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CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

October 28, 2005

Loren Roberts

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

MODERATOR: Loren, maybe just quickly get us started, 69 69, 6 under, tied for the lead. Just talk about your day today.

LOREN ROBERTS: It was a rather up and down day, really. I got started well playing the 1st hole. I kind of struggled the middle of the front nine, made a bogey, missed a couple greens. Got it kind of right and birdied 9 and 10 and I thought, here we go, I stiffed it for two holes and then promptly bogeyed the next two.

Then I made a good birdie at the par 5, 13th, and I knocked it on the front of the green off a chip and made birdie there, and then made a ten footer there at 17 to get to 6.

So it was kind of an up and down day. Actually both days have been a little bit up and down, I would get it started and then fall off and have to regroup.

MODERATOR: Birdies, maybe shot sequence on No. 1.

LOREN ROBERTS: I hit a driver down there to 108 yards and hit it in there about seven, eight feet and knocked it in for birdie.

5, I missed the green in the right hand bunker over there and didn't get it up and down, made bogey there.

9, I hit a wedge in there about four feet, made birdie, and then hit a little 9 iron at 10 to probably about two and a half feet, made birdie there.

11, I really thought I hit a good drive at 11, down the left side of the fairway and caught a hill and kicked down probably six inches in the left rough, and I really had a nasty lie and I couldn't get it on the green. I got it on the fringe and it rolled back down against the fringe where I couldn't really get a club on the ball, so I made bogey there. I drove it a yard too far to the right at 12 and it got on the side of the hill and I got a lie where I didn't think I could get it to the fairway, so I hit a sand wedge and it moved probably about 30 yards, so I made bogey there. Then played really solid the rest of the way in.

13, I had about a 17 footer from right behind the hole. I went for the green in two and got lucky, missed it on the short side left, pin high front in the really deep rough lie and hit a good shot out of there, but Dana hadn't gotten up there to mark his ball, and my ball hit his ball and stopped it from rolling any farther or it probably would have rolled through the green, so that was a good break there.

16, had about a four footer, hit it probably about three, four yards short of the green down there in two and chipped it up there kind of below the hole and knocked that in.

17, hit an 8 iron from 146, actually hit up there and came back about three or four feet and knocked that in.

Q. Was the 69 more a reflection of your play, not being familiar with the course or the course itself?

LOREN ROBERTS: Obviously it's my first year here, too, and it's Jay's first year, several guys in the field it's their first year here. But it's all right there in front of you, but it's really a good golf course that you kind of have to think your way around. You don't have to hit driver on every hole. A lot of the fairways like 11 and 12, they kind of pinch in right where you're going to hit a driver, at least where I'm going to hit a driver. So you've kind of got to work the ball off the tee, and I like that here.

The 15th hole might be one of the best par 4s I've ever played. I think that's an absolutely fabulous par 4 because you've got to work it the fairway slopes a little right to left and the trees and you've got to hit a little slider into the fairway and you've got a sidehill lie and a middle iron for a second shot. There's a lot of good holes out here.

No. 6 is another good hole where you've really got to pick your line and hit it there or you're not going to be able to get the ball in the fairway. I really think it's a great golf course.

Obviously the speed of the greens, too, really add to the golf course because you've got to pay attention to where you put your iron shot into the greens because if you get above the hole on some of these, you're really going to struggle.

Q. (Inaudible).

LOREN ROBERTS: I'm surprised somebody hasn't broken loose. I mean, what did Lonnie shoot yesterday, 6 or 7 under? I would think there would be another one of those out there amongst one of the leaders, some of the guys that are 6 or 5 might distance themselves. But it just seems like if you drive it in the fairway excuse me, if you drive it in the rough here, you can get lucky or you can get very unlucky. The greens are difficult to putt. Everybody says that what you see, what you think sometimes is what it is. It's amazing, that front left portion of the golf course way down there kind of behind the 2nd tee, everything on the golf course runs down into that corner. I can't believe how much influence that lower corner of the golf course kind of makes on putts. I had a couple putts that actually broke uphill, just being on the side of the hill, it really does have an influence. It makes the greens tricky.

Q. You and Jay are coming right off the regular Tour. Do you have more of an advantage over the rest of the field? Does it make some difference?

LOREN ROBERTS: I don't think so. Four rounds is probably a little different than three, but the guys have been walking pretty much most of the year. A guy should be in shape to play. I don't know if they see this much rough most of the time out here, and I think that's going to be the difference, who can drive the ball in the fairway here.

Q. (Inaudible).

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, yeah. I mean, the greens are somewhat similar. I don't know what they've done to these greens because I can't tell if there's any poa annua in them or not. Usually all the greens in California turn into poa annua after about four or five years. Whatever the superintendent is doing here, he's doing a great job because these greens are fabulous.

Q. You played with Dana today. He's poised to maybe be top dog for the year on this Tour. Do you have any recollection of him from when he played on the regular Tour?

LOREN ROBERTS: I didn't get to play with him today, but I do recollect years ago, it was in the early 80s, you're going to have to refresh my mind on what years, but it was around 80, 81, 82, 83, right around in there, and yeah, I know he came out and tried for two or three years, and I think most of the years he was still Monday qualifying. I just remember the guy could shoot 66 every Monday (laughing). You know, he was a really good player then. Unfortunately, I don't know why he didn't stick it out, but, you know, I mean, that's one thing about professional golf. You've got to stick it out, and unfortunately it's not like a lot of sports where there's really a farm system where you can go, where you're responsible for your own expenses. It's tough to stay out here for five, six, seven years economically sometimes to finally break through. Obviously he's broken through because he's really had a great career since he's been out here.

Q. (Inaudible).

LOREN ROBERTS: You've got to look at what he's done. He doesn't play that often anymore. What does he play, 14, 15 tournaments a year? Obviously he plays the majors. I've always said that Tom could still be one of the top five ball strikers on the regular Tour. I know he probably feels like he doesn't hit it far enough anymore, but I happen to think 275 in the fairway is long (laughing).

You know, when his name is up there, you know he's there to compete.

Q. I talked to you in Oregon, and I think it was your third event and you said like you felt like you were in limbo, had one foot in one Tour and one foot in another.

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah, I'm really enjoying playing out here. Obviously I'm going to be out here full time, and I do want to exhaust my exemptions on the regular Tour. There's some places I like to play. I think there's a couple of weeks that they aren't playing here, like Hilton Head, I'll probably play there. I wanted to play Dallas just because I like going to the champions' dinner and listening to Byron Nelson. That's a huge treat there. But I'll be out here, I'm sure, full time in 07.

End of FastScripts.

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