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VERIZON HERITAGE


April 13, 2006


Tom Pernice, Jr.


HILTON HEAD, SOUTH CAROLINA

JOE CHEMYCZ: Welcome Tom Pernice in, 6 under par, 65 today. Tom, maybe just chat a little bit about your round, and then we'll get into specifics and open it up for questions.

TOM PERNICE: Well, the weather couldn't be more perfect. The golf course couldn't be more perfect. Jim Furyk is out behind me at 6 under, a birdie putt at the last to go 7 under. You're going to see some good scores. The golf course condition wise couldn't be better. The greens are receptive. The weather is great. About a 2 mile an hour wind blowing out there. You're going to see some good scores, all in all. You couldn't ask for better conditions overall.

JOE CHEMYCZ: Talk about how you played.

TOM PERNICE:: I played I felt like I played good, anytime you shoot 6 under around here you have to play pretty good. I bogeyed 11 to start off the day. I got up and down on 10, missed those two greens, and bogeyed 11. But I came back and birdied the 12th. After that I played pretty solid the rest of the day. I didn't really have to struggle the rest of the day.

Q. How important is it to get off to a start like that here where typically afternoon rounds, a lot of wind, the scoring conditions tend to get tougher and tougher?

TOM PERNICE: Well, anytime you play good here, I feel like it's great. It's one of my favorite golf courses that we play on the Tour. It's right there in the top three or four. It's just a treat to play an old traditional style golf course, with trees, not a lot of rough and small greens and some variety. I love this place. I love coming here. For me to get off to a great start I feel really good about it.

It can get windy here in the afternoon. So far it's not blowing. Maybe we'll have a break today and have good scores in the afternoon. You'll have low scores in the morning.

Q. Golf is a head day. You know it's a pretty day and conditions are perfect, do you beat yourself up if you don't go out and throw up a bunch of birdies?

TOM PERNICE: No, I was very patient all day, and I was enjoying the walk. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful spot. You hit good shots you're rewarded here. The greens are putting beautifully.

Q. If you walked off with even par today, you'd have felt like you left your game out there?

TOM PERNICE: Yeah, but that's golf, too. You can go out on the 4th hole and know you're going to make seven or eight birdies today. I've been playing well lately, and just kind of putting along, and just give yourself some opportunities and make some putts and some things can happen.

I try not to put any pressure on myself out there. It's just a beautiful place. You still have to somehow remember it's still a game and a walk in the park. Some days are easier than others, and some days you get fortunate and have a 6 under, and some days you have to take even par?

Q. You played here last year?

TOM PERNICE: Yeah.

Q. And the weather was quite a bit difference?

TOM PERNICE: Yes, but still it's a great test. You can play here in the wind or not wind. You can run the ball up on the greens and you have some opportunities here. Like I said, I think it's one of the greatest golf courses, if it's not in the top 10 of all time I don't know why it's not. It's an old traditional, great style of golf course that I personally enjoy and I think it's a treat.

Q. Last year you had, I think it was 11 top 25's or career high, is that right?

TOM PERNICE: I couldn't know. It sounds good.

Q. Sounds like you played pretty well. You're in your 40s, what do you think the key is to your playing?

TOM PERNICE: I call the two Jims Jim Hardy who's really helped my golf swing in the last four or five years, he works with myself and Peter Jacobsen, and Scott McCarron, and Bob Tway and Owen Brown, and I think he's helped us tremendously, Peter has played great. Jim, who works with several of us on short games. I worked with James Seekin (ph.) for 10, 12 years. I think these guys have done a lot for me. And I feel very comfortable with both of them. I think their philosophies have worked well with me. I don't question them. And I think you throw in Joey, who has worked with Vijay and I on our fitness. I feel like I've got good people surrounding me who's worked with me. It makes things simple for me?

Q. With all those people around you, do you find yourself working harder than you used to?

TOM PERNICE: At times. I mean going to the gym sometimes isn't my favorite thing to do. But Joey helps me do that, and I feel it's functional stuff that helps me do what I'm trying to do out here. If you have a good teacher and you believe in what they believe in and that they're right in their philosophies, you actually don't have to work as hard?

JOE CHEMYCZ: Take us through, starting at 11 there, the bogey. What did you do there?

TOM PERNICE: I pulled my second shot in the bunker and hit it out about 8 feet and missed it.

Birdie at 12. I hit a 7 iron about six feet, made the putt.

13 I hit a wedge about 8 feet, made it for birdie.

15, the par 5, I hit a wedge about two feet.

1, I hit a 9 iron 15 feet, made the putt for birdie.

2 I hit a little wedge from the front of the green about a foot for birdie.

7 I hit a 5 iron in the middle of the green, that was a pretty long putt. That was 40, 45 feet for birdie at 7. So that was a bonus.

9 I hit a wedge about 18 feet to the right of the hole and made it for birdie.

You're going to see a lot of people in here with low scores today.

End of FastScripts.
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