MCI CLASSIC

April 15, 1999

Steve Flesch

STEVE FLESCH: Yeah.

STEVE FLESCH: I birdied five of the first six. Just basically hit a lot of good shots, drove it down the fairway on one. Hit a pitching wedge about two-and-a-half feet, made that one. On 2, hit that green in two with a 3-wood. I think I was about 250 or 240 to the hole, drew a 3-wood about 20 feet; missed the eagle, but made the birdie. 3, missed the green with a pitching wedge just off the edge and chipped it in from about 30 feet. Par 4, 5, went for the green in two, missed it just left, hit a nice little lob on the green about eight feet, made that for birdie. 6, I hit a driver and sand wedge on the green, about seven feet right of the hole, made that for birdie. Got off to a quick start out there. Then made a good save on 9 from about six feet, par. On the back birdied on 12. Let's see, hit a good drive around the corner on 12, hit an 8-iron about 15 feet. Made that. Then bogeyed 17. Basically just pulled the wrong club, got it caught up in the wind, short of the green, chipped it to about six feet, missed that one. Then on 18 I hit a 3-wood and pitching wedge about five feet, made that.

STEVE FLESCH: 18 is straight downwind right now. Down hurricane.

STEVE FLESCH: No, can't say that I have. I played all right in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. Just haven't been able to practice as much since after my injury there about six weeks ago, but things are starting to turn around; starting to practice a little bit more where I can just kind of get a feel for playing again and not worrying about taking care of this dumb elbow. But, you know, after last year I expected great things coming into this year, and my start on the west coast this year was less than -- you know, it just -- I just felt like I played terrible so far this year. Anyway, hopefully now once I can get my elbow back in shape here I will start playing a little bit better.

STEVE FLESCH: I think there is going to be a lot of good scores. I don't know how hard the wind is going to blow. It blew early for us; then it quit for about 13 holes. Then it blew on our last three, I guess, three or four holes. But it is one of those -- the greens are rolling great. They are not so fast that they are scary. They are the speed where you can make a lot of putts on them. But the greens are small, so if you knock it on the green I think you are going to have a legitimate birdie chance. It will be great if it held up. But I think somebody will shoot 7-, 8-under today.

STEVE FLESCH: I fell down the steps the week of Doral. I was at home. I had just played in Tucson and just took Doral off just because I played the entire west coast except Hawaii, needed a week off. Went home. I think it was the Friday of Doral I fell going down the steps. Getting something to drink, slipped on the second to last step, through my arm behind me like I guess anybody would to catch yourself, landed on our hardwood. The only thing that hit the floor is my hand. But it was behind me and all the force went right up into my elbow and my weight, so... I knew something wasn't right. I got it X-rayed the next morning, found out it was fractured. Then I went in to see Dr. Angelo Calasimi (phonetic) University of Cincinnati Sports Medicine orthopedic surgeon. He took a look at it, felt where the fracture was, and be better if I kept -- I got it in rehab, in therapy right away instead of sitting in a sling because it was going to heal either way. So I guess knowing that I am -- I guess you are an athlete, you don't want to sit around doing nothing. I did that for two weeks. Got off all the swelling out there, the stiffness. Two weeks later TPC, gave me the okay to play, assured me that I couldn't hurt anything any further. As long as I wasn't in pain, he said I could go play. So I did it. It was probably a little bit soon. I went down, played Sawgrass, shot a million, shot 156 or something, but I was just glad to be back out. It is the right elbow.

STEVE FLESCH: Luckily, yeah. I am really -- I am pretty athletic, pretty agile; never had any serious injuries especially golf related. This one is the only thing that held me out.

STEVE FLESCH: Sure, guys are like, well, at least tell people you were drunk or something. No, it is one of those things, I guess we are always so careful moving our luggage and everything when we travel that when you go home you let your guard down just taking it easy and something like that happens.

STEVE FLESCH: Basically like a tennis elbow brace. Provides a little bit of support for the tendons and ligaments surrounding the elbow more than anything. It absorbs a little vibration just to deaden a little bit of the feel. But there is no pain, just basically for added support.

STEVE FLESCH: Immediately I am on the floor laying in the house and my wife heard me go down. It is midnight, and our little boy was asleep upstairs and she heard me yell. She wasn't there two seconds, said, go get a club; I got to see if I can even swing at it. So, I am on the floor. I thought I broke my wrist or my shoulder, something there, I am wiggling my wrist, I am like, that is fine. My shoulder feels fine. Then I went to push off to get up. I was just, whoa, you know, started trembling a little bit. I knew something wasn't right. I tried. I couldn't even hold onto the club.

STEVE FLESCH: Yeah, because you hear of people having to reconstruct elbows. I didn't know if it was -- I thought it might have just pulled something because I didn't -- I wasn't in that much pain, just something was tight. I heard of reconstructing elbows if you break it in the back, and I guess you don't know what can happen. When I went in, the guy said, you broke it. I am thinking, oh, man, eight weeks, I miss all of the Florida swing, miss TPC, this was going to be my week back, eight weeks from when I did it or -- six weeks from when I did it.

STEVE FLESCH: March 5. So I was -- he said six to eight weeks. I was gearing to get back this week. So maybe it is a good omen that I am here this week. You know, like you say, you just don't know what can happen. I don't know if last year was going to be the best year ever, or if I am even going to be even to compete anymore. I feel fortunate that I was able to get back so quickly.

STEVE FLESCH: Yes, it is one of those things, I am sort of playing better. Actually my west coast was terrible. I got my clubs stolen at Phoenix, cops said they found the guy, and somehow they never got the clubs. They disappeared.

STEVE FLESCH: Broke into my car and popped the trunk at the hotel. First night we got in we unloaded all the luggage. I was going to the course early I said, they will be all right for eight hours. This is like midnight. Well, apparently, an hour later, he was in my car and the cops chased him, helicopter on him. It was like out of a scene from Cops. Spent the whole week trying to find another set of clubs. Saturday, at Phoenix, they said they found your clubs. I hear this from K. C., I don't know what his last name is, Fuzzy Zoeller's caddie. I called the Police Department. Oh, I think we have them in the property room in Scottsdale. Well, they wouldn't let me in there until Monday to get them out. I guess it is closed on the weekend. Perfect. So I leave a flight bag, everything, for them, to ship it to the hotel -- to ship -- get them shipped to Pebble Beach. He says they will be there Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, Pebble Beach, I finished playing Pebble, I come in, no clubs, so...

STEVE FLESCH: Just another set. 14 brand new clubs. I just found a driver, like a putter I used all last year in there, just stuff you are familiar with, and he said, you know what, Steve, somebody gave you wrong information, they never had them. So I played with the new clubs for a couple of weeks, just couple of weeks to get used to them. I finally played well in L.A.. I finished 23rd, 13th at Tucson.

STEVE FLESCH: Titleist DCI's, nothing special, I have been playing them for two years. I kind of knew what they did out there for me. Took the Doral off thinking, hey, things are turning to around a little bit. We got passed that club issue; now everything is all right. They I go and do that. So I am thinking, all right, I am thinking there is going to be a good break.

STEVE FLESCH: There you go. Let's hope so.