FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

June 26, 1999

Hale Irwin

HALE IRWIN: Thus far, I think things seemed to be going very nicely. Maybe I ought to flip it around. The golf game now is coming back into form, thanks to some nice corrective therapy by our gentleman in the trailer. A week ago -- I'm sitting at home a week ago thinking, gosh, what have I got here? Have I got one of these things that's going to lay me up for months, and then to be where I am right now, I feel very fortunate. So, having talked about the shoulder, the game is responding in kind, because I think it's taken some of the mystery out of why I was hitting some of the poor shots I was hitting. It's the treatment that has taken some of the discomfort out. Now, it's a matter of trying to keep that all together, and go into tomorrow's round trying to play the kind of game I played today. And that is your-- good, solid golf. Not taking the unnecessary risks, but, certainly trying to play as aggressive as caution would dictate. And, that's essentially what I did today. I didn't try to do anything out of the ordinary. I tried to keep away from some of the trouble areas. And take advantage of the opportunity I had and for the most part it was to the latter. I played extremely well.

HALE IRWIN: I don't know a Mr. Marsh.

HALE IRWIN: I know him way too well. I'm not going to bite on that. No way. Well, Graham is a -- he's playing well. And there's no reason that a player of his caliber that can go out and do the same thing I did today. Because he did not play badly himself, other than the long bogey he had at the last hole. He had a couple of opportunities that I missed and what did he end up with, 68, 70? He could have shot 67, 68, real easily. Nothing is a guarantee. You know, if you shoot 67, I still can shoot under par and only tie. So, there's no guarantees and I'm not going to approach it any other way. There's still -- I still think there's a handful of players that have a very good shot at this. And, obviously, I'm one of those in that handful. And it behooves me to go play that kind of golf that I'm capable of playing to keep that pressure on. Now, whether or not I go out and shoot 30 on the front 9 again, that's an extra bonus there.

HALE IRWIN: I would say scoring, it's very similar to Thursday. The only difference is we're closer to Sunday; so things get a little bit tighter. The course might be playing a little longer still, because of the wet conditions that we had after the rain. But, you know, it's drying out quickly. We're getting some of the distance back that we had earlier in the week. But, today the wind direction, we're more familiar with. Yesterday was the curve ball that caught us all offguard.

HALE IRWIN: I didn't see it until it started rolling.

HALE IRWIN: For me? No. It was unnerving for him because I know he's -- Swampy is a man of high integrity. I know it was bothering him. As it ended up, I made my putt, so I can't blame him. I might thank him. I think it was an uncomfortable situation for Swampy, in particular, and us a little bit as well, because he's looking for help. And I had my back turned. I just turned around, and when I heard some volume from the gallery, I turned around and that's when I saw his ball rolling in. There's no doubt in my mind that he did the right thing.

HALE IRWIN: No. I never wondered. I haven't wavered away from the confidence I have in myself. I just -- I needed to step off the merry-go-round. That may sound odd to you, but I just -- I have other things that are important to me and keeping on that high level of playing certainly is important, but it just became too encompassing. And I needed a little breathing room. Once you step away from that level, it's really hard to get back to that level. You sort of build up to it, and you don't even know you're there until you step off of it and then you realize what floor you're on. And you can get in a little bit of a free fall, which I've described before, a situation which you don't just casually step off, and get off another flight or two, back to where you were. All of the sudden, you're down here, and you have to work you're way back up again and that's what I've been doing.

HALE IRWIN: What writers? I didn't believe them. Honestly, I know -- I know where it's coming from, and I know why it's written, but, no, it doesn't bother me. This era, if you wish, has been short-lived. There will be another era. You all are going to make sure that happens with Tom and Tom and Lanny. So I'm looking forward to those coming on and bringing different dynamics to the TOUR. I don't mind that at all. I look forward to it. I want to be a part of that. I look forward to them coming. I think they will enhance what we already have in a big way.

HALE IRWIN: It didn't surprise me. I'm surprised he made it this far. He was in the trailer the same time I've been in the trailer and he couldn't move the other day. Didn't surprise me. I know what he's going through -- certainly my shoulder is nothing like his hip, but he has great pride and he has a great competitive instincts. And that's what's kept him, the champion that he's been.

