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RENO-TAHOE OPEN

July 16, 2010

Bob Heintz

RENO, NEVADA

THE MODERATOR: Bob, great playing today. 4-under par, 68 after a 3-under par 69 yesterday; currently tied for the lead here at the Reno-Tahoe Open. Just give us a couple quick comments on the round, and then we'll go from there.
BOB HEINTZ: Okay. Really wasn't exacting to be here this week, so I've been trying to, you know, see it as a real opportunity and play freely, which is what I haven't been doing all year.
So I did a good job. Went out and started making some nice, full swings and stayed patient. All of a sudden, I made birdie putts on 4, 5, 6 consecutively, all of 'em about 12 to 15 feet.
Just a comment, the greens are actually a little quicker than the putting green, to so it took me a few holes to adjust to that. I was quite comfortable after that.
Started slow, then bang, bang, bang, 4, 5, 6; made three nice putts in a row.
THE MODERATOR: This is your second start on the PGA Tour this year. I know you've got ten starts on the Nationwide Tour this year. Just a couple brief comments on your year so far, and then we'll go to questions.
BOB HEINTZ: Terrible, thinking about quitting. Those are two brief comments.
I've been awful. I used to be one of the best putters on this tour, and this year I'm literally anxious about three-footers right now. So it's been a bad year.
If you want to hear, I mean, give me 30 seconds. I was an alternate this week in Cincinnati for the Nationwide Tour event. I went to Monday qualify. I got pulled off the course at like 11:00 in the morning. They said I was in the field in Cincinnati.
So, I'm, That's great. I get to play this week. That's good. I went over and got my new driver from Titleist and practiced for like three hours. I was sitting there eating a Chiquita banana, and that's the event, and the lady, Barbara Potts from the PGA Tour called me. I thought, Why is she calling me? I'm in the field. I know that.
She said, Well, you committed to Reno and we've gone all the way to the extended Money List from last year, the 150 to two hundred guys, which they never do. It's like the third time in 12 years or something.
So then not only did a get in the Nationwide event, but I got in here. So I flew here Tuesday morning. It's nice to be sitting in this room right now. I don't care if somebody passes me today. I'm making money today and it's in Reno and it's more money than I'll make in Cincinnati.

Q. (No microphone.)
BOB HEINTZ: Yes.

Q. Did you have much time to get out and play the course?
BOB HEINTZ: I arrived at 12:00 Tuesday, and my caddie arrived at 2:00. So we got out and played the front nine from like 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening after doing a little bit of practice.
I've played here many times, though. I've been on tour six seasons before that. All I needed to do was get used to the altitude, how far the ball was going, and just kind os reacquaint myself with the surfaces.
So I was ready.

Q. If you were to quit, what would you be doing?
BOB HEINTZ: Um, I don't know. I have a Yale degree, so I'm not totally without some kind of credential.
But I would have to go -- there's a lot of Yale alums who follow my career, and they support me greatly. Those are the people I would go to and say, Look, who needs me? I want to be part of your team. How help with my golf, with my degree, whatever, and see if that network of people would be able to find a place for me in one of their companies.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the struggle trying to figure out these situations, whether or not you should play the Nationwide event and build your money base or come out to Reno? Was that a tough call?
BOB HEINTZ: It wasn't a tough call in this situation. It can be. I've only made two cuts on that tour, okay, so my money base is like $3,700 there. So they're pretty much waxing me. So I've kind of given up on the top 25 over there.
It became a business decision, and you go and play for more money rather than less money. At least that worked out and I'm gonna make the cut and I'm gonna score a bigger check than I probably could have there short of winning.
So I don't have a ton of pressure on me. It's a business. I'm trying to make money this week. Check that off. Now I just try and make the biggest check I can.
You know, I'm not even exempt next week on the Nationwide Tour, or the week after that. I don't really care. I just want to keep playing better and try to keep shooting subpar scores here. If somebody beats me, that's fine. I just want to keep doing better, and then I'll figure out when I play next.

Q. Why do you think your putting was so much better today when you've struggled?
BOB HEINTZ: It really isn't terribly better. I've made several 15-footers, in that range, and my speed has been very good. But I still don't feel really stable over the ball. I feel like I'm moving a little bit.
The putt I hit on 18 just now was awful. I had a 15-footer just outside right, like no problem whatsoever, and I was like -- you know, I felt like I was all over.
Maybe that wasn't actually the case, but there have been times in my career where I would feel extremely precise. I would call myself the surgeon even at times on putting greens. Right now I'm 75%. 75% of my putts are really good, and then the other 25 I just feel like I'm moving around a little bit, and it's uncomfortable.
But I guess I'm putting it in play enough and giving myself enough looks where I just kind of plodded my way to two pretty good scores.

Q. You mentioned the idea of the business end of golf. How would you compare golf to, say, another business? Are there some things you might say are similar? Some things that are very different?
BOB HEINTZ: I've never been a salesperson. When I did work for Raymond James Financial, I was more of an accountant. I wasn't out there trying to sell you an IRA.
So I would equate golf to being a salesmen. I mea, I travel around the country to different cities. If I play well, I make money; if I don't, they send me home and I spent all that money.
So you either make the sale our you don't make the sale. This week I've at least made the sale; now I just have to make it as big a commission as possible. I would say though would be my guess. It would be like being just a straight-up salesperson.
You do your job well, your income potential is limitless. You know, that's what I love about this job. To go somewhere else and work for a salary, like in some ways I'd welcome it because you know what you're getting every couple weeks and you can budget.
But in this, I mean, what if I play great? Half a million sounds pretty good. I could probably figure out some things to do with that.
THE MODERATOR: All right? Bob, thanks for joining us.
BOB HEINTZ: Thanks. Nice to see you guys again.

End of FastScripts

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