May 24, 2009
QUICK QUOTES FROM:
TOM WATSON
GREG NORMAN
KIRK HANEFELD
Q. You had a 5-footer on 9?
TOM WATSON: Yeah, I did. But I played
well today, I just didn't make very many mistakes,
except on number 4 and then on the greens at 12
and 13. Kept it in play and had a lot of birdie
chances.
Q.
That is the competitive course
record.
TOM WATSON: Is it? Well, that's all right.
AN INTERVIEW WITH:
TOM WATSON
Q. What was the difference between
yesterday and today?
TOM WATSON: I felt like my putting
stroke was a little bit better. I made some putts. A
putt at 1 and 3 and 5. A long putt at 5. So the
stroke felt pretty good.
And then I missed two real short ones at
12 and 13. One from about two feet and another
one from about four feet. And the old stroke went
right inside and I missed it right.
But I made a good putt at 16 and a good
putt there for birdie.
I played well. I played well. I hit every
green but one. I was putting for birdies, let's put it
that way, on every green. Except number 4. I
made a good up-and-down. I made a good putt
there for par from about 10 feet.
I made one from about 20 feet on the first
hole for birdie with a sand wedge.
Then 3, I hit it in, I made it there from
about 20 feet.
15, I hit a 9-iron in there.
Number 5, I hit a pitching wedge to about
30 feet past and holed it.
Number 8, I hit it in about three feet and
made it. With a pitching wedge.
Q. What did you think of the course?
TOM WATSON: I thought it was a very
fair test. The rough was deep enough where you
had to drive the ball straight. And you're always
just wondering if you hit the ball in the rough
whether you would have a lie or not. Most of the
time you didn't have a lie.
Q. Greens?
TOM WATSON: The greens are perfect.
Good speed and I had a little difficulty in judging
the speed on the greens. I had one 4-putt, I
4-putted 9 on Friday. I thought I was going way
downhill, I left it short, and then ran it by and then
missed it.
Q. Is it all about putting with you,
because your driving, at least to me -TOM WATSON: I drove the ball very well.
I was on today tee to green and it's all, it all comes
down to, I used to make all the short putts and now
I made a few of those. And now I have some fear.
And when you fear them you're going to miss
them.
Q. Is it feel?
TOM WATSON: I don't know. I just don't
feel confident that I'm going to make a proper
stroke. Most of the time that's what happens. The
mind tells you you're not going to make a proper
stroke and you don't.
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Q. You probably never thought of your
stroke before, right?
TOM WATSON: Not that much. But I've
dealt with it for 10 or 15 years. It's no big deal.
Q. Where are you playing next?
TOM WATSON: I'm playing the Watson
Challenge in Kansas City coming up in about two
weeks. My own tournament there.
Q. And who is joining you there?
TOM WATSON:
Well, we have 48
players, amateurs and pro, the best of Kansas
City. You can only be from the eight counties in
Kansas City to play. So tournament started two
years ago, this is going to be the third year. It's to
determine who is the best golfer in Kansas City.
Q. Where is it going to be played?
TOM WATSON: At Shadow Glen.
course I helped design.
Q. Had you gotten a round like this in
the second round or first, would that have
made a little difference in the mental attitude
for you as far as being able to win this thing?
TOM WATSON:
I just wasn't close
enough to the lead. Just didn't get close enough to
the lead. The 4-putt killed me on Friday. Even to
that hole, you know, and that killed me. 72, 70, 70,
66, I'm right there.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports.
AN INTERVIEW WITH:
GREG NORMAN
Q. Can we get a comment on the week?
GREG NORMAN: No comment.
A
Q. How is the design business for you?
TOM WATSON: I got a course going right
now and actually possibly another one. It could be
one that they're going to say get it done as quickly
as possible.
Q. In the United States?
TOM WATSON: Yeah.
Q. You're not a overseas guy?
TOM WATSON: Well, I had a couple
opportunities overseas, but one opportunity in
particular, but they decided to go a different way.
But there's one, they may pull the trigger this week.
Q. When you made the turn you were
even par behind by three. Did you think that
you could move?
TOM WATSON: I did. I wanted to get a
couple more under. I made a good putt at 10 that
didn't go in.
11, I hit a lousy wedge in there. I 2-putted
there.
12, I had a birdie putt, missed, kind of
misread it and then ended up missing a short one.
That kind of put the screeching halt to good things
right there.
And then of course combining that with a
3-putt on the last hole. That dimmed my hopes a
little bit too much.
Q. Has your view of park land courses
changed a little?
You said earlier in the
tournament that you enjoyed them.
GREG NORMAN: No. Yeah. I still like
them.
Q. What did you think of the setup this
week?
GREG NORMAN: It was good.
Q. Seemed like it was a little softer, that
they set it up in hopes of getting them around -GREG NORMAN: Today?
Q. Well, yesterday and today.
GREG NORMAN: No, it was fair. I
thought the course was set up very nicely for the
whole week. Yeah.
Q. Where are you going to play next?
GREG NORMAN: Don't know.
Q. Played enough golf for a little while?
GREG NORMAN: No, no. No, I would like
to play, but right now I just don't know which one
I'm going to go play in.
Q. Well it's nice to have options.
GREG NORMAN: That's right. That's
what my wife said to me last night. She said,
you're lucky, very few people have choices like you
have. And that's a good thing.
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Q. See, that's why you married her.
GREG NORMAN: Exactly right.
Q. It puts it in perspective for you.
GREG NORMAN: Exactly right. So I'm
just going to keep going, keep moving forward.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports.
AN INTERVIEW WITH:
KIRK HANEFELD
Q. This is the fourth time in the Senior
PGA Championship. Can you tell me a little bit
about your experience this week?
KIRK HANEFELD: Well, very positive
overall. I played reasonably well my last 63 holes.
I think I was 1-over for the last 63. I just got off to
such a bad start on Thursday, I was trying to play
catch up all week. But overall not too bad.
Q. Was there anything that stood out
this week any certain hole or something that
you'll take back?
KIRK HANEFELD: No, I mean having had
a chance to play with Greg and Ian today was
really a thrill for me. I had a chance to play with
Greg last year at this same event at Oak Hill. But
no, it was a lot of fun to be able to play with a
player like that.
Q. What do you think that you'll be able
to take away from this experience?
KIRK HANEFELD: I think I handled being
in that kind of an atmosphere a little bit better than
I did last year. Hopefully I can build on that and it
serves me better in the future.
Q. Do you have any future plans for
any tournaments this summer or later in the
year?
KIRK HANEFELD: Yeah, I go to Des
Moines tonight to try to get in a Champions Tour
event there. I got to qualify on Tuesday, so
hopefully I get to play next week.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
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