MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen,
Head Golf Professional at Indianwood Golf and Country Club, David Zink.
DAVID ZINK: Hello.
Q.
How's it going today?
DAVID ZINK: Good.
Q.
Big question. What did you shoot
today?
DAVID ZINK: 79.
Tripled 17 coming in.
Q.
How different is it to play the course set up for a USGA Championship
than you usually play it?
DAVID ZINK: Well, the rough is a lot tougher. Yesterday, I seemed to avoid it. Today, not so much. I got in it quite a few more times, and it's
hard to get out of. It's hard to move
your ball forward, especially hard around the greens, the chip‑in area. I missed a lot more greens today and had to
chip more often.
I'd get on the green but was making
bogeys.
Q.
How was playing with Mr. Eichelberger?
DAVID ZINK: Mr. Eichelberger was a delight. Friendly, nice guy. His daughter, Emalia, was caddying for
him. Great pairing for me. I had a lot of fun.
Q.
He's the oldest player in our field, obviously made the cut. Overall impressions of his game at that age?
DAVID ZINK: Still plays very well. Exceptional around the greens. He knew what to do out of the long rough a
lot more than I did. He didn't hit his
driver as well as he wanted to today, and he caught himself up in the rough a
little bit. So he struggled a little bit
from that standpoint.
But you could sure tell that he's
still got a lot of game, and it was fun to watch. Both my caddie, who is a good player
here ‑‑ we were just watching him around the greens, seeing how he hit all
the different shots, and trying to pick up a few pointers.
Q.
Yesterday, you were a little rushed getting to the tee. This morning, I'm assuming you had some time?
DAVID ZINK: Had plenty of time to get there. I think I might have been a little geeked
today because I was hitting it over the greens early on. Hitting good, but a little farther than
normal. So I don't know what was going
on there.
But it was fun. Yeah, I hit about 20 balls before we teed off
and a few putts. A little bit more ‑‑
a little more time to prepare.
Q.
Was there a lot of people out there today following you guys?
DAVID ZINK: No, not too many. I had members in different spots on the golf
course. So had my little cheering
section for morale. So it was fun.
Q.
What are some of the hole locations you think might help decide this
Championship later? Some of the key
holes down the stretch.
DAVID ZINK: Let's see.
Down the stretch, 13's pretty tough, par 3. It's kind of hooked behind the little hill on
the left there. The guys, Dave made a 2
there and hit a great shot in there.
The pin on 17, the back middle pin
on 17 is a tough pin to chip to. No
matter where they missed the green, they're going to have a tough time getting
it up and down. And 18's up on the top
of this little knoll, and I thought I hit a great shot in there, and it landed
just short. I thought it would kick up,
and it stayed about 12 feet short.
So none of them are super difficult
coming in at the end, but none of them are easy. So I think ‑‑ I still think 17 is going
to be a pivotal hole, if anybody gets close to Bernhard Langer. I personally picked him on the Frank Beckman
show on Wednesday. So I think
he'll ‑‑ I still think he's going to win.
Q.
What are the winning lottery numbers going to be tonight?
DAVID ZINK: No idea.
Q.
Now, does this rank almost at the top for your most memorable golf
moment?
DAVID ZINK: Pretty close, yes. I mean, I played in two Tour events a long,
long time ago, which were great. This
was great. It was fun. I did try to qualify and didn't make it. It would have been fun playing as a contestant. It was still one of the greatest places I've
been. I've been here for 38 years if you
count my childhood.
Q.
Thank you.
DAVID ZINK: Thank you.