SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 25, 2003

Carl Mason

SCOTT CROCKETT: Carl, welcome, tournament leader. Can you sum up today for us?

CARL MASON: It feels great, absolutely great. I felt a little bit nervous again on the first tee. Well, that's pretty norm; with the company I was keeping, a little bit more was expected. Of course I went out with confidence playing well yesterday and had nothing to worry about. You know, just continue with the thoughts I had of my swing and what I'm thinking of and kick off.

SCOTT CROCKETT: You seem to be enjoying it on the TV, would it be fair to say you're growing in confidence as the round is going on? The back nine especially was fantastic.

CARL MASON: I played delightful. It was pretty nearly flawless golf. That's what I felt. Only time I was under pressure all day was on the first -- from the second shot. From there I was just unlucky with the lie on the fairway. But after that, it was stress-free. I never had to hole a tough putt. If I missed a long-ish putt, it always went stiff, so it was a real stress-free round.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Only stress would be the drive on the 18th.

CARL MASON: And that was not a bad drive. I probably just hit it 20 yards right of where I wanted to hit it. You know, maybe taking a driver was a mistake, but I could have actually taken on the bunkers and flown them over actually. I was that confident. I should have gone for it. But anyway we got away with it, and you have to have a bit of luck, occasionally, don't you, Scott.

Birdied the third. That was a drive and a wedge to -- I think it was about 15 feet.

7, that was a drive and an 8-iron two putts from 35 feet.

10 was a 4-iron off the tee, three-quarter 9-iron to three feet.

12, drive and 9-iron to 15 feet.

16, drive, three-quarter 9(-iron), 12 feet.

17, drive and a 4-iron, 35 feet, two putts.

Q. What were they like to play with?

CARL MASON: Tremendous. Tremendous. Just, I don't know how to describe it, really. It just felt so good, so good. They were very quick to say "good shot." Afterwards, Jack said, "I felt like a hacker out there."

I said, "You certainly were. You certainly were."

Q. Is that the best golfing experience you have had?

CARL MASON: In that company, yes, certainly yes, but most definitely. Most definitely. My 61 at Gleneagles was pretty special, but that was -- I would say it was probably one of the most solid rounds of golf I had ever played, and in the company I was in, that was the best.

Well, you feel -- I'm telling you, you know their eyes are on you and they are watching you. I thought yesterday morning, I felt like I had been out all night and had not slept, I had been up all night; I felt like that on the first tee. After a couple of holes, I settled in and off we went. I just came into the event playing so well, so I just tried to continue with the thoughts I have and off we go.

Q. I saw your wife on crutches, did you kick her!!?

CARL MASON: No, no I haven't this time. Unfortunately on my very first putt of this round she broke her ankle three weeks ago in Wales. Had not been there two hours on the seventh hole and she put a foot on the wrong side of the depression in the ground and she broke it. So another three weeks.

Q. Prior to this, what is your best golfing experience?

CARL MASON: I think I'll always remember my first main tour win as the most exciting thing. Winning the Scottish Open at Gleneagles is obviously fantastic, but the feeling of winning that first Tour event after 20 years of trying was pretty special.

Q. Will you go to the Champions Tour if you win?

CARL MASON: Well, I'm intending to go to the school anyway. So let's wait and see, shall we.

Q. What were your tournament wins on the Main Tour.

CARL MASON: I believe so. I believe straight in, I'm not sure, because it's a major, isn't it. Turespana Masters '94 and Bell Scottish Open '94.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Did you give Tom and Jack any rulings out there?

CARL MASON: Well, I did have to point out two of them to them in the first round, or to Jack. He still called for a referee. Didn't trust me. (Laughter.) I didn't like to tell him I had passed my rules exam.

Q. Do you still referee?

CARL MASON: I do a little bit on the main tour in the winter months or something just to keep it going when I'm not playing.

Q. Did you have to do the rules exam?

CARL MASON: Well, yeah, the European Tour sends you to it in February. It's their main rules exams. If you want to be a referee, they want you to pass that, that rules exam.

Q. What rulings did Jack not trust you on?

CARL MASON: Oh, I'm not going to quote on that one.

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