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THE BARCLAYS

August 19, 2008

Carl Pettersson

PARAMUS, NEW JERSEY

CHRIS REIMER: We want to welcome Wyndham Championship winner Carl Pettersson to the interview room. A great win for you. Just talk about the last couple of days and what it's been like.
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I've been pretty busy. I had an outing yesterday and just got to the course ten minutes ago.
CHRIS REIMER: Starting the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup here, talk about what it's like getting into the top 20 and having a good chance to move ahead in this thing.
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, it's exciting. It's nice to move up. These Playoffs, it's important to get going and hopefully I can carry on my good play.

Q. Could you talk about your use of the long putter, when you first picked one up, and if you thought to yourself, if it was quite right and what it does for you.
CARL PETTERSSON: I started using it about ten years ago. I was streaky with a regular putter and kept playing in amateur events and kept getting paired with guys that had long putters and they all rolled it pretty good. I thought, I've got to try it and when I picked it up, it actually felt pretty natural. I've putted pretty good with it ever since.

Q. Did any part of you think, this isn't really what I'm supposed to be using? There are some guys who are very traditional.
CARL PETTERSSON: Not really. You know, it's been around for a long time now, and I don't think it's that uncommon really.
In the final group last week, Scott McCarron was using the long putter, too. I think people get used to it. It's not that big of a deal, no. It's more of a change to putting conventional really.

Q. Did you start using it, or did Tim Clark?
CARL PETTERSSON: He started using it first and then I went to it shortly after that.

Q. I guess you're being mentioned as a possible captain's choice to be added to the Ryder Cup Team. What are your thoughts on that?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, that would be great, but hopefully I can make the team if I can play well here this week and next week. I'd like to make the team outright. I still think I need to play well this week and next week to get a pick. I would like to qualify on my own terms.

Q. Your thoughts on Padraig, do you think he can now be considered one of the best golfers of all time, of his generation; where do you slot him in your own mind now?
CARL PETTERSSON: He's always been a good player. When I played in Europe in 2001 and 2002, he was a fantastic player. He's been a good player for a long, long time, and what he's done the last couple of years is amazing.
Yeah, he'll go down as one of the great players out here.

Q. Speaking of paddy, if he does not win another tournament the rest of the year, who is Player of the Year in your mind, Tiger or paddy?
CARL PETTERSSON: Padraig Harrington. He's won two majors this year. Tiger's won one. I know the one Tiger one was pretty unbelievable, but to win more than one major in a year -I don't know how many times that's happened. I would vote for Padraig.

Q. Last year you started 43rd when the Playoffs started, and this year you're in better position, but with more volatility out there, do you think you have a much better chance this year to win the whole thing?
CARL PETTERSSON: In theory you should do, if you play well, it's going to be interesting to see how it works out. Last year there wasn't that much movement. Rich Beem was a good example, he played well and didn't really move up that much.
I don't know really. This year is the first year with the new points, so I hope there's more movement. I think that's what everybody wants to see, the players and the fans, so hopefully they will get it right this year.

Q. With everything that's happened in the last two days, how hard is it to put that aside and get ready on Thursday?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I've had two other wins, and my first win I finished second the next week, and after I won my second event, I missed the cut, so it's a tough one. It would be nice if I got off to a really good start on Thursday and got right back into the momentum, but if you get off to a slow start, it's tough to get back mentally.
I'm going to have to prepare really good this week because it's the first leg of the Playoffs and this stretch of tournaments is very important. I have to stay focused. I know I'm playing well, so I just have to keep going.

Q. Right now, before you play the course, what do you know about it? What have you heard about it?
CARL PETTERSSON: I just spoke to my caddie this morning. He walked it yesterday and said it's a great golf course. I look forward to it. I think I'm going to play nine holes this afternoon.

Q. What do you do when you walk out onto a brand new golf course? Do you have like a plan, things that you look for, things that you don't look for?
CARL PETTERSSON: You try to get a plan off the tee, put it in play off the tee, take some of the trouble out. When you get up on the greens, I just have a good luck around to see where possible pins could be and where to miss it and where not to miss it.
It's tricky to play a new course. It's nice as TOUR players who have played for a while, it's nice to come back to a place where you've been because you're familiar with where the pins are going to be and stuff like that. But it's going to be the same for everybody, and I've heard nothing but good things about the golf course.
CHRIS REIMER: Best of luck this week. Congratulations again.

End of FastScripts

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