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THE INTERNATIONAL

August 8, 2004

Rod Pampling

CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome the 2004 INTERNATIONAL champion, Rodney Pampling. Congratulations, Rodney, a hard fought day out there today.

ROD PAMPLING: Yes, it was.

TODD BUDNICK: It was definitely interesting, and you made it more interesting with your eagle on 17 to jump ahead.

ROD PAMPLING: No one I think took control early, which I thought it was there for it to happen. And obviously, I couldn't make it happen, although I was trying awfully hard. It was just one of those days. And then I made a fantastic putt on 12, and I knew if I made that putt I was still in for the chance. And obviously 17 was just a wonderful experience and a fantastic putt.

TODD BUDNICK: When you started the day I'm guessing you wouldn't have thought if you scored two putts you would be sitting here today.

ROD PAMPLING: I kind of figured 10 was going to be a good number. That's the number you kind of have in your head. That's just the number you start off with. And obviously when I got through nine, I knew that number, we didn't need to have a 10. It was just a matter of hanging in there.

17, that's what this whole format is designed for, for someone to do something special on 17, and thankfully it was me.

TODD BUDNICK: It looks like the Australians are trying to make their presence known on Tour. You're the fifth Australian to win this year and they've totaled six victories. We talked earlier this week about the strength of the Australians. How much more does this speak to your play?

ROD PAMPLING: It's great to see Australians doing well. We have a great program down there and it's nice to see Australian guys coming across to America. We always got told to go to Europe and then come to America. It was 10 years ago, it was myself and a friend of mine, we come over here. We thought let's just go straight here. And it's been -- I would say it's a great experience to have it happen.

It's great when you see other Australians win. Once you play with them -- because we have a few practice rounds here and there, and once you see those guys win, you know that you can do it as well.

TODD BUDNICK: Questions?

Q. With your first victory, your lovely wife is here, you have your first child on the way, tell us how this victory today sinks in and what does it mean for your future?

ROD PAMPLING: Obviously No. 1, it's job security. Obviously we have the rest of the year and another two years. It definitely means when the baby is due, we can have time off and actually enjoy it instead of having to panic about not missing a tournament and trying to get back out there quick. We can actually have some fun and enjoy it all. Obviously as I said, the job security is a nice thing.

Q. You said this was the first tournament that you played in America as a professional?

ROD PAMPLING: It's the first one I had an invite into. The Vickers gave me an invite to play here.

Q. When?

ROD PAMPLING: It was in '99, right after Carnoustie. I remember that well. I had an invite. This was the first one I had an invite. I qualified for the other one. Actually, it was my second. It was the Cannon Hartford, and the one in Australia was the Cannon Challenge.

Q. As you go along hole after hole after hole today, nothing much is happening and no one else is making anything happen, do you start focusing or thinking about 17, making something happen there?

ROD PAMPLING: No, not really. You have to take each hole as it comes to you. And each hole, it's still potentially worth, 2, 5 points out there. Before I got to 17, I didn't have any points in the black today. Obviously once 17 came around, I knew the scenario. I think I was two behind at that stage maybe. I'm not sure what I was, but I knew -- I definitely knew I had to make birdie. Yes, it was just fantastic that the eagle went in.

Q. Rod, what made the course so difficult today and why don't you feel anybody really jumped out early and made a strong run?

ROD PAMPLING: I think the course just got a little bit dry. We didn't get the normal storms in the afternoon, and the pins were tucked a lot more. They are tough pins when you're hitting over water and you have to guess what the altitude is going to do. I think everyone was kind of playing conservative, not trying to make that big mistake. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that's what was happening out there. It was just perfect, leave it to 17 for 5 points to decide the tournament.

Q. Talk about what happened on 12. You have trouble and you made that putt, and also describe 17 to clinch it.

ROD PAMPLING: I came off the tee shot on 12 to the right and had a nice lie, and I just -- it was a good number, we had everything sort of going there, and yeah, it was a good shot. I looked when I hit it and I thought the wind had maybe -- it was going a bit right to left, because it certainly didn't feel like I hit a draw. To make that putt was huge. I knew I had to get that up and down to stay in the game. It was just a confidence booster, too, to make a putt that like. Obviously we hadn't made too many out there, and it kept me in the game.

Q. How long was the putt?

ROD PAMPLING: 15-foot.

Q. And then 17?

ROD PAMPLING: I feel I had the putt, or not the exact putt obviously, in the practice round. I knew it broke a lot and it was a matter of getting the speed right. I knew the break. It all feeds straight toward the hole, so as much as it was a break, it was a nice one, it kind of funneled towards the hole. It was a thrill.

TODD BUDNICK: Should we ask Andrew how far?

Q. 21.

ROD PAMPLING: I could see a couple of inches there, three or four inches. It was tracking straight in there. Actually you could hear the gallery starting to roar before it was actually in there, so they had a better view from behind. And then obviously it dropped.

Q. (Inaudible)

ROD PAMPLING: I suppose it was. I had practiced on the hole before. I knew I was a bit too touchy on the hole before. The surface on the side was pretty smooth. It wasn't going to do a lot to the golf ball anyway. It was only a foot and a half. Yes, it wasn't real harry, it was just a nice cut surface.

