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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONALJuly 31, 2008Tim ClarkAKRON, OHIO LAURA HILL: Let's just start by talking about, you said maybe it will only be tenth place by the end of the day, but a 3-under to start this tournament has to feel pretty good. TIM CLARK: Pretty good. The course is in great shape, and I like the fact that they've cut the rough down a little bit this year. That kind of helps the shorter hitters like myself stay in the tournament, really. The course is in great shape and obviously they're perfect greens, too, and that certainly helped with the score I had, because it played long out there. Q. You probably heard about the rough before you got here, I imagine. Were you just pleasantly surprised? Some thought it was harder than Southern Hills last year. TIM CLARK: Yeah, I actually played good last year, I finished, I think, sixth. But pretty much just pitching it out. When these fairways get firm, there's three or four fairways out there you can't even keep the ball on it with a decent tee shot. So certainly with the rough down, and most of the fairways are wet this week, it's certainly easier to keep it in the fairway, but the course is playing longer than I've ever seen it I hit hybrids and 5-woods into a lot of the par-4s. Q. How did you play 4 today? TIM CLARK: 4, driver, 5-wood in the bunker, plugged it in the lip of the bunker, made a 5. Q. 5-wood? TIM CLARK: Yeah. Q. Where did your tee shot land? TIM CLARK: Middle of the fairway. Q. That's always one of the harder fairways to hit. TIM CLARK: Yeah, we can't even hit far enough now -- like I said, it's not running out enough to catch the slope. Same with 9, it's soft enough with balls hitting and stopping. Same goes for, I guess, the par-5, 16. Q. I'm starting to go a little bit off topic here, but I'm curious. In years past when it was drier or running out and you can't put it in that fairway off No. 4, it's like first cut is the fairway, have you thought about laying further back on the tee to stay short of that bunker where it's a little flatter? TIM CLARK: Yeah, sometimes I've done it. I even tried on the 9th hitting a hybrid one year, but I made a 9 (laughter). You just have to -- when it's firm like that, if they keep the rough this length and you play it firm, it's going to be fine. But when the rough is super long and you can't keep it in the fairway -- when Fred Funk comes around and doesn't hit too many fairways, you know there's something wrong. Q. Did you get any mud balls? TIM CLARK: No. Maybe one, but it wasn't too bad out there. Q. As you talk about preparations going into next week, the way this tournament is positioned, what kind of difference does it make to not be destroyed the week before a major? TIM CLARK: Well, this course is still tough. I mean, what's great about it is you have to hit good shots. You have to drive the ball well, and it really tests all of your game, which is perfect leading into a major. But yeah, at least it's not going to be so brutal that guys leave here just frustrated. It's great preparation for next week, and like I said, these greens are as good as I've seen all year. Q. Were you frustrated last year? TIM CLARK: Well, I had a good tournament so not really. But in years past when you finish 65th or 70th, you kind of wish you were playing somewhere else. Q. But even sixth place would have been 2- or 3-over last year? TIM CLARK: No, I think I was under par. Maybe not. I don't know. I can't remember. Q. You mentioned the effect for shorter hitters on this golf course. In your case, did it give you an idea what you're hitting to one of the par-4s? I think you mentioned 5-wood, hybrid, and what are other guys, longer hitters, hitting? TIM CLARK: Like I said, I think it's going to play long for everyone this week. When it's firmer it doesn't play that long for us, but it just brings all the rough into play. I think it's going to play long for everyone today. A hole like No. 8 today, we're normally hitting wedges, and I hit 5-iron in. The other two guys I was playing with didn't get it over the slope, either. I think it's going to play long for everyone. Q. Where were you close this year? TIM CLARK: Colonial. Q. Has it become somewhat of a monkey on your back, I guess? You perform well in other great places but not here. TIM CLARK: Yeah, a place like Colonial, I played -- I think I shot the low round of the day on Sunday and got beaten by a birdie out of the trees. Those things you just can't do anything about. At least I haven't felt like I've thrown too many tournaments away. I felt like I've played pretty decent and just gotten beat, which is a little bit easier to take. As long as I feel like I'm improving, hopefully those wins will happen one day. Q. When you saw Mickelson's drive