Interviews
June 30, 2002
Flash Interview With: TOM KITE
Q. A lot of birdies?
TOM KITE: At least two. Too many bogeys. I wasn't sharp this
week from tee-to-green. I fought with the driver all week, and
this is not a golf course where you can hit some errant drives and
expect to score very well. There were some encouraging things that
came out of the week, I putted better than I have for a long, long
time. So that's encouraging for the rest of the year. But it is
very disconcerting to play so inconsistently as I did. As you said,
I made a ton of birdies. But I was all over the golf course with
way too many bogeys.
Q. (Inaudible.)
TOM KITE: No question. That's the day that I hit the ball the
worst. I wasn't sharp the other three days, but Saturday was terrible.
I really was not able to have any feel for my swing at all on that
day and subsequently, made five birdies and still shot 2 over par.
That's not typical Tom Kite golf.
Q. You have to take heart with the fact that you have 7-under
par on this golf course?
TOM KITE: Well, I thought a score of 6 to 8-under would probably
win the golf tournament: I think if we hadn't had that rain earlier
in the week to soften it up, that would have been the winning score.
You have to hand it to Tom and Don, they've done some amazing things
out there.
Q. How surprised were you with the low scores this week?
TOM KITE: As I said, the rain is what did it. I was predicting
6 to 8-under, and it's going to be ten. That's not a whole lot
lower than what I was predicting.
Q. I saw you standing over that downhill putt on 14, there.
You were 7-under at that time?
TOM KITE: I really -- and I hit that putt as good as I've ever
hit a putt in my life. I thought it was going to go a little left
off the ridge, and back right, and it looked like it was hanging
in there pretty good and just dove right at the last. And then,
I hit a good come back putt on 15, and those two putts right there
could have put me in the playoff, for sure.
Q. I heard you kidding with a police officer yesterday about
impersonating a golfer?
TOM KITE: I was so bad yesterday. But fortunately I was a little
better today.
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