FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 13, 2000

Hugh Baiocchi

HUGH BAIOCCHI: Obviously, I played very well. Any time you shoot 7-under on this golf course -- this is a very tough course. The conditions were perfect, that's why; hence, the reason the scores are this good. But I just putted considerably better today than I have the majority of my previous rounds. I haven't had a very good year at all. I think I've had three Top-10s, and as you say, 65 today is my low round. The difference being that I putted really well. I played with Dave Stockton the last round the last week at the State Farm, and he gave me a putting lesson and made a big difference, or something certainly did, because I holed everything. I had 27 putts, which for me is good, because I've been having 31, 32 and at this level, you just can't compete with 32 putts a round. Today, that was the whole difference, the putting

HUGH BAIOCCHI: Well, I had my hands too low, is what he said, and I was hooking everything because it was like a windscreen motion; everything was going kind of right-to-left. Whereas, he had me get my hand up and push my hand forward and that way it's easier to keep the putter blade square. Particularly, right-to-left putts, I would pull them in, a right-to-left putt, that way I can manage to keep the blade square through the stroke. And with my hand set higher, the wrist stays firm and I can concentrate on the tempo and rhythm of the stroke. That's been a problem, my pace of the stroke has been very bad. So that made a little difference.

HUGH BAIOCCHI: I hit a 5-iron. The pin was tucked way in the corner, right. Tough pin. And I hit it in the middle of the green. I had a big putt. I suppose it was a 30-footer down the hill, and I was only trying to lag it up next to the hole, because the first three holes, I had birdie chances and not really putted terribly well. So I figured just get it somewhere near the hole. And my caddy read the line perfectly and it fell in, which kind of surprised me. Got me off to a nice start to make a putt that length. And then I birdied the par-5 7. I hit two good shots just left of the green in two. I had a very tricky pitch, and I pitched it past the hole 15 feet and made that putt. The other two guys both made threes, John holed his 4-iron third shot and then Leonard Thompson holed about a 40-footer; so I made a 4 which was all right. Next hole, I hit a good 5-iron into the hole. It was playing about 175 or something, slightly into the wind. I had a good 5-iron eight feet behind the hole and made that for a birdie. Parred 9. 10, I drove it in the trap, right, which normally is dead but I came up with a pretty good lie. Hit an 8-iron just behind the hole hit a good shot eight feet behind the hole again and I made that. 11, I hit a 3-wood from the tee and another 8-iron 15 feet left of the hole and made that. Went right in the middle of the hole. And at this stage, I was really beginning to enjoy myself, because every time I looked at a putt, it felt like it was going to go in. 12, I hit one of the best shots of the day. I hit a 6-iron to the par 3. The hole was playing 172 and my 6-iron goes about 168, but for some reason, it flew right over the flag, up the green in the rough in the back, and I had no pitch shot coming down. I pitched it way past the hole and missed the putt to playing a bogey. 13, the next hole, I hit a driver and 2-iron, just missed the green on the right and pitched it to six inches of the hole and made the pitch shot; so I tapped it in for a birdie. 14, which is really a bear of a hole, a very tough hole, I hit a good tee shot, 5-iron to three feet, which was a really good shot for me. I had a lot of trouble on that hole over the years. Three feet; made for a birdie. I parred the next one. I missed the green right, but I got up-and-down. Then I hit a 3-wood from the tee and a 9-iron just behind the hole six feet behind the hole and I made that for a birdie. Then 17, 18 I parred in. I had a pretty poor pitch shot into 17 and missed the putt on 18. I had a really good drive and a 9-iron past hole and I missed that. I putted very, very solidly, and I missed one or two chances, but any time I'll take 7-under par on this golf course, any time.

HUGH BAIOCCHI: Today, the conditions were perfect. I mean it was very little wind, and the ball is running well on the fairways and the greens are perfect. And they are fairly soft which enables you to throw the iron shot at the pin, and if it rolled correctly on the right line it goes in. But I'm surprised that the scores are as low as they are, because there are a lot of very tough holes on this golf course, and if you hit a bad shot on any one of those holes, you're going to make a big number. But I'm really surprised at the number of low scores, I really am. I would have thought coming into this week, I would have figured if I can shoot a 68-69, I would be really happy in any one round; and shooting 65, that just floors me. And the fact that there are two other 65's and a bunch of 66's is amazing. But it still is a very fine golf course. If you miss the fairways, the fairways are fairly generous, but if you do miss the fairways, the rough is pretty penal, pretty punishing. I don't know how to explain it except that these guys really, really play. You take Irwin's score out of the U.S. Senior Open on a really good golf course with back-to-back 65's the last two days, these guys are good players. It's as simple as that.

HUGH BAIOCCHI: I haven't kept sharp week-in and week-out. It has been frustrating. But when I first came out on TOUR, I went to the Tour School in '96 and I didn't manage to get a full tour card. I had an alternate card. So right from the word go, I was figuring that I was on borrowed time out here, and everything that I did achieve was going to be a bonus. So I've had three very good years, and while this year has not been terribly satisfying. I'm very happy with my career on the SENIOR TOUR. It's far exceeded my initial expectations. So whilst I get frustrated and irritated and don't behave terribly well on the course -- in fact, last week Stockton said I behaved like a jerk the last round. But if you putt badly and you play badly, it's easy to behave like a jerk. But for me, having played the European Tour for 22 years, to be out here in the first place is sheer joy. I really enjoy being out here. The tough part for me is competing. As I was just staying to Greg, my caddy, today, the practice rounds and Pro-Ams, I play great. I have fun and I relax and I play really nicely, but the minute the tournament starts I back become a different animal. I don't know what it is. I just feel different and I don't hit the same shots. Yesterday, I played -- I didn't miss a fairway. I just arrowed everything off the tee; and today, I missed three or four with pretty mediocre-type shots. So I don't know whether it's become a mental thing, psychological. When I get into a tournament, I try too hard maybe or what it is. But it's not frustration so much that I feel -- well, it probably is. It's a little bit of frustration, impatience, maybe.

HUGH BAIOCCHI: I guess it should do, but I guess it's a tough to be rational on the golf course while it's happening. When I go back and sit in the room afterwards and my wife says to me: "Why did you get mad on the hole?" And I think it was a pretty stupid thing to do, but when it's happening, it's tough to rationalize and say don't be so -- act likes it's another day or something. I find it very difficult to do that. There are guys, like John, my fellow countryman, if he makes a 2 or a 10, it doesn't make any difference to him on any particular hole. He'll just walk off smiling. But for me, I get really irritated. And I don't know whether I set my expectations too high or what it is, I try too hard, but it certainly has been tough because I have not had a good year. As I said, only three Top-10s, and I'm languishing down the money list somewhere. And it has been a difficult year, but anything that I achieve up to now or from here on is going to be a bonus, so I'm quite happy.

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