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JOHN DEERE CLASSICJuly 11, 2009Tim PetrovicSILVIS, ILLINOIS THE MODERATOR: Another great round today. Seven birdies and just a few bogeys. TIM PETROVIC: I made seven birdies? Oh, yeah I made three bogeys. THE MODERATOR: 4-under 67 today. Obviously right in the thick of it. Talk about what's going right for you this week. TIM PETROVIC: I'm in a good frame of mind. I been working on my swing a little bit the last few weeks and doing my physical stuff. Really hit it really well last week. Hit it well enough to contend. Drove it probably as well as I've driven it all year last week. Congressional is a great golf course. I was optimistic coming into this week and birdies started falling. Yesterday I think I made about a 50-footer to get it going. THE MODERATOR: How wet is the course? Have they done a good job? TIM PETROVIC: They've done a great job. I thought it would be an a lot wetter. I think I only took a casual water drop once today. The bus is parked in the back today, and I had a front row seat for it over by the river. It was coming down pretty hard. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. Was yesterday necessary, or could you have played it down? TIM PETROVIC: Could we have played it down? You know, I'm surprised how dry the course was. I know it is wet out there, but I only took one casual water drop and didn't have a lot of mud. I had more mud on my ball in Hartford, and it hardly rained at all that week. The grounds crew has done an unbelievable job. They must've been up all night getting the bunkers ready, because I think the bunker is one of the hardest thing to get ready and get the water on the of them. But no, we needed to play it up. I think that was one of the reasons why they kind of waited and didn't want to send us out. 'Cause once you go out and start playing the ball down, everybody has to play it down. So I think they waited just to see what that storm was gonna do, and it ended up coming in. I think it was the right call. Q. How about the greens? TIM PETROVIC: Greens are fine. They're soft. Obviously they didn't firm up any with the rain that we had. But having to play some different kind of shots from 110 yards, you can't just get up there with a wedge or the sand wedge. You might have to hit a 9-iron from 110 yards, and that's kind of what I did today just to keep the ball from coming back off the green. Q. Did you cut your hair? TIM PETROVIC: I think I'm wearing a hat today. I did actually cut it myself. I had it really short. I took the -- that's funny you ask that. If you want to hear this story. One day I just said, I'm tired of it. It was getting long and kind of like Kramer or Yahoo Serious. Do you remember who Yahoo Serious is, this the Australian guy with the hair? I bought the grooming kit for the dog, and I just got in the mirror and started going, Okay, that looks good, and I just took all off. The kids kind of freaked out a little bit. It's growing back a little bit. This is like long compared to the way to what it was. Thanks for asking, though. Q. (No microphone.) TIM PETROVIC: No, I haven't really cut it in a while. It was probably about as short as yours. Like a number, what is that, No. 2? Q. Your traveling in an RV? TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, we stay -- I probably stay in that thing -- probably play about 30 tournaments a year. I probably use it at least probably about 25 events a year. So, you know, the tournaments are nice enough to let us park down there. It helps, especially this week, because we can park really, really close to the golf course. The kids like it. They get their own bedroom downstairs. And if I need to go home, I don't have to take everything with me. I can grab a magazine and get on a plane and go home. Q. You just leave the RV where it is and let the caddie drive it? TIM PETROVIC: No, no, caddie can't drive it. I have a guy that drives for me. If I need to scoot home for a week he'll come and get it and bring it up to the next venue. I actually drove it here from D.C. that was about 800 and something miles by myself. No dog, no family, so I was kind of bored. But that's about my limit. The 800-mile distance is my limit. Q. (No microphone.) TIM PETROVIC: Yeah. We're so careful. I mean, the kids, when we travel, they sit on the couch and we actually have lap belts to come out of the couch so they can kind of be anchored to the couch in case something happens like that. God forbid something like that should happen. That was kind of an eye opener. It's something you can't even think about happening and it happens. We've had a few tragedies out here in the last month. That one surely was an eye owner. I did have a blow out on the front tire on the bus a few years ago, but the tire didn't actually deflate. I think just the tread came off, so I was lucky. Hopefully nothing like that will ever happen again. Q. You have a few busses down there this week. A nice little community. TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, we've got about eight or nine guys down there. I think we got one of the caddies down there. We're right there. We're right near the river. The dog can run around and have a good time and nobody really bugs out down there. Q. Have you been walking by the water? TIM PETROVIC: You know, we did walk down there. I did bring my fishing gear, but I'll have to ask Troy Madison. Troy is a fisherman, and he'll know exactly what's in that river over in. We did go fishing. We waded down a little creek at Quail Hollow this year. We were walking down there and there were some old tires. I'm like, You gotta be kidding me. There are fish in here? He found some bass and some trout, so it was pretty cool. Q. Who all brings the RVs this week? TIM PETROVIC: Darron Stiles. He's playing very well this week. He's up there. Troy Madison, Davis is parked next to me, Davis Love, Zach Johnson. I think Johnson Wagner. Yeah, he's here, Johnson Wagner. Who else is -- oh, Scott Gutschewski. So probably about eight of us down there. A little community down there. We see about probably eight or nine, maybe ten guys every week. We have a little community. Q. Talk about the prospects of tomorrow, 36 holes, and what that does to your mindset. TIM PETROVIC: I was talking about it earlier. The '84 lumber in '0 we had a 36-hole final on Sunday. I ended up finishing second to JL. Been down this road before. It's a long day. I think fitness will have a little bit to do with it. So I guess JL was a little more fit than I was that day. The old man. He's a couple years