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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 8, 2004

Ted Purdy

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Ted, for joining us for a few minutes. Great start to your week here at the John Deere Classic. Why don't you just talk about the day and then we'll go into questions.

TED PURDY: Well, the weather was perfect. It was very hot and there wasn't any wind, and the course is in beautiful shape, and I really enjoy what D.A. Weibring did here. It's got to be one of the best courses on the Tour. Just a fun day, it's a great golf course, and I was kind of chasing Greg Chalmers all day. I was watching some good shots and good golf, and it wore off on me.

Q. I know you went the backside first, but in essence your back nine, talk about what got you going. You had a couple of birdie runs there.

TED PURDY: I hit nine greens on my front nine, which is the back, and had good birdie chances, only made one of them.

My wife at the turn said, "You never know, anything can happen, so just stay patient," because I was getting a little patient. I just stayed patient, and anything can happen did happen. I got on a great birdie run.

I credit my wife for that, and I also credit my caddie for putting a number in my head. He formerly caddied for Kirk Triplett. His name is Paul Jungman. Paul was in a playoff with Kirk here, and he said, "My man shot 29 on this side once," so I turned with the No. 29 in my head, and had I parred the last hole I would have shot 29. So I had some encouragement from my caddie and my wife taking the turn, and I played great.

Q. How long has Paul been with you?

TED PURDY: Paul has been with me, this is probably my seventh or eighth tournament with Paul. He retired from caddying, and Kirk Triplett was my big brother -- he is my big brother on Tour. We have a big brother system on this Tour, and Triplett recommended Paul and we got him out of retirement to come help me out.

Q. First can you spell Paul's last name, and second, can you break down this big brother system?

TED PURDY: Yes, J-u-n-g-m-a-n.

Q. Is it organized?

TED PURDY: Yeah, it's an organized -- the rookies on Tour, the PGA, Finchem or whoever, the board, either finds a local caddie from your hometown or somebody that is a good representative for the Tour and pairs you up. I think the big brothers are supposed to take you to dinner and feed you for the year and things -- no (laughter).

It gives you, especially for a rookie and a guy who is new out here, all these bright lights and microphones, when you need some good advice, they give you a sounding board. They give you a guy that's been here and been in the hunt and been under the bright lights. It's a great asset to the Tour, and I still use Triplett if I need some advice in certain areas. Each rookie is assigned a player.

I think the Tour gives good veteran players as big brothers. I don't think they'd let me be a big brother yet. Hopefully I earn my right to be one.

Q. What was some of the best advice Triplett gave you?

TED PURDY: Basically -- this is my second year out here, so I really didn't listen to him the first year (laughter). But he said, "Do what you do best, and you know how to play well, and you got here for a reason, you belong here, and don't change anything." What happens to a lot of guys out here is they might get a big club contract and change their equipment or they might see that Vijay is practicing more than they are, so they'll go practice more.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: That's impossible.

TED PURDY: Yeah, it's impossible. At the end of the day they've got blisters and they cannot swing the club because they're so sore.

I think that was the biggest advice that Triplett told me is just be your own person. What's right for Vijay is not right for Ted Purdy. I'm applying that this year, my second year out, versus the first year I was out here.

Q. Do you see the course firming up?

TED PURDY: Yes.

Q. What's going to happen?

TED PURDY: Well, hopefully the greens firm up. They're a little soft right now because we've had rain the last couple nights. The fairways are firm. Everything is in perfect shape, but if we get these greens a little firmer, if there's no more rain, it's going to be a tough challenge. It's going to be a good test of golf.

Q. The fairways are firm?

TED PURDY: They didn't seem to --

Q. Is the ball running?

TED PURDY: The ball is running and you're not picking up any mud. They did a great job designing it and they must have great drainage because the fairways are running beautiful, and the greens are just perfectly smooth. They're just a little soft, which is allowing the players to shoot low scores. If we can get those greens to firm up a little bit, the scores will be higher. I see that happening as long as there's no rain, and if there's any wind that will dry it out, too.

