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RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 19, 2011

Carl Pettersson

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

DOUG MILNE: Carl, thank you for joining us, defending champion of the RBC Canadian Open. Obviously it's got to be a good feeling to come back here, obviously on the other side of the country, but yet the same tournament, Canada's National Open. Just a few comments on kind of reflecting from last year and kind of how you're feeling as you're heading into the week.
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, it's nice to be back as the defending champion. It's a little bit different because it's not the same golf course, but any time you've won a tournament and come back, you always get a good vibe.
I look forward to defending my title on a very good golf course. I played 18 holes today, and I think this golf course is one of the best we've played all year.
DOUG MILNE: Speaking of the golf course, we talked briefly on your way in, how did you find the golf course and how do you imagine it might set up for your game?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, the golf course is very good. It's set up like a U.S. Open, major-style golf course, very demanding off the tee, the rough is up, the greens are small. It's a great golf course; I wish we played more golf courses like this on TOUR.
Yeah, I feel like my game is really good, I've had two weeks off but I played really good today and I hope I can have a good defense.

Q. One of the PGA TOUR officials was saying that the rough is deeper than any event this year; would you say that's true based on what you've played?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, the rough is up. Probably the thickest we've played all year. I think Aronimink the rough was pretty thick there way couple of weeks back. And we used to play on thick rough like this two or years back all the time, and the TOUR's kind of gone away from it a little bit.
But I think this golf course sets up well for it. It's very challenging off the tee. You have to hit the fairways and it's just an old-style golf course, and I think it suits it with thick rough.

Q. You had a hole-in-one and an eagle last year in the same round, at the Bob Hope?
CARL PETTERSSON: Double-eagle, somewhere -- albatross, yeah.

Q. Can you talk about last year at the Open, those of us that were not there, you finished on Friday, thinking you had not made the cut?
CARL PETTERSSON: It was borderline if I had made the cut or not. Yeah, it was a cool weekend, shooting 60, playing well on Sunday. Similar thing could happen this week. The way the golf course is set up, you could have somebody make the cut on the number and have a hot weekend and shoot up the leaderboard.
Yeah, it was a great feeling winning last year, but shooting 60 last year -- I think I look back on last year, the back nine on Sunday, I made five birdies coming in and really felt like I won the tournament.

Q. Is the comment you made about having enough time to have seven beers waiting to find out no joke --
CARL PETTERSSON: No. (Laughter).

Q. Did you play here in 2005?
CARL PETTERSSON: No, I wish did. I didn't know the golf course was this good. I think it will receive good comments from the players this week. I think the golf course is just really good. And yeah, it's great that it's got a National Open on this type of golf course.

Q. How closely will you be monitoring the weather, given how differently this course plays?
CARL PETTERSSON: Well, I'll check the weather forecast a little bit for the next day, but you know, it's out of my control. It's going to do whatever it's going to do, and hopefully we won't get much rain. And hopefully we'll have good weather to play in.
Yeah, if it rains here, it will play really tough I think.

Q. Do you think the PGA TOUR backed off the rough to some degree the last couple of years because of the change in the groove rule; that they thought that would take care of it?
CARL PETTERSSON: No, I think they wanted to see the flyer come back, like you said, into the game, and I think there's a happy medium there. Some courses need to be set up with thick rough and some courses don't necessarily need the thick rough.
I don't know why it's changed, maybe a lot of guys complained that we played thick rough every week. I think it's okay to have it once in awhile.

Q. It's like they are all trying to figure out, the R&A, Augusta National, the USGA, what to do to test you guys because of all golf ball is going so far.
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I don't think the grooves thing has been that big of an issue really. It's more of a nuisance, changing equipment and stuff like that. I don't think it's changed the way guys play courses or different shots.
The difference between proximity to the holes and stuff like that, it has not changed that much. I think they said they might change the way people play it, but it's pretty much stayed the same.

Q. You said you played good today; did you keep gore?
CARL PETTERSSON: No, I was happy with the way I struck the ball, and you know, the way I hit it, my swing felt good. I've had two weeks off, so you never know how you're going to feel. But I was happy with the way it was -- yeah, my swing motion, in this game, it can all change.

Q. How long have you been working with Jeff Leishman?
CARL PETTERSSON: Pretty much all year. I started working with him at the end of last year.

Q. After the weight loss and the re-gain, does it help with your swing?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, I think so. I still haven't played as well as I wanted to this year, but I'm getting back to how I played in 2006, 2007, 2008, when I played pretty solid out here. Just very minor things. He's been coaching a friend of mine, Tom Gillis, who has played on TOUR for a lot of years and he's really improved his game at age 43. So, yeah, just simple things, but it's getting there.

Q. Can you expand on, if it rains, do you think it will play tougher, and how are the greens holding today?
CARL PETTERSSON: The greens are still fairly so the soft. I think they had a lot of rain here last week. And yeah, if it rains, the rough will play -- it becomes even more lush and thick and tough to get out of, and the course played longer tee-to-green obviously. I would love to see this golf course play firm and fast, but I don't know if that's ever the case here.

Q. Has there been anything, I guess in, particular, so far this week that's kind of taken you back to last year and the success you had in Toronto?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, being back as the defending champion, it's a little different because it's a different golf course. It's nice to come back and see a picture of what happened there and it all brings back memories of what you did last year.
Again, this is a new year, and I want to try to defend and win, and it's cool to come back to somewhere, to a tournament that you've won.

Q. Looking back, where does that round stand in your career?
CARL PETTERSSON: It's the lowest score I've shot on TOUR. Actually, I've shot every number in the 60s on TOUR: 60, 61, 62. I've been able to go low when I'm on.
Yeah, it was an incredible round, because I was 1-over through four when it happened. And I never thought there was a 60 out on that golf course, and it just kind of happened. Yeah, it was my best round on TOUR, ever, so it was a special day.

Q. Do you think there's a 60 out on that golf course this week?
CARL PETTERSSON: Yeah, maybe after 14 holes.
DOUG MILNE: Carl, we appreciate your time and best of luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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