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SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 21, 2005

Loren Roberts

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Okay, Loren, thanks for joining us here in the media center. 1 over 72 today in your first round as a senior. Sort of an interesting day. 39 on the front, 33 coming home. Couple thoughts about the round and then we'll try to go hole by hole and piece it together.

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, the first nine was brutally tough. And I got off to a very good start, considering the weather and all that. I played pretty solid the front nine. Made a couple of bogeys that I shouldn't have. But it's going to happen today. The only hiccup was I made a silly double at the ninth hole. And didn't get my first chip shot on the green, which that's a no, no. But after that I played really solid coming home.

I had some three putts today, which I don't normally have. I 3 putted the second hole for bogey. And then I also had another 3 putt the last from just off the front of the green. And I had another 3 putt at 15.

But all in all I made five birdies and that should have been enough birdies today. I did make some good putts today. I really putted well. Just those three putts.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Let's go through the card. You mentioned the three putts. Take us through the round if you could.

LOREN ROBERTS: I made a nice putt from right behind the hole on the first. Probably from about 15 feet from the back fringe for birdie. I hit an 8 iron in there.

Then I 3 putted from just the front right on 5 there. Missed about a two footer there.

But then I made another long bomb, probably made a 50 foot putt on number 3. After having to hit a 3 wood to that green already for two. So that's unexpected. You don't expect to make a two there.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: There was a hole in one with a driver there.

LOREN ROBERTS: With a driver there? A hole in one? Oh, gosh. A couple of pars after that. Like I said, the double there at 9. Then I got started good with a birdie at 10. Right out of the gate there. I believe that's my card. Yeah.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: You hit what in and how long?

LOREN ROBERTS: Gosh, I hit a 9 iron there and made it from about, I don't know, 18 feet. 18, 20 feet below the hole there. Kind of off to the left and below it.

Then made another good birdie at 12. It was playing down wind and I hit an 8 iron for my second shot to that green and it rolled all the way through off to the left. And made a good chip and holed about a four footer there for birdie.

Then I think I birdied the next hole, 15. Trying to remember how long that putt was. Oh, I hit a good shot there. Another 9 iron there. And I made it from about 10 feet there for birdie.

16, I made a good birdie there. I hit it I hit a 3 wood off the tee and then had a little 8 iron from there just pin high right from about six feet and made that for birdie.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: You told me you had a nice opportunity at 17.

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah, I did. I hit it in there about, somebody said it was the closest ball by far all day. I hit it in about four and a half, feet and missed it.

And then an unfortunate 3 putt on the last hole. By and large though I'm happy with the round.

Q. Is this your first seniors event?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yes. It is. My first seniors event.

Q. You're just 50 a few weeks ago?

LOREN ROBERTS: June 24th. Yeah.

Q. New kid?

LOREN ROBERTS: New kid on the block.

Q. Have you been playing regularly on the main Tour?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yes, I have. I've been playing all year long on the Regular TOUR in the states.

Q. How has it been going?

LOREN ROBERTS: I started off really good on the west coast. I had a chance to win early at the Bob Hope and ended up finishing tied fourth there. I've had a couple other good weeks, but it's been kind of hit and miss for me this year on the Regular TOUR. When I played, I played reasonably well, but I missed more cuts this year than I have in a long time already.

Q. We have seen people come in today with scores of 18 and 19 over. Where did you go right where other people went wrong? Obviously, the wind is a factor.

LOREN ROBERTS: I think when I had a birdie putt I made it. I really took advantage of it coming home. I think if you can get through the front nine, one, two over par, you have a chance to put a pretty good score up. Because the wind is down and off the right. And you can get at some of the pins, especially the ones on the left side of the greens.

Q. Do you enjoy the links courses playing these?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah, I love playing links golf. You have so many options of how you want to play the hole. You can hit all kind of different clubs off the tees, depending upon what kind of second shot you want to play. I like it because generally if you keep the ball going down the fairway, have you a chance to play the hole.

Q. Even in the wind?

LOREN ROBERTS: Even in the wind.

