U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 14, 1994

Lee Janzen

LES UNGER: Greetings once again. We have obviously our champion from last year and also the winner of the last tournament, rare as that turns out to be, Lee Janzen. Lee, a lot of nice things happened to your game since media day here.

LEE JANZEN: Yes. For whatever reason why my game did turn around, but eventually, I think maybe you just get fed up with what you are doing; that you have to get to the point where something has to happen.

LES UNGER: You had your day to play the course back about a month ago and you have had a little practice here. Some comments about that, then we will open it up.

LEE JANZEN: The differences I see from a month ago and yesterday were that the rough is thicker. It looks like it is full all the way through the rough, so there's not going to be any hit or miss. You are not going to hit in the rough in one spot and have a good line and hit it in rough in another hole and have a terrible. It looks like it is going to be the same everywhere. From what I saw if you can get a short iron and hit a really good shot out of the rough, you do have a chance of hitting the green, but I think that is about it. The greens were absolutely phenomenal yesterday. I thought last week's greens, I thought, were perfect. If I would have seen these greens before last week, I wouldn't have said that, but these are in beautiful shape. And they are fast.

LES UNGER: Again, raise your hands please, if you'd like to ask a question.

LEE JANZEN: When I leave here I am going to play and that is it.

Q. How much did the switch to the apex irons help you? You talked about it at Memorial that you were going to try --

LEE JANZEN: The main difference is the weighting of the clubs. Perimeter weighted clubs are designed so the head guides through the path for the player and I have played a traditional blade all my life, so the millions of balls that I have been practicing, I have learned how to swing with a head that was designed that way. All I did was go back to what I learned all my life. So it is much easier to go on the course and trust a certain shot that I want to hit or just trust my swing. That is really the main differences, that I gained a lot of confidence in myself on the course.

Q. How much of an advantage was it to play last week? A lot of guys here are spending so much time, you know, learning the speed of the greens and are the Westchester greens a big advantage?

LEE JANZEN: I think so. The golf course is U.S. Open style course right from the first hole. You are always conscious of trying not to miss the pin on the short side because the rough is thick and the greens are usually fast. Driving is also a premium at Westchester, same as U.S. Open. Plus you get to play in tournament competition the week before. You can come here to practice all you want but they really don't get the course set up exactly the way they want to until a few days before the tournament.

Q. How much has your mindset changed this week coming off the win as opposed to say two, three weeks ago if you would have had to come in here to play as you were at that time?

LEE JANZEN: Just three weeks ago all I was hoping for was just a couple of tournaments. I felt like that was about the only way I could prepare myself a little better than I already was. I knew my game had to turn around sometime and I felt like I was doing everything I could. But no, my scores were not that great. So I was just hoping I could just get one tournament, one good tournament and that would just be a tremendous boost. The Kemper, got a lot of momentum there. Felt great going in the last week, just carried it over. So, yeah, I would say I am probably a different person now than I was three weeks ago.

Q. Are you superstitious? Is there a monkey on your back after winning, coming in here; are you going to beat that because nobody ever has?

LEE JANZEN: I think somebody probably will some day. But I don't know, winning two tournaments in a row on the Tour is tough, doesn't matter which tournament follows the other. I don't think that really -- I don't feel like there is a jinx as far as that goes.

Q. Lee, two questions, please. Number one, at Westchester, was there any one single thing that pulled you through? And number 2, did you feel that coming on, and how did it feel when you realized the game was back?

LEE JANZEN: I have been hitting the ball fairly well the whole year and just making, you know, a couple of mistakes every round, and the main thing was I wasn't making any birdies. I was amazed how many rounds I'd go with one birdie and no birdies, when I am used to going out and making 6 birdies, sometimes shooting 71. I didn't like making all those bogeys, but as it turns out, I would have rather done it that way. Anyway, I started putting better at the Kemper; just made adjustments Friday night and just putted great Saturday and Sunday and putted great last week. That was the main difference, just started rolling the ball. I felt I had to putt the green below the hole and I have got a chance to make it.

Q. Has it been difficult having to adjust having won the Open last year to all the attention and all the distractions that go along with winning it?

LEE JANZEN: It is difficult. It is not what I was used to. I think over a year's time, I have gotten used to it much more.

LES UNGER: Ken Venturi said your putt on 16 would have gone five, six feet passed if it didn't hit the cup; was he right.

LEE JANZEN: It went in the side of the hole and the only way it could have done that is if it was the perfect speed. I think it would have gone about this far back.

(INDICATING APPROXIMATELY A FOOT AND A HALF)

Q. Can you talk about the difference here at Oakmont now than when you were here a month ago? Are you the kind of guy that when you are on a roll like you are now, how long does that usually last?

LEE JANZEN: Who knows? What we try and do once we get to that point where we are playing very well, find out how we can maintain that focus and whatever it is we are doing in our swing, our swing thoughts, chipping or putting; just trying to figure out what the key is and engrain that in our mind to keep it going as long as possible. The course, the main difference I see is it is in tremendous shape. I know it was in good shape before but it is absolutely perfect now.

Q. The forecast is hot and humid. What does that do to you personally? What do you think that will do to the tournament as far as scores and playing condition?

LEE JANZEN: I guess it will make it dry out and play fast, right? I mean most likely. I am not an expert on that. But I think that would be ideal for the tournament, as long as the ball bounces and doesn't roll in the fairway and as far as the heat goes, when I am home in Florida, it is much hotter than this. It is usually 95 with more humidity. Last year, Baltusrol was 102 degrees on Saturday, so --

Q. If you can just talk about the pressures that come with being a U.S. Open champion that aren't associated with normal victories on the Tour, just something, expectations, you think that comes with your appearances and your playing, whatever it could be?

