MICHELOB CHAMPIONSHIP AT KINGSMILL

October 3, 2002

Loren Roberts

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: We'll go ahead and get started. Thank you, Loren, for spending a few minutes with us today. Obviously you're the first person in here this afternoon, so maybe you could share the conditions with us. It looks like you're starting off where you ended last week, in the pressroom.

LOREN ROBERTS: I played really good the first nine holes and shot four under on the backside, didn't miss a shot. I made one bogey on the front nine and made a couple of good saves after that, but I played very well today, made some good putts when I had to. Every time I hit it close I made it, so the real key to the round for me was -- the key was getting it up and down from about 68 yards on 9 for par. I feel like I kind of got away with one there a little bit and kept the momentum going.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Questions?

Q. It seems like a lot of guys are putting up low numbers, but almost everybody has at least one bogey on the board. Sounds like the rough is pretty nasty.

LOREN ROBERTS: If you drive it in the fairway you're basically wedging out. I drove it in the rough on 4 today and was able to get a 7-iron out but only hit it about 140 yards, but it's very penal. On the other hand, around the greens, you know, you have so many elevated greens here, with the rough that deep it tends to keep the ball closer to the edge of the green, too, so I think around the greens it makes it a little easier; the ball doesn't run away from you.

Q. How much is last week just impacting your game?

LOREN ROBERTS: Obviously I'm swinging well and I went out and swung well today, too. I got a little tired the last nine, too. I'm probably letting down a little bit in the heat, but I like the way I'm playing, and this is a new week and I feel like I'm kind of starting all over again.

Q. Did you think that winning was possible again?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, I thought I could if I could get it all together. I feel like I've really hit the ball well all year. I had a little stretch through Florida that I didn't play particularly well, but other than that I've hit the ball really solid all year. I haven't holed a whole lot of putts.

Q. That's unusual for you.

LOREN ROBERTS: That's usually a strength for me. I switched Rossa models. I putted with a different model this year and I switched about the 1st of September to a different model and I've been making some putts. My speed control has been very good. I think that's why I won last week is I putted well and I struck the ball very well.

Q. When you switch a putter like that, is that more up here or is there actually a technical thing involved?

LOREN ROBERTS: I wanted to look at something different, you know, and I've been struggling with my speed a little bit off and on, so I wanted to try something different and I put it in and it felt good and it worked good and it's in the bag for a month. It's a confidence thing. That's all it is. It's really just a confidence deal.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Go through his round? All right, your birdies and bogey.

LOREN ROBERTS: We started on the back nine and I started off hitting a 5-iron in there probably 18 feet from the hole and knocked it in for birdie.

Then probably hit it about eight feet at the next hole, made birdie there, so I started off two quick birdies.

I had to lay up on the par 5, 15, and I hit pitching wedge in there from 100 yards, probably about 15 feet behind the hole, made that for birdie.

I hit it about eight feet just a little short and right of the hole on 17 and made that for birdie.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: What club did you use?

LOREN ROBERTS: I hit a 6-iron there. Then I hit it in there probably six feet, making the turn, made it for birdie.

The only bogey was the bogey at 2, and I hit a good shot there, it just didn't hop up on the green. It was just in the fringe. I had a little 8-iron pitch-and-run. I thought about putting it but didn't, and I left it about ten feet short and missed the putt. It was a very stupid bogey really. Then the next birdie I went for the green in two at 7 and thought I just knocked my second shot right in the hole and it came about a yard short, stayed right in the rough there. I chipped it about six inches from the hole for my last birdie of the day.

Q. How key is it when your confidence is wherever it is to start off with two birdies?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, I mean, that set up the whole round. I mean, I hit it about ten feet at the 12th hole, missed the putt, gosh, felt like I had wasted one even though I got off to such a great start. Your confidence gets going and you feel like you're just fairway, green, putt, birdie every hole, which is what I did last week. Hopefully I'll just keep it going.

Q. Do you allow yourself to say this is going to be a great day after two or three holes?

LOREN ROBERTS: No. This golf course with the rough, if you just drive it out of the fairway there's a pretty good chance you're going to make bogey unless you're very good up and down from 30 or 40 yards because I don't think you're going to get it on the green if you drive it in the rough.

Q. Is that how you got in trouble on 9?

LOREN ROBERTS: I drove it in the right-hand bunker. I had a pretty good shot out of the right-hand bunker and probably could have knocked it on the green but I hit it a little heavy and then knocked it on the green.

Q. How long a putt did you make?

LOREN ROBERTS: I hit it about a foot and a half from the hole.

JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Thank you, Loren, for joining us.

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