Q. Is there any way for you to just give us maybe a cliffnotes version of your journey, how hard it was on you to get here.
CHAD CAMPBELL: It was tough. Playing the Hooter's Tour, I assume that's what you're getting at, my whole professional career. Playing that Tour it wasn't too bad. I had a lot of success out there. It wasn't like I had no money and just playing on my last dollar or anything like that. I had success out there. I just wasn't able to get through TOUR school, wasn't able to get through second stage. And it's tough. I got a lot of friends going through it right now. That's not any fun. It's fun once you get through it, but doing it is tough.
Q. As good as you are, why couldn't you get through the second stage?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Well, thanks, but, I don't know.
Q. Not sure how I meant that. Did you put a lot of pressure on yourself? Was it just nerve wracking from the first tee or what?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Well, I don't know why. It's a weird thing. I think that there's a lot of luck involved in it. You've got to be playing good for basically two months in and you're only playing three competitive tournaments during that time. It's not like you're playing week in, week out. So it's kind of tough to keep your game sharp during that time. I always made it through first stage. But second stage, I think that was always the hardest. It doesn't get all the hype, but I think it's the hardest stage.
Q. How many times was it for you?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Five, I believe. Five. I think.
Q. When did you finally get through?
CHAD CAMPBELL: '96 through 2000 was my first year on Nationwide.
Q. Did you ever get through the second stage?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah. I got to the finals one other time. And finished -- didn't get full exempt on the Nationwide, and had money to play the Hooter's Tour again. Some incentive. So I chose to go back there and play.
Q. You talked about respect. Earlier this year you did win some poll with the players that got you on the magazine cover and stuff. Did that surprise you? How did you take that?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Any time you get something like that that's nominated or filled out by your peers or your peers nominate you as being that player, that's always obviously a nice thing to get, you feel like you have a little bit of respect from the other players. And it was a little bit surprising. It was definitely a compliment.
Q. Speaking of peers, Tiger or Vijay?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I need to see all the stats first.
Q. Chicken. Following up on that question, guys out here are saying -- when we ask them about you -- are saying some really complimentary things. Chris Riley says you're going to dominate this TOUR, top-10 player in the world. Vijay Singh says this is not the last you're going to see of Chad Campbell. Does that make you uncomfortable to hear that? You're a pretty shy guy.
CHAD CAMPBELL: Not really. I don't know if Riley is all that serious anyway. Coming from Vijay, that -- coming from both of them it means a lot. Me and Riley go back a long ways. We're always pulling for each other. So it's just nice to hear people say that about you.
Q. Do you own a Hawaiian shirt or anything?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Do I own a Hawaiian shirt?
Q. We're talking about all the playing and things like that.
CHAD CAMPBELL: No, probably not. I don't think so.
Q. Anything loud?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Nothing.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Chad, let's go through your birdies and bogeys today and then we'll take a couple more questions. No. 2.
CHAD CAMPBELL: Okay. 2, hit driver, 8-iron to probably 10 feet.
5, driver, 5-iron to 40 feet. 2-putt.
8, 6-iron to 15, 18 feet somewhere in there.
Eagle on 9, driver, 5-iron to 15 feet.
Bogey on 11, drove it in the left rough, hit 6-iron and it rolled down off the side of the green and didn't get it up-and-down from there.
13, drove it just in the right rough. Just chipped a 9-iron down the fairway and hit sand wedge to about three feet.
Bogey on 14, I hit a bad tee shot down there with a 3-wood. I was trying to hit something, hit a 6-iron and run it up around the trees and it hit some branches and chipped it up and missed the putt. Chipped up to 10 feet and missed the putt.
17, I drove it down the middle of the fairway, actually with 3-wood. And hit a bad 5-iron just short right of the green. Actually I was off the green. But I putted it. 3-putted it or whatever you want to call it.
Q. West Texas isn't a real hot bed for players making it on the PGA TOUR, is it?
CHAD CAMPBELL: No.
