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NORTHERN TRUST OPEN

February 15, 2008

Robert Allenby

PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Robert, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center at the Northern Trust Open. Solid round out there today, 66. I just looked at the board, I think Phil is leading at 10-under, you're at 6-under, not sure what's going to happen the rest of the day. But just talk about your position and how you're playing out there, and you've had success here with the victory here.
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I have. I'm happy with the way I played. I played nicely, especially the first 11 holes. Probably the last six, seven holes, well, I didn't make my birdies.
So I felt like I probably should have, but I didn't. It was just a matter of I didn't hit it close enough. It wasn't a matter of missing putts or anything like that. I just never hit it close enough to really give myself a chance.
But look, I mean, you know, if Phil is at 10-under, that's fine. There's a long way to go. There's still 36 holes to go and a lot of birdies out there. So I've made plenty of birdies here before, so there's no reason why I can't do it on the weekend.

Q. We just had Scott McCarron in here and obviously he's played here in the past. Phil played well last year. You've played well here a lot. Is it that kind of course that just horses for courses; it seems like the same guys appear at the top of the leaderboard time and again.
ROBERT ALLENBY: I've won here before, and I know what it takes to win. And I've done it the hard way, too, if you want to put it that way. But I don't think we're going to be hitting 3-woods into 18 come this Sunday.
You know, last year I finished third; I probably should have won. I felt like I should have won. I was leading with about six or seven holes to go on the Sunday, and I just didn't quite finish it off.
But look, I've got a lot of good memories here and this golf course sets up really well for me. I love the greens. Poa has always been one of my favorite surfaces to putt on. I grew up on poa, so they just -- these greens really suit my eye.
You know, there's a long way to go here. I'm happy with the way I've played so far. I left a lot of shots out there yesterday. But, you know, I'm happy that I made up some today and hopefully I can make up some more tomorrow and some more on Sunday.

Q. Would you say the greens are the biggest factor because you grew up on poa?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I think so. I'm putting really well. I've putted really well the last two days. You know, I don't know, poa's always been a type of green that I've always putted well on. So, you know, it's like every time I get over a putt here, it's like I already know the line, so it's just a matter of putting it on it.
You know, they can get a little bumpy come the afternoon. So, you know, you still -- if you hit it solid, it will go in still.

Q. When you have a guy like Phil or anybody that's four or five ahead of you, how do you resist the temptation to feel like you have to try to make things happen over the next 36 holes? How do you not force it and just play your own game?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, that's all you can do. You just go out there and play your own game. You know, just remember, he is human. He's human, so he can make mistakes, and that could happen over the weekend. Yeah, he might be four shots in front, but there's 36 holes to go, and, yeah, he's one of best players in the world and he's won a few majors. Obviously he's playing well.
But, you know, I know that I could shoot 6-, 7-under any given day around this golf course, because that's just the way it sets up for me. Really, it's just a matter of getting out of my own way and letting myself do it. I've made a bunch of birdies, six birdies yesterday, I think seven birdies today, six birdies today, whatever it was. I made like eight birdies in the Pro-Am.
The golf course sets up well for me, and I know that if I play the way I can play, there's no reason why I can't get up in front.

Q. You said "he's human." Can you elaborate?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, he can make mistakes.

Q. What are you -- sorry.
ROBERT ALLENBY: That's all right. I expect that from you. (Laughter).

Q. What are you doing this week that you haven't been doing the first, say, month of the year?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I've been looking forward to this tournament from when I left it last year. It's just one of my favorite tournaments to come to. It's one of my favorite golf courses. You know, it sets up really well.
You know, I think it's traditional. It's not tricked up and they made a couple of changes on, I think it's 17 on the green there, and they have actually done a pretty good job. I mean, you can hardly tell.
When they do make changes, they make good changes. Not like some other places on TOUR that what they make some changes, they really can stuff it up. This golf course is very traditional, and that's what I like about it. You think that you should be shooting 8- , 9-under every time you come out here, but the greens are so tricky that it's never as low as you expect.

Q. Do you feel fortunate at all to have been in the wave with calm conditions both days?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I've been very lucky obviously. I had very still conditions yesterday morning and obviously this afternoon; it just got better and better as the day went on.
I think the best part of my game is actually playing in the wind. But I'm not complaining about having perfect conditions for two days. I think the weekend is meant to be pretty much like this afternoon, so I think we are in for a good weekend, good weather and some good golf, at least for me anyway. I'm not worried about the others. (Chuckling).
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Can we go through your birdies and bogeys, starting with the birdie on No. 2?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, 2, I just hit a driver, 9-iron to about four feet.
5, just trying to remember what I hit in there. Pitching wedge to about, I don't know, 18 feet.
8, that was a pitching wedge to about ten feet.
9, I hit an 8-iron into the middle of the green and holed about a 35 footer down the hill.
10, I chipped it up to probably about a foot.
11, I chipped it up to about a foot and a half.
The bogey at 12, I actually hit a pretty good tee shot down the left side and then it just rolled into the rough. I couldn't get to the green. I had such a poor lie. I just laid it up and hit a pretty average third in there, sucked it off the green. It was a good bogey in the end.
And then all pars to finish with. Never really did anything fancy at all.

Q. Where were you on 10 exactly?
ROBERT ALLENBY: I was 30 yards left of the green. I wanted to be left because the flag was in a tricky position and I thought, well, it would be better over there because of the angle coming into the green.

Q. Which hole location on this it green makes you the most nervous?
ROBERT ALLENBY: Every single one. There's no easy flag, unless you hit the ball in absolute perfect position.
But I think it's one of the greatest, shortest par 4s in the world, it really is. Because you think that you should be making birdie every time, but you don't. It's just a great hole, it really is.

Q. Do you stand on that tee thinking, here is where I cannot miss it, which is kind of a negative way, you know, to be thinking off a tee shot.
ROBERT ALLENBY: You know what, at the end of the day, just stand up there and hit it and try to hit it exactly where you're trying to hit it.
If it finishes in the wrong spot, then you just persevere with it. You know, realistically, if you miss it just left of the green, you should have perfect shot every time, no matter where the flag is. If you miss it right, where I did yesterday, it's a pretty tricky shot. But I was fortunate yesterday, I made a good putt for a birdie.
It's a good hole but it's tricky.
JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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