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CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

October 30, 2008

Mike Goodes

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Six birdies, one bogey, that blemish on No. 5. Give us a quick recap of your day and then we'll take questions.
MIKE GOODES: It was a good day. First of all, I had a great playing partner in Joey Sindelar. Just a pleasure to play with. That kind of helps you get around, having fun out there.
I started off the 1st hole, hit a good drive, good wedge in there, maybe six feet or something. Made it for birdie, which is always nice to get off to a good start. I don't care what anybody says. You can have a great round with a double bogey in the 1st hole, but it's a lot easier with a birdie.
I went around and hit the ball good. Actually hit the pin on my third shot on 2. It came back about eight or 10 feet, missed it. Made a regular par on 3. I think any time you par 4, that's good. I made a par. Tickled to get off 4 every day if I can make pars there.
5, I hit my drive in the right rough. Had a terrible lie. Couldn't even go for the green. I just had to chip it out in the fairway. Hit it in there about maybe 12, 15 feet. Missed it. Made my bogey there.
Went around and parred 6. 7, par 3, hit a nice 3-iron in there maybe eight or 10 feet or something, made it, which is almost like stealing a shot on 7. Then I missed a good birdie putt on 8. 2-putted 9 for regular par.
Let's see. I parred 10. 11, I hit a good shot in there maybe about six feet, made it for birdie. 12 I hit a 7-iron. Gosh, I couldn't have been more than four feet or so. Made that for birdie. And then 13, that's a par 5, I wedged it. I laid up. Couldn't quite get to the green. Laid back. Had about 80 yards. Hit it maybe about eight or 10 feet, made it for birdie.
I made a solid par on the next hole, 14. Hit it behind the hole about 30 feet. 2-putted. Made a nice up-and-down on 15. Missed the green to the right of the hole, hole high, had a terrible lie. Hit a good chip, made a nice probably 12-footer or something for par, which is nice to say.
Next hole kind of got me, the par 5, 16. I hit a really good drive. I could just hit 3-iron to the green. Hung it out to the right. Hit it in the right-hand bunker. Had a downhill lie, long bunker shot. I left it in the rough. I got it out of the bunker, in the rough. I had to get it up-and-down from there for par. Kind of a hole I should birdie. High percent of the time I make a pretty good par actually.
Hit a good 8-iron on 17, maybe 10 or 12 feet right behind the hole and made it. Hit two good shots on 18. Probably missed about a 20-footer for birdie there.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Supposed to be the conclusion of a pretty good season for you. Are you satisfied?
MIKE GOODES: Am I satisfied?

Q. Yes.
MIKE GOODES: I really didn't think that you could go through the qualifying system like we've had at the last two years and have to do Monday qualifiers and get in enough tournaments to finish top 30. I really didn't think that was possible. Then Gene and I both do it. It is possible. You just got to play good, have some really good tournaments at the right time, which I did.
I am very satisfied with this year. But I would really like to have a chance to win a tournament now. I've got a year ahead of me that I'm exempt. It's a little different feeling. I would love to get in contention, like everybody. I feel kind of like the weight of the world has been lifted off of me for a year. Then again, it's on me, too, 'cause you got to play good. I don't want it to last just one year. So I got to play really good the next year to make this last another year.
But I also feel like I've got a little room to breathe. I've got some freedom to try to play more aggressive. This is a great tournament to do it at.

Q. Can you recall any particular shots or rounds which you've deliberately played cautiously to make sure you didn't make a mistake and slip down?
MIKE GOODES: Yeah, you know, coming in a couple times in the top 10. You know, I wouldn't say I deliberately played overly cautious, but I tried to play very smart. To be honest, the answer to that question is no, 'cause the times I was making top 10s, I had to play pretty good coming in. Except Alabama, I actually bogeyed my last hole off a good drive. Ended up in a terrible lie. Made bogey. Finished fourth there.
I finished sixth in New York, Long Island, and I birdied the last three holes to do that. I finished sixth in Minnesota, and I birdied -- I know I birdied 18. I think I birdied 17. No, I didn't birdie 17. I think I birdied 15 and 18 coming in. Then the Jeld-Wen was my other top 10, and I birdied 18 there to finish second.
It doesn't sound like it was too cautious when I look at it, but I was trying to play very smart. I tried to really go through my mind, you know, where do you want to put this ball to give yourself the best chance to make the best score and not just to make birdie, but to make the best score you can make on that hole. You don't want disasters at that time.
I tell kids back home, you try to think smart and hit aggressive. Lonnie Nielsen gave me that tip a while ago. I tried to take it to heart. Especially under pressure, think smart, get your right line, now you've got to hit an aggressive golf shot.
I guess, you know, no matter where you are, you can't play so safe. If you play too safe, you'll really mess up.

