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THE HONDA CLASSIC

March 11, 2004

Carl Pettersson

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA

JOE CHEMYCZ: 9 under par 63 for Carl today. Just talk about your round and all of the good things that happened and what you were doing so well out there.

CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I obviously made a lot of putts to shoot 9 under. I felt like I didn't hit I've played better rounds tee to green, but obviously I made the putts, which is a huge difference. I still hit some really good iron shots. The main difference is rolling in the putts at the right time. I made a couple I made a long par putt on 10, which I think kick started the back nine. It was about a 20 footer for par. Those are the putts that are bigger than the birdie putts, really, to keep the round going.

Q. Did you play the Sunrise or the Sunset Course?

CARL PETTERSSON: (Laughter.) Well, they had the tees up on a couple of the holes today, so it wasn't playing as tough as it could have. I think they can set up the course really tough if they wanted to but they set it up nice and fair. I just got on a roll.

Q. Guys were talking all week about this is tough and scores are going to be higher than usual.

CARL PETTERSSON: But the scores are pretty good. I saw a lot of 2 , 3 , 4 unders. I think they have got the pins in slightly easier spots. They could put them in ridiculous places but glad they didn't. I'm sure it will get tougher.

Q. 22 putts; have you ever had a better putting round?

CARL PETTERSSON: I don't know. I've had eight putts in nine holes before. I think I might have had 21 before. I can't remember where but for some reason that sticks.

Q. When did you start using the long putter?

CARL PETTERSSON: I started using that after my sophomore year in college. So it was '98, a while back.

Q. Calcavecchia was talking a few years ago about there's a stigma to going to that when you're a younger guy?

CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I caused some shtick about it, but every time I went out, I seemed to putt good, so I just stuck with it.

Q. You couldn't putt as well with the conventional?

CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, just one summer I was struggling a little bit and I was playing in amateurs and I kept playing with guys who had the longer putter and they all rolled it great. Finally I was like, I've got to try this and I started rolling it good.

Q. Still giving you shtick?

CARL PETTERSSON: No, not when it becomes a professional thing because you have to do what works. Plus, now the long putter is more popular. It seems like either more people are using that than the belly putter.

Q. It's been raised a couple times about whether the R&A and should outlaw either a broom or belly, any thoughts on that?

CARL PETTERSSON: I think it's fine. I think there's still a lot of skill to it. Just a different way of doing it, really.

Q. What if they do?

CARL PETTERSSON: I guess I'll have to go back to a short one, think of something. I might be cured now after seven years.

Q. Anything about this course that reminds you of anything that you grew up on or you liked?

CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I live in North Carolina. It has some similarities to Pinehurst No. 2. I've played quite a few rounds there when I was in college and I try to go down there in the winter sometime when I'm home, with the greens being raised and the shaved edges. I kind of enjoy that style because it brings a different chipping action. You just don't grab the lob wedge as soon as you miss a green. You can either putt or bump and run or even flop it. Just makes it a bit more interesting.

Q. Does that suit your game, having the options to bump and run or put it up or not just grab for the wedge?

CARL PETTERSSON: I think it makes it more fun, really. There's different shots. Plus, I had two weeks off before I came here so I was really looking forward to starting playing again which is a big thing. I felt fresh.

Q. Your familiarity with Pinehurst No. 2, did that prepare you mentally, your attitude for playing this course? Some other guys, there was almost some trepidation about this.

CARL PETTERSSON: Not really, no. I was just looking forward to getting out playing again and competing. I'm staying with Richard Johnson this week who lives here. We were talking about the golf course yesterday and we couldn't figure out if it was going to be low scoring or high scoring, depending on where they stick the pins. The main thing is I was just looking forward to playing.

Q. Richard just moved down here recently, is that something that interests you, other Swedes down here?

CARL PETTERSSON: No, I've lived in North Carolina since I was 15 and my parent moved over here. Plus my wife is from North Carolina, too. We really enjoy it there and we're expecting our first child in September this year. So we'll stay there.

Q. What did your parents do that they moved to Carolina?

CARL PETTERSSON: My dad used work for Volvo, Volvo trucks, and they have their headquarters in Greensboro.

Q. How much of a culture shock was it going to community college in Alabama, from Sweden?

CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I went to high school for two years at North Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama has some similarities, I guess. (Laughter.) Actually I had a great time down there and it was a great school. We had a great golf course to play. We managed to win Nationals my freshman year. Then I transferred back to NC State and had a wonderful time there, too. But it wasn't that much of a shock, really.

Q. I guess we can go through your round in a second, but you were talking about the chipping a minute ago. Did you have to do much of that today with a 63?

CARL PETTERSSON: A couple of times. A couple of times I putted from just off the green up the slopes. I got up and down every time. Every time I missed the green, I don't remember how many greens I missed, but obviously it can't be too many. I used the putter to roll it up or I used a lob wedge one time on No. 13 I missed.

Q. You and Richard were talking about high score, low score, did you ever assume you would come out and shoot a 63 today?