Q. You were long and down the middle on 17. Were you satisfied with that approach?

ROD PAMPLING: I knew we had to keep it right of the hole because it was back up the hill. And I knew it wouldn't go too far away to the right, and the wind was kind of right to left, so we kind of had to play it to the right there, and obviously the wind didn't push it back, but it was pretty much where we aimed the shot. It was right where we were aiming.

Q. How did you manage your emotions? What were your emotions like coming down the stretch knowing this could be your first win on Tour?

ROD PAMPLING: I just keep myself in the present. I knew I could celebrate after I had finished my job. I was fortunate to look ahead and see that Alex hadn't made birdie and knew, especially after being in the middle of the fairway, that 5 was good enough. Which again, this format, it's a nice deal. I only lose one point. I knew that was a nice relaxing format for me, if you want to use that word. It was enjoying, seeing the gallery cheering. That's something you obviously strive for for a long type, and to enjoy it again, it's been a while, it's been a great experience.

Q. You mentioned Carnoustie. It's been five years. What did it feel like going from first round leader to going home the next day?

ROD PAMPLING: Obviously that's the same question all the time. I really didn't play all that bad. I just take the positives that I led the first day. There wasn't too many guys that had good scores out there, I just had to have a bad one on the second day. Carnoustie was Carnoustie. That goes down as one of the toughest majors anyone has ever played.

Q. Were you surprised how far Chris fell?

ROD PAMPLING: Golf is golf. It is amazing. With the last six holes, he was great to play with. We had a lot of fun out there. We were trying to talk each other into making birdies out there, instead of making bogeys. We were trying to make something happen between the both of us.

Obviously Chris made the birdie on 14, I think it was, and that was a nice little step up for both of us. It was surprising he fell back because obviously he's a great player, but that's this game of golf. 17 birdies the first two days, you would think it's going to be a runaway, but it gets you, this game.

Q. The club on 17?

ROD PAMPLING: 7-iron.

Q. And distance?

ROD PAMPLING: Meters or yards?

Q. Whatever you want to give?

ROD PAMPLING: 183 yards.

Q. At 16 when you three-putted, did you think that maybe you had given it away a little bit there?

ROD PAMPLING: I saw Alex up in front. He obviously made a double there, so I knew then I was equal with him, and in this format one point doesn't really matter. Obviously I didn't want to 3-putt, that's for sure. You never want to 3-putt.

Q. What age did you start playing? When did you start working with your current coach and when did you realize you had what it took to be a successful professional?

ROD PAMPLING: I was 15 when we moved out to Caboolture. That's where I played my Amateur Golf. When I was 15 we moved out to there. It was a very small dairy farm town except golf, and my mum played and actually she got dad to play, so I kind of followed.

I've been with Gary I think ten years, roughly ten years.

I think I was 21. I had just finished my greenskeeper apprenticeship and got offered another job at another golf course as assistant pro, and I won some tournaments. Obviously I knew we were heading in the right direction.

Q. '99 was Carnoustie, right?

ROD PAMPLING: Yes.

Q. Were you married then or did you get married after? You're been married five years, right?

ROD PAMPLING: It was just before. We went from the honeymoon straight across, April of '99.

Q. It was a great year?

ROD PAMPLING: Yes, it was a fantastic year.

Q. You never played golf until you were 15?

ROD PAMPLING: No. I played a lot of sports where I grew up, and it was field hockey, obviously cricket, and T-ball, I suppose, baseball. As kids, everyone played hockey, T-ball, cricket.

Q. Spell the name of that town, and how far is it from Brisbane?

ROD PAMPLING: C-a-b-o-o-l-t-u-r-e. It's about 35 minutes North of Brisbane.

Q. Tom Ramsey was the one who put you in to play here first?

ROD PAMPLING: I went with Tom, and he obviously knew the Vickers well, and that's where I got my spot.

Q. He also recommended Ernie Els.

ROD PAMPLING: He's good. I didn't realize he was that good.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll go through the card then. You started with a birdie on 1.

ROD PAMPLING: Driver to the right rough, hit 6-iron down to 100 yards and lob-wedge to about 6-foot, made that.

Q. 5, bogey?

ROD PAMPLING: Hit driver, 8-iron to about 25-foot, obviously 3-putted that.

7, 9-iron into the left trap, chipped it out to 4-foot and missed that.

10, driver, wedge, just to the right edge into the right rough, obviously chipped that down to 10-foot, missed that.

And then 12, 3-wood into the right rough, and then 7-iron into the left hazard. It was a good job. Hit lob-wedge and made the 15-footer.

And then 6-iron on 16 to the front obviously three-foot past, missed that.

3-wood on 17, 7-iron, 21-footer, that was it.

Q. Winning often takes a lot of out of players mentally. What are your thoughts now going into the PGA?

ROD PAMPLING: Mentally, yeah, I would say it's draining and the things that go with winning, but that's all the stuff that I think you want to have happen. I'm looking forward to it. Even in Australia, actually we had a week off after that, didn't we? I know I'm playing really well, so I'm looking forward to next week, definitely.

TODD BUDNICK: Congratulations on your first victory, Rodney.

ROD PAMPLING: Thank you, appreciate it.

End of FastScripts.

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