Q. You're talking about playing cautious. This is a tournament that's usually won with a pretty low overall 264, 265. Are you looking to the weather that's coming in and thinking maybe cautious is the way to go the rest of the way or are you going to try to think smart, play aggressive?
MIKE GOODES: Well, I think it's the only way to play. I think if the weather's like they say it's gonna be, it's gonna be imperative to hit it in the fairway. This rough, you can get some bad lies. When it gets really wet, boy, it's gonna be nasty if you got a lot of water in that rough.
I mean, you're always trying to hit the fairway. But, you know, there may be a time you hit a 3-wood instead of a driver. If you think it gets a little narrow, I'm going to take a little off of it, try to put it in the fairway. I'd rather hit a 7-iron out of the fairway than a wedge out of the rough in a lot of conditions.
Most holes out here aren't that way. Usually if it's a driver hole, it's a driver hole. If it's not, you pretty much know it's not. The ones that aren't, I've got to carry it 265 yards out of a bunker, then I take it out of my hand because I can't quite carry it that far. Like 9, I hit 3-iron off 9 to lay up for the bunker. 3-iron, 9-iron. That's not such a bad thing either. The pin's all the way in the back there. Hit 3-iron, 9-iron, instead of hitting a driver and try to fit it in where you can hit a sand wedge or something.

Q. Have there been any surprises at the end of this season, something you didn't realize?
MIKE GOODES: Getting in here (laughter). No, I mean, I can't think of any. I'm just surprised that I'm in this position, to be quite honest. Like I say, I tell people don't pinch me. I like this dream. I want to keep dreaming like this. This is fun. I'd like to do it a while.
I can't really think of any surprises that have come up.

Q. After what finish did you realize you were very likely to be in the top 30 this year and be exempt for next year?
MIKE GOODES: Sunday. This past Sunday in San Antonio, yeah.
But, you know, to be honest, even if I didn't finish top 30, if I got to 31, I was going to get in almost every tournament next year, but I wouldn't have got here. I wouldn't have gotten exempt for the U.S. Open. Other than that, I would have got in just about every other tournament on that number.
It wasn't like the Q School where if you're fifth or sixth, fifth you're exempt, sixth you're not. It's not like that. I was going to play in 22 or 23 tournaments instead of 24 or 25.
But this is huge here. To come here and play in this field, this atmosphere, it's a dream. Truthfully, it's a dream. I wish my dad were here. He'd be on top of the world. It's pretty cool.

Q. Going back to work at the factory any time soon?
MIKE GOODES: Probably Tuesday for a while (laughter). I'll show my face, make sure they know I'm alive. That could be about the extent of it.

Q. Any plans to do something to celebrate this year?
MIKE GOODES: No. The only thing different I'm looking to do is to work harder. I'm looking to try to maybe rent someplace in South Florida right after the holidays where I can work on my game. I'd like to get started. My goal is to be in top form when the first tournament comes around next year. That's my goal.
Staying in North Carolina, it's hard to do it, because a lot of times you have to hit balls inside. You have so much clothes on, to go outside and practice and play, it's not the same as what you'll play in.
But really no celebrations. My wife and I have enough fun anyway.

Q. Go to Hawaii?
MIKE GOODES: No, I got to win. If I win here, I go to Hawaii. I'm fighting. I'm fighting for that. That's right. I'm fighting for that now. Yeah, I'd like to go to Hawaii. That would top it off. You might have to pinch me then (laughter).
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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