FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 14, 2000

Tom Kite

TOM KITE: Well, I played really well on the front nine, and was just kind of cruising out there. Didn't play quite as well on the back nine. Struggled just a little bit with a few iron shots. You know, wasn't able to capitalize on the good nine that I had on the front nine. Just rocking and rolling on the front nine, and it seemed so easy, and I feel like I left a little bit on the table there in the last nine hole. But all in all, 68 is a good score. The golf course I think played a little bit more difficult today, just on the basis that we had a little bit of breeze out there. There wasn't much wind, but it was certainly a heck of a lot more than we had yesterday. And I think the stroke average would have to be a little bit higher, even though there were a couple of really good scores. Obviously, Dana making all those eagles, and he took it deep. But I think the scores will probably be a little bit higher today than they were yesterday, and 68 is a good score.

TOM KITE: Okay. Let's see, I birdied No. 3. That hole was playing straight downwind when I played it, and I killed the tee ball and hit 7-iron into the green and 2-putted for a birdie, probably 30 feet, just lagged it up there really close. Birdied No. 4, the par 3, a good 6-iron in there about five feet and made that. Birdied No. 6. I hit a 4-iron off the tee and hit sand wedge in there about three feet and made that. And then birdied No. 7, the par 5. I hit a good drive. I pushed a 4-iron into the right bunker. Played a nice bunker shot to about a foot and a half and made that for birdie. 4-under at the turn. Parred all the way the rest of the round until No. 16, where I had really a bad unforced error on 16. Was right in the middle of the fairway with 106 yards to the front of the green, and I tried to force a sand wedge instead of taking a smooth witch pitching wedge, and I pushed it a little bit and hit in the bank and it rolled back in the bunker. I played a very mediocre bunker shot out about 15 feet and 2-putted. But I caught 17 straight downwind and just annihilated the tee ball and hit on one of those humps coming off the bunker on the right-hand side and took a huge pop and was able to hit 6-iron in on my second shot. Had 197 to the hole, and hit it on the green about, oh, 18, 20 feet and 2-putted. And then drove it on 18; came in and had lunch, chitchat, sat around, quick nap, couple phone calls. Three hours later, went out and played 5-iron into the middle of the green on 18 and 2-putted from 15, 18 feet.

TOM KITE: It was really strange today. We had some -- three of the par 5s, when I caught them, at least, were playing almost straight downwind, and I hit some huge tee balls out there for me today, I really did. I kept -- I'm playing with Jim and I kept up with him a couple of holes, and that was quite pleasing. But to be able to hit short irons into some of those par 5s is very surprising. But we did catch three of those par 5s straight downwind again.

TOM KITE: It's kind of strange. I had not really paid attention to the routing of the golf course. Usually, one of the things that architects try to do is get four par 5s and the four par 3s all headed in different directions so that the wind is not a factor. This golf course, obviously, with the lack of land that Jack had to work with and the confined nature of this golf course, he may not have had that luxury. But having played it the last couple of days without any wind, it was -- didn't really pay attention to the direction that the holes run, because, well, yesterday as you know there was no wind at all; so it wasn't a factor. But today, for whatever reason, three of those four par 5s got straight downwind, and I highly doubt that this is the prevailing wind, if that's the case.

TOM KITE: Monster-long? I'm waiting to be monster-long. I'm hitting the ball further than I ever have. Obviously, I'm in better physical condition. And as we know, equipment helps an awful lot. When I get on -- my ball flight is such that I can carry the ball fairly decent distances, but I can really get it running at times. I don't hit a drive that's got a lot of backspin. My spin is very low. So when I get on fairways that are that dried out, occasionally I can get it out there pretty good and hit some decent drives. But monster-long, no.

TOM KITE: Actually, no. What I've done with my swing changes over the last few years has actually helped me produce a little higher ball flight. I've got a fairly high launch angle on my driver. I'm not a low-ball hitter by any means, but it comes off with very little spin, which is what you're looking for, on a driver, anyway.

TOM KITE: Yeah, the spacing of the majors is interesting, especially as it relates to the major championships on the other tour. You know, with them all coming in bunches like this, it really is kind of strange. You know, seven or eight or however many major championships you end up playing in, as we talked about yesterday, is plenty, and when en they come in such close proximity to one another, it makes it very difficult to get up. But, yeah, I'm kind of looking forward to a normal tournament. A normal, 54-hole medal play tournament like we normally play on the SENIOR TOUR.

TOM KITE: Probably not. Hale blew everybody out of the water here last year with his score on the weekend and what he did. Generally speaking, the scores tend to go up a little bit on the weekend from what they are on the first two days. Pin placements are a little more difficult. Greens get a little firmer. Barring any weather coming in to soften up the golf course, I would anticipate that that would be the case. But, the scores are going to be low. The golf course is absolutely immaculate, and you get on those greens, and gosh, you feel like you can make a lot of putts on them. They are in just beautiful condition and such a good speed that you can -- you actually feel like you can run the tables. They are not out-of-control fast, but they are faster than we normally play out here on the SENIOR TOUR. So for me, that feels good, because I don't feel like I have to hit the putts quite as hard, and so for me, I think they are wonderful speed for making a loot of putts.

TOM KITE: Yeah, I really do. I think they are important to the credibility of the SENIOR TOUR. You know, certainly those players that have the opportunity to still play in major championships on the regular tour probably are going to emphasize those a little bit more; even if you're jumping back and forth like I'm doing or like Jack or Tom or the guys that are playing in those. You know, we've gone through 30-plus years of thinking that the major championships: The Masters, Open, PGA and British, and it's hard to turn that off and all of the sudden start thinking of the Tradition and the Ford SENIORS are up to that same level. But as we all move more and more to playing less on the regular tour and playing more on the SENIOR TOUR, and eventually only playing on the SENIOR TOUR, you've got to have important tournaments. You've got to have majors that are more important than the rest of the tournaments to really create a lot of focus, and, you know, kind of help separate the players as to who the good players are and who the best players are, and who should get Player of the Year and all of those awards that go out at the end of the year. You need to have some tournaments that help operate that. So, yeah, I think they are highly important. I just wish they were spaced out a little better. And I think next year, we'll have that. PGA Seniors is moving to later date. The Tradition is moving two weeks later. I haven't seen the final schedule, but I know it's going to change a little bit. So hopefully, it will be a little bit more palatable to all of us.