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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2006

Loren Roberts

EDMOND, OKLAHOMA

KELLY ELBIN: Loren Roberts, ladies and gentlemen, in with his second consecutive even par 71. Tied for third. Three strokes back of leader Gil Morgan began.

Loren, I would assume that today's round was a little bit more adventurous than the 71 you had yesterday.

LOREN ROBERTS: I think it was very adventurous for most guys today, yeah. I played well in spots and played poorly in others and made a couple of timely putts and had some other mistakes.

I think basically my whole round was saved on the 16th hole where I made a got a good bounce on a 3 iron second shot and ended up making a six or seven footer for eagle and got back to 3 under and back in the race there.

So that was kind of the whole round. I played, I scrambled pretty good, played, hit some good shots and some poor ones and was able to hang in there. That kind of saved the whole day, that eagle there.

KELLY ELBIN: Go through the rest of your card with birdies and bogeys, please.

LOREN ROBERTS: I started off first hole, made probably about a good 12, 15 footer for birdie on the first hole.

Then I made a bogey with a wedge in my hand at number 6 today. From the fairway. And that was a little disappointing there.

But then I came right back and really hit a good shot at 6, probably four feet from the hole and made birdie there.

And then bogeyed the little 8th hole with an 8 iron in my hand there. Hit it the in right bunker and couldn't get it up and down.

And then made a couple of really good saves. Made a really good save on the 9th hole after I hit it in the gully, hit it on the green and it sucked back down into the gully, short right there. And I the only time I hit my putter twice on one hole and still had no putts. So I putted it over the green from short of the green and then putted it in from over the green.

Then a very good up and down at 10 from long left.

The only real hiccup I had was I 3 putted 15 from probably about 15 feet.

And then made the eagle on the next hole. So that kind of got me back.

KELLY ELBIN: Questions?

Q. Did the 3 iron almost go in the water or just get a good bounce you mentioned? On 16?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah, I hit a really good drive down there and I think I had 205 to the front edge. And I hit a good 3 iron, just at the right bunker there, it didn't really hook, but it kind of hit over in the right edge of the green and just kind of circled all the amphitheater there all the way around to about six feet right behind the hole.

Q. What was the wackiest wind related shot or event you saw happen today with you or anybody, whether wind blowing somebody's hat off or knocking a squirrel out of a tree?

LOREN ROBERTS: I got knocked over trying to hit a shot on the 8th hole. I had an 8 iron in my hand and I actually got blown over the shot. And I almost shanked it. Well, I kind of did, it was kind of almost a half shank into the right bunker over there.

But that was just a combination of a strong gust of wind and me being a little out of position and off balance.

Trying to think if there were any other wacky shots. Well, it was just a struggle all day.

Q. Any trouble keeping your hat on today?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah, you got to tighten it down back here. I had to keep tightening it down all day.

Q. On a day like today with the winds howling, do guys like Gil, David Edwards, Doug Tewell, the local course knowledge they have from having played here in the conditions, how much of a factor is it on a day like today?

LOREN ROBERTS: I think it might be a bit of a factor, just from the sense that you know the areas you don't want to hit it in. I mean the more you play a golf course you kind of learn the areas that you really don't want to hit it in. And here there's every hole's got several of them. We have got, there's little pot bunkers and little dropoff areas that you just definitely want to stay out of those. You always want to, you never want to short side yourself.

So I think that a little course knowledge probably helps, especially on a windy day like today where you really, some of the greens you really couldn't even fly the ball on the green on some of the down wind holes.

Q. Being out here on TOUR with Gil, can you just talk about what makes him so successful and able to win as much as he does?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, Gil used to always be one of the favorite guy that is I used to like to get paired with. When we played the Regular TOUR, 20 some years ago, when I first started, I always liked to get paired with him. Because he has a great tempo to his golf swing and I always used to say he has a self correcting golf swing.

It just seems like if he kept it a little out on the toe, he hooks it back and if he catches a little on the heel he fades it. It seems like to me he's got a good balanced golf swing and he plays with a good tempo. And he was one of the guys I always enjoyed playing with because he had great tempo throughout the whole round.

The other guy that I liked to play with is Watson. I enjoyed playing with Tom today. He's just so positive on the golf course. He picks the club, pulls it out of the bag, whacks it and goes on. I mean but he just, you know, he hits the ball so solid and I just enjoy playing with him because he's so positive on the golf course all the time.

Q. You've obviously been a very good finisher this year, you're leading the TOUR in money winning, victories you had, what's your mindset going into tomorrow especially if the conditions are very similar, exactly the same as they were today?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, my mind condition will be focused on trying to get under par on the front nine. I don't care if it's one or two or 3 under par. Just try to get under par on the front nine. Because I haven't been able to do that this week.

And then go from there. Because I think we're going to have the same kind of wind tomorrow.

Regardless of who I'm playing with or where everybody stands, I just, my goal's to try to go out and try to shoot under par on the front nine and go from there.

For me personally I think there's a few more birdie holes on the back nine than there are on the front.

KELLY ELBIN: Loren, I wonder if you would comment on Tom Lehman asking you earlier to serve as his assistant for the Ryder Cup this year, particularly having played in it in '95 and what you think that will mean to you when the Ryder Cup rolls around.

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, obviously I was very honored to be asked. Tom and have I been friends since 1982. And he probably is my closest friend out on the Regular TOUR still. And it was just a great honor to be asked. To me there's nothing better in golf than to be asked to play for your country and I would, in '95, unfortunately, we didn't win the cup. So I would definitely love to have a chance to hopefully be on a winning team again.

Q. I'm sure you've been asked this a lot, but going into the final day of a Major on the Champions Tour, do you have the same kind of juices flowing in you that you would if this were on the PGA TOUR?

LOREN ROBERTS: Oh, yeah.

Q. Is it the same feeling?

LOREN ROBERTS: Oh, yeah. I mean, without a question. I didn't have as many chances to win Major championships out on the Regular TOUR as I've had on the Champions Tour so far, but I'm just as up for this as I would be on the Regular TOUR. It's nice to have a chance to win most of the weeks that you show up out here. And I'm enjoying my minute right now and hopefully we can make it continue a little longer.

KELLY ELBIN: Loren Roberts, tied for third after three rounds. Loren, thank you.

LOREN ROBERTS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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