FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 30, 2002

Tim Petrovic

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Like to welcome runner-up, Tim Petrovic. Tim's first top-10 finish on the PGA tour in his career and it went in great style today.

Tim, if could you talk about how the day went. You certainly made the crowd here in Memphis excited and it was fun to watch.

TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, I was pretty consistent on the front nine. I hit some, I wouldn't say marginal iron shots. I wouldn't say I played conservative. I was just trying to get myself some birdie opportunities. And I didn't make any -- my goal today was not to make any bogeys and if I just rolled in a few birdie putts, I thought I would have a chance, depending upon how everybody else did. And I held up my end, I guess. I just didn't make enough birdies. Fell one short.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Talk about coming down the stretch. You almost made eagle at 16 and then of course, at 18 just narrowly missed that birdie putt. You certainly played well down the stretch. That's got to help your confidence down the road.

TIM PETROVIC: Yeah. I hit the ball great all week. I made a little adjustment with my swing and I felt really confident and whatever I needed to do with the golf ball I was able to do. If I needed to hit it high, draw it, cut it, whatever. I felt really comfortable. And I drove the ball -- I missed a few fairways but I probably just rolled it through a couple fairways, I drove the ball really well this week. Actually, I hit my driver better than my 3-wood. 3-wood cost me a couple shots yesterday. But I'm pleased. My bunker game was great this week. Every time I hit it in there, I was able to get up-and-down, I think, 7 out of 8 times maybe. Somewhere in there. But I always left myself the opportunity to get up-and-down because I was always on the right side. I think 17, coming in I short-sided myself but I didn't have any shot. I had 220 yards and I hit a 6-iron over that tree. And barely made it over the tree, just to give myself a chance. And I'm happy with the I way I hit the ball. 18 was playing tough today.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: And the last question before we go into the media portion of the interview. This gives you a great opportunity to play in the British. Making 410,000 today. How do you feel about that?

TIM PETROVIC: Is my application in, I'm not sure. I know there's a lot of ways I can get in including going over there and qualifying. But if you asked me what they are, I don't know. I just knew I had to play good at Hartford, here and then next week at the Western to have a chance to go over and play.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We will take some questions now.

Q. What were you feeling as you were walking up 18?

TIM PETROVIC: Well, the crowd kind of told me what was going on. I made a big putt on 17. I knew -- I just wanted to get the ball in the fairway after the tee because the way I was hitting my irons I knew I could have a good chance to get the ball -- I knew the pin was a tough pin. I just wanted to hit the fairway to give myself an opportunity to hit the green. I wasn't really nervous, I was just trying to focus on my shots. I think it was a little too hot to be nervous out there. I was just trying to stand up. But I didn't aim at the pin on 18. It was a tough pin and I just wanted to make sure that I had a putt at it. I didn't want to aim at the pin and miss left and not give myself an opportunity. The way I was putting I figured if I hit it 30 feet, 20 feet, 10 feet I had a good chance of making it.

Q. Can you talk about finishing second and just where you're at right now.

TIM PETROVIC: Where I'm at? Mentally? Physically, I'm tired. Mentally, I feel, I'm not really drained at all. Finishing second is a great achievement for me. Considering I think I made only -- I've been struggling of late. I think I only made two of my last nine cuts or something like that. I'm not sure. But I haven't been tearing it up out there exactly. But I'm proud of the way I played this week and the way I hung in there being the first time I've actually been in the hunt out here through Sunday. And I like my chances next week.

Q. How much different is it on a Sunday in terms of the pressure? Do you feel that? Do you not know going in how you're going to cope with it? What's the feeling?

TIM PETROVIC: I felt great. I was in a great mood all week. I let myself go out and play. I wasn't really nervous. For I don't know what the reason was, I wasn't nervous. But I felt comfortable. The fans were great. The way the tournament was handled, everything seemed to run smoothly and made it easier for us. And I just felt very comfortable here all week.

Q. Does this course lend itself for guy that's struggling and need to regain their confidence?

TIM PETROVIC: I guess if you look at the -- well, I didn't win but if you look at the past winners -- I don't know. The way the course is set up made it, it lends to a guy that can really bomb it down the fairway and hit his irons close to the hole. I don't know if there's any explanation for the past, the record at this tournament, the past champions, but I like the golf course. I think it's a good golf course. I hope it stays here for awhile.

Q. Did you know that going in or is this something that you knew going in?

TIM PETROVIC: Did I know what?

Q. That how this course would play as far as if you're struggling you could do well here.

TIM PETROVIC: No. That wasn't even a thought. I knew I was struggling already. So that part I knew. And this isn't my favorite golf course on tour I won't lie to you. All the courses I play are new to me because this is my first year out here. I have my favorite courses, I like this golf course and I think you got to kind of make yourself, if you're not really crazy about the golf course you got to make yourself like the golf course or I don't think you'll play well. If you go in with a negative attitude like oh, I don't like this golf course or what kind of hole is this or something. That's probably what I did this week. Not that I didn't like the golf course, I like the golf course. But I just made myself like it more. And I spent a lot of time charting the greens. Because I think that when you play a course for the first time you need to spend a lot of time on the greens because that's where all the strokes are made right there.

Q. The tee shot on 18, did you hit driver? It looked like you hit driver. Did you hit driver all week?

TIM PETROVIC: On 18. No I hit 3-wood.

Q. 3-wood. It was a difficult shot was the wait a little more difficult at that point?

TIM PETROVIC: Well, yeah, I tried to hit it before I could think about it. We had to wait for those guys on the tee. And it was just kind of trying to think about something else. The good thing about 18 is if I had missed any shots that I had missed all week off the tee have been right. I don't think I missed one maybe one left. And I think it was off the first tee today. So I knew my tendency was to hit it right, so I wasn't really looking over there at the water. I figured if I missed it, it would be over on the right and it would be a tough shot. But I kind of went through it real aggressive and made a good swing. Put it in the fairway.

Q. Was that way tough?

TIM PETROVIC: It's a tough tee shot. I won't lie to you. You're standing up there and you know you need to make birdie, you never been there before, yeah, tough tee shot.

Q. You said you charted the putt on 18 before?

TIM PETROVIC: Yeah. I had that one in my book.

Q. Did you look at the book?

TIM PETROVIC: Oh, I look at it before every putt. I don't know if you saw me look, but I usually look at it when I'm walking up. And I knew it just went a little left. Actually had a line going up the green the other way which was dead straight, so it kind of confused me a little bit. So I looked at the book and I knew it was a fast putt and it was just going to lake a little left all the way down. We read it perfect.

Q. You said earlier this week you had a plan or timetable for your golf game. Where does this put you on that schedule?

TIM PETROVIC: I think I'm pretty much -- well the last few weeks really I haven't been playing well, but I think this kind of really helps my confidence. I think I'm back on track for this year. I think I'm where I should have been at this point in the year. I would be lying if I said, well, I expected to win right away. I don't think anybody expects to win. I think there's only one guy that expects to win out here every week, but I'm just, it's a learning process and I'm learning all the golf courses and this is a step in the right direction for me.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Anything else? Thank you very much.

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