Q. Could you talk a little bit about your roots, Andrews, right?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah.
Q. What kind of course you played, and how did you get here? How did you get so good coming from a place that doesn't have a lot of places to play?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I don't know. Andrews Country Club is, it's a good little golf course. There's only probably 10,000 people in that town. So when they have got a good, good little 18 hole golf course there. They have got a great high school program and junior high program, just had a lot of success there. And actually had a lot of good players come out of there, but you probably haven't heard of any of them. But a lot of local, good players.
Q. Wasn't sand greens, was it?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Who?
Q. It wasn't sand greens, was it?
CHAD CAMPBELL: No. Not oil either. And it was just great growing up out there, playing, getting to play in a lot of different conditions. The majority of the time it's pretty windy. So you get to learn a lot of different shots, how to hit the ball in the wind. I think that's definitely an advantage growing up, learning how to hit those different shots, hitting it, keeping it down under the wind. Turning it back into the wind. Holding it against the wind. Just little things like that, that you know just kind of come second nature to me. I think that's nice. Not saying that they're hard to learn, but it's nice being able to know that I've had that my whole life to be able to play in the wind or had to play in the wind, I guess you could say.
Q. Who was the best player that ever came out of that area?
CHAD CAMPBELL: My brother.
Q. Who crafted your swing and who do you liken it to?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Nobody, really. I just really haven't had anybody that I work with, work on the swing with. Nobody, really.
Q. When you were growing up did you follow any guy on TV that you admired or anything?
CHAD CAMPBELL: No, not really. I played a lot of other sports. I just did what felt good. That's what I still do. If its feels right, I just go with it. If it doesn't feel right, I will work on different things to change it.
Q. You said that you feel like once you win guys probably look at you with a little more respect. And I wondered, does winning make you look at yourself any differently?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Right. Not really, I don't think. You do get a lot of down on yourself when you have quite a few chances to win and you don't get it done. This year I got -- I had quite a few seconds, but legitimately, PGA, I was tied for the lead going into the last day. Tucson and Honda, I came from way behind to finish second. A great last round, probably four or five shots back. So that's that. Memorial, you know, I kind of wasn't really in it there. I think I finished 6th or 8th there. Can't really remember what question you asked now, but.
Q. Just when you look at yourself do you look at yourself any differently now?
CHAD CAMPBELL: But it is nice to get that win. And a little satisfaction from what you've been working for and especially I think we talked about it the other day, the second time that I've took a lead into the final round and last time I kind of blew that deal. And I was able to hold on today.
Q. You had so much focus on your goal of getting the first win, if you haven't had that, what now do you think is, do you kind of reassess now what you expect of yourself and what you kind of look at next year?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I think it's pretty much the same thing. You just want to win as many golf tournaments as you can. Every tournament you enter, you play to win. And hopefully next year I'll be able to get a few more of them.
Q. Before the PGA what was your most satisfying moment in golf at any level: Amateur, professional, anything?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Most exciting, I don't know if it's totally answers your question, but the Nationwide event in Odessa, that's, which is 30 minutes away from my hometown. Playing out there and having to basically the whole town over there watching me and being able to win that tournament. That was a pretty good feeling.
Q. What did you do after the win to celebrate?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Flew back to Dallas. Nothing exciting.
Q. You got a cheese burger with nothing on it?
CHAD CAMPBELL: That's right.
Q. How many people came in today from Andrews?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I don't know exactly. Specifically today. I really have no idea. I just know some people did.
Q. Have you made any changes to your game since you joined the PGA TOUR?
CHAD CAMPBELL: No, not really. I've tried to obviously tried to better all aspects of my game. As far as changing, no, not really, I don't think. So obviously you get out here, you know you need to drive the ball better. Because the rough's a little bit higher and a little bit longer courses. And if you're hitting it in the rough, obviously you have no chance. So as far as just changing anything, no.
Q. You've never had a swing coach?
CHAD CAMPBELL: No.
Q. When you is there anybody you turn to?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Well my coach at UNLV, he works with me on putting and short game.
Q. What about sports psychologists, nutritionists?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I've worked a little bit this year with Gio Valente.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Any more questions? Chad, congratulations.
CHAD CAMPBELL: Thank you all. Appreciate it.
End of FastScripts.
