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August 15, 2007
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
DOUG MILNE: Okay. We'd like to welcome Carl Pettersson to the Media Center. Thanks for stopping by.
Just a couple of opening comments about the year, how you're playing, how you feel. Obviously you got some close ties here, took last week off to spend sometime so you could be here.
Just a couple opening comments.
CARL PETTERSSON: It's nice to be back here. Went to high school here for two years and it's, you know, it's home to me and North Carolina is home. I live in Raleigh so it's nice for a professional golfer to sort of play at home. Kind of rare, really.
So, I enjoy playing here and it's a little different with the course being -- the tournament being in August in instead of October but it's going to be good.
DOUG MILNE: Just talk about your involvement on the Board. NC State guy.
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah. Mark Brazil and his crew approached me earlier this year and asked me if I wanted to be on the Board.
I thought it was an fantastic opportunity for me and I've tried to help him out a little stuff, little things I've seen over the years from playing different tournaments what I thought was good and things that they can improve on and we're going to try to make this a premiere event.
DOUG MILNE: Lastly, before we open it open to some questions, in the midst of 14 straight cuts. Very impressive.
You're 52nd on the FedExCup race. This is obviously the last week for a lot of guys to try to get into the playoffs. Just a couple comments on your 14 straight and FedEx position.
CARL PETTERSSON: I've played solidly the last couple months, nothing fantastic. Just pretty good.
I always seem to have three good rounds and then 9 bad holes or bad 18 somewhere but I feel my game is good and I just need to get four rounds put together and I'll have a good finish.
DOUG MILNE: We'll open it up to some questions.
Q. Carl, talk about, you didn't play in the PGA because of this event or was there something else going on?
CARL PETTERSSON: We just had our second child so I wanted to spend some time with my family and so, you know, I'll be at the PGA next year. Probably won't be but one. We've got two, so --
Q. Carl, how is the date, you mentioned different from the fall? How is that going to play out this week?
CARL PETTERSSON: The golf course is playing a little different. I think the rough is tougher, the rough is grown in.
Usually when we played here in October it was borderline dormant so there wasn't really much rough. It's pretty thick in some spots. If you don't drive it well, you're going to struggle this week. On the other hand, the greens are softer. If you drive it in the fairway you can really attack the pins.
All in all, I think it's going to play a little easier than it did in the fall, but you got to drive it better so obviously if you're on your game you're driving it well so the winning score I would think would be lower than it has been in years past.
Q. Could you give us details about the birth of the child, boy or girl and how long has it been?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah. He's two weeks old and he was 8 pounds 15 ounces. Chase Trace Larson Pettersson is his name. He's doing good.
Q. You talk about you say bringing to the Board some things that maybe the tournament is lacking that you see at other tournaments.
Can you talk specifics on that?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah. Just little things like we changed the Pro-Am format this year. We played three amateurs and we played a sham format. It's the same format every week it's kind of nice to change that up, I think, for the amateurs and the pros.
Asking me stuff to make it more convenient for the players and just little stuff here and there and, you know, I got involved only a couple months ago so I think it's more for future years.
Q. Along those same lines in future years, what's your take on this possibly moving to Sedgefield since you're on the Board?
I'm sure you've heard some of the talk. Is that something would you want to move over there or what's your take?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I think a change would be good. Not so much for the players but moreso for the public to revamp the tournament, get more excitement about it. I think if you have a change it kind of brings more attention to the tournament, gets more people out, get more people excited and I think a change would be good.
I'm not a hundred percent if that's going to happen or not but I know they're talking about it.
Q. How much is the FedExCup points on your mind or does it affect where you play now or something you're really getting adjusted to?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah. I think in the last month or so I've noticed a big change, lot more guys talking about it on the range and in practice and stuff like that, and obviously everybody wants to play all four events so I think guys have played a lot more golf in the last month than they would have on the regular, try to get more points.
I'd like to play all four of them so, you know, this tournament doesn't have the greatest date being this week but they'll be a lot of talk about the FedEx points and have a stronger field in the future because it's one more week they can get points.
So, you know, I think it will be good and it's going to be interested to see how it all pans out.
Q. Carl, a few years ago Rocco was the highest ranked golfer here and he won. I think you're the highest ranked golfer here.
Do you feel like the favorite being the highest ranked in the field?
CARL PETTERSSON: Golf is such a weird game. There's no real favorite unless Tiger is playing, really.
Anybody can win. The level of play out here is fantastic. You've got to play well. Obviously there might be a little bit of added confidence knowing that but there's so many good players. You're going to have a good week and bear down and play well.
I would love to win the tournament, obviously but I know that's there's a lot of good players here.
Q. Carl, talking about one more week to get points. Do you think that just hasn't kicked in people don't see it that way this year and you think they will in the future?
Why do you think they wouldn't take advantage of this week to get more points?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I can understand in a way not playing because we've had two big events with the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA and obviously going to play four events after this. That would be seven weeks in a row which sometimes is not great for your game.
You start losing your concentration and stuff like that but, you know, it's -- this week has a -- big purse and it's a great opportunity for somebody to really move up.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. Anybody else? Alright. Carl, thanks for joining us. Best of luck this week.
CARL PETTERSSON: Alright. Thank you.
End of FastScripts
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