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January 17, 2007
LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA
JOE CHEMCYZ: Robert, a 9-under par 63 today. The score board and the computer had you at some bigger numbers at 12-under before it finally was corrected, but please just talk about your day and we'll open it up for some questions.
ROBERT ALLENBY: Sure. I played really well, nine birdies, no bogeys. The scorekeeper was trying to be nice to me but I don't think he was all there today. Every time I made a birdie, he came up trying to shake my hand. Not quite sure what the situation was there. (Laughter).
And then obviously the GOLF CHANNEL thought I was trying to shoot 59 or 60, so probably like everyone else. But I knew what was going on.
But I played well, tee-to-green I played really well and I made a lot of putts obviously. And I played steady golf and made a lot of putts between -- I made all the short ones and made a lot of putts from 10 feet.
Q. A couple of people have been in here today talking about how you never really know where you are in this tournament until maybe Sunday, but 63 on one of the tougher courses in this rotation, you must be pleased with the way it sets up the rest of the week.
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I mean, you know, I like this golf course, but obviously it's a good ball-striker's course. The greens were nice and receptive. The greens were just absolutely perfect to putt on. I mean, they are probably some of the truest greens we ever get to putt on at La Quinta. They had a great speed on them. I felt like I was going to make everything.
I hope the next four days, I hope it sets up the same way for me on the greens. I definitely felt comfortable on these greens today and they are really rolling nicely and I hit a lot of good shots and I tried to make it as easy as possible for myself. Tried to, you know, keep the rough out of it, just hit it into the middle of the green and just give it a run at every hole. That's really all I was trying to do and that's probably all I'll work on over the next four days.
Q. I think you said you had nine birdies and no bogeys, and I think on the score board, they had eagles for you. Did you make any eagles?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I didn't make any eagles. I made anyone birdies.
Q. I don't know how they did it.
ROBERT ALLENBY: I think the scorekeeper was on drugs or something. (Laughter) I think he might have had two beers too many last night. He was a bit nervous because, you know, even on the second hole, he came up to me and said, "Oh, I can't believe I'm scoring for you." I'm like, okay, settle down, no worries. Let's have a good time out here but let's not get too carried away.
Q. Good motion with his pencil?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, we had to tell him to move out of the way every shot and he was pretty keen to get that score in just as I was about to tee off on the next hole. It was a fun day. (Laughing).
Q. How did you handle the delay this morning and what kind of condition was the course in when you finally got out there?
ROBERT ALLENBY: It was actually -- it worked out really well for me. I got out to the golf course at normal time, about an hour and a half before my tee-off time which was obviously two and a half hours before my original time from the delay.
But, I got out here and I realised I had no putter in my bag and then my trainer went back to get my putter, so that worked out really well.
Q. But the golf course, it wasn't too firm or too wet or anything like that for you?
ROBERT ALLENBY: No, not at all. The golf course out here was just perfect. The greens, the fairways, were absolutely beautiful, beautiful lies evident hole. The greens were perfect, they really, really were, they were absolutely perfect.
Q. Why was the putter out of the bag and did you leave it in the room or at the house?
ROBERT ALLENBY: What happened was I came to La Quinta last night to hit some putts and putted for about an hour and a bit, until it got dark. Then I went back to the hotel and when I went to putt the putter back in the golf bag, I actually just put it in the car and I took all of the putters I had and all of the other spare clubs and took them out because I didn't want to leave them in the car overnight in case someone broke into it. I took everything into the room and forgot to putt my putter back in the bag. I came all the way out to the golf course and realised it wasn't there and so I sent my trainer back to get it.
JOE CHEMCYZ: Real quick, just go over your birdies there on your score card.
ROBERT ALLENBY: I don't have it in front of me. Nine birdies.
JOE CHEMCYZ: Anything sizable or anything really close?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I probably had about, I'd say three of those birdies were inside four feet and then all the rest were between probably eight to 20 feet. I made a lot of nice putts, a lot of nice 20 to 30-footers. I finished the last holes probably two 25-footers for birdies.
No, it was good. The putter was behaving itself.
JOE CHEMCYZ: We sure appreciate your time, good luck the rest of the week.
End of FastScripts
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