CHRYSLER CLASSIC OF GREENSBORO

October 1, 2005

Robert Gamez

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you, Robert, for joining us for a few minutes here in the media center. Another great round. You had a 62 last week, 63 this week. You're just on fire.

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah, I'm hitting the ball so close that it's kind of hard to not shoot good scores. You know, the first day I couldn't get anything to go in the hole. I think the greens here were a little bit slower than they were last week. Took me a little bit of time to get into the game and into the round on Thursday.

Finally I started to get the ball in the hole, started making a few today. You know, next thing you know it's 63. I probably left three or four shots out there today.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Questions, please.

Q. Is it as much fun as it looks like?

ROBERT GAMEZ: It is. You know, after last week, it took a lot of pressure off me. I came in here so relaxed. Playing in the ProAm on Wednesday, I couldn't believe how relaxed I really was. I'm kind of in that zone right now on the golf course because I think I hit 16 or 17 greens today. I missed 1. I had to lay up in two and hit on the fringe. I putted for birdie 17 times. Most of them were inside of 15 feet.

Like I said, it's kind of hard to not shoot a good score that way if you can make a few.

Q. Is it one of those deals you don't realize how much pressure is on you until you've had it lifted off?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah. I put more pressure on myself than anybody. There was a lot. Sunday night and Monday when I was thinking about it, it was nice to get it all off my back. It wasn't a matter of if I was going to win again, in my opinion, it was just when. To finally get it off my back, get through that, know I could do it again. I knew down deep. I've been in position a few times over that stretch of 15 and a half years; couldn't get the job done.

To finally go out and win a golf tournament, I mean, I didn't back into it, I played well, won by three. I didn't back into it on Sunday; I went out and did it. To get that done felt great.

Q. Obviously you don't know what the score will be starting tomorrow. How does last week change tomorrow for you?

ROBERT GAMEZ: You know, I'm going to go out and just keep doing what I'm doing. I'm playing great. I could have shot 59 I think today, as well as I hit it. I missed a short one at the last hole. I missed a couple short ones at 11 and 12 that I thought I made. They just ran by the edge.

I really didn't make anything I probably shouldn't have. I'm going to go out and fire at it. I'm playing well enough, my distance control with my irons is great, so can I pretty much get to any pin I feel like right now. I can go out and shoot a low score. I'm probably going to have to.

The golf course plays so much easier than it used to before Davis redesigned it. There's going to be some good scores this afternoon. Without the wind, the greens are soft and receptive. I was just hoping to be able to get within five or six shots starting tomorrow.

Q. Have you changed anything swing wise?

ROBERT GAMEZ: No. Actually, I've been hitting the ball pretty well since the summer, since really right around Congressional. Every time I missed a green, I couldn't get it up and down. My putting was so poor, I wasn't making enough birdies, then I'd miss a green, couldn't get it up and down.

If I could have putted and chipped and done the things that I'm doing right now back then, I mean, who knows what would have happened back then because I was hitting it so close. So I really haven't done much of anything different except it's finally starting to happen.

Q. How do you stay in that zone you're talking about?

ROBERT GAMEZ: You know, I think you probably have to ask Tiger that one (laughter). He's probably the best at it of anybody. You know, Jack Nicklaus was the best at it when he was playing. Tiger's the best of our time at getting into that zone and staying there.

Right now, it just feels easy to me right now because I'm driving the ball well and hitting irons the right distances. When you're doing that, you stay out of your own way. You don't think too much. I think that's kind of where I am right now. I'm not thinking very much.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Is it like where you were when you won for the first time, then you won shortly after that two months later? Have that same feeling: it can happen again?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Yeah. When I came out in '90, I won right away at Tucson. I felt great. My confidence was high. I love the golf courses there. Just played well.

Playing the TOUR, getting used to it out here, getting to Bay Hill, I was in that zone even though I wasn't I don't know what my record was from the time I won Bay Hill till the time the time I won Tucson to the time I won Bay Hill, I don't know how many times I played well, but I still felt like I was in that zone, they say. Right now, I'm just in that right now.

Q. Considering last week, how well you played, such an emotional week, you could have easily taken the week off. Why did you come to Greensboro?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Well, I've said it all along: the Jaycees, Chrysler, everybody here involved with the tournament have been great with me over the years. I was in a car accident in '98. I lost my TOUR card. I needed some exemptions to come play. They were there to take care of me. I was going to come here no matter what. Had a lot of people saying, "Why don't you take the week off?" I said, "No, I owe it to the Jaycees to be here." I love Greensboro.

Just hope everything happens and we keep a tournament here.

Q. The redesign, you said it's easier. Why is that? Is that good or bad for you?

ROBERT GAMEZ: Davis took all the trouble out of play. He made it a very member friendly golf course. You look at holes, the 1st hole used to be a really good hole. Now it's just a 3 wood and a wedge. No. 2, you know, the green area used to be tricky. Now it's pretty open in front. You can roll it up. 3, with the tee up, it was a risk/reward hole more than it is right now. Now you can hit driver up the left side and not really get into trouble.

The 6th hole, you can take your chance and drive it over that left side and try to clear that bunker. Just different holes like that. The 5th hole was a really good hole. Now it's just I hit 1 iron, sand wedge today. He took all the trouble out of play. Now it's just long, which unfortunately that's the way the TOUR's going. They think lengthening golf courses is the way to keep the scores higher. That just plays into the long ball hitters' hands. You go to where we played in Vancouver, 5 under won. The golf course was fairly short but tight, small greens, firm greens. That's how you keep scores up there. You look at the major championships, when the golf courses play tough, we have to play more golf like that out here, in my opinion.

Q. Can you talk about No. 13. You were pretty aggressive going for the green.

ROBERT GAMEZ: Well, 13 plays a lot easier than it used to, as well, because the severe slope we used to have on that hole, he took all that out. Now it's a fairly flat lie compared to what it used to be. It's a little bit easier to get to the green.

I had 225 or something to the front. I mean, it's not a difficult hole as difficult a hole as it used to be.

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Can you go through your birdies.

ROBERT GAMEZ: All right, if I can remember (smiling).

No. 2, I hit a good drive and a 1 iron hole high left, probably about 12 feet. I 2 putted.

No. 3, I hit a 3 wood off the tee. It was downwind, so I hit 3 wood off the tee. I hit a 6 iron in there about 15, 20 feet, made that.

No. 5, hit a 1 iron off the tee, almost holed a wedge. Landed about a foot past the hole, ended up about eight feet behind it, made it.

No. 7, hit a 3 wood out there. Hit a sand wedge to about eight feet and made that.

No. 9, I laid up to a perfect yardage. I had 83 yards, I think, to the hole. Hit it about eight feet, made that.

I missed two short ones at 11 and 12. 11 I had about 15 feet, thought I made it. It went by the edge. 12, I hit it in there about eight or nine feet and missed that one, too.

I birdied 13. Hit it right up on the fringe and 2 putted from the fringe. That was a pretty good first putt because I had to deal with the slope on the right hand side. Putted it to about two feet.

14, I hit a good drive and a little bitty 8 iron in there to about, I don't know, eight feet maybe, made that one.

15, I drove it in the right rough but had a pretty good lie so I laid up, had 88 yards to the hole, wedged it to about eight feet and made that.

On 16, hit a good drive and a 7 iron in there about eight feet, made that one.

Then missed the one on the last hole from about eight or 10 feet.

I mean, it could have been really low (smiling).

JOAN vT ALEXANDER: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.