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U.S. BANK CHAMPIONSHIP IN MILWAUKEE

July 18, 2009

Greg Chalmers

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

THE MODERATOR: Greg Chalmers, thanks for joining us after a third round 69. Three rounds in the 60s so far. One back of Frank Lickliter II, heading into Sunday's final round here at the U.S. Bank Championship. Couple opening comments, especially about number 18, a nice save for par there.
GREG CHALMERS: Thanks. Having slept on the lead, and I felt fairly comfortable going out there today. I got away to a great start. Probably should have made birdie on 3. I hit it to within 4 feet with a 9-iron and missed it. That would have had me 2 under through three holes, which would have been great. Then to bogey the next hole off the front edge kind of slowed things down a little bit.
But I just had to hang in there. I wasn't playing that well, to be honest. And I thought if I just stayed patient, I might get a run of birdies. And I had a couple in a row there on 14 and 15. And I had an 8-footer on 16 that I missed. And then pulled my tee shot off the last, and I really haven't driven the ball fantastically this week.
So I really need to do better tomorrow if I want to -- if you want to shoot the kind of score you're going to need to shoot to win. And I pulled it. Then I tried to just basically pitch it back out on the fairway and leave myself a long iron in. Then that got stuck in the rough.
I thought I had a good enough lie to hit a rescue up next to the green, and that got stuck in the rough. Turned it over to the right.
Then I had a wedge from about 95 yards that had to go under a tree and over the bunker. And for some crazy reason, it worked out just fine and I made the putt.
So sometimes with things like that, like I really felt like I was going to make that putt, but I just had an idea that it was going to go in.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The telecast mentioned something about a stressful situation either on 8 or maybe 7 -- the bogey. Did something happen out on the course at some point?
GREG CHALMERS: Look, on 7 par 3 -- I'll say this, there are five par 3s. Are there or four? Just four. Three on the front nine. There's five. Yeah, that's right.
I've always thought that if you play the par 3s on any given day an even par or better, you're probably going to shoot a good score. Because there are par 5s, and par 3s usually sort you out.
I've been trying to do that and it's not easy. You've still got to hit a 5-iron to a target. And I pulled it and missed it totally in the wrong spot. It was probably the wrong club in a lot of ways. Pulled it and left myself an impossible up-and-down. I could have made 5 there. And I did well just to make 4, realistically, a bogey.
It was fairly stressful. Certainly wasn't where I wanted to hit it. But I really didn't have a great idea of where the ball was going to go early and to the mid-parts of my round. I felt much better 13 onwards. I felt like I had much more control.

Q. When you had the 36-hole lead in 2000 at the Nissan Open, what did you learn? Did you take anything from what happened at that?
GREG CHALMERS: That's so long ago, I can barely remember it. I can't remember last week. I do remember one story. I drove it down the first fairway into the rough. I was playing with Bob Tway, and this was on Saturday, I believe. And then trod on my own ball. We couldn't find it in the rough, and I actually walked on it, got a one shot penalty and got a nice start. But I digress.
Yeah, look, I can't remember that long ago. You know, you need to go through these things more often than I have in my career. And so far today I've handled it pretty well.
I think playing on the Nationwide Tour the last couple of years if you're going to be competitive out there you're going to have chances to win, and that certainly helps. So we'll see where we go tomorrow.

Q. How well do you know Frank Lickliter?
GREG CHALMERS: I played with Frank my first event in America. It was with the PGA. I was drawn with Frank ten years ago. 1998, I believe. 11 years ago. I've known him well enough to say hello, but we've never had dinner or anything like that. I know he owns a lot of guns, so I'll keep away from him (laughing).

Q. I was going to say he looks like he's a really intimidating player to play with let alone have dinner with. When you play with him, does that kind of come across? Or is it just like playing with somebody else?
GREG CHALMERS: No, I think sunglasses don't give a lot away, do they, because you can't see someone's eyes. Every time I've played with Frank, he's fine. He's a pretty laid-back kind of -- reminds me of Tommy Armour a little bit. He's just laid back and cool.
But I can understand where you're coming from. Sometimes he can have that look of like just get out of my way. But I haven't had a problem.

Q. It's almost like you don't want to say anything to him, right? At some point you just don't --
GREG CHALMERS: Yeah, no. Look, I mean, he's got twins. He's got a gorgeous wife. I've never had a problem with Frank. But I can see what you're talking about. I think the sunglasses do it. I think you just can't see the guy's eyes and it makes him like don't mess with me.

Q. It's hard to win wire to wire. You've been sleeping on the lead. Is it okay to be 1 back going into tomorrow?
GREG CHALMERS: It's not that much different. It's not like I'm 5 back. Ultimately - whoever wins - I guess, tomorrow out of the handful of guys on the top of the leaderboard, if it is one of us, it would mean so much to that person.
So at some point there will be some pressure for somebody tomorrow. I'd love it if it was me. But, you know, we've got a long way to go.

Q. You said you had an idea of what you might need to shoot to win this tournament. Do you?
GREG CHALMERS: Oh, they? Did I say that?

Q. Did you not?
GREG CHALMERS: No, not me.

Q. Do you have an idea what it might take? You've seen an 8 and 7 under today?
GREG CHALMERS: Yeah, look, in our position, if I went out and shot something like that, I'll sit and watch everybody play. I'd be thrilled with that. You know, we've seen guys get hot at the top of the leaderboard.
It's certainly a lot harder when you're going out in the last few groups, I realize that today. If I didn't already know it, which I think I did.
Yeah, look, I think if you went out and shot 4 or 5 under, 6 under you might be close. But who knows. Lickliter might shoot 8 under. He obviously played pretty nicely today, shot 6 under, didn't he? 6 or 7, yeah. So a lot of it is going to come down to putting. Who rolls the ball in.

Q. Has that still been good for you? The putting?
GREG CHALMERS: It wasn't as good today, no. Today was evidence of nerves here and there. But I feel like in the past when I've gotten in these situations where you continually are under pressure day after day, I typically have gotten better day after day with dealing with it. It's just getting used to it again. You know, sometimes it's just harder than others.

End of FastScripts

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