I felt more comfortable out there today as the round went on.

Q. I think a lot of people expected you to kind of disappear today and you didn't really do that. Tell us a little bit about what you were feeling as you were going through the round.

ROY VUCINICH: Well, when I started out making a birdie on No. 1. I didn't mind making the bogey on No. 2. 2 is almost like a 5 par. Every time I make a 4 there, it is like birdieing it. The round felt good. I felt comfortable. I know that there probably were a lot of people expecting me to shoot 80 or 85, whatever, just be blown right out of it. I was hoping that did not happen. And, obviously it did not. And, I hit the ball well. I hit the irons real well. Just didn't drive the ball well enough to shoot any kind of a good consistent score to get into a flow of things. At one point I felt like: What am I doing out here; and the crowd's going crazy when Raymond is knocking the pin down and I am wedging it from over in the kikuyu grass somewhere.

Q. Can you talk about, did you make any adjustments to your equipment before you came out here for this golf course?

ROY VUCINICH: No, none at all. I came out here with my typical 14 golf clubs. I bring a spare putter and spare driver in case I crack a driver. And I had that happen to me one tournament in June, my driver cracked. But what I did is I switched my 3- and 5-wood, my metal Taylor woods to two new metal Taylor Burner Woods. The heads are more shallow; allow me to hit the ball a little more in the air with my 3-wood and 5-wood, which is is needed for, you know, some of the approaches to the greens.

Q. What about your wedges?

ROY VUCINICH: Well, I put in a 60-degree wedge; about weeks ago I have been working with. I hit that a lot. So far that has worked out well. I am glad I put it in the bag.

Q. Is the fact that you have competed out here this week giving you any thoughts about trying to parlay this into a Tour career; is that something you are going to look at?

ROY VUCINICH: Well, I did go to Qualifying School last year and if I would have qualified, I would have played probably for a year. I had a leave of absence. If I qualify from my membership from Allegheny Country Club, and once I get back home this fall, I will go to the Qualifying School regional in Orlando. Then again the finals will be down in Greenleaf, so I will try one more time. And if I did, I'd -- it would be fun playing for one year - no more than that. I am not sure my body can handle it. I am playing -- as a matter of fact, I had an exemption to play next week into the European Masters at the Wentworth Club, which I cancelled out of because the following week I am playing at the Senior British Open up in Royal Port Rush. And I just didn't think I could physically play 21 days in a row travelling all those time changes in a short span of time.

Q. Any advantage at all to not playing at this level on on a consistent basis?

ROY VUCINICH: I think there is. I think the club that I am at - I have been very fortunate. I will be there 26 years in August. It's a fabulous golf club, great membership that allows me to do this. I think right now I probably have the best of both worlds, when I can play -- this is my fourth senior tournament this year and it is great fun being out here. It is a great opportunity for me to learn things from these players. I watch them; I go back to Allegheny; I try to pass this along to my membership with my lessons, what have you. And, it gives me a good fresh break from working every day. And, when I go back to work, I will start in Tuesday morning, we have a ladies event and my lessons begin at 9 o'clock, so I will go with lessons from probably 9 'til noon; then again from 1 'til about 7 o'clock, just like things haven't changed. Keeps things real fresh. I don't know if playing every week, week after week, I am not sure if I can even handle it. In one respect, I think I could be better -- I could learn to be better. In the other respect, I am not sure not playing -- from other friends of mine who have made the Tour, I see them after playing seven, eight weeks in a row, they are sore; they are hurting. They are not accustomed to playing the way all the other great players are. They have done it for all their lives.

LES UNGER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts....

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