home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BOB HOPE CHRYSLER CLASSIC

January 22, 2006

Chad Campbell

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome 2006 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic CHAMPION, Chad Campbell. Must have been something about that Classic Club, the new course and Chad Campbell, the initials going this week Chad.

CHAD CAMPBELL: There you go.

TODD BUDNICK: Congratulations on your third career victory. Talk about how tough of a day it was out there for your whole group.

CHAD CAMPBELL: It was, it was tough. Our group, John started off well. He got it to a couple under early and me and Scott kind of struggled, hit some bad shots. I was able to finish off the front nine pretty good with a birdie and an eagle and hit a really bad shot on 10. That kind of started a couple rough holes for me, 10 and 13, hit it in the water on 13 and probably the best shot I've hit in a while was the bunker shot on 13 after I knocked it in the water.

I think that kind of saved the round and gave me a little momentum going. I was able to make a couple of birdies coming down the stretch.

TODD BUDNICK: Chad, runner-up last week. A win in your second week. Is 2006 the Year of Chad?

CHAD CAMPBELL: I hope so. We're off to a good start. Definitely happy with the way things are going this week. Nice to come back after the way things worked out last Sunday, to come out today and get the job done.

TODD BUDNICK: Eight of your nine rounds in the 60s this year, at this tournament alone, I think all but one round under par. Talk about particularly this tournament and how well you played.

CHAD CAMPBELL: You know, I felt like I played really well this week. I hit a lot of good shots. I hit the ball really close and made the putts when I needed to. You really took advantage of the par 5s. I don't know exactly what I was for the par 5s for the week, but I think it was pretty good.

I think that's crucial out here on these courses. You can really build momentum from a lot of the par 5s that are reachable in two, so even if you don't make eagle, you can make easy birdies, 2-putt birdies. Really keeps you going, keeps your round going or gets it started. That was nice to be able to take advantage of them and that was the key for me.

Q. There were some people that were making runs, but no one really got to where like they were taking the lead from you. Was there a time where you felt like you were a little in trouble?

CHAD CAMPBELL: You know what, obviously when I'm hitting those shots like 10, when I hit that shot on 10, I knew I had a little bit of a lead. I watch the scoreboard. I like to know what's going on out there.

Then on 13, you just kind of shake your head when you hit a shot like that. That hole played totally different than it did the other day. That wasn't the line I was taking. I pulled that. The 6-iron I hit out of the bunker was what saved the whole day.

Q. In the middle stretch of holes, you made a couple of longest-par putts, I think you made an 11-footer, a 7- and a 12-footer at 11 to save par, and then you make the bogey putt at 13, in addition to the 32-foot eagle putt. Your putting obviously saved you threw out the day.

CHAD CAMPBELL: It did. I keep talking about the 6-iron that I hit. I guess it would not have been that good if I didn't make a putt.

You know, making those par putts, that's what it's about on Sunday. You know, a lot of times you don't have your best game. You've just got to grind it out.

I was definitely happy with the way that I did that today.

Q. On 13, did you underestimate the wind on your first tee shot? And also, when you hit your second into the bunker, what was going through your head?

CHAD CAMPBELL: You know what, I did a little bit. But I saw where Scott's drive ended up and it was quite a bit back. Generally, I hit it a little bit further than Scott. You know, I was surprised how far back his was. I was aiming -- I thought the second ball would carry up there. The second ball was on the line I was trying to hit it on. You know, it really wasn't even close. So obviously I underestimated the wind a little bit.

Q. You mentioned the fatigue; five-day tournament, of course the last day, the first day, the wind started kicking up, but did it seem to be going on and on out there for a while?

CHAD CAMPBELL: It's a long week. It's a long, hard week. The first day -- after the second round I had the lead, I believe. The first day I was in second.

So it's a long time to have the lead and think about it a little bit. You know, just honestly glad to be in here, glad it's over. It wasn't the prettiest day out there for me today, but like I said, I grinded it out.

Q. How much was last week in your head coming into today? Obviously what happened, did you think you were going to have to do the same thing today to win?

CHAD CAMPBELL: You know what, I was a little surprised -- I shot 1-under, right? I don't even know sometimes. I shot 1-under, and to be able to win shooting 1-under on Sunday doesn't happen too often. So to be able to do that, I was surprised a little bit.

I was thinking if I shot about 4-under, it would be tough for anybody to catch me, is what I was thinking.

Q. What is it, Scott birdied the first hole.

CHAD CAMPBELL: Right.

Q. So you're tied and you're just plugging along with some pars. Were you starting to get a little concerned?

CHAD CAMPBELL: I was trying to stay patient. But you get a little -- it's hard not to get ahead of yourself a little bit and get frustrated.

You know, I hit some good shots there at the first. I hit it 15 feet or so. You try not to think about it. You try to just control what you're doing. I didn't really have a set number like 4-under. I just wanted to take care of my own business and keep making birdies like I had all week.

You know, it didn't work out that way for me, but I adjusted and dealt with what I had.

Q. Previous to today, you've had some chances, taken the lead into the final day and you haven't been all that successful finishing off the deal. Do you think you found something for the future? Obviously you did well today.

CHAD CAMPBELL: I think more than anything, just the ability for me to go out there and grind it out and mentally stay in the game. Even hitting those bad shots, to come back -- I keep going back to 13, that was such a crucial hole to be able to hit that shot. That was a very difficult shot out of that bunker.

