JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 27, 2002

Robert Gamez

TODD BUDNICK: Robert Gamez, 66 today, co-leader 18-under, 195. Robert, let's just first -- I think 22 birdies this week leading the tournament, talk about how it went today.

ROBERT GAMEZ: Well, on the front nine I didn't play that well. I was a little disappointed in my performance early in the round and I made some good putts on a couple of holes on the front nine that kept me going, and, you know, it was just one of those days to hang in. Then on the back nine I actually started hitting some good shots. Hit a bad drive on 15, but I made a good shot out of the fairway bunker on the front edge and almost made the putt, so it was kind of nice, but I putted very well today.

The ones I missed yesterday I made all those today and that was the difference in my round for not playing as well.

Q. You have got to be happy you really kicked it up this week. Are you looking good to come back -- do you feel on the verge of being right back where you were as a top player full and get full membership back?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I am looking at having a chance to win tomorrow and getting back to being up where I should be in the world of golf. I feel like I am a good enough player. My ball-striking is as good, if not better, than a lot of guys out here. And a lot of the top players, I feel like I am right there with them in that respect. My chipping, my short game isn't quite as good as it should be and that's probably the thing right now that's holding me back a little bit. I am still not hitting very many good chips. I hit a bad chip on 6 and not a very good chip on No. 4. I didn't have a very good lie but I should have hit a better chip. That's the one part of my game that's probably a little off right now. My putting has come around unbelievable and my confidence in my putting is unbelievable. That's key.

Q. Can you see yourself getting that same bounce in your step you had in 1990, or would it be a different bounce?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I am a different player than I was back then. I feel like I am a lot more solid player now. I have -- I am getting as much confidence as I did then. My confidence is coming around. When I first came out of college I had more confidence than anybody, and I didn't feel like anybody could beat me. If I putted well I didn't feel like anybody could beat me. And the weeks I putted poorly I shot -- I'd shoot 80 because I didn't care. I really didn't care if I wasn't in the hunt. That probably hurt me. But I have learned over the years that just to hang in and a shot here and shot there makes a difference and that's what I have done well here the last month, is after making a bogey I am hanging in, I am not getting down on myself, and, you know, turned my rounds around.

Q. Was there any one shot today that turned things around for you?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I don't know. I hit a poor second shot on the first hole and hit two good putts. Hit a good drive at 2 and hit a driver off the ground and hit the tree right in the right. I came back, kind of an unlucky break, I thought it would be in the bunker with a pretty easy bunker shot ended up struggling to make par. I am just trying to think I really -- I hit some good shots but nothing really good. I think the putt probably on 6 would probably be the one that turned my round around. I didn't hit a very good second shot. I was right in between clubs today on that hole. I had 124 downwind. It was in between a pitching wedge and sand wedge. I hit it over the back and hit a poor chip but I made about and 8-footer for par and I think that really turned my round around because I birdied the next hole, hit a 5-iron in there about eight feet behind the hole and made birdie there.

So that putt probably on 6 is the one that did it because I hit some good shots and starting after that.

Q. Was this a day where you got it together mentally and strategically scoring better than you played?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah, I did score better than I played. I felt like I played extremely well the first two days, hit a lot of solid shots. Yesterday I putted for birdie many times. Today I missed five or six greens today. I didn't drive it as well today as I have the last two days. I pulled it left off the tee on No. 9 and I mean had a horrible lie in the rough and got it to the front down in the -- short of the green, made a good up-and-down there, made a good chip to basically finish the front nine on a good note. And then I actually started playing a little bit better on the back. I hit a poor tee shot at 15, hit it off the tee trying to hit a low toe and pulled it in the bunker, had a great lie in the bunker, a good 5-iron on the front edge which kept my round going.

Q. Do you squeeze the most out of your game, is that a sign of maturity?

ROBERT GAMEZ: It did squeeze the most out of my game today. I think it helped at Chicago on Friday. I missed the cut there but I wasn't hitting it very well at the Western on Friday and I hung in and kept going and I think I shot 1-under, but it just wasn't a very good ball-striking day but I hung in. I think that gave me a lot of confidence these last couple of weeks to really hang in when things weren't going very well. That's why I did very well today.

Q. You and JP had a pretty good sprint down the back stretch there, were you feeling a little man on man there?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I birdied 10 and 11, a good poor tee shot really. I felt like it was downwind enough. I could get home in two if I hit a good tee shot. A good L-wedge there, made birdie, then hit a good 8-iron about six feet from the hole on No. 11. We both -- he wasn't making anything. He actually -- I felt like he played a lot better than I did on that most of the day, hit a lot better shots than I did I felt like. He just wasn't making many putts. Then he started making his putts. I think it kind of spurred me on as well.

