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AT&T NATIONALJuly 4, 2008Tom Pernice, Jr.BETHESDA, MARYLAND NELSON SILVERIO: Thanks for spending a few minutes with us. A tournament record 63 on this course. Take us through your day. TOM PERNICE, JR.: You know, just got off to a pretty average or nice start. I hit it close at the third hole. I hit it about four feet and made a birdie. Thought I was off and running. Hit a good shot at 4 I thought. Pin is right in a tough spot right on the front, and it landed just off the left fringe and kicked in the bunker and kicked out about eight feet and had a tough downhiller and missed it for bogey. All of a sudden caught fire at 6. Hit two good shots and hit a good drive and a 6-iron pin-high about 25, 30 feet and knocked it in. I thought that was a bonus. And the par 3, I hit it in there about 20 feet below the hole and made it. No. 8, hit a sand wedge in there about three feet. So kind of had it going a little bit. And then I drove it in the bunker at 9. Had to lay up with a 7-iron in, I hit it about three or four feet and so obviously that was the major part of the round. Also a good 3 at 10 and a good 4 at 11, which are almost like birdies on those holes I feel like. Par 3 up the hill, No. 13, I hit a 5-iron about a foot. And I made two good saves for par on 14 and 15, 5-, 6-footers. I missed both of the greens, and that really kept the round going. 16 I hit it down in front of the green in two and chipped it up about three feet and made the putt for birdie. And then 18, I hit an iron in there, a good drive and 8-iron in there about a foot. Hit a lot of iron shots in there close which made it somewhat not so stressful, but the bonuses were obviously a couple 20-footers at 6 and 7 which really kind of got it started. But the saves, at 14 and 15, were really the keys I thought. Q. You seem a little laid back for a tournament-tying round. TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, it's only Friday. I mean, I've been playing well, and, you know, you never know when a round like this is going to jump up. I'm obviously very happy with the round and how it turned out. You don't hit that many iron shots that end up that close. That really makes it nice. But the rain we got this morning made it much more playable. The greens the last nine holes yesterday afternoon were pretty crusty and pretty firm. It was hard to get it close. They were pretty smooth today and very true and they were really receptive. So if you hit some good iron shots, you have some chances to get it close. No, thrilled at my position. You know, shooting 63, 7-under par around this golf course is pretty special. Q. Did you feel good today or were they just happen to be falling? TOM PERNICE, JR.: To be honest with you, I've been struggling with my left hip all week. I've been hobbling around all week and Tommy Lafontaine in the fitness trailer and my trainer Joey Diovisalvi, we've been working nonstop for two days trying to get my hip to where I can get around. I've been playing well, so just been trying to work and rest and get in good enough shape so I can get around here. My hat is off to those two guys for their help really because it seems to be getting a little bit better every day. More 63s, I think it will get better, too. Q. You had another one of these not long ago in the last round at Memphis. Is there something you've hit upon this last month or so that's brought these rounds out of you? TOM PERNICE, JR.: Like I said, I felt like I've been playing pretty well here as of late, but my ball-striking has been pretty well all year and I haven't putted very well. I started putting a little better at Memphis, and I played pretty well at Hartford, as well. So you know, I feel like it's all there and I feel very comfortable over the putter for a change the last month or so, which I really struggled first half of the year, which is usually one of my strengths. My putter feels a little better than it has been and it's showing making a few more putts. Hopefully it will continue on. Q. One of the other guys that went low today was Steve Stricker, and to see his name at the top of the leaderboard playing well, too. TOM PERNICE, JR.: Steve is one of the true great guys out here on the TOUR, and he's been struggling. So it was nice to see Steve back have a good round. I think you'll see some good rounds this afternoon. The wind is not blowing and the greens are pretty soft, so I think you're going to see some good rounds today. Like I said, yesterday was pretty difficult. The greens really got crunchy and got firm and not as smooth. But today I think with the moisture in the air and the rain, I think they are going to be pretty nice all day. Q. You've played here last year. What's the atmosphere on the course like in terms of the crowd without Tiger here? Is it sort of what you would expect or what's your sense of