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THE 50TH BOB HOPE CLASSIC HOSTED BY ARNOLD PALMER

January 22, 2009

Tom Pernice, Jr.

LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA

MARK STEVENS: Like to thank Tom Pernice for being here today. He shot rounds of 65, 63. And Tom, if you could start out giving some general thoughts about your last couple days in this tournament.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Today was pretty solid all the way around. I got off to a nice start. Hit a lot of good shots. Missed a couple greens and chipped it up there a foot.
So wasn't in too much stress too many times throughout the day, which made it nice. Just hit a lot of good iron shots gave me a lot of good opportunities, really. So I was able to capitalize on several of them.
Yesterday had a little bit of a lull in the middle of the round, was only a couple under through 12 holes or something, 11 holes. And missed a lot of makeable 10, 15 footers. And just kind of stayed patient and played well and made some a lot of birdie and an eagle coming in yesterday that kind of got me through yesterday. And today was steady all the way through and I played nice. So I was really pleased with the day today.

Q. 16-under and yet four shots back. Do you care about that after 36 holes of a 90 hole tournament?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: No. All you can do is go out and do your best. Try to stay focused, focus on what you have to do, and obviously you're going to need to continue to shoot low scores. So ain't no sense in worrying be anybody else at this stage. So just bear down and plow ahead forward.

Q. Tom, it seems like you shot a lot of low rounds the last couple of years, backing them up has been an issue. How about these two rounds, your ability to back up 65 from yesterday?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: That's good, that's something that I've been working on pretty hard in the off season. Trying to string these rounds together and back up good ones with another good one. So it was nice to come out today and play steady and get off to a good start and finish off strong. So it's something that I've been working on and concentrating on, so hopefully I'm on my way.

Q. This is a little bit like a home game for you. You're just over the mountain?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I'm just over the mountain in Murrieta, yeah it's about an hour 15, 20 minute drive.

Q. Are you coming in every day?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: No I'm staying here.

Q. Good. Is this a tournament you felt comfortable in through the years because of that?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I've just always enjoyed the desert in general. I think that the tournament's back on the right track, I think, with the rotation of the courses here where they are. I think that, as nice as the Classic Club was and the opportunity, it just didn't fit being so far away and out in the wind. I think it would have been fine if that was a tournament where everybody played that venue every day and the conditions were the same.
But a couple years ago I felt like I played pretty well here and I was stuck out there on a windy day and that hurt. But I think that the vicinity, with everybody here in La Quinta, Palm Desert and Arnold stepping up, it's really going to help the tournament long-term. Because a lot of the players enjoy the nice weather, the great golf course conditions and the camaraderie playing with the amateurs, at least I do.

Q. First, you said earlier that you have been working on stringing together those good rounds. How do you go about working on something like that?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I'm working with a gentleman that's helped me do that. That gentleman by the name of Jim Fanning and he's worked with some top athletes and been working with him in the off season.

Q. Is he doing a mental thing or physical thing?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I would call him a zone coach or he just very knowledgeable in terms of dealing with athletes at Peak Performance. And he's got his own web site and his own book out and worked with several great athletes from Jimmy Connors to A Rod and I was able to hook up with him and spend a lot of time with him. So I'm excited about the opportunity to continue to get better.

Q. I think it's been eight years or since 2001 since you last won on TOUR.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: That's correct.

Q. And when it's been that kind of a gap what's it like when you're in contention versus maybe when you're fresh off a win or not that far removed from a win? Do you feel any different?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: No, I haven't won that many times to have it feel that much different. So no, that's one of my major goals is to win here early and to get into the Masters. So trying to stay focused on what I need to do and go right ahead for it.

Q. Could you maybe comment on some of the work you did physically this off season? I understood you were working with a guy who used to be Vijay's trainer?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Joey Diovisalvi, yeah I worked with him for several years now. And I continue to work most every day out here and then in the off season I continue to work out as well. So nothing anything extraordinary that I don't haven't normally done in the off season the last two or three years. So, but I worked pretty extensively, so I just feel like it's something that you need to do to be able to stay somewhat fit and somewhat strong to be able to compete out here.

Q. A little off beat question. Someone was telling me earlier that you helped Ricky Fowler get him to like free round at Bear Creek or something like that. Or put in a word for him?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Ricky's a good friend of mine and he lives right up where I do and we do whatever we can to welcome him to Bear Creek to come and play, he's not around that much. He's obviously one of the top amateurs in the world right now and I expect to see him out here very shortly. I don't know how much longer he'll stay in college at Oklahoma State. But the membership there at our club enjoys good players, enjoys Ricky being around, he's a nice kid.
Phil came up and played with us about three or four weeks ago and him and his brother and Ricky and I played. That was something neat for the membership and our membership really appreciates good players. It's, Bear Creek's got great conditions, greens are as good as anywhere in California. So yeah, trying to help Ricky any way I can. But he doesn't need a lot of help he's pretty talented. Let me tell you.

Q. Who won the round between you two?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Between who?

Q. You and Ricky.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Me and Ricky got beat by Phil. So I think we both played Phil individually and I think Phil got us both by one or two shots. But we had a great time.
MARK STEVENS: Okay, thank you, Tom.

End of FastScripts

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