Q. You said -- you kind of gave the impression you rededicated yourself to the game. Was that behind the move to Orlando ? That had nothing to do with that --

ROBERT GAMEZ: I rededicated myself to the game after my car accident. Actually, before my accident is when I was really trying to work on my game working hard and doing some things and that's kind of where it started and then all the time I had to think about it when I was laid up, like I said, gave me a lot, I don't know, just made me appreciate it more and it just kind of worked out being in Orlando that Adrian (phonetic) out there, and I have been working on my game a little bit. He's trying to help me with my short game and really worked hard with me with the bellybutton putter. He's there to look at my swing. My swing teacher, Dick Hough (phonetic), he's out in Vegas. I haven't really seen him in a while, and they don't know each other, but their teachings are similar so it's really nice for me to have Adrian out there in Orlando to be able to watch my swing and watch the things that Dick has taught me for years. I have been working with Dick since I was 14 with my swing. I feel that's the part of my game that's the best of anything.

Q. What is your approach going into Sunday with the lead?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I have been playing very well on Sundays and there's a lot of confidence there. I don't know what my scores have been on Sunday, but I think pretty good over the last basically -- all the cuts I have made, I think I have played fairly well on Sunday, except greens, greens I shot 1-over. So that's one of the things that's going to give me a lot of confidence tomorrow. If I just go out keep playing well, hit the ball in the fairway and give myself birdie putts, I think I have got a good chance.

Q. JP started making putts, you fed off that you said. Do you like the prospects of a one-on-one --

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah, we have got a little bit of lead on the next guy, I think, and -- but I mean, I think depending on the weather, today we had the wind which kept the scores a little bit higher than normal, and, you know, if the weather is good tomorrow we're going to have to go out and shoot low scores. If the wind blows again we just have to kind of hang in like we did today. JP played a little better than I did early in the round but I seemed to hang in really well.

Q. Different mindset though, you play well on Sundays, but playing well on Sunday and knowing that if you play well on Sunday you are going to go home with that winner's check?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I am not even thinking about that. I am pretty happy with my game right now. I have got a lot of confidence. If I can just keep doing what I am doing I think I have a really good shot tomorrow. JP and I are going to be out there and we're both going to be shooting at birdies, and I think we're going to have to. The golf course is in great shape. The rain unfortunately softened it up a little bit, which makes it a little bit longer, but you can fly the ball right at the pin, it's going to stop. If we get good weather tomorrow it's going to be a shootout.

Q. How much will weather and nerves dictate tomorrow? Will one be more of a factor?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I am going to be nervous a little bit. Haven't been there since Greensboro. Before that it was a long time. I am just looking forward to it. I felt like I played very well in Greensboro on the weekend, yeah, I didn't -- things didn't work out the way I would have liked them to, but I played very well. I played -- I was nervous last week at the B.C. even though I wasn't you know, I was kind of out of it a little bit but I knew if I could shoot 8, 9-under on Sunday I would have a chance to win. Last week my nerves got me a little bit but I handled them well. That's what I am going to feed off of for tomorrow.

Q. Shoot 8, 9-under you think tomorrow?

ROBERT GAMEZ: That was last week I thought I needed to. But I don't know what it is going to take. Just depends on the weather. Like I said, I hope the wind blows. I feel like my ball-striking is good enough that you know, I can hit all the knockdown shots and things and keep the ball out of the wind that will help me down the stretch, and help me tomorrow. I hope we do get a little bit of wind tomorrow.

Q. Was it a totally different golf course between Thursday, Friday and today?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah, especially compared to yesterday because we had nothing -- no wind yesterday at all. Maybe not even a half a club. Thursday we had a little bit in the afternoon, but with the wind early today -- we kind of got a break at the end of the day today starting at 15 wind kind of died down, it helped us at the end of the round. But it was a different golf course early.

Q. (Inaudible)?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I told him -- I said show me the way when he was getting ready to putt his because he was on a similar line as I was. I actually thought he was really close when he hit his shot in there then it really -- there were some collapse, but nothing crazy. Then when I hit, even though I have a lot of front here but when I hit it kind of went right in there, stopped. It was about five, six feet from the hole maybe even closer, I don't know.

Q. Will it help with the same pairing tomorrow?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah, it will. JP is a good guy. He's kind of quiet overall and he has got his little things that he does, and he plays a little bit slower than I do, but hey, you know, it's probably going to be a slow day out there. Hopefully not. But we're going to go out and have a good time I am sure.

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