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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

August 18, 2010

Robert Garrigus

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

MARK STEVENS: I'd like to welcome Robert Garrigus to the interview room. Robert, you currently stand 122nd in the FedExCup standings so you're obviously trying to secure that spot in the playoffs.
You made it to Deutsche Bank in '07 and if you could talk a little bit about your goals this week and then we'll take some questions.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: You know, really goal is to win. Everybody comes out every week to win. If they didn't, they wouldn't be out here. I've been playing so well the last two months, really since Dallas.
I only missed one cut since Dallas and the other one was withdraw, kind of injured my shoulder one week. But the goal this week is really to go out and win the golf tournament. If I fall short of that, you know, I'll be way up on the FedExCup list next week. I look forward to this week.
MARK STEVENS: Questions.

Q. When you saw what Kevin did last year, Stadler, increased his points, does that give you some motivation and all that because he did it last year?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Absolutely. Every week is an opportunity, you know, and you come out, you try and have fun, you know, just play your butt off is really what we're trying to do, especially this time of year.
The FedExCup is a huge deal for us. There's a lot of retirement money, there's a lot of money in the tournaments. It's a great sponsor. FedExCup has been unbelievable to us out here.
Something when I was a rookie, you know, when everybody is saying there's going to be a playoff system next year and they're going to go knowing there's a lot of money around, FedExCup stepped in and they really helped us out. It means a lot to us.
It's pretty much like four Majors. The next four weeks, the money is big, it's big for next year, for me, you know, with my PGA TOUR card, not having to go to Q-School, all kinds of stuff like that.
Playing well this week is a big deal but also you can look at it, just go out and have fun. There's more important things than golf. I got a baby on the way and I'm really looking forward to that. We're due in a month. I got some other things on my plate. But, you know, this week is a big week.
I like the golf course. The greens are going to be soft so you can just fire at everything and I'm going to go out and have some fun and see what happens.

Q. You had 2 59s on the Tour, couple of 60s. What's going on out there? Is this just an anomaly of one year or what's going to happen on Tour scoring-wise?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: It's not the norm. If you look at Major league baseball, automatic no-hitters. This year is just one of those years that the performance of everybody is kind of predicated on their fitness, really.
The 59s back in the days were shot -- Al Geiberger shot 59 and Chip Beck. You look at those two guys. They're in pretty good shape. All the guys out here usually workout. They usually have a very nice nutrition plan that doesn't include a lot of fat and sugar and all that stuff except for me (laughter).
I don't see myself shooting 59 anytime soon because, I don't know, if I get around that number, I'll get really nervous. If I do that, if I get around the number that means I'm 10, 11-under par. That's great.
I think it's just the fitness of the whole game and instructors, everybody is getting better. The equipment has pretty much leveled everybody out to where everybody is hitting it about the same and it's all about putting. If you can mentally get a picture in your mind that nothing matters on the putting green, then you're going to make everything.
It's whenever it starts creeping in and your hands start getting sweaty and your heart starts pumping a little bit changes things. That's where the fitness comes in. That's why everybody is shooting so low because they're just conditioned. All the 59s, I mean has there been three this year or two?

Q. Couple 60s.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Carl Pettersson 60.

Q. Fat and sugar guy, too.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Well, that was funny because his 60 in Canada was five shots better than Stuart's 59 at Greenbrier, I think. You look at the golf course. Just look at the golf course.
Stuart -- everybody was talking about 59 at Greenbrier at the beginning of the week. Nobody was talking about 59 in Canada. He lipped out a putt for 59.
The rough was four inches and the golf course was tough. That was just a great round. Sometimes when you get rolling you just don't stop.

Q. You get to 59, seems to be the barrier where it used to be 60. No one shot 58 yet. Do you expect to see that soon and could it come this week on this golf course with soft greens?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: I don't see it happening this week. The rough is going to make sure that's not going to happen and the firmness of the fairways and the way everything is laid out with all the undulation.
The lowest you're going to see this week is a 63 or 62. And I'd like to see it be me, you know. I don't know. I feel like I'm playing great. This golf course is great. It's a little unfortunate with the week how soft they have to keep the greens because they die if they didn't. So I think the lowest you're going to see this week is probably 62, 63.