HALE IRWIN: Just focus. It's just pure and simple focus. Getting back to letting a stroke that got a little wobbly in the beginning of the year and it's just focus. Getting intent on what I'm trying to do again. I got a new putt they are week. Didn't use it until Thursday much, very much like others that I've been using. But still, nevertheless a different putter. It's a Never Compromise. I have used the Odyssey the last two years. I've used Never Compromise and Odyssey on and off this year. They are very close to being the same kind of putter. This is one that I've never used until this week. So I'm getting immediate results with that, which is very good. But I've also been working on my stroke. I've been working on the focus, and the fundamentals and you don't take that I'm-going-to-putt-better-pill in the morning. You have to go out and work on it.

HALE IRWIN: I don't know. Why do you change clothes? You smell. The putter starts smelling after a while. It looks tacky. I think for me, I'll stay with something -- often times, you may change for a day or two days or a week and go back. It's just a change. You get sort of -- almost a burnout. At least for me, I think often times, I'll stay with one, stay with one. Stay with one and I just kind of need to change it up. But when I change, it's almost like changing color, only the dynamics are the same. But it's just the color; it's a little different. If you feel that you're a little negative about things -- you can be negative, you can neutral or you can being positive. If you're negative and you can only go to neutral, you're going up. So I'm always trying to go up.

HALE IRWIN: No. I don't change putters that much. What I'm trying so say is that the change in the putter is minuscule compared to the change of a driver, for instance, or a whole set of irons or a new shaft because the putter models that I've been using even though they may be different manufacturers, they are still very much the same. Never identical, they are never identical, but very much the same.

HALE IRWIN: We've learned form Arnie through all these years. Yeah, I stayed up and watched that dumb basketball game. It got me all -- the adrenaline gets going, and you say, okay, finally it's over. Lay in bed wide awake after you've been watching the game.

HALE IRWIN: Started very, very quickly. I made about a 18-foot putt at the 1st hole for birdie hitting a 8-iron to the green. 2nd hole, I hit a very, very nice 7-iron right behind the hole. How's this for a 7-iron. Tough hole; pin's left next to the water, and I hit it in there about 9 feet. Swampy hits it in there eight feet. Isao hole it is. I hit the world's greatest golf shot, and I'm out. Fabulous. Anyway, I made that 9-footer for a second birdie. Then I laid up in 2 in front of the 3rd hole, and that was about 55 yards, I guess, and pitched it within a foot and a half of the hole, and made that for third birdie. Birdied 6. Hitting a 2-iron and a sand wedge to within to feet, 20 feet, making that. I wedged it to about 25 feet short of the hole at 7, but made that; so I made some really nice putts. And then I hit a great 6-iron at the 9th hole, to within six feet and made that for my 6th birdie. Had a great save at 10. I drove it to the right, just barely into the right rough, but it was in a very bad lie, and had to play it way left of the hole, way left over the green. Hit a great little pitch shot just over the crowns of the green down to within three feet and making par. Then I hit it over the 12th green. Again, just a little too strong. Great little pitch shot back up the hill and down to within a foot of the hole. Then as I said the 13th hole. I hit a little 4-wood in there about seven feet. It was about seven feet short of the hole. Made that for eagle.

HALE IRWIN: 236, I think. Somewhere in there. Saves, last hole, I just missed off the green on the last hole. Little pitch shot up from about 35 feet to within a couple feet of the hole making that for a 64. So a very solidly-played round. Very good. I made some very nice putts. Missed a couple of putts, that you'd like to make, but all in all, did everything very, very nicely.

HALE IRWIN: Yes. From where I was standing, I thought it was. I was trying to direct it, you know, listen, golf balls don't have ears, though. They will never listen.

HALE IRWIN: This one. I had not made a decision until I got here. And really got some work in there, and then went out on the practice tee and hit a couple balls. But I was reserving that until I did that. So it was probably 50-50. I didn't know. I felt better after I had seen the doctor on Monday, but he said go out and hit some balls; that's the only way you're going to know. And when I hit them, it was tight. But with constant care, this week, it's just getting a little bit better, a little bit better.

HALE IRWIN: No. I had to come up here, even if it was to turn around and go back.