Q. If there is rain --

TED PURDY: If there is rain it's going to be low scores, which is fine.

Q. There was rain last year and it was 16.

TED PURDY: Yeah, and that's probably a good number to aim at. It's a difficult golf course, but if you're playing well, I think these guys can shoot well on any golf course. Fairways can be ten yards wide and if they're hitting it in the ten yard wide fairway it doesn't matter.

This is a difficult golf course. The greens are perfect. I'm kind of hoping there's a little more wind and keep the rain away and firm up the greens and make it a little harder.

Q. Did Kirk give you any advice after the MCI?

TED PURDY: Yeah, I got a lot of advice after the MCI. I got a lot of opinions, too (laughter). He's won out here, and more than anything he was supportive and said what a great tournament and patted me on the back. He was pretty confident. He says, "You're going to get one, just be patient."

Q. How have you responded to that?

TED PURDY: I think I've responded well. I've just tried to -- I'm trying to get back in that situation. I want revenge. I want back in that situation where I can close the deal. I had the opportunity to win that golf tournament. Stewart Cink played phenomenally on Sunday to even get close to me. Had I played with the -- when I got tied with Stewart I started playing golf. I hit good shots, started being aggressive. Had I played that whole day in the final round like I had the last few holes, it wouldn't have been close. Hopefully next time I'm in that situation I play with intensity the whole round, and I won't let somebody come get me.

Q. So ideally come Sunday, you and Stewart again, playing some extra holes for the title?

TED PURDY: Is he playing this week?

Q. Yes.

TED PURDY: That would be great.

Q. Would that be the best way to win?

TED PURDY: Yeah. I mean, I have nothing -- I don't care who it is. I mean, if it's Tiger Woods, I just want to win the golf tournament. I'm hungry. I want to win. I've got my card taken care of for the year, I'm playing good golf. Today is a positive round for me. Obviously I'm still three shots off the lead, but a good, solid round. It was fun.

Q. Do you feel like the rule pertaining to waste bunkers needs to be changed in light of what happened?

TED PURDY: I think the rule is you can move loose impediments. I don't want to get too involved, but I think the problem was -- is it sand or is it a loose impediment? You can't remove sand and you can remove loose impediments.

Q. Obviously there's a lot of talk about the British Open because it's next week and there's a spot available from this tournament, but based on the shirt you're wearing, it looks like you're ready for the PGA Championship. Can you talk about that relationship and are you giving guys advice on Whistling Straits?

TED PURDY: Yeah, Herb is -- wanting to talk about advice, Herb Kohler he's talking about, my sponsor. My sponsor is Herb Kohler. First, my relationship with Herb Kohler is I played with him two years ago in the AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He's played 20 years in a row and he's never made the cut, and we're going to make the cut as a team, and I'm about Top 10, I just shot 67 at Spyglass, and we got done, we were so excited, we turned the card in, we wake up in the morning and we're disqualified because I didn't sign the card.

At the time, Herb, he's pretty upset because he spent $70,000 on a corporate tent and $10,000 to get in the tournament and whatever else, he's flying a bunch of people in, and I got him disqualified from the tournament because I didn't sign his card.

So I get a call this year at AT & T, right before AT & T, I get this call, and it's this friendly old guy, and he says, "Ted, I want you to play with me again. We almost made the cut, let's do it again." So Herb called me and wanted to play with me again, and we played this year and we missed the cut again, but we had a chance. I signed the card. I got him through three rounds, which is good, and at the end of the day, he put his big old hand on my chest, and he says, "I want to sponsor you. I want the bold look of Kohler on your shirt, and the negotiations took two seconds." I gave him a number, and he said that's fine.

Q. Have you played up there, though? Have you played Whistling Straits or any of those courses?

TED PURDY: I've actually had the open invitation and I haven't had a chance to get up there yet. I need to play well to qualify for the PGA. I'm not currently qualified for the PGA, which is another huge goal for me because I'll stay with Herb, and my sponsor, I need to play in his golf tournament.

