TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, the weatherman was right. There was breezes out there today. You know, this is the breeziest of the courses and that's, as they call it, the rub of the greens. It was pretty tough this morning. Obviously, starting off it was cool and it was windy. Stayed pretty windy most of the day and just in the last two holes it really laid down.
JOHN BUSH: Two bogeys there on your first four holes, can you take us through your birdies and bogeys starting on No. 10?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: 10 I drove it just into the left rough and came up short. Had a tough chip up over the ridge and left it short. I had a bogey there. Had a bogey on 13. Playing back straight into the wind, hit two really good shots, the pin was over on the left and it landed right by the hole and went just down over the green. Hit a great recovery chip about four feet and missed it.
14 is the par 5, back into the wind and I hit a wedge about six feet and made it.
18, I hit a 5 wood into the green side bunker just left of the flag. I hit it out about eight feet and made it.
No. 1, I hit a 7 iron in there about five feet for birdie and made it.
12, hit a 6 iron about four feet for birdie and made it.
3, I missed about a 4 footer for birdie back into the wind. That was a little unfortunate there.
4 was a par-5 downwind, just lipped it out, tapped in from about a foot.
5, pulled my second shot back into the wind 5 iron, pulled it and buried it in the left bunker. Hit it out about 20 feet and missed it, bogey.
No. 8, back into the wind, came up short on my second shot, bad chip about ten feet away and missed it.
9, I hit a 2 iron right in front of the green, chipped it up about a foot and tapped it in.
Q. Given what the wind was like when you were standing on the first tee today at 10, do you feel fortunate to get away from here tied for third right now?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: With the wind blowing, shooting 2 under here, you've got to be happy, there's no question about that.
So, got off to a rough start, but just kind of hung in there. I said there's going to be some opportunities and just stayed there, really had not hit any bad shots, so didn't really bother me too much. Just hung in there, plotted my way around, got a little hot, birdieing 18, 1, and 2, missed a short one on 3, so had my chances there in the middle of the day.
Q. Did you get a practice round in here?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I came over here and played on Tuesday afternoon, so it was pretty nice.
Q. So you didn't have any wind?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: If it did, it was out of the south, completely opposite. Like 10, I hit 3 wood and a little 7 iron, I mean, we hit a drive and a 2 iron into the wind the other day. So totally different. So when I did play the wind was totally the opposite which is normal.
Q. Have you heard before you got here this week that this was the quote, unquote windy course?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I live just over in Murrieta, so anybody that knows the area along I 10, the corridor between the two mountain ranges here in the valley, it's susceptible to the wind.
Q. What is your analysis of the golf course in general, it seems so different from any of the Hope rotation you guys have played before, so what do you think of it?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, you've got to realize, the piece of land that they are first of all developing has no elevation change. If you look at this ground, it's dead flat. There's not a tree on the property.
So in retrospect, you have to be a little bit fair in terms of comparing it to the courses that are in there up next to the mountains like it is at PGA West and La Quinta and Bermuda Dunes that are maybe 40 or 50 years old with large trees. So I don't think it's not comparing apples to apples, so it's totally different.
I think you just have to wait and see and see how it matures. It's difficult obviously when you have a course that sits out here with different wind conditions than the other three. So that's the only, if you will, question mark about it. All in all, we just have to give it some time and see. They planted a lot of trees and over time it will grow and it will mature some.
Q. From a strategy standpoint, is it a tough driving course, tough approach course, tough putting course, what stands out about where the trouble is?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I think there's plenty of room on the golf course. It's not like there's not any room. There's water there. But obviously the main thing is the different directions in winds. I've played here Tuesday and it was slightly out of the south, and I played today, it's a little harder out of the north and played totally different.
So, you know, being able to adapt and be able to strategize based upon the wind I think is the key here to be honest with you. Today a couple of holes that were into the wind and uphill were difficult because the pins were in the front and in some very narrow locations, so it made it tough.
But had they played here yesterday, the wind was maybe blowing the other way and hitting wedges in there instead of we're hitting 6 iron. So it's difficult to set the course up when the wind blows two separate directions, two different days. So feast or famine, it's a tough situation.
Q. Does the condition of this course change the way that you look at the rotation or the way that you look at this week in terms of whether you're going to play here? You've got two rounds now and you're at Bermuda Dunes tomorrow, easiest of the courses, does it change the way you approach?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well I think anybody came out here today and saw the wind. I mean, you realize that if you shoot a good round of under par here, you're not going to lose too much ground in terms of where you are.
I mean, you can't do anything about what they are shooting at the other golf courses. If they are protected over there, there's nothing you can do about it. You just have to take your task at hand and play the elements and do as well as you can. Hopefully you get to Bermuda Dunes and catch a good day there, and La Quinta, and you get your fair shake. You know, there's nothing said that it couldn't be windy here the next two or three days, either. You don't know.
Q. Obviously a good start for you, tied for third.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I doubt that will hang up. The wind has completely died and they are going to shoot some birdies on those other courses coming in.
Q. How do you feel about the way the season is going?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, it's only the second week. (Laughing).
Q. What's your mindset coming into this year; confident?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Yeah, I feel great about my game, set some lofty goals and just ready to get started and getting after them to be honest with you.
Q. Goals that you want to share with us or just keep to yourself?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: My basic goal is always to win a tournament and finish in the Top 30 but I made some other special goals this year, so we'll see what happens.
JOHN BUSH: Tom, thank you. Keep it going this week.
End of FastScripts.
