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JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 9, 2004

Greg Chalmers

SILVIS, ILLINOIS

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Greg Chalmers, thanks for joining us. A lot of stopping and starting today, but as of right now you're one shot off the lead at 10-under par. If we could start with some opening comments about the day. Obviously a good couple of days for you so far.

GREG CHALMERS: Yeah, I've played very nicely so far the last two days. It didn't really bother me I think to tee off later. I really thought I'd get done this afternoon barring any weather. Obviously that hasn't happened. I'm kind of hoping I come out tomorrow morning with some fresh greens and it will be similar conditions to the first day that I played. I'm not too perturbed about the delay, just the way I'm striking the ball I'm looking forward to getting back out there in the morning.

Q. You mentioned the greens. Were they getting in bad shape this afternoon?

GREG CHALMERS: No, not at all. It's just the greens were as standard as any greens are in the afternoon. They're in pretty good shape, but they're certainly not like the morning groups. When you're the second group out the first day when you've had all of six feet walk upon it from the group in front of you as opposed to a couple of hundred. That is just the normal state of them. They played perfect the first day and today they were just great.

Q. How tough is it to stay calm and focused when it's starting and stopping and things are changing and you're going back out? Is it tough at all?

GREG CHALMERS: Well, we do it quite a lot. It seems to me you've got to get used to the fact that you never know when your round is going to stop sometimes with the weather the way it is. You don't know how many holes you're going to play, as we found out today. I mean, it's hard to flick your concentration off and on like a switch, but something that we're all supposed to be able to do. I haven't quite figured it out sometimes, but at the moment it's working well for me, and ironically when you're playing well and doing well, things like this don't bother you as much. It seems to be the nature of the game that when things are going your way, you don't worry so much about delays. You're more concerned about making birdies.

I'm sure it could -- it bothers me a lot more when I'm struggling to make the cut.

Q. How do you while away the time during a delay?

GREG CHALMERS: I'll come out to the course and at least hang out just in case there's -- I'll read that Golf Week magazine or just read some magazines. There's a lot of colorful conversation that goes on in the locker room, a few stories to be told by a few people, so it's always nice to sit and listen to that.

Q. I think yesterday you said something about making an adjustment to your driver, a new shaft or something. Are you still hitting that well? Are you still happy with the way you're hitting it today?

GREG CHALMERS: Yeah, I drove the ball nicely today. I've had some putting -- opportunities with the putter that I missed earlier. I had eight feet on the first and missed it, had six foot on the second and missed it, probably birdied today some of the tougher holes, and the 3rd hole, the par 3, I hit a 5-iron to four feet and made that, but I haven't taken advantage of some of the easier holes and such. But I'm in a decent position and I think I've got another eight-footer for birdie on the 14th hole before I get back in action tomorrow. I think I've got some more opportunities hopefully coming into early tomorrow.

Q. People have been talking for several years how much they like this course and they'd like to see how it is when it plays hard and dry, but it's beginning to see it's never going to be hard and fast and dry here because of the time of year, so do you think people should begin to think of this course or perhaps the course should be set up with the idea that there's going to be wetness and rain and moisture involved and that's just the way it is?

GREG CHALMERS: I guess you have to be so careful -- I don't know enough about grass and its nature to give you a really intelligent comment, but from what I understand to let them dry out you've got to stop feeding them water. You get a couple of days where you don't get the anticipated rain, and who knows, by the end of the week you might not have any greens.

I think they're always trying to find a balance, and if nature serves up the weather we would love it to do, which is nice temperatures and a little bit of dryness, then you definitely want to not put much water on the greens and make them progressively firmer as the week goes on. But when nature dumps down a couple inches of rain there's not a whole lot you can do.

Q. Going back to wasting time during a rain delay, you said some colorful conversation in the locker room. Who are some of the more colorful guys to be on stage during rain delays?

GREG CHALMERS: Oh, man, I could listen to Neal Lancaster more often than not. I could listen to him all day. He's got a story or two to tell. There's a few different guys that in the right element are very funny. I find Robert Damron quite entertaining.

Q. How difficult is it having, as you said, an eight-foot birdie putt that you're probably going to go home and think about all night? Do you worry about that?

GREG CHALMERS: Look, if I needed to make it to make the cut, I mean, yeah, I would, but, I mean, I'm going to try and hit a good putt and hopefully it'll go in. There's quite a lot out of my control with that issue. I've had some that I've missed today and some that I've made. I'm not going to live or die on whether or not I make that putt and move on to the next hole. I think on this golf course you could birdie any of the 18 holes should you strike the ball well enough, so it's not a case of, gee, I hope I make it and my round is destroyed if I don't. I move on and hopefully create some more opportunities later on.

Q. Is there an advantage for you and Jose and the guys that are still out on the golf course if you come back with fresh greens tomorrow? Do you feel like you've gained something here?

GREG CHALMERS: In the condition-wise of the course, possibly there is an advantage, but certainly I would rather not have to play 23 holes tomorrow. For some guys -- a lot of guys have upwards of 27 or 30 holes to play. I don't see that as an advantage. I think that's certainly an issue concentration-wise to be able to stick around here from 7:00 o'clock until 7:00 o'clock tomorrow night probably to finish off your day. But certainly we're going to get the better part of the greens and hopefully with no wind or rain, some nice conditions to score in.

Q. All in all, are you having a fun week so far?

GREG CHALMERS: You know, I always enjoy myself when I make birdies it seems. Birdies and fun go together. The game is a lot more enjoyable. I've certainly struggled in recent times and the game is a lot more enjoyable doing things like this and making birdies and shooting low numbers. Things come a lot more easily to you in terms of birdies don't seem that far away, not pushing so hard.

Q. When you have been struggling and you do well, are you able to seize upon what it is you've done that's working and perhaps replicate it down the line?

GREG CHALMERS: Yes, I am, at the moment. I'm definitely doing some things differently than I have done in the past concentration-wise and just to quote you a few things, the way I visualize shots and things like that to free myself up to let my body hit the shot without me trying so hard to do it. Yeah, that's always the eternal challenge is figuring out, well, I played great today, but why. You don't know how you did it in the first place. Hopefully I'm figuring things out as I go along.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: I know you have a long day tomorrow, so we'll let you go. We appreciate your time and good luck the rest of the week:

End of FastScripts.

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