Q. Talk about defending a championship. Are you surprised how well you're doing right now? It would seem tougher to come back and win it two years in a row.
LOREN ROBERTS: It doesn't surprise me. I feel comfortable here and I like the golf course. That's one of the big things for players. If they play well at certain golf courses, if you feel comfortable, you feel comfortable in the community, you like where you stay, you're going to play good, you're going to have a positive outlook. I've felt that way since we moved to this golf course.
Q. Do you like where you are right now and you have a strong weekend in front of you?
LOREN ROBERTS: Yes. I've hit a lot of solid shots. I didn't make as many putts today as I did yesterday. I had a couple of up-and-downs that I should have made. They were easy up-and-downs, but I couldn't do it. I'm hitting the ball good, and my speed control is good on the greens. I haven't come close to 3-putting. I'm looking forward to a good weekend. It's going to be a shoot-out this week. There are going to be a lot of guys up there close.
Q. Cameron Beckman is a local guy and he's playing with pain and doing pretty well. Can you comment on that?
LOREN ROBERTS: I'm unaware of any injuries he's got or anything. I watched him last week. He had a real chance to win and he had a tough Sunday, but obviously he's playing well. He's at home. He's going to be one of the guys to beat because he's local and sleeping in his own bed. That's worth a couple of shots.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You started on the front side with a birdie on the par 5.
LOREN ROBERTS: I hit two pretty good woods this morning in the rain and had to hit an 8-iron hit to eight feet and made birdie.
2-putted the next hole. I missed the green left on 3. I had a pretty easy up-and-down, and hit a poor chip and left it about 5 feet short and missed the putt.
I think what really got me going on the front nine, on 5, had a good drive, hit a 4-iron in there today, and almost knocked it in the hole. I hit it about a foot for a tap in and that got me going.
The only long putt I made, I made about a 30-footer right of the hole for birdie.
Next hole, hit it in there about 10 feet behind the hole, I hit a sand wedge, and made a birdie there. And hit a pitching wedge about two feet for a tap in there.
Missed a couple of real makeable birdie putts on the next two holes, and then made that bogey on 11, which kind of derailed me there.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: What did you do?
LOREN ROBERTS: Hit a driver, 9-iron, caught it a little fat on the fairway, I was only 15 feet from the hole and couldn't get it up and down.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: 17, you hit it to about four feet?
LOREN ROBERTS: Four feet with a 5-iron there, tapped it in.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Nice way to end the day.
LOREN ROBERTS: Yes, it was.
Q. Can you comment on the difference in the way 14 played this year as compared to last year?
LOREN ROBERTS: The par 5?
Q. Yes.
LOREN ROBERTS: We played it as a par 5 last year. The year before it was a par 4. I would much rather play the 10th hole as a par 4 than play 14 as a par 4. It's such a tough tee shot there as a par 4 with the tee up. It really narrows down in there, for a par 4. If you don't drive it in the fairway, you just can't think about even going at the green or can't get it up near the green. I like it as a par 5 a whole lot better than a par 4.
Q. Did your wife travel with you again this year?
LOREN ROBERTS: Yes, she's here.
Q. What has she been enjoying? Did you go out to dinner?
LOREN ROBERTS: She's been enjoying the great room they gave us as defending champion at the hotel. That's what she's been enjoying.
Q. During media day you talked about how much she enjoys coming down here and going to restaurants. Is she enjoying shopping and going to restaurants?
LOREN ROBERTS: She's going to ask you what's your choice of good Mexican food around here. We get a different opinion from everybody. We're going to try them all.
End of FastScripts.