CARL PETTERSSON: Not really. I never try to think about a specific number to shoot. You just try to go as low as you can and keep going. I'm obviously happy and a little bit surprised here.

Q. Did you play the Pro Am yesterday?

CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I did. Finished late. It was actually pretty windy.

Q. Given the wind and the toughness of the day yesterday, did you think a low score would be like 67?

CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I did yesterday, because I think the wind was from a different direction. So all of the par 5s yesterday were straight into the wind.

I think today the wind might have helped the course a little bit where you could have a downwind on a few par 5s to reach them and a few long par 4s it was downwind. Sometimes the wind can help a course.

Q. How did you play yesterday in the Pro Am?

CARL PETTERSSON: I played very good tee to green. I didn't make many putts. But I played very good from tee to green.

Q. Were you firing at a lot of pins or just trying to put it reasonably close in the middle of the green?

CARL PETTERSSON: There's a few pins you can go on, maybe four or five, and then the rest I just played away from it to a safe spot and managed to roll in a few 20 , 25 footers.

Q. You going back to Sweden much?

CARL PETTERSSON: Not really. Before we moved over here, we actually lived in England for five years. So I haven't lived in Sweden since I was 10. I go back for Scandinavian Masters, European event, and I go back usually either Christmas or right before Christmas.

Q. They must think you have a horrible accent.

CARL PETTERSSON: (Laughs) Well, they kind of enjoy it actually.

Q. Does the Scandinavian Masters feel like a home tournament?

CARL PETTERSSON: It is, because the crowds really get behind all of the Swedish players. I've enjoyed playing there. I played on the European Tour in 2001 2002. I went back last year and played the Scandinavian Masters again. Obviously, when you get support like that, it's really an enjoyment playing golf.

Q. You said you wanted to shoot as low as you could. Is there anything that you left out there today?

CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I had one good luck well, I parred two par 5s on the front, but I was a bit wayward off the tee, so I never had a real good chance. If I could have put those two tee balls in the fairway, I could have had a better chance. I was one short birdie putt on 14, not short, but about ten feet. It was an easy putt straight up the hill and just missed it. But you're never going to make everything.

Q. What did you do on 10?

CARL PETTERSSON: I hit 3 wood into a bunker. I had a bad lie in the bunkers. I just had to lay it up. So I wedged it out and hit a poor pitch to 25 feet, 20 feet and managed to make the putt.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Take us through, starting with the birdie there at 1.

CARL PETTERSSON: I hit 3 wood off the tee and hit a sand wedge to about a foot. So that was a nice start.

Then No. 4, I hit 3 wood off the tee again, and I hit a 9 iron to about 20 feet just left and made the putt.

Then 7, I hit driver off the tee. You could carry those traps, 270 over. I hit driver and lob wedge from 66 yards. I hit it to about a foot. So that was a tap in.

9, I had a 3 wood, 8 iron and made a 30 footer for birdie.

Q. Where was the pin on 9?

CARL PETTERSSON: Back right. It's actually a really tough pin, because if you go a little bit short it comes back and if you go a little bit long it rolls off the back. I managed to get it pin high.

Q. Flat putt.

CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, it was, actually.

11, the par 3, one of the holes I played real safe on. I just went to the middle of the green, and the pin is on the back right and made a real long putt there, probably 40 feet. I had 7 iron there.

The par 5, I hit a great drive and a great 3 wood pin high right but off the green. I putted it up the steep slope to about five feet and made it coming back.

13, I got from short left. I was in the fairway bunker off the tee with a driver, right up against the lip actually. I hit a pretty good 6 iron just short left and managed to chip it up to about six feet and made it.

15, the par 3 is playing really tough today. It's a left to right wind. I hit a hard 6 iron to about 12 feet pin high right and made it.

17, I hit a good drive and a 3 iron just on the front edge or just short of the green and putted it up to about five feet and made a 5 footer.

18, I hit a driver straight down the middle and had a good 7 iron to six inches.

Q. How far were you on 18?

CARL PETTERSSON: 188.

Q. 7 iron?

CARL PETTERSSON: It was a little downwind.

Q. How would you say your perception has changed from yesterday, your practice round early in the week until now after the fact?

CARL PETTERSSON: Well, yesterday I was pleased. I hit the ball really good yesterday. So I was just looking forward to carrying that on today. As far as carrying on the rest of the tournament, I just want to plug along, play good and have a chance on Sunday. Still a long way to go.

Q. Do anything special the last two weeks?

CARL PETTERSSON: Me and my wife went to the beach the first week just to get away for a couple of days. We went four days and we had four days of rain and two wonderful days. I took the first week off and I didn't practice at all.

The second week, I practiced pretty good, played some golf. The weather was actually really good so we had a couple of really nice days.

Q. Where were you?

CARL PETTERSSON: In Raleigh, North Carolina.

Q. Where do you practice?

CARL PETTERSSON: I live on a course called The Heritage. I play a lot there. There's a TPC I practice over there.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Carl, thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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