An Interview with Lonnie
Nielsen
March 28, 2008
PHIL STAMBAUGH: You did not play at the tournament at
Valencia, but tied for eighth in your last finish at Toshiba and
today you come out and shoot 66, which is your lowest opening
round of the year. Maybe a few general comments about how the
course played today and then take us through your round.
LONNIE NIELSEN: Well, even though I shot 66, I thought the
course played tough. We were talking yesterday that 12-under was
the winning score here last year, I just couldn't believe. I
remember it being windy and thought that was such great playing.
I'm surprised to shoot this low on this course, especially with
the double-bogey today.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: You want to just take us through the round
and how you played overall; a little more rough this year?
LONNIE NIELSEN: You have to drive the ball in the fairway. And
this is probably the most fairways I've ever hit in -- I'm sure
probably the most I've ever hit in a row. That was a big part of
my day. I drove the ball well and putted beautifully. My irons
were a little iffy, but when I hit a good one, I made the putt.
I started with a birdie on 10 with a sand wedge to about two
feet.
I pulled it right in the water on the 12th hole. Just didn't
quite think I had enough club, and I tried to hook it and I
pull-hooked it, and didn't even think about it until after I had
hit it, I realized I was going to have to re-tee. It was a tough
shot, about 226, I think was our yardage today. Now to have to
stand up and do it over again was tough. I was happy to get out
of there with a double.
The 14th hole, I had a chance to --
Q. Where was that?
LONNIE NIELSEN: I put it on the right fringe and 2-putted from
probably 35 feet.
Made a birdie at 14. Actually I went for that green and didn't
hit a particularly good second shot, but left myself a fairly
easy pitch shot, and hit it up about ten feet and made that
putt.
18, I'm not sure I ever hit that green before, but it was
playing short today. I hit a driver and a 9-iron, I believe,
there. Hit it about eight feet for about a birdie. Then I got on
a nice little run there and I turned around, it was an awkward
pin on 1, a front left pin with a left-to-right wind, and I hit
it long and right which was kind of the play but I had a
25-footer there that I made.
Hit two real nice shots on 2, just left of the green and pitched
it down about six feet and made that.
The par 3, fourth hole, that one was playing tough today. I
can't imagine there's more than just a couple of 2s there all
day. That was a real tough pin. The green was like cement, and I
hit as good a shot as I've hit, and it still went to the back
fringe, and then I made a nice 20-footer coming back down the
hill, extremely fast putt. You get downhill, downwind, downgrain
here, they just won't stop. They are really, really fast.
The sixth hole, the par 5, I decided to lay up. I had a yardage
where I could maybe go and it was downwind, and the greens were
so firm, I didn't believe I could stop a 3-iron on the green so
decided to lay up and wedge it to about 15 feet and made a nice
putt.
7, I hit a terrible second shot. John missed it short and right
and I hit it long and left. It was on the green but I had a putt
from 60 feet and hit like I was hitting a 5-footer and I hit it
about seven feet by. It was an incredibly fast putt. I even got
a read off Hale, he was just outside of me on the fringe and he
putted his off the green about 20 feet past. It was about the
fastest putt I've ever seen. I was lucky to get out of there
with two-putt par.
The 8th green, I know I've never hit one on there before, hit it
on about eight feet and made the putt. 5-iron. It's an awkward
hole, you can't feel the wind because of the condos there and
the wind is generally in and right-to-left and the green sets up
for a fade, and it's just hard to come up with a picture of how
to get to that green. I hit a beauty in there today and finished
off with a nice putt.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: You seem more comfortable after picking the
win last year in Long Island.
LONNIE NIELSEN: Yeah, I thought I was getting comfortable out
here beforehand, but if you look at my record from my win going
forward, it's been like night and day really. I rarely finish
out of the Top-25. You know, last year I think I had six
Top-10s, which was the most I had ever had, and I don't think I
had one before my win.
So that's half the battle, feeling comfortable, just playing the
way you know you can play, and it sounds pretty simple but it's
a lot tougher than it sounds.
So half the battle is feeling comfortable and starting to
believe in yourself, and really feeling like you can do it when
it matters most. I'm sneaking up on that. Getting a little bit
better and it's a tough chore and it's a big challenge every
week, and I was up to the challenge today.
Q. Was your round kind of typical of what can happen out
there, that there's a lot of birdies out there, but there's kind
of like a double-bogey waiting around every corner, and is even
though you make a lot of birdies and you make a little run and
everything, is there that possibility out there on almost every
hole?
LONNIE NIELSEN: There's about four or five tee shots that are
real awkward tee shots that honestly, you stand on the tee, you
have to have it in the fairway. But you almost feel like you can
hit it out of play if you just miss it a little bit.
That's always in the back of your mind that, you know, you've
got to stay aggressive and make a good swing but a bad swing
right here, you lose your ball and it's like the 12th hole for
me all over again, and you re-tee. You feel like there's a
two-stroke penalty, like you said, right around the corner.
You're going to have those most likely this week. If you can
keep them to a minimum, I'm hoping I had my only one, then I
think you're in for a good week.
The greens are so true, and relatively easy to read, so if
you're stroking it well, boy, you can make some putts here,
because they are as good as of greens as we play.
Q. In your mid to late 40s, what were you doing to say in
playing shape? And when you first came out here, were you
Monday-qualifying?
LONNIE NIELSEN: I was a club pro for 20 years from '83 to 2003,
and then I was at a club in Buffalo called Craigieburn and they
encouraged me to give this a try. I had some success at the club
pro level and played the TOUR in the late 80s and had no
success.
I was lucky when I came out, the qualifying school was much
tougher than it is now but if you got through, you were exempt.
There were 600 guys trying for seven spots when I tried, and I
got one of the seven spots. It was tough to get out, but if you
got out here, you had a fighting chance to stay out here because
I was virtually exempt my first year.
My first year I finished 36th on the Money List which gave me
conditional status but only missed two tournaments. Other than
that, I've been able to be in the Top-30 every year. This is my
fifth year.
Q. Your best regular TOUR finish was a second at the old Ed
McMahon tournament?
LONNIE NIELSEN: Fifth.
Q. Who won that?
LONNIE NIELSEN: D.A. Weibring, I'm pretty sure won, and I don't
think I was any anywhere near the lead. I only had two Top-10s
in my six years on the TOUR.
Q. Did you ever have a 36-hole lead for 54-hole lead?
LONNIE NIELSEN: I did, actually. I led at Hartford for a couple
of days. I started with a 63 and followed with 66 and shot a
pair of 71s on the weekend and finished 23 I think. That was a
memorable week.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Thank you.
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