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U.S. SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


July 29, 2011


Nick Price


TOLEDO, OHIO

NICK PRICE: After last week, it feels like we've gone from Alaska to the Amazon.

Q. You're a Floridian.
NICK PRICE: Yeah, I prefer this.

Q. How was your day?
NICK PRICE: It was pretty good. I struggled at the beginning. Just yesterday I didn't play particularly well. I had a good run there toward the end, and then today I got off to a bad start. I hit some really poor iron shots and figured something out. I think my right-hand grip had gotten a little weak on the club, and I strengthened it up and that made all the difference. I started hitting really solid iron shots and good drives and it all came together.
Apart from the fact of bogeying the last hole, I played really well from about my 8th hole onwards. So I think I made six birdies in that eight hole stretch. So it was good. I'm looking forward to the weekend now. That is the best I've played out of the last five rounds. I just think I don't know what's leading, probably eight or nine. Yeah, so I'm going to have to shoot low on the weekend. But if I hit the ball like I did today, at least I've got a chance.

Q. This being your first Senior Open, what are your impressions?
NICK PRICE: The course set-up is wonderful. Really, the rough is just thick enough that if you don't drive the ball in the fairway, particularly on the longer holes, you're going to be penalized, but it's not unplayable. Soft conditions is why the scores are so good, I think, because the greens are soft. They don't quite have the fire in them that everyone was expecting and I'm sure the USGA wanted. But as the weekend goes on and continues, I think they'll dry out, and by Sunday on the back nine, the golf course will be playing exactly like everyone wants it to.

Q. How about one highlight from today? What was the coolest shot, best shot, most impressive shot?
NICK PRICE: The 4-iron I hit on No. 6, I had about 196 to the hole, a left-to-right wind, and I hit it about seven feet behind the hole. Had a really tough downhill putt and poured that one in. So that was really a good birdie for me today.

Q. You've won regular majors; does the senior major still have the same cache?
NICK PRICE: Oh, yeah. It's not the same. I'm not going to kid anyone about it, but for us it's one of our majors. The way I've played this year, if I could win a major, perhaps two in another Tour event, then I have a chance to get Player of the Year. That's always something that's important to us, then the Schwab Cup because of the points, the doubles in the majors, I'd like to play well in this one, and TPC, the last one.
To be honest, I think the guys out of five or six of us, if you look at the top five, the guys who play well this week and also in the Schwab at the Senior TPC, I think those are the guys -- that is the guy that's going to be the one to beat, because we don't have a lot of tournaments left, maybe six or seven, and the double points are going to be huge.

Q. Do you remember much from 1993 to this week?
NICK PRICE: A little bit, a little bit. I think they've changed some of the greens. 18 is different. They've put a shelf on the back there. I remember it was all sloped right to left. I don't remember the pins being up on the right-hand side there on 18. I don't remember the greens being this small.
That was the first thing when I played a practice round; I thought, man, these greens are small. For someone who is a good ball striker, this is a great week, if you're playing well.
I just hope that all those bogies I made haven't knocked me out of it. That's what I'm hoping, that I can put the foot down the next two days and give myself a chance to win.

Q. Has being here this week make you recall any of your shots specifically from '93?
NICK PRICE: I just remember coming here and having won the PGA in '92, I was defending champion and hosting the dinner. There were a lot of great things about that week for me. Also my daughter -- my second child -- my daughter had been born the week before. She decided to come at the right time, unlike my son who decided to wait a week too late so I was on top of the world in '93 at the PGA. I felt, being a father for the second time and coming in I was defending champion, there were a lot of good things going on for me then.
I don't remember how I played, but probably --

Q. You remember the important stuff though.
NICK PRICE: Yeah, I did.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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