ENERGIZER SENIOR TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Raw conditions today, but you were one better and at 135 tied, for the lead at the halfway point.

HALE IRWIN: Nice going, Phil. We have had, I guess, surprising conditions under which to play with the forecast being abominable. I don't know, you are looking up there (indicating at the TV monitor), don't know if we are in good shape for tomorrow or Sunday. But, we seem to be skating through some bad weather. But, what is happening, at least with Gil and I, I think is that we have been feeding off one another's play. Gil is playing quite well - as attested by his win last week and the two scores he has posted thus far. I have been playing quite well myself and I think each of us is probably benefiting from the good play of the other. Duval is feeding off of his son's frenzy, I guess. Bob is a good player and I think it is one of those stories that the SENIOR TOUR can come up with and hatch a new star that never has really had the opportunity to, but here he is halfway through one of the biggest tournaments on the SENIOR TOUR and he is tied for the lead. I think it is very good. I am very happy with the way things are going. Again, I played quite steadily; hit just enough good shots to keep it low, enough loose shots to keep me concerned. But, all and all, quite happy with the results. Second hole birdie. 3-wood, 5-iron, and 15-foot putt. Bogeyed No. 7. Hit a driver into the left trap from where I was too near the left to get to the green and hit it short to the green and pitched it, 2-putted. Birdied No. 8, very nice little pitch shot just short of the green up to about three feet from the hole. Making that for birdie. Made a nice save at 9 after hitting a poor 4-iron into the front bunker and making about 8-foot putt for par. Birdied number 12, the par 3, hitting a 4-iron and making about a 25-foot putt. Birdied No. 14, hitting a 5-iron second and 20-foot putt. Birdied No. 15, three shots to the green, making about a 15-foot putt there. Missed a short one on No. 16. Kind of disappointed in that one. Had about 6-footer there and missed it. But, I did make about the same putt at 17 for a birdie with having a 6-iron to the green. And, that was the extent of the birdies.

HALE IRWIN: I don't really feel that way now either because you are forgetting, there are still some good players and we are only at the halfway point.

HALE IRWIN: Yeah, but that was man-against-man. Here is a guy that is playing well and he is pulling me along and I am playing pretty well and I am pulling -- and I think we are all pulling each other along. Isao played very well, too. He had a few shots that were a little unlike him and he missed a few putts which is not like him. So, that is the basic difference. We all three have had good solid playing and I think you can see the reverse, too. Sometimes when you have somebody playing poorly, the group tends to play poorly. Fortunately, we all have been playing well.

HALE IRWIN: Can I think of a time?

HALE IRWIN: No, not off the top of my head. I truly believe that Gil is a better player now than he used to be. I think as he has aged, I think his game has come together. I think he is swinging the club better now. At least, last two days he has putted better than I have seen him putt. I honestly think Gil Morgan is a better player now than he used to be. I don't know what he said. That is just my -- my observation. And, had he played like this back in those days, I think Gil Morgan would have been a real factor. He always has been fairly long. When I say swinging better, he used to cross the line a bit more. And he had a hard time controlling some of his shots and he doesn't do that and he is very crisp and very -- I really like the way he is going at it. He is solid and he is doing everything well. He has got good balance. You step up to some of these holes with the advantage he has got off the tee, you can rip that driver out there and know you can reach the par 5s - what an advantage. I think that 15th hole, he just -- 2-woods and flew it pin-high.

HALE IRWIN: If I hit my best and he hits his best, Gil will have me by 20 to 30 yards, at least you start giving that up and then couple -- he carries that distance with his fairway woods, too, so I'd I say: "See you on the par fives. Have fun out there," because I am not going to be around.

HALE IRWIN: I don't think it hurts. Certainly, it is another story. It is another success. It is another reason why I think the players out there all have that hope and why there are so many guys trying to get through the Q-School. There are a lot of very good players that don't come or can't make it out here, for whatever reason. It doesn't have to be here, but on the regular TOUR there is a lot of very good players. And when you have a story as Duval and you have a story like Laoretti, we think back to the Senior Open, Laoretti won. You think back to Jimmy Powell and some of the other stories where players that didn't play a lot on the regular TOUR or played none, there was no play whatsoever, maybe played in the club pro series or played in some club tournaments, I think it is remarkable. I think it is a great story. It just shows that, you know, though the odds may be against them, they have persevered and done well.

HALE IRWIN: No.

HALE IRWIN: Dave, I have, yeah.

(GIL MORGAN enters interview room).

HALE IRWIN: We were just talking about you.

GIL MORGAN: Are you?

HALE IRWIN: Yeah.

GIL MORGAN: Oh, good.

HALE IRWIN: Yeah, it has to be. I think this -- I have had periods of, you know, good putting, but I don't think I have ever had a year of good putting like I have had this year where it has just been really a constant.

GIL MORGAN: I will second that.

HALE IRWIN: Constant success with the putter. I think I have always been a good putter, but I think this year, I have had some great putting. Be careful now, I was saying some nice things about you. I can erase it and take it all back.

GIL MORGAN: Won't take long.

HALE IRWIN: Okay, thank you.