FORD SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

July 12, 2001

Raymond Floyd

RAYMOND FLOYD: Yeah, I'm thrilled. I played very, very well. I hit 15 greens. The three greens I missed, I made bogey. Two of those were bad drives and the 15th was not a very good shot, but I was in the fringe and hit a heck of a pitch and really hit a heck of a putt but still made bogey. Overall, I was thrilled with my play. I played about as good as I played. I think conditions are tough. The wind is blowing. The golf course is drying out and getting firm and the pins were set good. It's a major championship and the golf course reflected that. So I'm very pleased to get around there with the score I had. 1, I hit a driver and an 8-iron about feet and made it for birdie. The second hole I blocked a drive and it was in the rough. I pulled it just a little bit, but hit on the bank and kicked down in the water. I dropped it just right outside of the hazard and jumped back. I made a terrible drop and it came back almost against the line. Well, you're dropping for relief from the hazard not to stand, so I had to stand up on the side of the wall and trap here and the pin up here. I had to shoot away from the flag, and made I heck of a shot just to get it up on the green and made a 30-footer for bogey. So obviously that was a nice save there right early in the round. I came back at the third and hit a good drive and put a little 7-iron in the left bunker; made a little explosion and made about a 5-footer for birdie. Then I started a string at 5. I hit a driver and a pitching wedge in to about ten feet and made it. 6, I hit a 5-wood and a sand wedge to about, oh, 15 feet and made it. 7, I hit a 3-wood, 3-wood and I 2-putted from about 45 neat just for a tap-in. Then at the eighth, I hit a 5-iron in about three feet. And at the ninth, I drove it in the left fairway bunker and just had to take a sand wedge out and then a sand wedge third and missed it from about 12 feet and made bogey. 10th, I hit a 5-wood down. I had 72 yards to the front of the green and didn't shoot at the flag. I shot at the left of the opening and 2-putted about 25 or 30 feet. 11, I hit a driver and a pitching wedge. 2-putted from 30 feet. Very bad second. 12, I hit 8-iron. 2-putted about 18. 13, I hit a driver and a 3-wood just off the right edge of the green and made an incredible pitch to get it down about three feet and made it for birdie. 14, I hit a drive and a 5-iron about 18 feet. 2-putted. 15, I hit a 5-iron. It went up on the green, but there was a false front in the green it rolled back off. I had a pretty difficult little pitch, but I hit a heck of a pitch shot up about probably five feet behind the hole. I hit a pretty pure little putt that didn't go in. Made bogey. Then I hit a 5-wood in the fairway trap at 16 and hit a pitching wedge to and made that for birdie. 17, I blocked out right and had to hit a wedge out because a tree is in front of me and I had a 9-iron into the green that was -- pretty defensive I would say and I had to 2-putt from 45 feet. Then 18, I hit a 3-wood, 3-wood and pitching wedge probably 18, 20 feet and 2-putted for par.

RAYMOND FLOYD: I would say the back side, you've got some holes on the back -- I think if you play well and get the ball in close, there's not a lot of difference, but the back side you've got to be a little more careful. There's some holes on the back nine that if you mis-hit a shot into the wrong area you can make double- or triple-bogey. Starting at 11, from the tee and the second shot, you've got water in play. The 12th is a terribly difficult short hole. 14, I mean, again, tee shot and second shot, you can go in the water. 15 is really a hard par 3. 17, I mean, you think a birdie on 17, but if you hit a bad tee shot or even hit a good one and go for it, you can make any score. And again, 18, with the trouble off to the left. So I think there might be a little more defensive on the back nine than you are the front.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Well, I think if you play a good, difficult golf course and you set it up difficult, I think your overall leaderboard is going to reflect the top players. That's why your better player appreciates coming and playing in the major championships. We play golf here. You've got to think. You just can't shoot darts at holes. I think you look back at most of your major championships on this tour and your leaderboard, you generally reflect it. You've got to play golf. It doesn't matter how good of a player you are. You've got to know how to play golf and what kind of shot to hit when you have difficult conditions. So I think your majors reflect the game of golf a little bit better than the standard week-in and week-out tournament that is played on the Tour.

RAYMOND FLOYD: Yeah, I think you've got to know how to play golf. I had 72 to the front and maybe 80 to the pin, and I just know how hard that green is. We were dead, straight downwind. I just didn't think that I could get the ball close -- if I hit a perfect shot, I thought I would be 20 feet behind the hole if I hit it perfect with a wedge. So why even bring the front bunker or over the green into play? I elected to go up and have the same length putt from the left side. I think that's a part of the smart play. I'm sure if you go out there and watch, half the field will be shooting at the flag. I don't see how, unless they got luck and I hit into the fringe, which is just over the bunker, that anybody is ever going to get it close with that pin. And I'm sure you will have players complaining that that was a terrible pin, but I don't think that was a terrible pin. I think that was a great pin. It makes you have to play golf. Par was a good score on that pin, and I elected to take par.

RAYMOND FLOYD: You know what, all I can remember last year is my score. I don't remember how I played, but I know to shoot 66, you've got to play well. I'm not one of those guys that runs the table putting. You know, to think that I would have hit 10 or 11 greens and shot 66 is not realistic, so I'm assuming that I hit a lot of greens last year, but I'm not the one to ask. Wherever I leave them I leave them, but I know I played very well today, and I would guess that I played well the last round last year; I hit a lot of greens.