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CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK CLASSIC PRESENTED BY WAL-MART

November 4, 2007

Tim Clark

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

STEWART MOORE: Tim, thanks for spending a few minutes with us in the interview room at the Children's Miracle Network Classic. Fantastic round, shot a 66. I believe you're the only guy today in today's final round that had no bogeys. You fell one short; I know you wanted to make that one shot to get in the playoff, but you have to be happy with your week.
TIM CLARK: Very happy. I struggled pretty badly the first seven, eight holes today, and to finish the way I did I was a little disappointed not to make the playoff, but I did as well as I could, and I didn't miss too many shots, so I'm not too disappointed.

Q. You are the best player on the circuit not to have won a championship this year. Does it feel like the pieces are getting closer and closer?
TIM CLARK: It's been three years since I've had a win, but it hasn't happened, and a day like today I did everything I could, and it wasn't enough.
I've certainly had the lead a few times and let it slip. I'll hope one day it happens, but I'm happy with the way my game is progressing, and it's been a good year for me.
STEWART MOORE: If we could go through your birdies and then turn it over to questions.
TIM CLARK: No. 9 playing long, I hit a 5-wood. I don't know how long it was, but it was a long, dirty putt.
10, laid it up to 70 yards and hit it in there quite close, 3 feet, 4 feet.
11, 9-iron to about 15 feet, made the putt.
12, a 7-iron to about 10, 15 feet to the right side of the hole, uphill putt and made that.
14, par 5, didn't hit a good shot in there, left myself 20 feet, only had, you know, a sand wedge and then made another good putt.
And then 16 hit a great 6-iron to a great, 3, 4 foot and made a good putt.

Q. What started to click for you after your slow start?
TIM CLARK: I don't know. I was not hitting the ball good early on, and luckily I was making some par saves. But I think once the wind calmed down -- I think I was trying to hit shots playing with the wind and probably worrying to much about the wind. And once it died down, I was able to relax and my swing came back after that.

Q. It was kind of a wild horse race out there, 7 different guys having a share of the lead at some point during the day. Do you look at the scoreboard, do you look and see who is up there next? Do you pay attention?
TIM CLARK: It was tough, because going into the 9th I was way down the board, so I wasn't looking at it too much, and then obviously after the four birdies, I felt like I would probably be behind, but I started to check out the leaderboard.
I think it was on 16 I saw that Stephen had bogeyed, so I knew I had to at least par the last two holes, and I felt like that may be good enough, because they are playing pretty tough. There is no way I could have expected to birdie on the last two holes.

Q. From where you were on the greens could you see the 18th green and what was going on through the trees?
TIM CLARK: No, no.

Q. Are you happy with what you set out to accomplish by coming here this week and where you finished?
TIM CLARK: Yeah. I haven't yet won a championship, but I essentially came here wanting to stay in the top-30, and I knew there were a bunch of guys playing right around there, and they all seemed to play well this week, so it was interesting coming here this morning.
I wasn't sure what I needed to do to keep myself in the top-30. Again, just very pleased that I played the round I did and, you know, all in all it's been a very good week.

Q. What was the incentive for top-30?
TIM CLARK: Nothing, really. (Laughter.) Tom Pernice wanted to beat me badly in the Money List, so he gave me incentive to come up and play.

Q. I know the 17th and 18th were tough, but was there a temptation to play it overly aggressive in the hopes of trying to get your first win and --
TIM CLARK: I had a go at 17 at the flag there a little bit with a 5-iron and came up in the bunker, but it wasn't a bad leave, and then 18 I just didn't know how to judge that out of the first cup. I kinda wish I had hit the fairway and had a chance there, but I was just playing for par and, like I say, I felt that would probably be good enough to get me in a playoff.

Q. Did you talk about your shot on 16 already? It was a good one.
TIM CLARK: Well, yeah, good feeling. It was a 6-iron, I think I had 180 yards, probably my best of the day, nice time to do that.

Q. I don't know how much you're looking at the leaderboard, but three or four shots back you probably didn't know where you were, but at what point did it come into your head, "I gotta a chance here"?
TIM CLARK: After I made the putt on 14. I knew the last four holes would be tough, but if I could sneak in birdies I would have a chance. I didn't leave any shots out there. When it came time to play for par, I did, and there was nothing out there that I would go back to and do differently.

Q. The Tour Championship, do you know when this came about?
TIM CLARK: It came about two days ago. Again another bit gone bad for me.

Q. Details, please?
TIM CLARK: There are no details, just the last tournament of the year. I thought I would give my friends a good chuckle watching on TV, so I'm glad I played well, and they can make fun of me what I get home.

Q. You have a penchant to finish very high and be in contention. You don't end up in the top-15 or the top-25; you end up in the top-5. What is it about that?
TIM CLARK: I don't know. I almost feel like it is the other way. This year has been good like that; I've had a few seconds and been up there, but generally I've been the other way. In years gone by I've always finished between 10th and 15th.
I have a million top-25s, a few top-10s and fewer top-5s, but this year has been different, and I'm improving, and mentally I'm getting stronger, and that's what's getting me in the top-5. And this is what I need to go ahead and start winning tournaments, so that's been the biggest improvement this year. When I've got in contention, I've been able to play well.

Q. The Masters, when you finished second there -- it seems memorable when you get up there.
TIM CLARK: Well when I've played well in majors, I've seemed to have finished it off and put myself in a position to win. And at regular tournaments, I come out and I don't know what it is but I don't seem to have the focus. I've worked hard on getting that focus on every shot starting from Thursday through Sunday and not just -- I get excited to play majors, and I found I wasn't getting that every week, and that's what I worked on in my game.

Q. You made fewer starts this year, but when you played you played well. Is that something you'll look at going forward schedulewise?
TIM CLARK: Definitely. This year it was mostly due to the injury; since the Tour Championship, I had two nerves giving me problems in my neck, and I haven't been able to play a lot of golf, so when I have played, I've put effort into that week and really focused.
I feel like that's a good game plan going forward now; when I'm healthy, I should limit myself to 21, 23 events and make it quality. The top players come out every week ready to play, and if you play four, five weeks in a row, you can't do that, so I'm looking to do that in the future.
STEWART MOORE: Tim, great playing. See you next year.

End of FastScripts

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