ADVIL WESTERN OPEN

July 5, 2002

Robert Allenby

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We welcome past champion Robert Allenby joining us today. Things are going well for you today. There's a lot of players on the golf course obviously but --

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah. I played pretty well. I played pretty solid, didn't make too many mistakes. I missed a few putts out there, could have, should have, but wasn't. I just played pretty solid. You know, yesterday I didn't play that well and I just managed to scrape in a couple of birdies in the end to make it sort of a half decent round, and today I played pretty solid. It could have been maybe 4 or 5 better, but again, I just didn't make enough putts.

You know, the course is playing pretty much as easy as you'll get and you can't really get it any easier at the moment with the greens being as soft as they are so, you know, it's perfect scoring weather out there. Obviously, the wind is a little tricky, but, you know, it's not playing all that difficult. I'm sure, you know, someone will make a move this afternoon. Like David Gossett from yesterday shooting 7 under, he should be able to get, you know, at least a few shots in front. But you never know.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Okay. We'll take some questions now.

Q. Does the course change much as you go along? Are you noticing that?

ROBERT ALLENBY: The first hole is still there. The only difference is No. 2. That was a new change yesterday -- sorry.

Q. Last year?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Last year. But yeah, the course is exactly the same. The rough is still nice and thick and, you know, there's some spots out there you can get some nice lies in the rough, but pretty much the course is pretty much the same.

Q. What does it say, Robert, that all of these scores are low? The trend seems to be low not just here but all over the Tour. Are you guys getting that much better?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yes. Have you seen that ad, these guys are good?

Q. Would you like it see it a little tougher though?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah. At the start of the week this golf course was going to be tough. I mean, you can't do anything about Mother Nature. You can't control how much it's going to rain on a golf course in the matter of three hours, and that's just what happened yesterday. You know, obviously yesterday morning they had perfect scoring conditions, not a lot of breeze, greens that were bouncy but still receptive, and then it dumped down with a lot of rain and, you know, now all of a sudden, the course is really soft. So it was perfect this morning to go out there and try to shoot a good score.

The greens, obviously when they get a little soft, they get a little bouncy, so it makes it hard to hole a lot of putts but, you know, someone is always going to get hot out there. There's not -- you know, it's not that we're getting thatch better. We are getting better, but I know everyone is looking towards technology. Everyone thinks technology is doing this and -- technology doesn't get it in the hole. You know, my putter is still the same. It's the same as the one I used 10 years ago, 15 years ago but, you know, the name of this game is getting it in the hole, and putting is the key.

I mean, everyone thinks technology is the thing, but I think we're all just getting better. Our standards have jumped from this high to this high, knowing that to win a tournament these days you have to shoot a good score and it's always in the back of your mind to go out there and play more aggressive. And if it rains like it did, then you just go straight at the flags and give yourself a lot of chances.

Q. You use the same putter that you used 10 years ago?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah. It's actually a new putter, but it's identical to what I used to use 10, 15 years ago. I can't go any further than that because I'd be lying because I was only 10 (laughter.)

Q. Do you find yourself being more aggressive week to week now compared to when you came out on Tour?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, absolutely. My first year out here I wasn't all that aggressive. I probably was a little bit, but I think, you know, the more confidence you get, the more aggressive you can play. And you've got to have confidence in your ability and, you know, I think everyone just gets more and more confident, not just myself.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: If we could go over your birdies and bogeys, starting on No. 1 with a birdie.

ROBERT ALLENBY: Driver, 6-iron to about 7 feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Number 2?

ROBERT ALLENBY: 6-iron to about 7 feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Number 4?

ROBERT ALLENBY: I hit a 6-iron again just over the back and chipped in.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Then a bogey on the par-3 6th?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah. I actually hit a pretty good shoot in there and 3-putted. Hit a 4-iron into about 25 feet and 3-putted.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Then a birdie on 10.

STUART APPLEBY: Driver, sand iron to about 20 feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Then a bogey on 13.

STUART APPLEBY: That was a driver, pitching wedge, spun it back off the green and didn't make up-and-down from the first cut.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: And then an eagle on 15?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Driver, 3-iron to about 25 feet and holed it. That's about it.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You mentioned you spun a pitching wedge off the green. Is that one of the dangers when you've got such soft greens is the ball doesn't release and go over the green, but you have to worry about too much spin?

ROBERT ALLENBY: That's certainly something you always have to look out for when the greens are this soft is getting too much spin on the ball, and that's exactly what happened. I pitched it right up on the flag and spun it back about 15, 20 feet.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: That's it. Thank you very much.

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