BELL CANADIAN OPEN

September 7, 2002

Greg Chalmers

JOHN BUSH: Greg, congratulations, on a really good round today. Let's get some opening comments on how you played.

GREG CHALMERS: I really played quite nicely. I got a good solid start and really the eagles on the front nine were the back bone of my round and got things moving in the right direction, heading into the back nine. And I got a little shaky through the 13th and 14th holes, but I managed to pick up two nice birdies after that, once I got through that stretch and I'm very pleased with the way I placed and the way I handled myself.

Q. Take us through your birdies and bogeys, starting on the first hole.

GREG CHALMERS: The first hole, I hit a 6-iron to about 5 feet, which was a nice way to start. I made that. And then I bogeyed.

I had a poor second shot on the 4th hole, is it? Yes. And I pulled a 5-iron to the right. The rough here is really gluey. I had a good lie. I just didn't know what to do. It didn't come out very well and I missed the putt from about 15 feet.

And then I bounced straight back with a birdie, which was great, it got my momentum going in the right direction again on the next hole. I hit a wedge to about 12 feet.

Then I chipped in for eagle on the par 5. I hit two shots just right of the flag there, chipped in for eagle, which was fantastic.

And then hit a 5-iron to about 30 feet on the 9th hole.

Q. Where were you when you chipped on 7?

GREG CHALMERS: I was at the right hand bunker. It was only about 15 or 18 feet from the hole. If the rough wasn't there, it would have been a piece of cake, but I was in the rough and I just got really quite fortunate that it just popped out how I thought it would and it went in.

The 5-iron on nine from 30 feet. And I made that for eagle. Then I hit 7 iron ten to six feet and made that.

And then on 13, my bogey was -- I got super lucky. I hit it left off the tee, and then I tried to chip it, chipped it back through the fairway. It hit the bridge and ran out in front of the green, and then chipped it 15 feet by. The whole hole was just a mess. I rolled that in for bogey. That was a breath of fresh air, really. It was like making a birdie for me. Yeah, 15 feet to bogey.

And then I birdied 15 from 12 feet. And.

I birdied -- 2-putted 16 for birdie.

16, I hit a 3-iron in there to 40 feet.

15, I hit a wedge in there, from 120 yards.

Q. Greg, two left-handers in contention right now. Unfortunately for us one of them is not Mike Weir. Is there anything about this course that sets up well for left-handers?

GREG CHALMERS: At this level, I don't know if it matters that much. I think rather than right or left-handed, I think it's more about ball flight, which way you prefer to shape the ball. I know Flesch likes to move it left to right, and I'm fairly similar. Maybe that suits our eye more than anything.

But at this level it's more about who likes to move the ball right or left. Right- or left-handed is not really an issue, I don't think. It's more about what ball flight you prefer.

Q. (Inaudible)

GREG CHALMERS: Not this year, no. I really haven't had a year to hang your hat on at the moment, but probably realistically the closest I came was maybe Kemper. I had a real chance there with nine holes to go, two years ago. And believe it or not, at the PGA I finished fourth at Valhalla. I was within two shots of the lead with six holes, seven holes to go, but it turns out they made four birdies coming in and I didn't. I ended up seven or eight shots back, but I felt a lot closer to that coming down the stretch.

Q. (Inaudible)

GREG CHALMERS: I do because -- it's hard to put your finger on it, but you feel like you go through all the bumps of the Tour, and the ups and downs, and you really have to believe that you're ready to win. I am disappointed, possibly, that I haven't given myself more opportunities like I will have maybe tomorrow. It's my first time in the last group on a Sunday, and I really believe that I could be in that position more often, but I haven't, and that's a little disappointing, but I've got a chance tomorrow.

And when you get a situation, like Flesch there, he's been in it a handful of times and I haven't. It's hard to know, do you have to do it a handful of times or does it only have to be once. There's no rule written on how it should happen, so I'm approaching it with an open mind and I'll take that into tomorrow.

Q. Greg, is it too early to think about the 125 money list? There are a lot of players in the Top-10, who are near the bubble, including yourself.

GREG CHALMERS: It's never too early to start thinking about the 125. Usually you start in January. Look, I think if you take care of one problem, it fixes the other. I'm not as concerned about it -- I'm right kind of right on the bubble there -- not as concerned as I have been in the past. I'd like to worry more about this tournament at the moment. There is still a lot of tournament left to play and you never know what's around the corner in this game. It's a crazy game.

Q. Have you ever played with Lancaster before? Do you know much about him?

GREG CHALMERS: I know Neal enough to have a chat in the locker room. There aren't many people on the Tour who don't know Neal. He's hilarious. He's absolutely hilarious. He's good fun to play with. He's a funny guy. That's great. That will be good, I'm sure. I haven't played with him under this amount of pressure. I'm sure he's not a different person. I'm sure he's the same person, so it will be fun.

Q. (Inaudible)

GREG CHALMERS: Yes, that's fairly true. I get a lot of Fleschs and I get a lot of Rory Sabbatinis, actually. I don't get Nicholson. Can you believe that? I get a lot of Mike Weirs. I think I said the other day, it's fortunate they're all good looking blokes. It's almost a compliment, you know what I mean?

JOHN BUSH: Greg, thanks for coming by. Good luck tomorrow.

GREG CHALMERS: Thanks.

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