the ambiance out there? TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, no tournament's the same without Tiger, but I play in enough tournaments where he doesn't play, so it's not a huge deal. I mean, he's only played, what, six or seven times this year. No tournament's the same without Tiger. When you have somebody that's that big of a force from a spectator standpoint, from a TV standpoint and plus his skill level and his dominance of the game, no tournament's going to be the same. We all miss Tiger not being out here. Some people look and lavish the chance to be able to win tournaments he's not here; I'd rather be winning when he's here. I think we work hard and try our best to try to beat the best when they are at their best. You know, I think most of us out here wish him well and encourage him to get out here as soon as we can. So some people look at it a different way, but I have the utmost respect for a guy that works that hard and has such drive and can continue to compete on the level that he does week-in and week-out when he plays. So yeah, it's not going to have the same atmosphere, but crowds are still great out here, and the tournament is going to go on and it going to be a successful tournament and they are going to have huge crowds. But no, it's not the same without Tiger; no tournament is. Q. You've been on the TOUR policy board for a few years, and you've had some strong opinions about various issues, drug testing being one of them. Do you feel that's one of your roles on the TOUR, to be a guy who expresses himself on some of these subjects that maybe are not that easy to have a strong opinion on? TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I think I'm just passionate about the game. I love the game and I love the TOUR. I think I don't want anything to not be as good as it can be for the game of golf and for the TOUR. I mean, yeah, I think there's several things that Commissioner Finchem has done a great job on, and I think there's been several things that he's very weak on. I'm disappointed within the decision of the USGA and the R&A with the groove issue, for them to delay that. If they ever want to make driving part of the game, they need to go back to V-grooves. But again, why isn't the PGA TOUR and Tim Finchem stepping to the plate and using our own rules? Tim's been against it all the time. We should have our own rules, and this way we could use V-grooves and everybody can have the same set, and driving the ball in the fairway might make a difference. Yeah, I've been boisterous on some things. And I've said some things about Tiger and Phil not playing at THE TOUR Championship. But you know, it wasn't their fault. Once again, it's the policy of the TOUR for our TOUR Championship; we need to mandate that the players have to play. I mean, we've got these title sponsors putting up a lot of money, and to leave us as players to say, you know, you can just play whatever 15 events that you want, that's not necessarily fair. They have got 30 or 35 title sponsors out there. So I think it's something that the TOUR needs to step up to and you need to play in the tournament of champions at the beginning of the year with Mercedes; they are a big sponsor and they get shutout without the top two players in the world coming. But it's not Tiger's and Phil's problem; it's the TOUR's fault the way the regulations are. You only have to play 15 events and you play where you want; or, there are some things that the TOUR could do to help the sponsors and the title sponsors. I think so; I think there's got to be something. Michael Jordan didn't get to skip and not go play in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks when the Knicks were good and he didn't like playing there or whatever. I don't have the answers necessarily how to do that. Maybe we need to play more than 15 events; maybe we need to play 20. And if you're eligible for THE TOUR Championship and eligible for the tournament of champions, then maybe you're supposed to play. I mean, I don't have the answers, but that's something that the policy board that's there now has to decide. And Tim makes millions of dollars as Commissioner, and hopefully he can step forward and do that. But I just have passion about the game and I have a lot of respect for the title sponsors and the volunteers and the amount of effort and time and money they put into these events; it would be nice for Tiger to play all over, not just 15 or 20 venues in his career. You know, it would be nice for some other places to get Phil or Tiger. I just have some concerns about the remainder of the title sponsors. Q. Along those same lines, a lot of guys are in Europe this week, but some of the guys who are major marquee names like Ernie and Vijay are not here this week; is that sort of disappointing, or is it more maybe Tiger getting a taste of his own medicine? TOM PERNICE, JR.: