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October 13, 2007
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
JOAN ALEXANDER: Robert, thanks for joining us for a few minutes in the media center at the Frys.com Open. Nice solid round. Right now low round of the day is 68, and what I understand from talking to the guys from the Golf Channel is a great finish here would get you inside the Top 70. Is that a goal for you this week?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Yeah, you know, coming into this week I wanted to get into the Top 70. If I didn't, I wanted to win. You come out every week expecting to win, and if you don't, if you fall short then you fall short.
But top 70, top 30, whatever happens, happens.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Talk about your round out there today. It was a little windier than it has been.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: It was very windy early. The front 9, the first four holes, I think the first hole I almost drove the first hole. It was about 400 yards. And No.4 I almost drove as well. It was 440. So I mean, it was whipping out there. The flags were very tough.
The backside flags were really tough because it seemed like the wind was crossing into the short side. It a tough day of play. I was very proud of the way I played.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Questions, please.
Q. You're talking about the wind. The greens, I assume are, quickening up as well. How much more difficult was it to putt today?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: You know, it was a lot more difficult because the wind was blowing putts off of line if you had long ones. But the short ones seemed like they were rolling true.
It wasn't that much more difficult except on the first few holes because it was blowing hard. It died down on the backside so it was a little easier on the back.
Q. Was your group held up from time to time a lot? I notice a lot of groups were waiting ten minutes at the tees.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Yeah, we are the waiting pretty much all day. I don't know what was going on in front of us, but I'm not one of those guys that likes to wait too much, so I had to do a lot today to calm myself down and stay relaxed.
My friends are out here this week so I stopped and talked to them a couple times, so that was kind of nice. My family is out here, so it was a nice day.
Q. (No microphone.)
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Just drank a lot water. Like I said, I talked to my friends. They're up here watching me from Phoenix and my family came down from Oregon, so it's really nice to play well in front of them. They think they're a jinx because every time they come I end up missing the cut. I proved them wrong this time.
Q. (No microphone.)
ROBERT GARRIGUS: No, well, I'm from Napa, Idaho. They life in Portland in a little place called Halfway. I guess that's would be Eastern Oregon.
Q. (No microphone.)
ROBERT GARRIGUS: More like Baker City.
Q. (No microphone.)
ROBERT GARRIGUS: East of that. So they love spending their time up there in the wintertime. They work all summer and they enjoy it up there. I'm going to get to go up there for Thanksgiving. Never been able to because of Q-School. Don't have to go this year.
Q. You said on TV you're no stranger to Qualifying School. How satisfying is it having your playing privileges secured for next year?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: I'm so happy. When I played well at Westchester at Barclays I finished 9th there. Shot 5 or 6 under on Sunday and locked my card up. I was so happy.
I didn't know really how to feel because I didn't have to go to Q-School anymore. Been there ten times and it seemed like I was planning my vacations around going to Q-School or going to Florida or going to California, and now I can go where I want.
Q. You almost feel like you're playing with house money then here in Vegas? You must be very loose.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Yeah, I'm relaxed, but I also understand what the situation is. I'm going to go out and take advantage of what I need to, and that's get the job done and shoot 5-, 6-under tomorrow or whatever it may be.
You know, just try and get it done. Second or tied for second or win or third, whatever, whatever you finish, it's -- I get to play golf for a living so I'm very blessed and lucky to be where I am.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Can we go through the birdies and bogeys really quick. No. 3 you birdie.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: No. 3 was the Par 5. I actually -- that kind of got my round started. I had wedge and I think I had 168 yards. I hit wedge over the green and then tried to putt up the slope and hit it past about 12 to 15 feet and made it.
Next one I almost drove and hit that about 20 feet and made the 20-footer coming by back down the hill.
JOAN ALEXANDER: 6, and you made bogey.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: That was a good bogey actually. Hit it left into the desert and it was kind of leaning up against the bush and pulled it a little left side of the green. Hit the cart path and came all the way down and I chipped it up to 20 feet and 2-putted, which was a good bogey.
11 was it good birdie as well. I had lob wedge out of the left rough. Hit it about 20 feet past the hole and made that coming down the hill.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Birdie on 13.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: 13 is the Par 5. I hit driver, 6-iron. It's a 600-yard hole and it was playing so short today. The greens and fairways are firm, and I made like a three-footer for birdie.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Birdie on 16.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Yeah. That was a little bit disappointing. Hit 8-iron in past the flag about 16, 17 feet and lagged it down the hill and it didn't go in, but it was a good birdie.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Question.
Q. What was the toughest thing to deal with, the wind or the wait?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: For me it was the wait. I've played a lot of golf, we all have out here. If you're on the PGA Tour you didn't just pop up out of the bushes and start playing golf.
I think the waiting for me was the hardest part, especially 16, 17, 18 because we waited on every shot.
I just tried to calm down and drink a lot of water and make sure was breathing when I took a swing.
Q. (No microphone.)
ROBERT GARRIGUS: They might, but that's what I have to deal with. Everybody has to wait. Everybody is in the same position. I think they'll start maybe a little earlier. I think that's what they said, because they're not going to get down by 4:00.
Whatever they do is what they do. I'm having fun. Hopefully I'm in the last group. I can see what the leader is doing. On the Nationwide Tour I had a 6-shot lead going into the last round and didn't win, and the guy that was behind me was playing with me.
So you got to know what's going on and you won't don't want to be looking at the leaderboards all the time. I know George. I hang out with him every once in a while. He's a good guy. Hopefully we'll have some fun tomorrow.
Q. You shot up the leaderboard yesterday with a 63. Did you have any target in mind for today.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Today was 4- or 5-under. I knew the wind was going to be blowing. I woke up this morning and I looked at it just smile. I was like, Here we go. If I shoot 4- 5-under out there, which was doable if I made some putts and I did, that was my number.
I figured two 5s will get me close to where I wanted to be. I always think ahead, and you just can't do that. Once you get on the golf course you got to take it one shot at a time.
JOAN ALEXANDER: Everyone all set? Thank you.
End of FastScripts
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