older than me. He through a 63 at us or something. That kind of got him going. But it's a long day. Everybody's different. I don't mind it. The walking is going to be a little bit harder. The ground is softer, so 36 holes you may feel like walking 45 holes. I don't know how many guys have ever played that many holes in a day. The caddies are going to be really sore tomorrow night. Q. Were you in Houston this year? Wasn't there a 36-hole day Saturday or Sunday? TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, I missed the cut there, but I think we had a day there. Couple years ago we did it in New Orleans. Yeah, that was last year. I played behind Andre the whole weekend and keep tabs on him. Q. The Stewart Cink had that weird ruling. TIM PETROVIC: The bunker to bunker thing? Yeah. You always see us, We need an official. We're not sure. Can I mark my ball on the green? Yes, you can. Okay, next. Q. What is the ribbon on your hat? TIM PETROVIC: One is for Ken Green, and one is for Chris Smith's wife. I combined them this week, because I think her funeral is next week. I think there's a charter are going over from Milwaukee. I have not actually talked to Ken, but the green one is for Ken Green. Q. You know him pretty really? TIM PETROVIC: I grew up in Connecticut, and I guess he's originally from Connecticut. We got to play a few tournaments together. I think when I was first turned pro, we played the Connecticut Open. He played it somehow. He ended up winning it. Shocker. I think I finished third, but I got play a few days with him. It was pretty cool playing with a tour player back then. Q. How old were you? TIM PETROVIC: I think I just out of college. I think I was like 21, 22. I guess you could say he inspired me a little bit to keep playing. He gave me a few words of encouragement when we were down, even though he won and beat us all up and took the check. Q. Have you played at the British Open? TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, three of them. Was there last year with the Trifecta the weather we call it the first day. Paddy ended up winning it. He was in the same wave I was and shot like 73, which is like shooting 66. Q. Did you take the jet? TIM PETROVIC: We took the jet over, yeah, it was pretty cool. I think it was a 757. Q. 767. TIM PETROVIC: 767, oh, excuse me. Yeah. We had plenty of room to move around in there. We would watch movies whenever you want. We were a little tired. You're on a plane and you know everybody on the plane, I think some guys nodded off. We were chit chatting and watching movies so we were a little tired when we got there. But that's the way to go, that's the way yo travel. Q. You've had a little success at this tournament. TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, I played okay. Yeah. The course fits my eye. I think it's not overly long, which is good. There's been a trend going around stretching out the golf courses and trying to change the golf courses. You can change a golf course, but, you know, longer doesn't mean better. May make you play a little harder, but sometimes it doesn't improve the playability of the golf course. But I like this golf course. It's always in great shape and got a good variety of holes. It's got some short 3s and some long 3s. I think the finishing holes are great. You got a par-3 where guys can maybe make the birdie. You got a par-5 where a guy can make a three or a four. A lot of drama coming down the last three holes. And then 18, anything can happen. I think Shaun birdied it when he won. JL made a bogey or something on the par-5. It was like a three-shot swing in a matter of 20 minutes. You thought one guy was gonna win, and then 20 minutes later this guy has a birdie to tie. Shaun ended up winning and going to the British. I think the finishing holes are really good. 15 you have a long par-4, and then before that you have a short par-4. So I think the last five holes just you can make up some ground or make mistakes. I think the fans like it because there's a lot of drama. THE MODERATOR: Just run us through your birdies and give us some clubs and yardages as best you remember. TIM PETROVIC: 10 was 110 yards. Missed the green here and no-brained it. Putted it from the Valley of Sin on the left and knocked it in the hole. I was just trying to get it on the green within four feet and putted it in there. 12, I missed the green to the left pin high. It was about a 215-yard shot, and chipped that one in. I was like, Boy, I guess we just miss greens today. Played 14 perfectly. I hit a driver down there and it stayed up on top of the hill. I had a little 70-yard shot. The greens are really soft. Normally that pin by the bunker, it's tough to get it close. I was able to throw it past the hole from 70 yards and have it spin back. That will be a little bit tougher next year without the square grooves. 17, hit a 9-iron from 110 yards just to keep it from spinning back off the green. 18, I hit a bad drive there. Hit it in the right rough and just caught a horrible lie. Almost looked like somebody stepped on it. Took us a while to find it actually. It was just off the fairway. It was really wet over there. Then birdied, yeah, 1. Made a nice little 12, 15-footer there. Parred 2. I had about a four- or five-footer there I missed. That was really the first putt I missed first two days. I missed another par putt about the same length on the next hole. I was like Okay. That was kind of a little wake-up call. No.4 was probably one of the best holes I played besides 9. I hit a driver and an 8-iron probably about three feet there. Greens soft again and makes that shot a little easier. The right part of that green normally is a little firmer. You have to be careful you don't knock it over the back side. Then just made a silly bogey on 5. Middle of the fairway. Tried to cut it soft, an 8-iron, and just got a little heavy. And a little heavy here is a lot heavy. Just need a little softer. Then probably hit my best shot of the day on 9. I had 222 yards and hit a 3-iron in there about 15 feet and made it. So that was a nice way to finish the round. But enough birdies on the card. Couple silly bogeys. But if it was easy, everybody would be out here. That happens. Q. (No microphone.) TIM PETROVIC: Yeah, well, I hit two really good shots and made a really good putt. I mean, I earned that one, but I stole a couple from off the green on the back and then I missed a couple. Those kind of evened out a little bit. Sp that's about what I got today, 4-under par. End of FastScripts |
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