JOHN DEERE CLASSIC

July 28, 2002

Robert Gamez

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Robert Gamez runner-up at 2002 John Deere Classic, best finish since a tie for second here in 1997 I believe. And looks like enough money to retain your card or regain your card for next year.

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah, it's nice. It was nice to make that putt on the last hole to finish. I played hard all day. Hit a lot of good shots out there that just didn't turn out, and, you know, JP played great for two days. He played a lot better than I did. It was nice to see somebody play well and win instead of me playing poorly and losing.

Q. You said yesterday that you wanted to win and get back to where you belong. JP's play -- do you have any -- can you assess what kind of a player he is?

ROBERT GAMEZ: He has got a good solid game. JP, for two days, hit the ball in the fairway and hit the ball on the green for the most part. He's a good putter and that's the one thing that you do need out here is to be a good putter. And I think he has got a chance to do some good out there, out here. He has already -- I think this win is going to help him a lot.

Q. How frustrating was it, he didn't open up a door of opportunity at all, no bogeys --

ROBERT GAMEZ: I didn't expect him to make any bogeys, actually. I expected him to play hard and I expected me to play a little bit better than I did. I am not saying I played poorly because I hit a lot of good shots. I laid up on No. 2 because I couldn't get there in 2, and I hit what I thought was a perfect third shot that came up short of the green and a little unfortunate a couple of times today, especially there. And then the next hole I hit a really good 7-iron that I thought was going to be a about ten feet, rolled back off the green. Things like that, that's just a little bit frustrating. Kind of the same thing happened at Q-School on the final day and I hit good shots, I hit them exactly how I wanted to hit them and either just misplayed the wind or whatever. But I can't complain. I hit shots I wanted and they just didn't turn out.

Q. Are you a little surprised by all of these low rounds?

ROBERT GAMEZ: No, not at all. I have been playing --

Q. Not just by you, but --

ROBERT GAMEZ: You mean here? No, I mean the golf course was in great shape. It was very soft after the rains the last two days, and the players are just getting better out here. When you get the players with a golf course like this where you really don't have to drive the ball that well out here, you have to hit good shots, but you can bomb it a little bit more and the greens are big. It's really hard to miss a lot of greens out here.

Q. When you started out with two birdies right away you get behind, does that change your mindset a little bit, do you have to start pressing a little bit more than you wanted to?

ROBERT GAMEZ: No, I never felt that way. It was nice to see them making a couple of birdies. I thought we were both going to get off to the races there. He just made a bunch of pars after that. I just couldn't get anything in the hole. I hit some good shots, like I said, on 2 and 3, and I hit a really good shot tee shot at No. 5. Right in the middle of a divot. Things like that, just kind of a little frustrating, but overall, I played pretty solidly.

Q. What happened with the shot on 9?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I had 240 to the hole and like 246 to the back edge and I just was trying to hit a little 4-wood in there, short, I didn't think -- I don't carry a 2-iron so I didn't think I could get a 3-iron back to the hole, so I hit the shot exactly like I wanted, but the wind turned around because it was in my face when I was standing over it, and the wind turned around and went over the green. That's the kind of stuff that happens when you're downwind, and that's what happened today.

Q. Third shot on 2, what do you have left?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I had 76 yards to the hole right into a little breeze, but off a little bit of a downslope, so made the swing I felt like I wanted. When I hit it I thought it was going, going to be five feet from the hole. Closer, maybe. And to see it come up short, it came back, and it was sitting in a little bit of a rut there. I mean, the fringes here are a little bit tricky and it was sitting in a little bit of a rut. I hit a pretty good chip. I thought it would roll out a little bit better, hit a good putt just didn't break and lipped out. I hit the shot exactly how I wanted to hit, it just didn't turn out.

Q. How does it feel to at least know that you don't have to going to Q-School?

ROBERT GAMEZ: It's nice having the winter off, that fall classic is tough. I am glad I don't have to go to it again.

Q. How would you compare the crowd out here in terms of noise, enthusiasm to other tournaments you play throughout the year?

ROBERT GAMEZ: It's hard to say. The people here in the Quad Cities are great, and I have got a lot of friends and family -- friends out here, not family, but they have got their families and, you know, all their friends, so they all came out and watched. And it's pretty loud when I get there because it seems like they are all out there screaming for me. So it's pretty good here for me. I think the crowds today were great. Everybody out there, especially coming up 18, was fun. It was nice. The people in the Quad Cities are great.

Q. Was there a point during the round that you said, okay, because you talked about it yesterday, now I have got play for second?

ROBERT GAMEZ: I never thought playing for second except standing on in on the last tee. I still felt like I had my chances. And I felt even with three holes to play I could still have a chance to win. I could go birdie on 16, eagle 17, birdie 18. That's how I felt. I am playing well enough to do it. It just didn't turn out. The only time I thought about second was standing on that tee, and when I was standing in the middle of the fairway there 200 yards from the hole I said just hit it in the middle of the green give myself 2 easy putts and I didn't do that.

Q. Do you feel like your career has turned around now or is this just a step in the right direction?

ROBERT GAMEZ: It's just a step. I have got a ways to go still. I am still making a couple of mental mistakes out there. But my short game has to get a little bit better, my chipping and my putting is really good. I still have to get a little bit better with that. I missed a short putt on 13 today that I just made a bad stroke, and you know, those are the things I have to get out of my game. And once I get those out, worked out I will be back where I should be.

Q. What do you think on that last putt, looked like it meant a lot to you to make it? What did you think before you need the money, the place, what do you need?

ROBERT GAMEZ: It was one of those things I wasn't thinking anything like that really. I was thinking just make a solid stroke and I have worked really hard on my putting over the last -- since started working with the belly putter, and it just -- I mean, I wanted to make it just for that, and you know, obviously I mean, I don't know how much it meant but to finish second alone was big after starting the day tied for the lead.

TODD BUDNICK: Congratulations, Robert getting your card back for next year, good luck the rest of the year. Thank you.

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