VOLVO PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 23, 2003

Robert Rock

ROBERT ROCK: A little surprised to be in here, I know that. I played nicely today. I'm very, very happy with where I am on the leaderboard. Just hope I can keep playing the same sort of golf for the next two days.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, I didn't putt very well at the Benson and Hedges, but started off nicely after holing some good, long putts. The rest of the game stayed the same. Once the putting was okay, I was fine, I think. I was watching the leaderboard quite a lot today, so quite aware of how I was doing. Let it slip, halfway around, went back to 4-under, but I did that quite a lot at the Benson and Hedges. I'd get go a few under par and then let it slip back to level and then was determined to try to keep moving under par.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, I does. I think I would have been the leader if I had got to nine or ten but it was a surprise to have a putt to try to tie the leader. I had a good putt there, actually. Just went by the edge.

ROBERT ROCK: About ten foot, maybe 11. Haven't made much use of the par 5s so far this week. Plan was to hopefully birdie most of the par 5s but haven't done that at all. Parred 17 with a really poor chip and not a great pitch on the last. Should really make more of those.

ROBERT ROCK: This is.

ROBERT ROCK: I'm playing with a good friend, Adam, McCandless, he's been caddying for me. He's been fantastic. I've known Chris Orr for a few years as well, he's from the Midland region. On the course, apart from the spectators and TV, it felt a little bit like a normal game. It was nice to play with some people you know. He was very supportive, as well, as we were going around. He was struggling a little bit, so that was very nice of him.

ROBERT ROCK: Not really, no. I think they were mainly following Martin Thompson because he's a local. Same group of people as yesterday, really.

ROBERT ROCK: I really don't know. I don't know whether I'll be out again for a tournament or not. I haven't got a tour card. I'm relying on invitations.

ROBERT ROCK: More than likely, yeah. I think so.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, I thought if I had an opportunity to play in enough events, I might be able to win enough money to get me straight to the final stage of Tour School.

ROBERT ROCK: A little bit of teaching. Mainly just playing Midland region tournaments, just Pro-Ams and the odd mini-Tour event, one or two-day tournament.

ROBERT ROCK: Did I have something planned? What, other than being here? No. (Laughter.)

ROBERT ROCK: Played the Benson & Hedges last year and the English Open. Missed five cuts. Got a taste of what it's like to play at the big tournaments, didn't play very well.

ROBERT ROCK: I had two practice rounds through the winter.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, me and Adam came down just to have a look around. Obviously watched it a lot on TV over the years, but had not played it. I think we were here for January or February, just a couple of practice rounds.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah.

ROBERT ROCK: I won on Midland Professionals.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah. I won the British York Course Championship, but that was maybe three years ago now, at Alcott Hall, near that way.

ROBERT ROCK: About two and a half thousand.

ROBERT ROCK: Don't know. (Laughter.) What do you call okay? I'm not in debt.

ROBERT ROCK: I've seen some nice ones. (Laughter.) No. Not at all.

ROBERT ROCK: I think in 1998 and '99. I didn't get through stage one. I wasn't good enough for that one so I thought I would wait until I thought I was somewhere near good enough to have another go. It's quite expensive to have a go at Tour School. You can't try that too many times and fail.

ROBERT ROCK: I've worked a lot on my short game and that's why I was disappointed in the last two holes here; four chips to finish up. My chipping has gotten a lot better. I wouldn't say it's very good now but it's maybe average.

ROBERT ROCK: The driving is probably the best part of the game now, driver and long irons.

ROBERT ROCK: Oh, I couldn't tell you. I haven't really been doing the stats.

ROBERT ROCK: Just gone through the PGA chain and qualified two or three years ago.

ROBERT ROCK: I was an assistant at English Field. Worked for Adam who is caddying for me, now at the Swingers Golf Centre in English Field.

ROBERT ROCK: 26.

ROBERT ROCK: Sports?

ROBERT ROCK: No.

ROBERT ROCK: Just a few friends that moved into where I lived. Our families played golf and just started with them. They took me to the local courses. I was probably about 11 or 12.

ROBERT ROCK: Four or five.

ROBERT ROCK: When I was 18. I was 18 and I turned pro shortly after that.

ROBERT ROCK: I played a lot of county juniors for Stratfordshire. I didn't play on the first tee much.

ROBERT ROCK: It's a driving range, nine-hole golf course, par 3 course, three or four teaching pros there, all good friends with them.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, I don't do as much teaching as the other guys. Three of the guys that teach there teach nearly full-time there. They play, similar sort of thing.

ROBERT ROCK: A mixture of myself and a few of the friends that I work with. Adam, who caddies for me, he used to be the assistant pro at the club where I started, so he's known my game for a long time. And I have a friend, Taylor, at Swingers, not one particular person.

ROBERT ROCK: I had a quick look but didn't really want to finish off bogey, so I got a difficult pitch and some putting left to do so you can't really afford to look at it for too long.

ROBERT ROCK: Tomorrow? Probably not as nervous as this, no.

ROBERT ROCK: I didn't really have any at the start of the year. Having played quite well at the Benson and Hedges, I thought that Top-10 sounds lovely. So maybe I can change that.

ROBERT ROCK: Not much.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, I'm staying just around the corner.

ROBERT ROCK: It's a public hotel type thing, just through the traffic lights out here. Wheatsheaf, yeah.

ROBERT ROCK: Don't know. Haven't had the bill yet. Not sure. I guess about 100 pounds, something like that.

ROBERT ROCK: A little bit, yeah.

ROBERT ROCK: It's okay once you start hitting balls and you connect with a few, okay. Then you settle down a little bit.

ROBERT ROCK: I know a few, and I was lucky enough to play with Seve on Tuesday, so that was nice. A few of the guys I played with in events last year and at the Benson & Hedges, they have been nice to me.

ROBERT ROCK: Just good luck, really. He was very good on Tuesday. It was nice to play with him. Watched him hit a lot of shots around the greens and that was very useful. I was very captive watching when he was playing around the greens.

ROBERT ROCK: Hope so.

ROBERT ROCK: Not really.

ROBERT ROCK: No, I'm just attached there through the PGA. You have to have an attachment to play the regional PGA events. I'm just attached there and do a little bit of teaching.

ROBERT ROCK: I had a decent check at Benson and Hedges, just a few mini-Tour events. I haven't added it up. I don't know. I don't really know.

ROBERT ROCK: Eagled the 4th with a drive and a 5-iron to about a 25 or 30-foot putt. Then I birdied the 5th straight after. That was a 4-iron to about two feet. That was nice. Bogeyed the 7th. Parred 8 and 9. Bogeyed 10 with an awful chip shot with an attempt that was really poor. Birdied 12. Birdied 15 and 16. 15 was about ten feet and 16 was a bit long, it was about 30 feet. That was quite nice. Didn't really expect that one.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, you've got two easy par 5s. I suppose I could have birdied both of those and that puts me in the lead, but I'll take 7, that's good for today I think.

ROBERT ROCK: Yeah, I hit a really good drive and a good 4-iron. It was pretty much right on line with the middle of the flag, straight down the line with the trees in back and it ran through the back of the green. Then chipped it up to ten feet which. Then my drive through 18 ran through the bunker so that took out much of a chance of a birdie. Made a good pitch and a putt for that.