	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 29, 2004

Hale Irwin

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

RAND JERRIS: We're now joined by 1998 and 2000 Senior Open Champion Hale Irwin at even par 71.

Judging by the sheets it looks like you didn't get much out of your round.

HALE IRWIN: You're right, I had a very good ball-striking round, and whereas I didn't putt terribly, I didn't putt well either, so I had different results for a round that was tee to green was pretty well played. It's even par, it's not like a 77 or 76 or something. That should have been a 2 or 3 under par round, not easily, but should have been but wasn't.

Q. You've got to feel good you can make that up.

HALE IRWIN: Oh, yeah, it's possible. I came from farther back than this other times. It's a good position, a little disappointing. I really didn't play badly at all. I had one bad hole at 16.

Q. What about the reception today for you throughout the course?

HALE IRWIN: It's terrific. The local support is terrific.

I said before, I'm trying to pretend I'm not here, I'm somewhere else, because it can get distracting, and I'm trying to keep that in mind that this is a place I've spent a lot of time and know a lot of people, and I'm very appreciative of that support. I've got to try to keep the focus, too, because as you see, there are some good players posting some good scores, and if you get a little bit sideways you'll get yourself behind the eight ball.

Q. What did you think of the pin placements? Some of the players thought they were pretty tough pins, especially on the back nine.

HALE IRWIN: They've got to put them on the greens somewhere. This is a USGA Championship; it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be something that is a cakewalk. If you want to take, for instance, the last hole, if you have the guts or courage or skill to hit at that hole and make a birdie, so be it. Greg Toole did it. I took a little more conservative approach, and I didn't make my par.

That's the way it should be. I don't have any complaints with the hole locations at all.

Q. What were you working on afterwards?

HALE IRWIN: Trying to make a putt.

Q. Technique?

HALE IRWIN: I felt the greens were perhaps a little faster the last few days. I just could not get the putt to the hole. The one of the few putts I got to the hole with any speed at all was the birdie I did make. I wanted to get a little more aggressive out here, a little more flow with my putter, better release of it. I may have been poking at it rather stroking through it. In my mind there is a big difference on how to release the putter. I needs to roll the ball a little bit better.

Thank you, folks, appreciate it.

End of FastScripts.

About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297