To be able to hit that shot, make the putt and go to the next hole, hit it right down the middle and make birdie, I believe, and birdied the next two. Actually, to be able to do that, that just gives me a lot of confidence in the final rounds.

Q. You're back in the winner's circle for the first time in almost two years. Chris DiMarco earlier today ends a victory drought of almost four. I think the two of you put a huge smile on Tom Lehman's face.

CHAD CAMPBELL: I think that's definitely my goal. Me and him have talked about it a lot. Me and him talked about it last year after the Presidents Cup was over. Obviously he's a little more, I don't know how to say it, vibrant about his play. You know, you can see his emotion. A lot of times you can't see how excited I am to be on a team like that, and, you know, that was a huge goal for me, and I know it was a huge goal for him.

Hopefully, I can keep up the good play and be on that team. It means a lot to me.

Q. This is an old story. Did you actually work in a coffee shop to make money; is that true?

CHAD CAMPBELL: No. It's not true. (Laughter).

Q. Who wrote that? Did Todd write that?

CHAD CAMPBELL: It's kind of true.

Q. What's the story on that?

CHAD CAMPBELL: In college, my major was hotel restaurant management. So my senior year, for four or five hours in the morning, it was like the forum of -- I don't know the correct word, where a lot of classrooms are, like the main area where everybody walks through, we sold like bagels and stuff like that. That's where that came from. And that's my coach that brought that out.

Q. Did you make any money doing that?

CHAD CAMPBELL: No, it was...

Q. It was part of your schoolwork?

CHAD CAMPBELL: It was a class, three or four hours credit or something like that.

Q. You played one round here in pretty good conditions and one round today in a little windier conditions. You said 13 played completely different. How different did the golf course play with just a little bit of breeze out there -- or not just a little. It was pretty strong.

CHAD CAMPBELL: It played a lot different and obviously the pins were a lot harder today.

When the amateurs were out there with us, a lot of times they have the pins -- you know, they will have them a little bit further from the edges, six, maybe seven from the edges. You get out there today and they are more like three, four-ish from the edges and that's just to help the Amateurs out. That's why we shoot such good scores the first few days - you get pins close to the middle of the green, easier, more accessible pins.

Today, you look at the back, I mean, offhand, you start on 9, that's probably one of the toughest pin placements out here, to get it back into the back left. Probably front right would have been harder today.

You take 10 back right, that's the hardest pin on that green.

11, that's the hardest pin on that green.

12, that's the hardest pin on that green. So you've got to see what I'm saying --

Q. No mercy for you?

CHAD CAMPBELL: Which is fine. That's the way it's supposed to be. We're supposed to be the best players in the world, so we ought to be able to handle it.

Q. What could you see from the bunker on 13? Could you see the pin? Tell us about what you were looking at and what you were thinking about. What you would like to do on that besides put it to six feet.

CHAD CAMPBELL: I couldn't see anything. I could see the top of this huge green tower, and that was about 30 yards left of where I needed to aim, and that was it.

So you know, I really wasn't thinking anything. I was a little upset right then. So I got in there, I just wanted to hit it solid. You know you're on the upslope and the wind is coming right at you. So we had 143 yards; I hit 6-iron. I usually hit 6-iron, 180, 185 yards. The ball is going just straight up and you're hitting it right up into the wind. If you can't tell, I was pretty happy with that shot (laughter).

Q. You mentioned DiMarco and how he's kind of an emotional guy, you can tell when he's excited. How does anybody know when you're excited?

CHAD CAMPBELL: I'm excited right now. (Laughter).

When I win, I get excited. I don't know. I just don't show it. You know, people have different ways of showing it. DiMarco gets fired up and that's great. You know, he's a great guy to have on like a Ryder Cup Team, get the crowd pumped up. It's just not really -- I'm not comfortable being that way, pumping my fist and doing all that. It's not really my personality. Everybody's different. I guess that's what makes everything so fun.

TODD BUDNICK: Let's go through your round, starting with the bogey on 6.

CHAD CAMPBELL: I hit a 4-iron left and had a pretty tough chip. Chipped it to 10, 15 feet probably and missed it.

8, hit driver, 9-iron to about 15, 18 feet, 15 feet.

9, hit driver, 7-iron to, what did somebody say, 35 feet, is that right?

Q. 32. ShotLink.

CHAD CAMPBELL: They know. They know.

10, really didn't hit a good tee shot to start with. I hit 3-wood off that tee, just because water kind of juts out. I hit 6-iron, I was aiming left and just blocked it over at the pin. Dropped my ball and chipped it past and it was a nightmare hole for me. It was about a 20-footer I had for par I think.

13, we went through 13 a little bit, haven't we? I hit driver, both times.

TODD BUDNICK: How far was that putt?

CHAD CAMPBELL: The putt was probably six feet, six, eight feet.

14, driver, 3-iron, sand wedge to probably 20 feet.

15, I hit 5-iron off the tee and 60-degree wedge to ten feet.

16, got it up-and-down, hit a really bad iron shot there. Hit a good chip to about a foot.

Q. First ball on 13, how shy of dry land was that?

CHAD CAMPBELL: Oh, me to the wall probably, this wall, ten feet.

Q. Second ball, how close to the lip?

CHAD CAMPBELL: Probably about the same distance.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Chad. Congratulations.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297