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CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

October 31, 2008

Andy Bean

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

THE MODERATOR: Andy, 66 today. 10-under going into tomorrow. Looks like you're going to be one up. Maybe give us a quick run down on your day.
ANDY BEAN: I think, number one, you just got to take your hat off to the crew, the club here, because they've done a great job keeping the golf course in good shape. We've had a little bit of water. I guess we're going to have some more tomorrow.
But the golf course is in great shape. Obviously it's a little bit softer than what we would like, but the conditions are still good obviously for scoring. The greens are a bit more receptive. Sometimes they're a bit too receptive, as I found out there on 16, backing it back too far.
What can I say? My game's good. Hit a lot of solid shots. Driving the ball well. That's obviously a key to playing this golf course. With the conditions being the way we played, started out playing mostly in the rain today, I drove the ball really well. I keep giving myself those opportunities, I'm going to be okay.
THE MODERATOR: Let's go over your birdies.
ANDY BEAN: I hit 3-wood off the 1st hole. Had 134 to the flag. Hit it five feet. Made that for birdie.
No. 2, hit two shots down the fairway. Had 71 yards, I think. I hit it like 10 feet behind the hole. Made that for birdie.
7, I missed it from about a foot and a half. I knew it was going to go right. It just really dove on me. I may not have hit as good a putt as I would have liked. I hit it just short of the green, chipped it up two feet. Just miss-hit the putt, misread it. I don't know. It didn't go in.
I felt like, gosh, I hit just a good pitch shot. Let it get away. I think that's maybe what made me concentrate a lot harder. Kind of gives you a wake-up call. Things had been going well. I birdied the first couple holes, but I hadn't made anything the next few holes, lost a few opportunities.
Then 10, I had 160 to the hole. I hit a 7-iron, I don't know, about seven or eight feet.
Next hole I hit a wedge. I had 94 yards to the hole. I hit it. It spun back a little bit too far. I made that.
Next hole, I 2-putted, left it just dead in the hole short.
The par 5, drove it in the right rough, laid up. Had 131 yards to the hole. Hit a 9-iron. Had to look in going right by the hole, but I made it from eight feet, 10 feet? Somebody's wrong there. I'm calling it 10 on that one. Anyway, I made the putt.
Let's see. The par 3, I had 221 to the hole today I guess it was. I hit 3-iron. I was just almost dead pin-high, left of the flag, 32 feet. I made that just dead center putt. Never left the hole.
Then the next hole, dogleg right. I hit driver. I had 168 yards, I think, maybe 170 yards. Anyway, I hit a 6-iron and just choked up on it a little bit because of the slope. I hit it like, oh, how far was I? 18, 20 feet.
THE MODERATOR: 18 feet.
ANDY BEAN: 18 feet. I made that. That's the first time I've ever made a putt on that side of that green. I was very fortunate. When you're short of the pin there, it's just very hard to keep the ball online. Just hit a really good putt.
Next hole, drove it just in the left rough. Laid up. Had 81 yards to the hole. Landed it too far past the hole on that slope. It spun back, gosh, had to be 20 feet from the hole. I left it just inches dead in the hole short. 2-putted that for par.
Then 17, had 151 to the hole, I think it was. I hit an 8-iron and flew it just past the hole, right at the back edge. There wasn't, what, nine or ten feet at most of green on the back edge. Hit just over the edge. I took a sand wedge out and bellied it. I just left it left of the hole. I tapped that in for par.
Then 18, hit a 5-wood off the tee. Had 166 to the hole. I left it, what, about 10, 11 feet short of the hole. Golly, I hit a good putt. It just got out the right side. I thought it was in.
All in all, I played very well today. I played very steady today. I think I've never really minded playing, you know, in weather as long as it doesn't get too cold. I'm not too big on cold weather. But the wet is usually not too much a problem for me.
But, again, the crew, the staff here, they've done a great job on getting the golf course in great shape for us to play. I mean, the golf course is about as good as it's going to get. Just a little bit soft, that's all it is. It's gonna yield some birdies coming in. Just hope I can get my share of 'em.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Looking ahead to tomorrow, being in the last group with Nick.
ANDY BEAN: Any time you play with Nick, you're going to have a good time. He's a great guy. I look forward to it. We played a number of times this year. If you don't like playing with Nick, you just don't like playing golf.