Q. There aren't many red numbers on the board out there. What do you think the winning score is likely to be and how would that be with what you played on the main Tour?

LOREN ROBERTS: I have no idea what a winning score could be with this wind. I hear that it's supposed to blow out of the northeast tomorrow, instead of the northwest today. So anything could happen. If it keeps blowing like this, even par in the club house would be pretty doggone good, I would think.

Q. Have you played in a competition where an over par score has won?

LOREN ROBERTS: It's been awhile.

Q. Can you remember any past ones?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, over par would have been really good at Pebble Beach in 2000, except for Mr. Woods.

(Laughter.)

Q. Did you not play Carnoustie?

LOREN ROBERTS: No, I didn't.

Q. Lucky you.

LOREN ROBERTS: No, I didn't play.

Q. How do the conditions compare today with some previous British Opens with weather wise?

LOREN ROBERTS: You know, The Opens that I have played I have been pretty lucky weather wise. The two in St. Andrews that I played it didn't blow that tough. The two that I played at Lytham, the weather was good. This might be about the toughest I've played. I think this golf course too is rather narrow. Especially on the front nine. There really isn't a lot of room to hit the ball when you have a lot of extreme cross winds. So you got to be right on your game. So I think that combined the wind with the narrowness of this golf course, that's pretty tough.

Q. How did you adapt your game today to suit the conditions?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, I don't really hook the ball. I'm not a real good drawer of the golf ball. So I knew I was going to struggle on the first nine holes because it was predominantly in, out of the left. And with my fade that makes it awfully tough. So that's why I was pleased to get through there with a decent score. Coming home it probably worked pretty good. The fact that I fade it a little bit right to left down wind, I can hold the ball in there pretty straight most of the time.

Q. Are you going to continue to play the main Tour or the Champions Tour when you go back?

LOREN ROBERTS: I'm probably going to play I'm definitely playing next week. I'll probably play the Jeld Wen. And then finish the, my season on the Regular TOUR and start out on the west coast in Hawaii and see what happens. If I get off to a really good start on the Regular TOUR, I will play for two or three months.

Q. So is it fair to say you didn't find any problem coming into the late 40s and having a gap between the main Tour and the SENIOR Tour?

LOREN ROBERTS: You know, I've been active all the way up to the day I was 50. I played regularly out here. I played in '81, I played just a couple times in '82. But from '83 on I played the Regular TOUR and I just enjoy being on the Regular TOUR, being still being able to be competitive. The putter has held up pretty well for me. So I think that in the later stages of my age here, so that's kept me competitive. And I personally I was probably a little bit of a late starter in golf. I was actually a club pro for about four and a half, five years, really, before I got started. So I may be a little bit fresher because I didn't really start playing until I was 24, 25 out here.

Q. The reason I ask the question is Greg was making out the case yesterday for a series of events for the late 40 somethings. Do you subscribe to that?

LOREN ROBERTS: Well, I guess the sponsorship money has to come from somewhere. And I do know it's, you know, it's a tougher market right now and the regular U. S. TOUR is in TV contract negotiations right now. And I think that we could drastically see that schedule change over there and I know the European Tour goes through the same things we do. So it would be a great thing, but where is the money coming from? That would be my question.

Q. Do you tend to use the same putter through the years the actual same putter?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah, I have been with a TaylorMade putter the last three or so years, three and a half, four years. And just the last month or so I put my old Cobra putter back in the bag.

Q. How old is that one?

LOREN ROBERTS: I put it in the bag in '92 and had it all the way through up until about 2002.

Q. How unusual is it for you to have three, three putts in a round?

LOREN ROBERTS: That's normally it is. But when you consider the wind conditions here, you can really get some tough putts. If you get outside 25, 30 feet of the hole, it's tough to get the ball hole high, it really is.

Q. That would be the first time this season?

LOREN ROBERTS: Yeah.

(Laughter.)

But that's part of the game. That's what's so great about links golf. I think that ball striking matters a little bit more in these conditions than and on links golf courses.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: All right. Thank you, Loren.

LOREN ROBERTS: All right. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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