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WGC NEC INVITATIONAL

August 24, 2002

Robert Allenby

SAMMAMISH, WASHINGTON

GORDON SIMPSON: Robert, well played today. Did you play a few people into it, including your countryman, Craig Parry.

ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I guess I have. I got out to a good start, birdies the first few holes, and then I just -- I hit not the greatest 2-iron off 4, but hit it down the right side, and it hit a tree down the right that's in the middle of the fairway. And it kicked it straight right. And it was just buried in some long rough. And I just thought that I could get an 8-iron out of the rough, and advance it to down near the front edge of the green. And I got it ten yards. And then I drew another bad lie, because it hit the rake and buried underneath the rake in front of me. And I could only advance that down 60, 70 yards down the fairway. And then I was left with -- then with a pitch into the green with the flag tucked just on top of the tier, and the end result was a six.

But I hit a lot of good shots after that, just really couldn't convert the putts. I kept leaving myself on the high sides and just always was left where I couldn't be aggressive with the putts. So when you can't be aggressive with the putt you can't put a true stroke on it. And that seemed to happen for quite a few holes in a row. And then I just sort of got a couple back on the back nine, and it was a good way to finish at the last. I hit a good tee shot and great 3-wood up to the middle of the green. I thought the putt was actually going to go in until it bounced about six feet in the air.

Q. There's 12 guys within three shots of the lead, some very big names. Could you talk about how it sets up for tomorrow, and what your mind set is going into the final round?

ROBERT ALLENBY: I'll be going out there with the frame of mind that I know I have to play aggressive. And I know I have to shoot at least 5-under, at least. Obviously tomorrow is the last day and not everyone is going to shoot five- or six-under. But that's the goal that I have to go out there with and at least try to shoot for five- or six-under.

There's so many players, as you said, that are so close. But as you've seen by some of the best players in the world, mistakes can happen quite easily out there. And at the end of the day, it may not need a five- or six-under, you might only need a 3-under. But this golf course is set up that way. The greens are really becoming quite firm now. And most of the real good scores are happening in the first early groups. There wasn't too many out -- well, later in the last few groups, anyway.

Obviously Craig Parry, he was somewhere in the middle there. But the golf course is right in front of you. You've just got to be careful where you hit it and especially on the greens. The greens are very tricky. And if you miss them in the wrong spots when they tuck them in those little corner pockets, you could have anything.

Q. Did you leave yourself a lot of putts on the high side because you weren't striking the ball properly or because the greens firmed up more than you may have realized?

ROBERT ALLENBY: They firmed up and they released a little bit more. And that's why I kept leaving myself down hills all the time or huge uphill right-to-left and hit it up to the top of the slope and just let it dribble down. It's a guessing game sometimes when it's like that. It makes it tough, because you can't be aggressive and you can't give it a run. And you've got to be so careful that you don't run it ten feet past.

But I'll look at it today, tonight and just think about some of the things that I'll need to do tomorrow and I'll work on that.

Q. You've come through in these situations before, in playoffs. Do you feel that will help you at all tomorrow? How much of an advantage, if at all an advantage, is it to be in the last group?

ROBERT ALLENBY: I think it's a huge advantage to be in the last group. If you're running one behind or level playing the last, and they've already finished the last, that makes a huge advantage, especially when you've got a par-5 to finish. It makes it a little different than in '98 when you've got a par-4 to finish with. It's one of those holes if you hit a good tee shot, eagle is accessible.

So tomorrow is another new day, and I know what I've got to do tomorrow. I've just got to enjoy it, have fun.

Q. Can you talk about Craig Parry, what kind of guy he is, and also about his game?

ROBERT ALLENBY: Paza? I better be careful here. It amazes me that he's never won on this Tour. He came so close to winning The Masters quite a few years ago when Fred Couples won. And I thought then that he was going to go on and really do some huge things over here. But you just never know in this game. You just never know what's going to happen. And he might go out there tomorrow and shoot lights out and win by four or five. That's the type of player he is. He's either going to play really well or really steady. He's a very steady player and he just plugs away, and he's Mr. Consistency. He's like Fred Funk, straight down the middle and a really good putter, great short game, great imagination, and just -- he's a little fighter, little as in short (laughter.)