U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 15, 1996

Steve Jones

STEVE JONES: Thank you.

STEVE JONES: Well, it was a tough day for me mentally. I started off good, but then I just kind of -- couldn't make any birdies after that and started missing fairways, really became a struggle, and then happened to get a birdie at 18, kind of came together at the last second. So I was thankful for that.

STEVE JONES: Number 2, I hit a 5-iron left of the green and just chipped it up there about two feet. Number 3: Hit a 4-iron about a foot, and I guess I just parred out 'til 13. What was that? Oh, yeah. I hit -- I kind of started hitting -- I hit 3-woods left on 10 and 11 and 12. Then I got on 13. I was trying not to hit it left and I pushed it right of the green there and had a bad lie just wanted to make bogey and I did, and then compensated on the next hole, hit it way right, but I made par. Let us see. 15: Made about a 15-footer for par. That was a good momentum keeper. And 17: Hit kind of a thin 5-iron in the bunker and missed about a 5-footer. Then 18, hit a 6-iron, I guess about eight feet, made that.

STEVE JONES: I think it was 176.

STEVE JONES: I never thought about it, but now that I think about it, yes. It's an easy hole to bogey with that pin.

STEVE JONES: I am glad it is over. I didn't know which direction I was going to go today. I was kind of going back and forth, and you know, I made some good par saves. Boy, I don't know how many. And then, you know, birdieing 18 after the bogey on 17, that was nice.

STEVE JONES: Well, I was fine through 9 holes, and I got on number 10 and had a 3-wood and just kind of went to my -- went back to my old swing and I hooked it in the bunker, but I still made par. But then I got up on the next hole, and said, "okay, let us not hook it again," and I hooked it again, but with my driver. So then I am going "oh, okay, I made par." I am thinking on 12 -- I said "come on, let us hit it down the middle, and you can reach the hole." I hooked it again, hit a big guy in the belly and gave him a little cherry there. I made par there. That kind of -- I think that unnerved me because I really hadn't missed many fairways all week. Coming in to today I think I missed four fairways, and then I missed I think three on the front; then I missed three in a row. So all of a sudden I missed like six fairways in 12 holes. So I kind of, you know, got wondering, what is going on. Then I missed it on 14, so I missed 7 fairways. I am going "gee whiz." Then I missed it on 15. So I didn't know what was going on. When I hit the driver on 16 and hit it in the fairway, I was pretty relieved.

STEVE JONES: That happened in November of 1991, and I was out for two and a half years, because a couple of times I tried to come back and I'd reinjure my finger and it took me six months to come back. I'd reinjure it. And then after about two and a half years, I slowly started playing, played in one tournament a month, two tournaments a month, basically took about seven months before the 1995 season, played a couple of Tour events, went to Europe, played three tournaments in August of 1994 and slowly got my game back and kind of struggled a little bit last year on the Sunday rounds. And this year, I have always seemed to have one bad 18 holes this year. Mentally, probably, that is part of the reason, but also trusting my new grip and feeling comfortable with that in pressure situations.

STEVE JONES: I finished 6th in 1990 in Medinah by hitting driver on every par four and every par five hole with the exception of number 10. I just felt like that was being aggressive, getting the ball down there. If you are going to miss a fairway, miss it way down there. That is what I did the first two days. I came in today thinking the same thing. And I think for me, I just have to stay aggressive, keep my focus on what I am doing and let things turn out the way they turn out.

STEVE JONES: Well, I just wanted to be able to hit a golf ball, not even play a tournament; so I wasn't sure for a couple of years that I -- if I was even going to be able to play again, because I kept reinjuring my finger. In other words -- but yeah, it was kind of frustrating. But I became a Christian in 1984 and my perspective is totally different and that really helped me and just trust that God had a plan for my life. If I was supposed to play golf again, I would. So that is the way I looked at it, and that is why I could have peace in that situation. And it was frustrating to be off that many years, but at the same time, I knew if my finger would get well I could play again and it did. So here I am.

STEVE JONES: Well, I teed off at 2:30 yesterday and they were worse than today, so I felt like today we had some good greens. So the greens are firming up a little bit. The spike marks aren't too bad. There is a few depressions, but overall, the greens have actually improved, I think, since Wednesday.

STEVE JONES: Well, I know it is, you know -- I know anybody can just, you know, you start missing fairways like I did today. I could have shot 76 real easy today, but I missed it in spots where I could get the ball out by the green and got up-and-down had my putter going on short putts. So I understand that if I do this tomorrow, you know, the chances are I am not going to make those putts as much as I did today. So I really need to concentrate and getting that ball in play.

STEVE JONES: Except 10 and 4, yeah.

STEVE JONES: Well, obviously I don't know what it would mean exactly, because I would have to wait until after I won it, if I did win it. But looking ahead, yeah, it would mean a lot to me obviously, from being in the position I was in a couple of years ago not even back on Tour yet, so it would be a dream come true. Every kid dreams about winning the U.S. Open, making that last putt, holding his hands up, and would it be a great thrill, but I know there is a lot of guys that are thinking the same thing.

STEVE JONES: I just tried to keep myself physically in shape; gained 25 pounds and had fun with the kids. We had a baby, another baby in 1993, so we've got two kids now. And that was fun, taking care of the kids, being home a lot and I got to go to a lot of Phoenix Suns basketball games. That was fun. Lots of things to do in Phoenix.

STEVE JONES: Two years after my injury in 1991, my left ring finger was feeling pretty good. But I went out in my backyard to rip up my putting green, similar to this stuff like this (indicating stand) was tugging on it, protecting this finger, using these fingers, pulling on the carpet piling it up, because I was going to save $300 doing it myself putting in some new carpet, and I strained my index finger, almost similar injury as my ring finger. Next morning I couldn't move it. I just went, "I can't believe this is happening." And so I took three months off. Now it has been two years and three months, and I said "I can't do this." I am not going to wait another two years for it to heal. So I went to a reverse overlap where I got my left index finger over my right pinky. I used to be the regular Vardon, but I went to my left index over my right hand, kind of the way I putt more like this, but I am like this. I start chipping like that. I said I don't think I could play like this, but I figure, well, I will just play like this for a little while, keep my swing going and see what happens. Low and behold, here I am. What is that, '94, that is two and a half years later. I am still using it. It has been a big adjustment in my swing, because it gets a lot more right-hand in my swing and I got to watch, but at least I am playing.

STEVE JONES: I was out in the desert riding dirt bikes with a friend of mine and he wrecked right in front of me. I was following him real close. He wrecked on the bike, flipped over on him in a ditch, and I tried to avoid him, not running over him. And I should have ran over him, but I didn't, and I mean, I saw him flip. And next thing I knew, I was on the ground waking up and my left shoulder was dislocated. My right ankle and my left ring finger was really, really hurting and swollen, and I felt my shoulder was the worst of the injuries, but it wasn't. It turned out to be the finger.

STEVE JONES: I'd take even par right now, no doubt about it. Be sitting right here. You never know. These guys are incredible players out here, and I don't think even par is going to be good enough for some of them. But obviously, with the pressures of Sunday, coming down the stretch, you obviously -- you can see what happened on those holes if you miss a fairway, and even if you hit it on the green in the wrong spot, I mean, it is brutal out there. I had a headache out there just because I was going left, right, left, right. And you know, I had all these 5, 6-footers for par, and I got a headache; so tomorrow, hopefully I can make it a little bit easier on myself.

STEVE JONES: Thank you.