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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2016

J.R. Roth

Benton Harbor, Michigan

Q. Talk about your consistency, first of all.
J.R. ROTH: Well, coming into the tournament -- first of all, this is my whole year coming here, playing here, and coming back.

I got some putting help from Gary Robinson that really helped me out the other day. I've been playing good, I've been kind of shooting for this event. I played some early tournaments back west and so this was, I was gearing up for this event. But I wasn't putting very well.

And so Gary took a look at me the other day and we made a couple of adjustments in the ball position and the way I release the putter and it just all clicked, I started making some putts and I've been playing good. So, just, when I start putting good, then I can really score.

But this is a little bit of a surprise, just because I haven't been playing very well. It feels great.

Q. You guys slowed down on the last hole. Was there a play through?
J.R. ROTH: On 7. Yeah, Greg hit it into the hazard and it plugged and he had the rules official come over there a couple times and so we let the group behind us go through.

Q. A couple highlights you felt from the round that held it together for you today.
J.R. ROTH: I got a bad break on our back nine, I think it was 14. It was impossible up-and-down. I didn't make an up-and-down there. So I made a bogey.

But then I birdied the next hole, par-5, and really the key was birdieing 17 and 18 coming in. Because I had bogeyed 17 yesterday and I parred 18.

But I hit a terrific shot into 17 with a hybrid and made probably a 15, 20-footer kind of down the hill.

Then I hit another terrific hybrid, kind of carved one in a little left-to-right behind the hole about 15 feet. And that went in.

So, that was really kind of the turning point I think in the round was 17 and 18 where those holes coming in, you can pick up on.

Q. And when you finished on the front side, was there anything that held you in particular?
J.R. ROTH: I made a nice birdie on 7 where he had that issue. I hit a really nice 8-iron that kind of came off the hill down to about four or five feet.

Then I made a terrific birdie on No. 6, up the hill.

Q. How far?
J.R. ROTH: I had like about 160 to the flag, I hit a 7-iron in there about, oh, about 15, 20 feet again. And made it. That was great.

Q. The history of this event is, it's a chance for people to make dreams come true, wherever you are, they come out of all places. Do you know this place, this is your homeland, so to speak?
J.R. ROTH: Well I missed the cut here in 2012 by one and I actually thought I was going to make the cut. I bogeyed the last hole, had a really long shot in there and kind of bailed out left and then I had nothing.

I made bogey there and when I got in the scoring area I knew I missed the cut by one. That was kind of shooting myself there.

But my No. 1 goal was to play the weekend here. It gets me re-qualified for the Senior Club Pro, because I finished ninth last year and they only talk the top eight. So, by making the cut here, that's an exemption into the Senior Club Pro.

Then, of course, being able to play the weekend and I brought a bunch of my members from San Juan Country Club, so we're all camping out at a house that I rented near by and so it's going to be a great weekend.

Q. Is it easy for you to come back here and play or hard because of the distractions?
J.R. ROTH: It's not hard at all. It's fun. I love the heat, I love feeling a little bit uncomfortable, because out west we don't sweat at all. It can be 95 degrees and you just don't sweat.

But I've probably been away just long enough so that there aren't that many distractions, if you know what I mean. But it still feels like home. I mean, the turf, the greens -- and this golf course sets up well for me because the big hitters have no advantage. Because there's just enough doglegs and there's not enough length to really make it significant.

There's a couple shots that require some length, like that number 7 up the hill there. And I caught a break there. I must have caught a little bit of the down slope, because the tee was back 40 yards and I hit it past where I hit it yesterday off the tee. And I just kind of carved it right around the bunkers. I had less club today into that hole than I did yesterday and we were 40 yards up.

Q. How much do you get a chance to play back there?
J.R. ROTH: Often enough. The Sun Country Section isn't as small as the Michigan Section. So I only play in the Senior Open and the Senior PGA and the regular PGA. I don't go around and chase it around. It's just too far to travel.

Q. Your background, on total years in Michigan. Because you were born in Wisconsin, right?
J.R. ROTH: Born in Wisconsin, but really from Michigan, because we moved to Michigan in 1970. So I was 13 when we moved.

And then we moved away for the 2010 golf season, so, you know, I lived in Michigan for 40 years, right?

It's great coming home and great seeing old buddies.

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