I don't think it has anything to do with Tiger. Vijay's a friend of mine and Vijay just bought some property in Hawaii and he's over there and enjoying himself over and trying to get ready for the British actually. I think it's the European Open this week in over in Europe and it's a pretty big tournament for them, and I can see a lot of those guys playing over there. But you know, I don't think it has anything to do with Tiger. I mean, I don't think that's it at all. I think everybody, like I said, really respects Tiger for what he's done for the game and how he holds himself and what the Tiger Woods Foundation has done for kids all around the world already in a short period of time is fantastic, and most of the players really feel pleased and honored that the Foundation has done what it has and we're able to come here and compete and put on a tournament and the money goes to the Tiger Woods Foundation. Q. Your last win was The INTERNATIONAL, and this tournament, I guess replaced The INTERNATIONAL; is there any significance to that? TOM PERNICE, JR.: I never thought of it that way, but -- (laughter) -- that would be a nice way to bring it back in for my sake. It's been a while. You know, it was disappointing to lose the international. I don't know all of the logistics of it. Mr. Vickers was great to all of us players. You know I think there was some issues with title sponsorships again, and the toughness of getting title sponsors in this day and age and the amount of money. But I now remember, that is true that it replaced it. Maybe this time of the year, I play pretty well, so we'll see. We'll see what happens on the weekend. See if we'll get to play with Jeff or not. Jeff is a great young player and he's playing really good right now. He blitzed it through the qualifying on Monday and I saw him afterwards, so he's obviously playing good. Stricker is up there and there's a lot of other guys. It's early, but I'm happy to have myself in position and see what happens on the weekend. Q. It took some time for you to get established on the TOUR; and yet some of your best years now are coming in your later years. What does that say do you think about yourself or about golf as a sport that that happens? Because it happens to some other players, too, that they play well later in their 40s after taking a while to get going. TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, when I started working with Jim Hardy on my golf swing over the last six years has really made the major difference, the last six or seven years. That's been the turning point for me. I've always said to him, I feel like he saved my career. Plus I've worked Joey Diovisalvi, my trainer, for almost ten years now to try to keep myself physically fit at the age of 48 and do what I can to stay competitive out here. And I've continued to work hard. I've always worked pretty hard and you know if you're working on the right things and you've got a good team around you, I think you've got the opportunity to keep getting better, and if you keep getting better out here, you'll have some chances. Q. You said that your left hip was bugging you; is that when you're walking? TOM PERNICE, JR.: Mostly when I'm walking. It didn't bother me too much when I'm swinging, a little bit when I'm setting up. It has not hurt me when I'm hitting. Today was better. It was a struggle on Monday to say the least in the qualifying for 36 holes, but it's getting better and Tom and Joey are working pretty hard and I think we've got it on the right track. It obviously did not hurt my golf game today. Q. Am I remembering correctly, did you play with a guy that shot a 63 years ago at the Booz Allen, Goggen or -- I think it was the opening round? TOM PERNICE, JR.: I could have. If you can remember who I played with and somebody shot 63, my hat's off to you. I don't know, I could, but I don't know for sure. Q. You don't remember anything about it? TOM PERNICE, JR.: It's hard enough to remember what I do, let alone someone else. (Laughter). I did have two good days, and a lot of it is playing with Rocco for two days. Rocco and I have been good friends for a long time and he's fun to play with. I enjoy playing with people that talk and have some fun out there. And I played with Ken Duke; he struggled a little bit but Ken and I have played about ten times this year together. So it was a good grouping for me the first to days, very comfortable. It's nice to be out with Rocco and he's playing well and he's going to make the cut and it's nice to have him be here, if Tiger couldn't be here, that Rocco is here for the sponsor and for the spectators. He was very well welcomed by the fans here. It was fun playing with Rocco for two days. I had not played with him in a couple years, so it was nice. NELSON SILVERIO: Tom Pernice, thank you. End of FastScripts |
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