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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AMFebruary 10, 2008John MallingerPEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA NELSON SILVERIO: John, thanks for spending a few minutes with us again. I've just noticed, 73 yesterday, 65 today. Can you talk about maybe the difference in conditions or what exactly made you shoot the better round today? JOHN MALLINGER: Definitely I made some more putts. You know, I was a lot more clean today. I hit the ball exactly how I wanted to. My coach and I talked about just where to place the balls with these pins and where to have the best look at them. Basically just kind of visualized the round and went out there and played great. Q. (Inaudible.) JOHN MALLINGER: I did, yeah. It was overall just a solid round. I made like a 25-footer for par on my second-to-last hole, which was just -- it's one of those feelings where you know you're going to make it, and then to hit it close on the last hole was huge. Q. When you started today did you feel like you could win the golf tournament? JOHN MALLINGER: It's tough to win the golf tournament, but you can always post a good round and see what happens. It's one of those tournaments that everyone is kind of bunched up in there, and you go and post a number, and all of a sudden those leaders kind of see those numbers and it changes their mind. It was a good day to play well, and we'll see what happens. Q. This was kind of the same question in a different way. You started the day eight or nine shots behind Vijay Singh. What were you thinking? JOHN MALLINGER: I wasn't thinking so much about winning the golf tournament, I was just trying to hit the best shots I could hit, and it came out to 65. Q. It seems like last year you came here and you had the great finish. Does that give you a lot of confidence coming back here? JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah, absolutely. Like I said yesterday, I was contemplating not even playing this week. I've had some shoulder problems, and yesterday was the first time I actually got to practice. We had a good session on the range and we had a good attitude going into today. So it's good to actually go out there and hit the shots that I'm capable of hitting. The last couple weeks my body has not really let me do what I'm supposed to do, what I'm capable of doing. So today it finally came together. Q. (Inaudible.) JOHN MALLINGER: I think it was both. When you step on that tee box and you haven't done much practice, you're kind of winging it out there. But when you've got someone that you trust with your golf swing and you can see everything that he's doing, it's a good feeling to go out there on the tee box and know what you're doing. It's a lot different feeling than just kind of winging it around. Q. What you said about the comfort level out here, I know you're playing three different courses. How much does playing well out here go to being comfortable -- (inaudible)? JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah, I think it's just the comfort with the grass, the weather, the greens. I don't have a problem with the greens. I think I read them really well, and a lot of the guys coming from the East Coast have a tough time out here. It's a special place for me. It kind of kick-started my season last year, and I really wanted to come out and play. I don't know what it is about Pebble, but there's not one hole that bothers me. Usually there's a golf course you get and you see a hole, and you're like, wow, I have a tough time looking at that hole. Out here I don't have that problem. So I think it's just the comfort of being out here and playing it half a dozen times. Q. Are you penciling this event in on your schedule permanently now after these last two years? JOHN MALLINGER: Good chance, yeah, definitely. Q. Did you walk off today thinking (inaudible)? JOHN MALLINGER: You know, after I teed it up it was kind of like -- at the beginning of the week I just took the attitude where I might not be 100 percent, but I know I can still get it around and I know I'm good enough to play with these guys. We kind of took a strategy where we're just going to place the ball here, place the ball there and try to putt as well as we can. Q. (Inaudible.) JOHN MALLINGER: It's a pretty good feeling, you know? Especially when you start at mid-30s or something and you move up 30 spots, and against these players it's a pretty special feeling. Q. Last year after your finish you had trouble at Riviera. Are you a little bit more confident this year going to Riviera? JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah, I think last year everything was kind of new to me. Third place finish was really overwhelming, and I was exhausted. I had no preparation for the next week. I didn't even think about it. I was still on a high from the third place. But going through the season and having some good finishes, I now feel a lot more comfortable. I know how to prepare for next week. I know how much time to take off, how much time I need to practice, and I'll be ready for next week. Q. What did you think about Riviera last year? JOHN MALLINGER: Riviera is a great spot. I like the golf course, as well. It's demanding. You can't fake it around that golf course. It's a tough test, and I'm looking forward to it. It's a type of a home golf course for me, being around there and being comfortable with the grasses and the grain. Q. Did you play it much in college? JOHN MALLINGER: I haven't played it at all. Last year is actually the first time I ever played it. End of FastScripts |
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