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SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY KITCHENAID

May 27, 2011

Loren Roberts

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

KELLY ELBIN: Loren Roberts, ladies and gentlemen, in with a 2-under par 70 in the second round of the 72nd Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid. Loren is at 138, 6-under par for two rounds. Loren, you played, as you said, about 26 and a half holes today, with a putt on No. 1 and then the rest of your nine. How did you handle the 20 some holes of golf today?
LOREN ROBERTS: I felt pretty good. I actually hit some better shots the last nine than I had been hitting it, but I had a real good stretch run after I turned at 1-under yesterday and missed the green on 1 and chipped it up about five feet and sat on that all night and missed it this morning to go back to even.
And then I made three birdies in a row after that. So that kind of really jump started me right there, those three birdies in a row.
I putted very well. I made some good putts. Any time I hit a good iron shot today, I made the putt. So that's the reason that I think I am in with 6-under.
KELLY ELBIN: You had 21 putts on the first round and 27 today. Talk a little bit about the condition of the golf course from yesterday versus what you encountered today.
LOREN ROBERTS: About the same. It seemed a little bit dryer. But the ball's still plugging on every shot. So I would expect we're probably playing lift, clean and place tomorrow too. We'll just have to see.
I can't imagine it's going to be 92 degrees on Sunday though for the forecast, I mean, wow. That's quite a turn around.
KELLY ELBIN: Open it up for questions.

Q. You kind of had a little bit of a revival the last couple tournaments. Can you talk about turning your game around and back to sort of near its old form?
LOREN ROBERTS: I went and I got a lesson.
(Laughter.)
I've been working like crazy on it and it really came together. I really hit the ball solidly down there two weeks ago at Shoal Creek and the putter finally warmed up on Sunday. Came up a little bit short, but I had an another couple of weeks off and not quite as sharp this week.
But I've hit some really good shots. When I hit good shots, I've been able to make the putts. And I'm still working at it, but we're right in the mix. It feels good. I think this is probably the first time I've even been in the press room of the PGA, the Senior PGA Championship. So it's good. Finally got off to a good start this tournament.
KELLY ELBIN: For the record, Loren was third at the Regions Tradition in Alabama.

Q. Would you talk about how fatigue will come into, play a factor come Sunday and the hills and with the conditions being so wet and playing 26 and a half holes today.
LOREN ROBERTS: Well, yeah, I think the guys that finished this morning and then finished today, I think might have had a little advantage. The golf course, it was a little wet this morning and a little mist for a couple of holes, but I know we sat around and waited a lot yesterday, but it was really good to come out, even if you only played six eight or nine holes. I think it's a little bit of an advantage to come right back out and tee off again at 7:30 and keep going and playing.
You finish yesterday, but you're going to sit around for almost 24 hours before you get to play again. So probably a little bit of an edge for the guys this morning.
KELLY ELBIN: You mentioned that you got a lesson. Who are you working with and what are you working on?
LOREN ROBERTS: I just went, I just went by and saw Jack Lumpkin at Sea Island. And he's a no nonsense guy and he just said, this is what you got to do. And it really helped me.
I feel like I'm going in the right direction and, but, hey, he was very nice to look at me. I see other guys, I see Jim Suttie too, so he was very nice to look at me, because I felt like I was in a little bit of a hole and wanted to get a little different perspective.
And he made a couple of comments that made sense and I really put it, started putting it together. So hopefully we can have a good weekend here.
KELLY ELBIN: Anything in particular that Jack talked about that has worked?
LOREN ROBERTS: Well, I have habit of getting the club a little inside and across the line at the top. I get a little out of plane and then it gets a little shut and you have a tendency to let the arms run away and block the ball to the right.
So he's just trying to get me to get the club face a little bit more open and keep it out and get a little bit more on plane. Just basic stuff about trying to get it on plane.
Like I said, he's just very basic and it's just, he knows how to swing the golf club. And he made it really easy for me to see what I've been doing. But that's my general, when I get off, that's, I get the club inside, across the line, and shut, so.

Q. Some of the guys have been talking about how you've been able to be more aggressive on the greens this week because they're a little bit slower. Have you sensed that at all and does that contribute to the lower scores?
LOREN ROBERTS: Considering all the moisture and everything out here, the greens are not as soft as you would think they are. You can hit, they hold well, but I think they really hold up well to foot traffic.
And so I think today I hit a lot of putts that as soon as I hit them I knew they had a chance because they just held the line really well. And you can go at it a little bit here. They weren't lightning fast because of the moisture, but they held up very well. If you hit a good putt, you're going to make it.

Q. You're the kind of guy that's always just loved to play golf, can't get enough of it. In this down time that you had did you still feel that way or were you getting a little stale?
LOREN ROBERTS: No, I love to compete, I love to play golf. Everybody gets down a little bit, especially I went through a pretty good period, even though I won last year, I still had a period where I struggled a good bit of the year.
This year I started out, you know, I started out, I couldn't finish better than 22nd or 25th. And it's nice to feel like I can hit a few shots again. I didn't hit it, I didn't hit all the shots good today, I hit some bad shots. But the quality shots I hit were quality shots.
So I feel like I'm going the right direction. It's nice to have a direction. I think most guys would tell you that as long as they feel like they have a direction, they're doing something, they have a direction they're working, they can see a little something, they're happy.
KELLY ELBIN: Loren Roberts in at 6-under par. Thank you, Loren.
LOREN ROBERTS: All right, thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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