FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 13, 2002

Hubert Green

DAVE SENKO: Hubert, find yourself 11-under. Maybe just talk a little bit about your day, we'll get some questions.

HUBERT GREEN: I didn't hit the ball that bad. I missed a couple greens yesterday. My putting was just -- some of the bad putts were just like the ones I hit yesterday that went in the hole. Today the good and bad putts didn't go in the hole she often. It was a very shaky round. Didn't feel comfortable out there putting, didn't look comfortable putting, and I wasn't comfortable putting, and my putting wasn't very comfortable. No comfort out there today, boys.

DAVE SENKO: Let's start with your birdie at No. 3.

HUBERT GREEN: 3 is a par 5. I made about I guess a 12-footer for birdie.

DAVE SENKO: Then on 4, bogeyed 4.

HUBERT GREEN: 4, I hit a 3-iron long. I was surprised. Hit a pitch, little weak. Lie wasn't real good in the rough. Had about a 6-footer. A putt that I made them all yesterday, today I didn't make many of them.

Parred 5.

3-putted 6 from a long ways. Terrible first putt. Left it, you know, 12 feet short. Hit a pretty good second putt, just not quite with any authority. The ball just sort of went by the hole and waved, didn't smile.

DAVE SENKO: 10.

HUBERT GREEN: 10, hit a terrible drive off the tee in the trap. Had a great lie in the trap. Couldn't really get my line straight. That bunker is really deep. Can't really see where you're going. Hit the ball a little right of where I wanted to. I was dead. Hit a chip shot about six, seven feet. We just misread the heck out of the putt. Didn't even come close.

Birdied 13. I 2-putted. Had to make about a 10-footer for 2-putt there.

Then I birdied 16 from about 10 feet; 17 from about four feet.

DAVE SENKO: Questions.

Q. Obviously you're right there, despite an indifferent putting round. Your thoughts on getting this one out of the way?

HUBERT GREEN: It's over. It's over. I'm going to go back and putt right now as soon as y'all dismiss me, mother may I. See if what I'm thinking I'm doing wrong was right. Go take a shower, come back here. They're great here at this tournament, feeding us. They've got great food here. I'm going to come back here, have a beverage of my choice and dinner.

Q. What is it that you're thinking might have been wrong with the putter?

HUBERT GREEN: Well, I mean, it's just routine, pressure, how you take the putter back, put your fingers, keep it going back the right way. I've been putting real poorly. Last weekend I started putting a little better. You know, tomorrow will decide if it's the right thing or if I can handle the pressure or not. Today I couldn't handle the pressure.

Q. How important were the birdies on 16 and 17 to get back to one shot?

HUBERT GREEN: I mean, it's better to be one back than three back. But if I don't do well tomorrow, then I just want to make sure I've got a pattern for the rest of the year. I'm striking the ball better than I have been. So if I can get the butterflies off the putter, we'll see what happens. Might be some fun. I was a good player at one time.

Q. Other than the putting woes, can you talk about 2002, how it's going for you?

HUBERT GREEN: Well, it hasn't been going very well. My putting is the main thing. A month and a half ago, I was like 60th into putting, I got into 46th in putting. For a player who misses a lot of greens, that's not very good. You know, I'm low on the greens and regulation stat. I go for a lot of greens. I don't spin the ball very well. My ball doesn't stop like most players and back up. My ball tends to hit and release. When you get on firm greens, my ball wouldn't stop very well, so my ball was over the green a lot and I had to chip back. I'd have a lot of chips because I miss a lot of greens.

I'm fairly aggressive on the golf course. I don't tend to go for the fat part of the green. I play stupid golf.

Q. You're going to play with McCullough again tomorrow. Have you played with him before? If you have or haven't, what do you see in his game? What do you look forward to tomorrow?

HUBERT GREEN: I mean, I don't look at Mike McCullough's game positively or negatively. You know, I don't worry about Mike McCullough. I've got to worry about Hubert Green. If I play good golf, I'll do well. If not this week, I'll do well next week.

But if I work worry about Mike McCullough, and he shoots 73, and someone who is 7-under par shoots 64, we're going to be looking at each other and not making a big check, or as big a check as we could.

You can't worry about someone else. You've got to worry about yourself and just play good golf. I might worry about Mike in the last couple holes if it's necessary or if I'm around him or he's around me and he's in the lead.

Q. I know Ted Williams was one of your heroes. Talk about your biggest recollection of him.

HUBERT GREEN: Well, I never met Mr. Williams. Regrettably, I never had a chance to. But when you're a kid, you collect baseball cards and everything. My prize possession was the Ted Williams card.

You know, his attitude, his dedication to the game. You know, the last hitter to hit .400 in style. He had a .399, but point eight going the last day. He could have set the day out and been given the .400. He said, "No, I'm going to play a doubleheader." Went six for eight or seven for eight, went to .406.

I mean, he wouldn't take a gimme. He said, "No, I'm going to earn my wins." Spent three and a half to four seasons in the service in his prime. I was on National Guard. I was one of those other guys that didn't do what I could have done possibly. He was a man.

You know, he didn't just have a weak part in the service, where some people were in the service, end up playing baseball or playing golf. He flew fighter aircraft. This guy had some gallongas on him, if I can say it nicely. I can't spell it for you, but you can guess what I'm talking about. Sorry about that, ma'am.

Q. Playing with those two guys today, were you ever tempted to try sandals?

HUBERT GREEN: Next question. That wasn't a question, I'm sure.

Q. Yeah, it was.

HUBERT GREEN: You don't know me very well.

Q. Give us an answer.

HUBERT GREEN: Not much of a question. Look at me, I rest my case (laughter). What's the fine for hitting a guy in the press room? What if I shoot him the bird, would that be legal? He's No. 1 in my heart, folks. Double fine, isn't it?

I don't own a pair of flip-flops, period.

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