LEE JANZEN: I guess the expectations of other people of what they might -- what they think you are going to do now because you win the U.S. Open now. They expect you maybe to win more tournaments or win more majors, or whatever. That is probably the toughest. You don't play well, you hear people asking what is wrong with you if you don't play well. I think it bothers my friends more than it bothered me. They are trying to help me out, give me advice, but I knew eventually it would turn around. I knew it couldn't last forever.

Q. Do you feel any added pressure this week being defending Open champion?

LEE JANZEN: No. Last year I was real relaxed before the week started. I feel if I just go out and spend a little time working on my chipping, and putting, and hits, like I would do every week, that is all I can do as far as preparing. I am sure I might be nervous first tee Thursday. The nerves go away usually after the first couple of balls. My main goal is to get ready for the main tee Thursday and be ready to play the holes as good as I can could play.

Q. When you were starting earlier this year, was there any one particular low point? Can you look back on now that time when you were really the most discouraged?

LEE JANZEN: Probably Bay Hill. I played probably about 12 good holes both days in Bay Hill but the other six holes were so bad that I didn't even come close to making the cut. Normally when I miss the cut, it is only just -- you know, usually I have a chance to make the cut with a couple of holes to play on Friday. And didn't have a chance to make a cut with nine holes to play which probably was the worse part. Sometimes I think you have to hit rock bottom before you can climb back up. I always feel that was probably the point-- you know, TBC was the following week, I had a great opening round.

Q. Could you share some tips or things you have been doing with us to get mentally fit when you get yourself, say, to a mental state of Bay Hill and you come up to Westchester and win again; it's a long way from bottom to top; what exercises do you go through mentally? What are you doing to get your head there?

LEE JANZEN: The two main things I did was before a shot I just made sure that I took my time lining up and lining up exactly where I wanted to line up and committed myself and also told myself to trust my swing and just, you know, don't hold back; go ahead and swing and just hit it. And that was basically the two keys, was commitment and trust that I keyed on. I do some daily exercises. Mostly, just I am thankful; I try and take sometime and realize how thankful I am for my family and how I have been blessed with my physical talents and also gave me a great brain to use it and be on the PGA Tour and doing what I am doing. Everyday I can be thankful for that, puts me in a good frame of mind when I go out to play and practice. I also try and reflect on some of the accomplishments that I have had too that gives you some boost, confidence boost knowing you start -- if you wrote down every little thing you do that you thought was worthwhile that gives you some confidence.

Q. Is your contract with Ben Hogan unaffected even though you are playing a different type of iron now the last two weeks?

LEE JANZEN: Well, you know, they wanted me to play the H40 and then they suggested they would rather see me play the Apex. I am glad with what is going on because I love that iron. It's a tremendous iron. I think that a lot of average players would probably be surprised if they did play it because the design of it is almost perimeter weighting, but because it is forged, a lot of average players think they can't play a traditional iron. I think that is just because they have been brainwashed by the market.

LES UNGER: He is taking off to play so if you have got a question, please ask it.

Q. What is your schedule for the next month?

LEE JANZEN: I am going to play-- what is this week? I am playing next week in Hartford and then I am going to Vienna before the British Open to play in a Pro Am sort of deal. I don't know what the format is. It's a Friday, Saturday, Sunday deal and then play the British Open so I am not playing the Western and the

Anheuser-Busch. That is about a month there. Then I am playing Memphis after that.

LES UNGER: You are getting better at this aren't you, like doing this now?

LEE JANZEN: Well, you get more comfortable, so it is like anything - the more you do it, the better you get at it.

LES UNGER: It shows.

LEE JANZEN: Just like practicing.

Q. Obviously, Lee, we know you'd like to win, what-- I am going to reach for is this: What is the rock bottom you would settle for as your goal here?

LEE JANZEN: This week?

Q. Yeah.

LEE JANZEN: I am just going to ask myself that if I can commit myself on every single shot I will be proud of myself and I definitely have two good references, the last couple of weeks to build on; I probably, you know, I will expect myself to play well, but if it comes down to trying to win the tournament on Sunday, you know, there is a lot of emotions going on and the nerves are there and you never know how you are going to perform under those circumstances. Last week on the back nine I hit a lot of good shots. Sometimes to win the U.S. Open you have got to hit them all perfect.

LES UNGER: Nick Price was asked if he would he take par and he hedged. What would be your answer to that?

LEE JANZEN: Just don't know what is going to happen through the week. I'd say par is going to be a great score just by judging what I saw yesterday, but if the thunderstorms come through and dump a lot of rain, it is going to soften up the greens like 1, 10 and 12. That will make a tremendous difference just on those holes. Those three shots, the field will pick up right there. I hope it stays dry. I think that is probably the way this course was meant to be played.

Q. Southern Hills, would you talk--

LEE JANZEN: I am sorry, did you say something about the commissioner?

Q. No. Talk about Southern Hills, if you would just talk about the layout.

LEE JANZEN: The condition, I have never played Southern Hills. All I know it is in Oklahoma; it's going to be hot. We were also at Bellerive a couple of years ago supposed to be hot there had a cold front go through; maybe we will hope for that again. But I don't know anything about the course other than that it is obviously-- has to be a great course or it wouldn't be hosting the U.S. Open or PGA Tour.

Q. How much of a factor has (Caddy) Dave Musgrove been?

LEE JANZEN: I guess we have spent a little bit of time. He is, right from the start; even on the range, I get out there and hit-- always hit a few in a row; just start getting in the groove and just kind of hitting them. He would slow me down, stop and he got me to focus more on hitting shots that I need, not just on the range, also on the course, he would almost pick out the time that he'd see that I wasn't focused as much and he would be right there, say, okay, let us concentrate on the target; aim for the pin, you know, he is very good.

End of FastScripts....