Pros Say The Funniest Things

From Tuesday’s U.S. Open transcripts we learn all sorts of fun stuff about the course.

Q. Is there anything specific difference from last year to this year on the greens?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, the greens I think are quite similar, or they will become quite similar once they start drying out a lot more. At the moment there's still a little bit of moisture in them, but they're getting rock hard. There was a couple of holes yesterday that I hit a couple of short irons in, like No. 2 yesterday, I hit a wedge into the green and couldn't stop it on the green. In '99 I hit a driver, 3-iron into No. 2, and yesterday was a driver and a wedge. Obviously the weather was a lot different the first couple of rounds in '99.

Uh, yes the weather was different, but not that different! And here’s Phil, explaining why he will flog driver this week.

PHIL MICKELSON: I feel like the driver is a key club because, yes, you want to be in the fairway, but you need to hit driver because if you do miss the fairways, you've got it get it far enough down where you can wedge out close -- or maybe get a 9-iron on it and get it close enough to the green where you can have a reasonable chance at par. So I think that distance will actually be an element here at Pinehurst, even though the rough is tough and you've got to put it in play, I think it's important to get the ball far enough down where if you do hit it in the rough you can get it close to the green and make par.

And Padraig, on flogging .

PADRAIG HARRINGTON: There's a certain amount of pressure on every tee box to hit the fairway. I know players are saying that even on holes where they might have an option of hitting a layup with a 3-wood off the tee that they might as well hit driver down there because they have some chance of hitting the green if they miss the fairway with a driver where if they lay up and miss the fairway they'd have no chance.

Sergio Garcia is worried about the bunkers .

SERGIO GARCIA: Probably the thing I'm most worried about is the bunkers. So much sand on them, you're going to get so many plugged lies, and coming into these greens from a plugged lie around the greens is going to be almost impossible. It's something to worry about, and it's unfortunate that the bunkers are in that shape because they don't need to be that soft, but other than that, I think the course is looking really nice.

And finally, what would the day be without a rally killer? Chris DiMarco was starting to open up about the Masters and the shots he has been reliving since the final round. One of the scribblers popped a question vital to only David Fay and Peter Dawson.

CHRIS DiMARCO: A couple days after The Masters, it was tough. I relived that chip a lot in my head, my chip, not so much his but my chip on 18, knowing that that could have gone in and could have changed everything. I was proud of myself that I put myself in position to win.

Q. As someone who's played in the Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup, do you think there is a place for golf at the Olympic games?

CHRIS DiMARCO: Absolutely. I don't know why we're not there. Just have a 72 hole tournament and winner wins gold. I mean, it would be great. I know that I'd be in line to go wherever it would be to play for our country, whether it's anything, Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, Olympics, I'm there.