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FEDEX ST. JUDE CLASSIC

June 12, 2011

Robert Karlsson

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

DOUG MILNE: Okay. Robert, thanks for joining us. It's not the first time you've been in this week. It's obviously not the outcome you wanted, but you've got to feel good overall about the week, especially, as you mentioned, the putt in regulation on 18. Just some thoughts on the week overall and what you take away from the week.
ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah. I cannot say I could have done much more, 14-under, round around this golf course, 13, whatever we finished. Good going. Just ended up being one of these days where we fed off each other and it was good fun.
It was a great match, and someone has got to win and someone has got to lose. This time it was me. I'm very, very proud of the way I played and handled myself and there we go.
DOUG MILNE: Before we open up for questions, just talk about the chip on the, I guess it was the 12th hole.
ROBERT KARLSSON: Chipping here is quite difficult in general. If the ball lands down grain or into the grain, there's a huge difference on the way the ball reacts. The ball wasn't lying that great. I thought I had the right club and just came at it a bit too low and landed in the down grain and just released too much. That's why the scores are 89 under.
This is not a hard golf course if you look on it design-wise. It is not a very hard golf course set-up. There's not much rough, but it plays difficult and that's one of the difficulties with the golf course. I got caught up.
DOUG MILNE: With that, we'll take a few questions.

Q. Just talk about the 18th hole in regulation. Like the second straight year, here you are, and you kind of watching somebody kind of implode a little bit. What was your thoughts on that?
ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah. The 18th hole is not easy and today the wind was tricky, it was different wind direction, it was into the wind off the tee. That's the first time I ever played the wind this way. It makes the hole way harder. The second shot obviously the wind comes off the right. I didn't see the right shot as I usually do, try to focus on my own stuff. If you overturn it a bit, that water is quite close. But I mean, it is not easy -- I pushed it a bit. But I was very, very happy to knock that putt in.

Q. You were hitting a 3-wood off the tee on 17. What happened on that shot?
ROBERT KARLSSON: Bad swing. It was probably the only really poor swing, trying to hit the low, sort of run it on the fairway and I pulled it. I almost got away with it, because the ball was really, really deep. I must have found one of the deep patches on the course, because this year there's not much rough on it. Most of the time you can hit a flyer. From the lie I had, it was impossible. So --

Q. What did you hit there out of that rough?
ROBERT KARLSSON: 8-iron. But I mean if there would have been a flyer lie, one of the thin ones you usually get, I could have got there easy, no problem.

Q. It's been rare here where the last round, the last pairing back and forth the whole day. Just talk about what it's like being in that moment, wherever hole. You have the lead, he might have the lead. Every hole mattered.
ROBERT KARLSSON: It was good fun. That's why were here. That's why we play. That's the challenge of the game to be here and to play. He played great and I played good as well. It's one of those days where I think most of us had a lot of fun out there. Congratulate him to a great win. He played great in the last round after sort of being injured and stuff like that. He played really well, and I think we both enjoyed the day.

Q. At what point did it really become match play, just the two of you?
ROBERT KARLSSON: The first time I saw it was the two of us was on 17th green. I had to look. I had no idea. I sort of felt that we didn't hear many roars and the crowd stayed with us. That's usually a sign. Someone is still 11, 12-under. Bogeying the last two is not difficult. I just kept playing my ball. Obviously he was there. I knew at least the two of us. I had a sneak peek on 17th. Next one was 8-under. Obviously, then it's the two of us.
At the same time I was 1 behind. You're just trying to play the best you can, and even match play, I would approach it the same way.

Q. What did you see on the 8-footer on 18 that you ran in, the one that you had to have?
ROBERT KARLSSON: On 18?

Q. The par. The 8-footer.
ROBERT KARLSSON: Felt more like 12 for me. Really, really big 8 feet. I know that's a putt to get into the playoff. So you just -- you pick your shot and try to hit it there. Scary thing was I had quite a big spike mark right in the way, but you can't clip it. that's the way it is. You take your spot and try to hit it as good as you can, and I went in. It was great.

Q. What were the two clubs you hit on the 12th hole in the playoff?
ROBERT KARLSSON: 5-wood, 9-iron.
DOUG MILNE: All right. Well, Robert, we appreciate your time. Great playing. Wasn't the week you -- outcome you wanted, but still a great week, all in all.
ROBERT KARLSSON: He keep playing great, sooner or later it will happen.
DOUG MILNE: Good attitude. Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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