U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 2, 2008

Greg Norman

FULLAUDIOINTERVIEW

PETE KOWALSKI: 2-under par for the day and even par for the championship, Mr. Greg Norman.

Q. Yesterday you seemed to be pretty happy with the way you were hitting with the ball, but not as much with the score, how about today?

GREG NORMAN: It was about the same. I mean, nothing startling, nothing bad. Yeah, it was a little tougher out there today with the wind blowing constantly from the south. So it was tough to get comfortable on some of the tee shots because we haven't really played in much wind out here.

Q. If you do end up eight or nine behind, not too many guys between and you the top spot, is that doable in one day?

GREG NORMAN: I don't know. You've just got to see what the end result is. I think the guys will probably finish 9- or 10- under, and if that's the case, then that's too big a pill to swallow.

Q. How much more difficult is the back nine playing than the front, especially the first few holes there?

GREG NORMAN: Probably three or four shots more difficult.

Q. Any reason that you give for those three or four holes?

GREG NORMAN: The back nine? Like I said, we were playing it into a south wind and the 10th hole is not it an easy driving hole downwind, and the pin position on 10 was front-right downwind, downhill. That's a tough shot to get at. Tough to hit that fairway because the ball is rolling away; it was a reverse canvas to you, and if you don't get lucky, you're going to run through the fairway. So it's just awkward. It's just not going to allow you to set up to be aggressive with some of the iron play.

Q. How much better could your score have been today? Do you feel you left a few out there?

GREG NORMAN: If I didn't fall apart, I would have been two better, but that's just one hole. I was trying to make the first putt and ended up 4-putting, so I paid the price.

Q. Did that destroy some of your momentum you built earlier in the round?

GREG NORMAN: No. I came right back and birdied the next hole. So just get stabilized as quickly as you can. I felt like I didn't hit -- maybe the second putt wasn't a great putt, but I didn't really putt -- three of them were okay and one was bad.

Q. Compared to yesterday and the pin placements, how would you compare yesterday's pin placements with today?

GREG NORMAN: Well, yesterday, they were yesterday, I'm not going to make a comment on that in case I put my foot in my mouth.

Today they were a lot more balanced in the areas -- you had a decent amount of area to have a fairly flat putt. Some of them yesterday were on the side of slopes and if you got anywhere above the wrong side of the hole, you were going to be 20 feet past no matter what, and it was just sad some of them were put in that position, and I think a lot of the guys paid the price yesterday.

But at the same time, today they are a lot more accessible, but they are still tough.

Q. How about the firmness of the greens? Are they any softer today?

GREG NORMAN: Very inconsistent. Some are soft; some are firm, and you don't know what the ball is going to do. It's tough when you're hitting second shots into some of these holes and you're not knowing what the ball is going to do on the greens. Sometimes you play so conservative, you just put the ball in the middle of the green because you don't want to hit at the flag and hit a hard spot and go off the green. They are very inconsistent.

Q. Were you surprised on 2, it seemed like on your second shot you hit it stiff, and yet getting up to the green, off the green, it seemed like you hit it on the green stiff; was there a lot of backspin coming back on that one?

GREG NORMAN: My pitch shot on 2?

Q. Yes.

GREG NORMAN: Well, I was pitching up into the hill. I just didn't hit it hard enough, that's all.

Q. How often would you say you referred to the Will Rogers Shrine?

GREG NORMAN: Do I refer to it? Never. Why? What are you supposed to refer to it about?

Q. Do you use it?

GREG NORMAN: As a what?

Q. To read breaks in the green?

GREG NORMAN: No, I use the Rocky Mountains. I don't use the shrine. The Rocky Mountains go this way and that's the way the greens are going to go.

No, I never even take that into consideration. You just know the slope of the mountain is coming west to east, and a lot of the putts you have to allow for it, even though it doesn't look like you should do.

Q. Is the course playing pretty consistent every day?

GREG NORMAN: No. Like I said, it's a little inconsistent with the firmness of the greens.

Yeah, like I said, that makes it difficult when you're trying to judge your second shot into some of these holes and it's just awkward, it really is. And players like to have consistency, like you get into a routine and you know how the ball is going to react off your second shots. And when they are not reacting the way you think they should do, it puts a little doubt in your mind.

Q. Strategy for tomorrow?

GREG NORMAN: Go low.

Q. Can you tell us what the ribbon is for on the back of the hat?

GREG NORMAN: One of our long-time caddies passed away last week, and his funeral is today.