Q. Just his personality?
ANDY BEAN: He's just a great guy. He's a good guy, and a great guy to play with. He's a real good ball-striker. I mean, he's striking the ball really well. I like that because I think it makes me be a little bit more aware of, hey, you know, I got to zero in a little bit more here.
So, both of us are very good iron players. You'll probably see some close shots.

Q. You and other players out here sort of figure he's due?
ANDY BEAN: I played with him twice when he was definitely due. Des Moines, never could get a putt to fall. But he's just a great ball-striker. You can tell he's been practicing a little bit more, too. He's putting better. I mean, you saw that putt he made the last hole yesterday, it went right in the back of the hole. It's good to see him smile.
It's good to see him playing well because I just think the better the guys that are coming out here, the better they're playing, the more it makes you play better. If you've been out here a few more years, it makes you work a little bit more harder. You know, like Cookie playing last week, the last two rounds, that putter did the talking for him. He made a lot of birdies. Blew right by me.
But it's good. I think it's good for the game. I think it's good for TV. It's good for everybody to see guys making a lot of great shots. You're going to see a lot of good iron shots tomorrow, I think.

Q. Anything with the weather that you're fearful of?
ANDY BEAN: It's probably going to be sloppy tomorrow. But you've got to play with what's there. We don't play in a dome. You've always had to play if it's 105 out. Heck, I've been as wet playing in Williamsburg, Virginia, as I have out here today, and I didn't have a rain jacket on either, you know, from just in the summer.
You just adapt. You get out, you prepare, you adapt. The main thing is you just accept what's there and you go out and play in it. You know, if the weather lets up like it did a little bit for us this afternoon, that's great. I was making some birdies before that, hitting some good shots.
It does help, though, when it's not blowing quite so hard. Today the wind wasn't blowing much. When the rain comes down sideways, like it does at Pebble, when it's cold, that's not as much fun out there playing.
If it rains tomorrow, you got a lot of guys out here that are mudders. They played in Europe. They played all over the world. They've done quite well all over the world. So you're gonna see some good golf.

Q. The way you and Nick are putting, do you think the rain is going to affect you too much on the greens?
ANDY BEAN: I hope I can just hit it a little bit harder then (laughter).
But, you know, the golf course is in great shape. It's probably going to be lift, clean and place. If we play lift, clean and place, unless the greens get underwater, then we can pretty much finish if there's not lightning. You can take relief. Whereas if you don't play lift, clean and place, you play casual water rule, that's why we played the rules we played today, was to ensure that we finished today. With tomorrow being supposedly wetter, we'll probably do the same thing, lift, clean and place.
That way, I don't know if y'all know it or not, but if you're in the middle of the fairway, you say, Well, I'm going to take relief from casual water. If that relief is 50 yards up in the rough, you've got to go 50 yards up in the rough if you take relief. Usually, you know, within a yard or so, your driver length, you can get a pretty good relief anyway. You'll take the chance. You won't call casual because if you have to go over there in the rough, you're going to set it down right there, it's going to splat a little bit, but you'll pick it and go on.
I think they're doing the best they can to get it in. I think the Schwab people are happy. That's what we want. We want those guys to be happy. I think it's still going to be a good day. Might be a wet one, but we can't control that.

Q. And you get to watch the game tomorrow.
ANDY BEAN: And how about this? We moved the tee times earlier. I was thinking, Dang, that's between 8 and 10. I won't be able to see that much of the game. Then they said two tees. Let's see, I need to play really good. That way, you know, you can get to where -- you know, position yourself to where I can watch most of the Florida/Georgia game. We're going to have our hands full with Georgia tomorrow. Hopefully I won't think about that too much till after I finish. I'm sure I will get some updates.

Q. Someone will come out there and let you know.
ANDY BEAN: I'm sure. But, no, when we're out there playing, if it gets sloppy, you just play. You might not hit as good of shots as obviously you would hit in great conditions. But like I said, there's a lot of guys that are used to playing in less-than-favorable conditions, and they played a lot of great golf. I'm sure you'll be able to see some tomorrow. I just hope I'm one of those guys.

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