I'm currently 75th on the -- they take the Money List from PGA to PGA. I'm currently 75th on that Money List, and they take the top 70.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: But if they have to fill the field they'll continue down that list.

TED PURDY: Currently I'm not in the top 70, which would get me into Kohler's tournament, which is a huge goal for me. Winning a golf tournament and everything else, but I need to play well in the next four weeks to earn my spot into Herb's tournament up at Whistling Straits, the PGA.

Q. Coming back to today, does your wife often talk to you during your round?

A. Yeah. I mean, she's a great support. I don't know if that's illegal or anything, but she blows kisses and things (laughter). She's just a great -- she's a competitor, and there are a lot of guys' wives out here that are almost more competitive than the guys in some situations. She's a real positive gal, and I'm lucky to have her. She could tell I was frustrated and she thought it would help, and she told me not to give up. She just told me, "You never know when something good is going to happen, keep playing hard." And I had a great run after she said that.

Sometimes your wife says something that makes you madder, but in this situation it was great.

Q. What happened on No. 9?

TED PURDY: I pulled my drive. I hadn't missed really a drive all day, and I pulled it left in the long rough and had no chance of getting it -- advancing it. The rough was so deep, and I could only advance it with a sand wedge down the fairway, and then I hit another sand wedge to about ten feet and just missed the putt, misread the putt.

Q. What family ties do you have? Do you have some family ties here?

TED PURDY: My uncle, Gerry Huiskamp, he owns the Blackhawk State Bank, and I see his face on billboards around here, and he's a coach of baseball, so he's a competitor, too. He coaches the high school team in legion ball and stuff like that. He's a good coach.

Q. Do you get back here to see him much?

TED PURDY: Really just during this tournament and other family reunions where I'm not playing a golf tournament. But I'm staying with him here in Rock Island, and he's just a competitor. He's a great guy, and it's always good to have family around.

Q. Your mother's brother?

TED PURDY: My mother's brother, yes.

Q. Greg didn't know there was a British Open spot available here. First of all, were you aware?

TED PURDY: Yeah, there is.

Q. If you find out Sunday you're in the British Open, how do you deal with that?

TED PURDY: You fly into the British Open (laughter). Even if I have to charter a plane, I'm there. I'll call Herb. He'll give me a ride over (laughter).

Q. Is that a competitive disadvantage?

TED PURDY: To show up -- no, because Vijay is playing. He's here. Of course he's got a big plane. He'll sleep all the way there and he'll be on the tee Monday morning.

Q. Maybe he'll give you a ride (laughter).

TED PURDY: Yeah. If we beat him he might not. If I beat Vijay I'm sure I've played well and I can buy my own ticket (laughter).

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Can we go through your birdies and bogeys, starting on 10?

TED PURDY: I birdied one hole on the back, and I can't remember which one it was. 14, I hit it right down the middle of the fairway and I hit a 9-iron to ten feet and made the putt.

Then I birdied 1, hit a 3-wood off the tee and a wedge to six, seven feet, made the putt.

Then I birdied the next hole, 2, hit a driver and a 5-wood down the middle of the green, two-putted for birdie.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: How long was that two-putt?

TED PURDY: 40 feet.

Then birdied 3, the par 3. I hit a 4-iron to ten feet under the hole, made the putt.

Then I parred 4.

Then I birdied 5, I think -- no, 6. I hit a 5-wood off the tee and a sand wedge to 15 feet, made the putt.

Then I birdied 7, which is probably the hardest hole on the golf course. I hit a 5-wood, par 3 to pin high left, which was an impossible shot to get there. I don't know how I got it there. It went straight uphill, made the putt.

Q. How long?

TED PURDY: Probably 20 feet.

Then I birdied 8, hit a driver right down the middle of the fairway and I hit a 9-iron to ten feet left of the pin, made the putt.

Then I bogeyed 9 by missing the fairway.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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