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TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP

September 29, 2009

Tom Pernice, Jr.

VERONA, NEW YORK

MARK WILLIAMS: Tom Pernice, thanks for joining us in the interview room here at Turning Stone Championship. You've played here a couple of times, missed the cut by seven, T61 last year. Coming back straight off a victory on the Championships Tour, the SAS Championship, it was your win on debut there. It's the 15th time that's happened in the history of the Champions Tour and the third time this year. One of the other gentlemen that did that was Michael Allen who's also playing here. Just talk about coming back here and playing at Turning Stone, particularly after coming off a victory and what you're looking forward to this week.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, obviously it's great to be back here at Turning Stone. I mean the chief and his staff do an unbelievable job here. The golf course is easily as good a condition golf course as we play on the TOUR all year.
So unfortunately, I think this time of the year the weather is not cooperating too well for everybody, but besides that, you can't control it.
No, I just came to, you know -- I feel like I haven't played that well this year earlier in the year and haven't capitalized when I have played well. I need to make some money to stay eligible on this TOUR, and that's my goal. And this is the start of the Fall Series, so I'll try to take that momentum from last week on the Champions Tour victory and propel it into the Fall Series.
MARK WILLIAMS: And I asked you on the way over after winning last week, was there a temptation to stay out there on the Champions Tour now that you're out eligible?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, not really. My major goal is to stay and play on this TOUR next year as well, so the opportunity for me to come and play in the Fall Series and to have a good Fall Series and stay in the top 125 and be exempted is really my goal out here. And if it doesn't happen, then obviously I have the opportunity to go play the Champions Tour, but I really feel that I have the opportunity and really would like to stay out here and play and compete.
MARK WILLIAMS: Let's open it up for questions.

Q. Tom, how do you go about practicing when it's like this?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I just played nine holes. I figured I did need to get out there to see, you know, how far the ball's going relative to the cold weather, the damp weather, how the course is kind of playing. And so I just kind of have a feel in terms of with three layers of clothes on and the wind and the rain and the cold weather how far the ball is going and try to, you know, get kind of a feel for that because it looks like it could be like this three of the four days possibly. So I just went out there and played nine holes and kind of got a feel for it. I've played here for three years now, so I know the course. So playing well, no question.
So you know, if we could miss the rain, I think we'd be in great shape, to be honest with you. I think the players can handle the cold weather and the little bit of wind, but the rain mixed in with it, I mean doesn't make it much fun for the people here to come out and spectate and to watch and to see the event.
The fairways are getting pretty wet actually. They're holding a lot of water. The greens are fine, but it would be nice to see the rain subside a little bit.

Q. How does that change your game plan, though?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I mean as the course plays longer, I mean obviously you don't have near as many opportunities for -- to get the ball as close to the hole. I mean that's just the way golf is. When you're hitting shorter irons in, you have better opportunities as a rule, in general.
So if it stays wet and cold and damp, the scoring's not going to be very good, just like it was last year. I think the winner was 9-under last year and the year before it was quite a bit under. And when you have cold and wet and damp conditions, as long of a golf course like this plays quite a bit more difficult.

Q. Tom, couple things. First, obviously today on the driving range, it's late and everybody's back and getting into the mode, but because everybody's trying to get to that level and try and keep their card, does it get competitive maybe not in the first part of the Fall Series, but as it goes through, has that been your experience?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I think the people that are trying to keep their card, as it gets less and less tournaments, obviously there's more and more value.
But no, I think there's a lot of people here for different reasons. You have people like Davis Love and people like that that are trying to stay in the top 30 or trying to get into the top 30 and some people trying to finish in the top 70. There's numerous different levels that make a difference in terms of your getting into the tournament.
And first my stage is 100 and I don't even know 59 or 60 on the Money List. My first objective is to get into the top 125, but if you have a good Fall Series or you win all of a sudden you have top 30 or top 70 and there's all kinds of opportunities if you play well, we've got five tournaments. And I can't speak for everybody, but you get on a hot streak here, you can do some damage.
I think five or six years ago Duval won the last three tournaments of the year or something before the Fall Series, so you never know who's going to catch a hot streak and what can happen.

Q. And you touched on it before about the weather and we had hail, I guess, in day two last year. Would you like to see this event maybe part of the regular calendar for the PGA TOUR?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Oh, I don't think there's any doubt that the TOUR'S going to be looking for some strong sponsors for the Fall Series to step up to the FedExCup, whether it be next year or the following year. I think there's probably 10 or 11 title sponsors that probably need to be re-signed by 2011, so right off the top of my head, the chief here and the people at Turning Stone is a viable candidate and the people at Frys are two strong possibilities, and I think there's a lot of talk probably from the TOUR and these particular sponsors to move into a summer day or a spring day to possibly be a part of the FedEx. And I think we're going to need sponsors and people like this to step in because I don't think they're going to be able to sign everybody.

Q. Junior golfers, when you talk to them, even the young guys I'm talking about, not just the ones breaking out on the TOUR, but when they come to you for advice and so on, what do you tell them in terms of -- you know, everybody's having to be so specialized now, you're only going to play football, only going to play golf, only going to play baseball. What do you tell them about focusing on if they want to be a pro golfer, is it have fun? Is it don't get so wrapped up in it? What's your advice as someone that's been out there for so long?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I think everybody is different. I mean they have to find that out for themselves. I think as a young age I think you should play whatever sports you feel like playing, to be honest with you.
I think depending upon your personality, you're going to start liking one more than the other or two more than the other, so kind of go that direction. You know, you want to start a kid off as young as possible just to go and have fun and go hit the ball and not worry about it. But when they start competing playing in small little tournaments, whether they're five or six or eight or 10, they start having some success and win tournaments, if they're driven and want to just play golf, I mean absolutely, go for it. But you know, I think first and foremost, you have to be a kid.
You know, some people question, you know, some of the cultural aspects of the golfers and the youngsters of Korean golfers, but you look at what women from Korea are doing and dominating the LPGA, the success you can't argue with. But on the other hand, what kind of childhood did they have and what did they miss? Who knows? Not for anybody to decide other than the child and the parent.
So I think it's kind of all up to the family and what's going on in the family and the kid, what they want to do. I mean there's people who have been out here that are successful that didn't start till they were in high school, and some people that started, like Tiger, when he was 3. So there's a wide variety of how people have gotten here and the success they've had. But it's kind of what works for you and your family.

Q. (Inaudible).
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I don't, but you know, when I hang around some of the younger kids, I do. But I've been going that way for quite some time. So another birthday didn't seem to make much difference, but it is what it is.
MARK WILLIAMS: One last question. You played 22 events so far this year. Are you intending to play all five in the Fall Series?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I'm committed for all five.
MARK WILLIAMS: And if you do, is that a high number for you to play 27 events or is that pretty standard?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: That's probably a little below what I normally play.
MARK WILLIAMS: Yeah, given depending what happens at the end of this year, if you have status on both tours, will you play more tournaments?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: No. I'm going to play, if I can keep my card and my status out here, I'm going to play out here full time. I'm not going to try to go back and forth. I'm going to try and stay and play out here, and if I don't have playing status out here, then I'll pretty much go play the Champions Tour. So kind of wait and see before I make any decisions. I have the opportunity to go play the next month and a half and see what happens.
MARK WILLIAMS: Any further questions? Okay. Tom, we appreciate you coming in here and good luck this week.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Thanks, guys.

End of FastScripts

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