Q. You say that you've got a baby due in a month. Which playoff event is it due?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: It's in the week off.

Q. Is it?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Yeah. Hopefully I play well and then I can be home for the birth and then fly to the Tour Championship. That would be a good scenario for me. That would mean I'm in the Masters and all the fun stuff next year.
I won't be thinking about that much. I'll be kind of thinking about my wife. Hopefully she's doing all right. It's kind of hot in Arizona. We're very excited. She's doing good.

Q. Among the players, how has the perception of the FedExCup changed over the last few years?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: They've tweaked some things. I think overall, it's good. There's not a lot of complaining about anything. I mean like I said, the money is so big for retirement and just all the stuff, all the fun stuff we get to do during the week, too.
Last year I got to go to the new Yankee Stadium. They gave me tickets. We're very blessed to be out here and FedExCup has been just unbelievable for us. The whole system, the playoff system is really a cool thing in golf.
It's not exactly like a playoff system, you know, for baseball and whatnot. If you miss the cut, you can still be in the next week if you were high enough up. I don't know the format this year. I don't know if it resets, everybody starts at zero. I don't think it does. I think the No. 1 guy gets so many and on and on. It's a cool deal for us. We really like it. We enjoy it.

Q. Do you think the new cell phone thing is going to work? Probably will be more tomorrow when you guys start playing. Do you think it will work?
ROBERT GARRIGUS: What is it?

Q. That you can bring cell phones but you have to be on silent. Fans can bring cell phones this tournament. It's a test they're trying.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Well, I know there's a lot of important people in the stands, I guess. You can't spend four and a half hours without your cell phone anymore.
I remember when I was growing up, if you wanted to call somebody, go to the damn pay phone or go home, you know (laughter). I just don't understand that.
You rarely get anything -- if somebody puts their phone on silent, if something gets dinged in their back swing, that phone won't be in their pocket very much longer. They're going to get it taken away.
That can cost us thousands of dollars, too, when you flinch on a swing and in an important situation, and it wasn't anything that you did, you're very upset.
The cell phone thing, if it's on silent and people are actually smart about it, like, "Hey, I don't need to answer this phone call right now while the guy is swinging", that would be nice. You kind of stress the fact where people need to, you know, pay attention to where they're at.
Mine, if there's standing in the stands nobody around, whatever, you can talk on your phone, who cares. If I'm on the tee box and you're talking to Jerry, you know, asking about 30 grand screaming, you just can't do that. Hopefully people will have some sense about what they're doing out there. I don't think it's going to be a big deal.

Q. There are designated areas where you're supposed to go to make the calls.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Beautiful. Hopefully it's not right behind the tee box.

Q. I know you say you want to have fun and win.
How do you keep from feeling pressure because you are kind of the guy on the bubble? Some guys can move in, you know.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Yeah. It's really all -- all mental. It's hard to keep from doing it but if -- I concentrate on every shot, not on, "Oh my gosh, I'm on the bubble of the FedExCup."
I've been here before. I've been here almost every year, really. It's kind of just another thing, you know. I feel like I'm playing well and I'm having fun, the caddy and I are having a good time, making putts, working on something on my putting and I'm really stroking it well and I've been hitting it good.
I'm not going to worry about it. Like I said, I get to play golf for a living. I mean even if I miss the cut and "Oh, my gosh, I'm not in the FedExCup", I'm going to be home with my wife and be able to help her and I'll be able to be there for the baby's birth. It's really a win-win.
And, you know, I got the Fall Series, might get in some, I might not. I might have to go to Q-School if I don't make another cut. I don't really care. I'm very blessed to be out here. I'm one of the luckiest guys in the world. It doesn't matter.
MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot Robert. Good luck this week.
ROBERT GARRIGUS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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