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GINN CHAMPIONSHIP AT HAMMOCK BEACH

March 31, 2007

Tom Purtzer

PALM COAST, FLORIDA

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Tom, nice closing birdie at the last hole. Gives you 66 today and puts you 9-under par, 135 through two rounds. Sunny today and very windy, probably not quite as windy as yesterday but another challenging day out there.
TOM PURTZER: Yes, definitely was challenging. I kind of like those days, those first few days we had here when it was nice, sunny, no wind.
But birdie on the last hole kind of makes you feel good for the evening. Because I had kind of given away a couple shots there the last few holes. So it's always a good way to finish.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: You just want to take us through the round, two eagles there in the first six holes.
TOM PURTZER: Yes, nice way to get rolling. But on 2, shoot, that putt was probably, I don't know, 45 feet, something like that. Right on the front edge of the green.
And it was a pretty-looking putt. It just kind of looked pretty good the whole way. So made 3 there.
And hit a pretty good drive on 5, but I just pulled it just maybe, you know, I don't know, five, 10 yards and hit it over the bank and came back in the water. Hit it in the water there. That's how I made the bogey there.
Came right back on the next hole. Hit a pretty good drive. Hit a 7-iron about, I don't know, 20 feet, I guess, 18 feet, something like that. Made that one for an eagle.
The next hole made about, gee, made about a 25-footer there for a birdie. Then I hit it close on 9. Missed that one. 10, knocked it on, hit a drive and another 7-iron. Killed the drive there and hit 7-iron and 2-putted that one.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: About how far?
TOM PURTZER: My first putt was about 25 feet. Then on 12 I hit a really good 6-iron. I don't know, maybe two feet. I think it was one of those putts you could have made. But next hole I hit a really good drive and a pitching wedge, about six feet, maybe. Five feet.
The next hole I hit a pretty good drive but I pulled it down there left, and had like 205 yards to the front. I thought the wind was going to help me a little bit. Kind of got it started out to the right a little bit. It kind of fought the wind instead of helped it and went in the water. So I ended up making a bogey there.
And then 16, I hit a good, my rescue club off the tee and then I about 130 yards, I didn't think the wind was hurting so much. Thought it was just kind of straight across. I played it out there to the left thinking that the wind would move it back to the right. I pulled it a little bit. But it kind of caught the bank and went through the bunker into the water.
So took off shoes and socks, got down in the water, was able to hit it out of the water and made a bogey there.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: What club?
TOM PURTZER: 9-iron.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: 18?
TOM PURTZER: Probably the best drive of the day. Killed this drive. In the wind, hit a drive, 149 yards left. And hit a controlled 6-iron. Looked like it might have almost gone in. But it was about, I don't know, about three feet, maybe, something like that. And made that one for birdie.
PHIL STAMBAUGH: Tom, you've been on a roll lately with the wind out in Valencia and now in contention again. Everybody knows about the putting tip you got from Dave. Is that continuing on this week?
TOM PURTZER: It's still working a little bit. Yes. Still trying to do the same things. And it's kind of a funny deal. When you make a few putts then you get a little confidence going, and that helps a lot. Instead of usually I go the other way. My confidence fades a little bit as the tournament goes on. But this week I'm still trying to do the same things, making good strokes and the ball's finding the hole.

Q. Tom, can you recap real quick for those in California what the tip was and when that tip took place?
TOM PURTZER: Well, it was a whole bunch of things. I needed lots of help. But it's kind of funny. We were doing an outing in Southern California, and I saw Da Weibring. And he was going out to the golf course way earlier than he needed to go.
I said, "What are you doing?
He said, "I'm going to get a putting lesson from Dave Stockton."
"Why is he helping you; you don't need any help putting." He's a great putter.
I saw David that day and I said, "Why don't you help some guys who really need help?"
He said, "I'll help you any time."
So he was great about it. He said, "I'll be back up to Valencia on Wednesday. So I saw him Thursday. Actually, I saw him Wednesday before his round. And you know he spent about 15 minutes. And just working on -- my eyes were way inside the ball and that causes a lot of different things.
So once he got me set up properly, then I was able to make better strokes with it. So it was -- and then the things he helped me most with was stuff that he thinks about when he putts, not so much stroke-wise, it's just stuff that he thinks about when he putts. That probably helped me as much as anything.

Q. And then as far as the round today, when you hit three water balls and birdie top course, do you get the impression that you kind of stole a few or I think you mentioned earlier you may have left a few out there. Which way do you go on that?
TOM PURTZER: On a day like today when you have this much wind, and as much water as we have out there, granted the couple shots I hit on the backside weren't quality golf shots. I hit a pretty good drive on the frontside that just didn't carry the water. But you're going to make -- you're going to hit some funky shots just because of how much wind is blowing.
But I don't really feel like I stole anything. I don't feel like I lost anything. I played really good. Had really good distance control with my irons, drove the ball pretty good. So I'm just not going to think about the balls I hit in the water.
But usually I don't hit that many balls in the water. But everything worked out.

Q. (Question regarding 18th hole)
TOM PURTZER: On 18? No, I hit my best drive of the day and probably hit my best iron of the day. I was in between. I didn't know if it was a 7-iron or a 6-iron. The wind was blowing really good there. For me to hit a 6-iron only 149 yards, the wind is blowing pretty good.

Q. You've been on the TOUR for a while. I was wondering if I could get your impressions, this is a first-year event of what you've seen here so far. And then second question, your thoughts on the four closing holes, when the winds kind of buffered in a little; it might be some pucker factor for some guys tomorrow down the stretch.
TOM PURTZER: Yeah, 15 is a good hole. It's a good driving hole. You've got to miss the bunker in the middle of the fairway. Once you do that, you still have to hit a pretty precise iron shot. Mark looked like he hit a pretty good shot, landed on the green. Ended up down in the gully 30 yards away, ended up making a great par. But that's a really stuff second shot. You've got to force yourself to stay left.
So that that's definitely a hard hole. The next hole, for being the shortest hole on the golf course, it will definitely get your attention. You've got to hit a pretty good tee shot out there.
Then the green kind of sets funny with the wind blowing any direction it makes it really, really small. 17 is a good hole. Good par 3, back in the wind, and then 18 is, man it's everything you want in a finishing hole. It's long. Today it was right into the wind. And it's a challenging green. So you've got to hit some pretty good shots there coming in last four holes.
But as far as this being a first-year event, it's fantastic. My point of view, this is the nicest place in Florida. I've been pretty much all the good spots in Florida. And as far as my tastes, this is the nicest place in Florida.
They've done a great job, this being the first-year event, nobody would ever think of it being a first-year event. The tournament director has done a great job. And I mean there's a lot of work that goes into this. And especially once they figured out they were going to play this golf course only a few months ago. I mean that really makes it difficult.
But the greens are great. The greens are putting fabulous. Hats off to the superintendent. I haven't seen him this week, but he's done a great job.

End of FastScripts

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