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AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

February 12, 2009

Rich Beem

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

MARK STEVENS: We'd like to welcome Rich Beem to the interview room. He shot a -6 today to take the early-round lead at the 2009 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. If you'd start off and give some general comments on your round and talk a little bit about your history here at the Pebble Beach. You've played two events in the past and missed the cut, so kind of talk about your thoughts on that.
RICH BEEM: Thank you for bringing that up. That was awfully nice of you to remind me. I played good today. I hit the ball very solid, had a great attitude about getting out there. Wasn't too sure what to expect weather-wise, but just want to enjoy Pebble Beach as much as I could. Like I said, I got off to a good start, first three holes, birdies, and just had a nice time playing golf with David Duval and our amateurs today.
If you want to know about missing the cuts, I missed the cut the last two times I played here. So that's it.

Q. You came back and played Callaway, but you haven't played this event very often. Any reason why?
RICH BEEM: Because when I come back for the Callaway all expenses are paid and it's a hit-and-giggle event, and I really don't care what I shoot. I come back here for Callaway more than anything else. It's an appreciation for the company that sponsors me and takes care of me, so I come back and they look after us. It's more of a social event than anything for me. I play golf with all the Callaway executives and then we go to dinners and things like that.
For me it's work but it's more of a social atmosphere than anything else. If you look at my track record for the Callaway Invitational, it's not that spectacular, either.

Q. I was wondering, what was the weather like for your previous tournaments here?
RICH BEEM: During the AT&T?

Q. Why didn't you come back here?
RICH BEEM: Because of the weather. The first two times I came out, I played Pebble in the tournament, I hit 6-iron into No. 7. I hit 3-iron into No. 17. It was blowing and raining sideways, and I didn't know how to play in that weather. I came from west Texas, and it doesn't rain like that in west Texas parts. If it does, we stay inside. Just because of the conditions and because I've had the opportunity to play wherever I wanted. I was fully exempt. I'm not fully exempt this year, so I'm playing in the places that I need to, that I can get in. So that's the main reason why I came back.
No disrespect to Pebble Beach and their tournament and AT&T, but it's never suited my game. Just because I shoot 66 today doesn't make me want to come back every single year, but it certainly has been fun today.

Q. Do you have a preference of courses here?
RICH BEEM: I love Spyglass. Spyglass is my favorite to play. I just think -- you go out and play some beautiful holes there on the ocean to start off with and come back in the forest. I just really enjoy playing Spyglass, I always have.

Q. You're going to play on your number this year. How many events do you figure you're going to play?
RICH BEEM: Between writing for letters and everything like that, I think I'll probably play in 27 events, anywhere from 25 to 27 events. That's just because of my past history with some of the tournaments and some of the tournament directors and getting to know them, and so I'm writing a lot of letters to the tournaments that I've supported, and I've only been turned down for a couple of them so far. That's the nature of my business.
I can still play my way into all of them. I can finish top 10 and play my way into LA, I can win, do a lot of things. My focus is to accept, get into tournaments that they give me invitations into, but I'm out here to play my way into them.

Q. I remember the hole-in-one at LA.
RICH BEEM: Yeah, and I got a nice call from Mr. Pulchinski, Tom, about that, and from what I understand, I was on a very short list of people that he was going to give a sponsor exemption to, and I don't know where it sits right now, but I'll know tomorrow afternoon. It's my favorite course to play on TOUR all year, and if I don't get a chance to play it, yeah, it stings, but hey, that's the way it goes. You want the full exemption, play better. That's the way it goes.

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