	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP

April 29, 2009

Chad Campbell

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA

JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Chad Campbell into the interview room here at the Quail Hollow Championship. Thanks for coming by for a few minutes. Making your first start on TOUR since the playoff there in Augusta. Let's get you to give us some thoughts and reflect back on that tournament and then also your preparations here in Charlotte.
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah, it was obviously nice being home for two weeks and just kind of hanging out, thinking about the tournament. It was kind of weird, the longer I had off, I think the more I started thinking about things I should have done or could have done. You know, it's easy to do. It's nice to be back out here playing and maybe get that tournament behind me a little bit.
It was a great experience, I had a blast, but I just wish it would have turned out a little bit better. Definitely happy to be back out here playing. It's a great event out here, and the course is set up awesome, in fantastic shape, so looking forward to the week.

Q. There was obviously a lot of focus on Kenny, probably because he had a two-shot lead with two to go, and how it was for the next two or three days and whatnot. You kind of seemed to get forgotten a little bit there. How long before you got it out of your system? Did you sleep good, bad that night?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I always sleep fine. You know, it was definitely -- I was very, very upset right after it happened. I'm still upset about some of the shots I hit. But you've got to move on and move forward, and hopefully you get back in that situation and maybe obviously do something a little different. I don't know, I felt like I did everything right, obviously just didn't hit the shots.

Q. When you talk about getting upset, can you give us an example of a couple shots that really burned your hide?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Well, I mean, just the 7-iron on the playoff. It was a perfect number, perfect everything, and I just kind of hung it out there to the right.

Q. How much did you miss that by?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Where I was aiming, ten feet probably. No, a little further than that, 15 feet. I'm trying to start it probably 15 feet right of the flag, and if it turns, fine. I blocked it. I don't know how wide that green is right there, but roughly 15 feet or so.

Q. Left is dead, and that's what --
CHAD CAMPBELL: Left is dead, yeah. Everybody knows that. And the bunker is actually not a bad -- I didn't get it up-and-down, but it's not a bad place to be. It's a pretty easy bunker shot actually. I thought I had a really good shot of making that bunker shot.

Q. You were upset with yourself, but do you feel bad for Kenny? Sort of the last two weeks has that sunk in?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Yeah, you know, we're good friends. I know I've heard him say, especially being -- I think he's 48 or 49, for anybody, you don't get that many chances that much, and especially when you start getting that age, I definitely know where he's coming from. I feel like I would have taken advantage. So yeah, I feel sorry for him in a way. But it wouldn't surprise me if he's back in contention in one of the majors this year. He's playing great.

Q. What is it about his game? He's almost 48 and it's like he's 25 or 30.
CHAD CAMPBELL: He hits the ball so well. You know, he's probably -- he could be one of the best drivers we have out here on TOUR. Length-wise and straightness, there's not many guys that hit it by him day in and day out, and not many people that hit it as straight as him. You know, when you can do that, it sets it up pretty good. He's a great iron player, and he's been putting really well of late.

Q. Would Augusta just pop into your mind the last two weeks, or would something trigger it? How often did you think about it?
CHAD CAMPBELL: You know, quite a bit. It's kind of funny, the more the two weeks went on, kind of the more I thought about it. At first, say like Monday or Tuesday after I got home, you know, I thought about it but not as much. And then I guess when I started practicing again to come out to this week because I pretty much took a week, even over a week off, didn't even touch a club. So kind of when I started practicing more is I think when it started getting into my mind a little bit more.
You know, it still will, and it will for a while. I thought about the PGA in '03 for a long time. I just hope that I can get myself in position the next few majors or tournaments and hopefully can put that -- I don't really want to put it behind me because it was a great experience and I enjoyed it, but not thinking about the negatives from it. There's so many positives from that week for me. I pretty much hit one bad shot and one bad putt, and those are the bad things I remember over 72 holes, four days, or actually 73 holes, four days.

Q. Have you watched any of it on film?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I did, I watched a little bit of it, a few holes. I didn't see the playoff hole. Just kind of roughly saw the back nine, like 13 through 18.

Q. Why didn't you see the playoff hole?
CHAD CAMPBELL: (Laughing) I knew this was coming. I shouldn't have said it. For some reason I DVR'd it at home, and you know how it works with the playoffs and stuff, sometimes it doesn't continue to record it, and for some reason it didn't record it. I really don't know what happened to be honest. My wife just told me that it didn't get the whole thing.
I'll probably get a copy of it and watch it.

Q. I don't want to belabor this, but I have one last question about the Masters. When you came back here, first time back on TOUR, what's been the reaction from players? What are they saying to you when they see you?
CHAD CAMPBELL: It's been great, how many people that were pulling for me and saying "good playing" or "good job" and feel sorry for me a little bit, unlucky, but it's been great, got a lot of support from the players, and it's been awesome.

Q. Have you seen Angel yet?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I haven't. Is he here? I didn't even know if he was playing. I haven't got to congratulate him yet. His locker is always right next to mine, so I'll see him.

Q. I know you're still relatively young, but was there ever a stretch post-Oak Hill where you wondered whether you'd ever get a chance like that again? That's what it's all about, isn't it?
CHAD CAMPBELL: Absolutely, absolutely it is. I guess there was a time, I guess it was the end of '07, right before I won Jackson, I had struggled that whole year, and winning Jackson was huge, kind of picked me up a little bit. It kind of creeped in there, like I'm never going to get -- maybe never get a chance to compete in a major or win a major again. That year, I don't even know if I played in many of them in '07, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what happened. It entered my mind, to answer your question, but it didn't stay in there long.
I feel like I worked really hard, especially that year, I worked really hard, and it paid off in Jackson. This year my results before the Masters weren't that great, but I was working on a lot of things and I had a lot of time off in the off-season. I had three months off, which is a long time, a lot longer than I've ever had. I was working on things, and it finally paid off at the Masters.
JOHN BUSH: A mixed bag here for you at Quail Hollow, a couple top-25 finishes in your first two starts but a couple missed cuts in your last two. What are your goals for the week?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I didn't even know that actually. I didn't even know I had a couple top 25s. I didn't know I had played that well. You know, my goal is definitely to win. I feel like I'm playing good. I always just remember the last few where I played terrible. I feel like I'm playing good. Like I said, I didn't practice too much the first week after the Masters, but I started practicing a little bit last week, and obviously I got here early Monday and started working on it, so I feel good. Obviously the goal is to win.

Q. Did you play the pro-am this morning?
CHAD CAMPBELL: I did.

Q. Do you remember the shape of your ball on No. 11 and No. 12?
CHAD CAMPBELL: You remind me of that all the time.

Q. What did you do today?
CHAD CAMPBELL: It wasn't near as pretty as when you were out there watching, I had a quick hook and a block.
JOHN BUSH: Chad, thanks.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297