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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 19, 2009

Carl Pettersson

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

DOUG MILNE: Okay. We'd like to welcome the defending champion of the Wyndham Championship, Carl Pettersson. Thanks for joining us for a few minutes this afternoon.
Just as you're kind of heading into the week to hopefully successfully defend your title, kind of assess the state of your game as you're heading into the week.
CARL PETTERSSON: It hasn't been the greatest year. I missed the cut last week by one but the last couple weeks were good. I had three really good rounds in the Bridgestone, nine bad holes on Sunday at the Bridgestone and played pretty good last week and feel like the game is turning around.
DOUG MILNE: How about, you've had a chance to be out and see the course. Anything markedly different this year from last year? Looks like they narrowed the fairways somewhat.
CARL PETTERSSON: The rough is probably a lot thicker than last year. The ball is really sitting down so a couple of times even with the wedge today I couldn't hardly get it on the green. It's definitely going to play a little tougher if you don't hit it straight.
DOUG MILNE: We'll open it up for a few questions.

Q. Carl, can you talk about you're struggling, does it help any to come to a course where you've won and maybe mentally that gives you a little boost?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I would think so. You got good memories from last year and I played well in this tournament before even when it was at Forest Oaks and I like playing in North Carolina so hopefully I can have a good week.

Q. Carl, last two weeks you said you missed the cut up in Minnesota but was the competition down the line as severe as it appeared to us watching mostly the front guys?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, the PGA has probably got the best field of the year every year and the golf course was hard. I missed it by one which kind of sucks but played pretty good.
Like I said, the week before I played pretty good so I feel better about my game so it's coming around.

Q. Anything other than the rough as the course starts to mature out here that will come into play this week?
CARL PETTERSSON: Maybe the greens were a little softer this year. I think last year they were new greens, new greens are usually a little firmer. I know with the heat they can't firm them up because they got to put water on them to keep them alive.
I think the golf course is looking good. It's set-up well. You know, probably needs the thick rough to keep the scoring from going crazy low and still enough room out there, you don't have to hit the driver on every hole which is kind of nice.
Hit a lot of three woods, hybrids. You do use the driver but not as many as, you know, last week, I hit driver on every hole. Here I probably hit a handful of drivers and some 3-woods and 2-irons and stuff like that.

Q. You said you thought that you played some good rounds. What is it about the last few weeks that maybe just hasn't gotten you as far as where you want to finish, you look to improve upon this week?
CARL PETTERSSON: Probably confidence, really. I played some good rounds. If I had better confidence in myself I probably would have shot one, two shots better each day.
This game is all about confidence. If you feel like you're going to do well, you're probably going to do well and I feel like my game is turning around and it just takes time, you know, to get that spring back in your step.

Q. Carl, what's your feeling about the PGA Tour, the economy has been down? Have you noticed it as you've gone around the nation that sponsorships are down and that tournaments are struggling?
CARL PETTERSSON: Little bit. Maybe not as many people come out and watch, when we play tournaments the corporate boxes are not as full as they used to be, maybe not selling out as many but I think, overall, golf is still a great game and people are going to support it and they enjoy watching golf and being around golf so I think it's going to -- golf has hung in there pretty well for the most part.

Q. What would you say is the best time of year to really bring out the qualities of this course, especially the greens if this tournament could have a magic date?
CARL PETTERSSON: Probably end of May, maybe, middle of May.

Q. Why is that?
CARL PETTERSSON: It's not as hot. Still got some heat but not like now where you could keep the greens a little firmer and you could still have the rough coming in and stuff like that. The course would play firmer that time of year, I think. Or late, in the fall, too, but I think in the spring -- the spring date would be sort of -- May, May would be good.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. Carl, as always, we appreciate your time and best of luck this week.
CARL PETTERSSON: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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