there, did you think you were going to win? TIM CLARK: I didn't really see it. Q. When you saw where he was? TIM CLARK: Well, I didn't until after he had made birdie. Q. He was pretty far away from civilization. It was quite a shot out of there. TIM CLARK: Uh-huh. Q. Is it any kind of badge of honor to be the first to pee into the cup this year? TIM CLARK: Geez, I didn't know what you were asking me. Yeah, I was a little bit surprised. I think I was the first guy off the golf course that day at Washington. I guess they wanted to get some negative tests in before anything happens. I guess they figured I'm one of the least likely to be on something. You don't even have to go to the gym to be on steroids (laughter). Q. You're not a regular at the gym? TIM CLARK: No. Q. What's your thinking on drug testing as a whole on the TOUR? Do you think it's necessary? TIM CLARK: I guess it is necessary. I mean, I certainly -- no one is really happy with it, I guess. If other sports want us to do it and the public want us to do it, I guess it's needed. I honestly don't think there's guys out there purposely taking anything to improve their game. You know, I think -- personally I think the steroids that are banned are probably going to hurt a golfer rather than help him. But it's one of those things, and we're going to be tested, and at least they're trying to make it as pain-free as possible. I guess when I was asked, I certainly wasn't very happy about it, and I mumbled and trotted around. But at the end of the day it wasn't that bad a process, 15 minutes and I was out of there. Q. It was smoking hot that week, and I just can't imagine -- TIM CLARK: It took me a few Gatorades after I finished to get going. Q. From the time you got your pink slip, so to speak, and the time you were done, do you remember roughly -- TIM CLARK: I said to the guy it's really hot, I'm going to have to get lunch and get some fluids in me. Then I peed about 20 times the rest of the day. Q. Under these course conditions, what would you say par is on this course today? TIM CLARK: What's 4-under leading? It's hard to say. I think par is actually pretty accurate, you know? A level-par round is actually -- Q. The course is a par-70. Do you think it should be a 70? TIM CLARK: Yeah. Q. You had a good go at Oak Hill in '03 at the PGA. Have you been up to Oakland Hills at all? TIM CLARK: No, but I've heard it's tough. Yeah, I normally don't go to the major sites beforehand. I try and treat them just like another event and play the course as I see it when I'm out there. Q. What's your typical schedule at a major when you get there? TIM CLARK: I normally -- I think guys wear themselves out. I normally play nine on Tuesday, nine on Wednesday, and that's it. Q. Do you feel like you know the course fairly well just by doing that? TIM CLARK: Yeah, at majors it comes down to driving it in the fairway, and once you're there, there's a pin on the green. All you can do by playing practice rounds is find out where the trouble is. Q. Have you ever practiced trouble shots? For example, Oakmont -- TIM CLARK: Well, you certainly do a lot of work, but you can do the work at the practice area, the hay around the green and bunkers shots. To get on the course and start hitting chip shots from everywhere you think you're going to miss, you're wasting your time. You might as well go out there and try to hit the green. Q. At Torrey, and I guess you could even say for Birkdale, did you ever consider for a practice round going up to the forward tee on 14? TIM CLARK: Yeah, we did. Q. During the practice round? TIM CLARK: Yeah. Q. Birkdale you probably never even thought about the forward tee on 11, forward to the left where they finally moved -- TIM CLARK: I guess you'd have to play on the weekend to see that, didn't you? I was already on a plane back to Arizona (laughter). Q. If you were ranking the majors, where would you rank the PGA Championship just in terms of how much you like it and its relative importance? TIM CLARK: Well, it's right up there. When it comes to winning a major, it really doesn't matter which one. I think it would be a great honor to win the PGA. But certainly in terms of everyone looks forward to getting invited to the Masters, it's a special week. Every major is a little bit different. Obviously if you had to rank it, the PGA is probably fourth on everyone's list, but ask a player if he wants to win it, and I'll guarantee he'll tell you yes. Q. Can we get birdies and bogeys before you leave? TIM CLARK: I birdied 9 -- or 18, 1 and 2. Q. Could you tell us how, please? TIM CLARK: I birdied something before 18, too. I can't remember. It was early this morning. I birdied 5. Again, it was a driver, hybrid for me there. I made about a 25-footer. Q. Your fifth? TIM CLARK: Yeah. 14, sorry, the par-4. Q. How long was that putt? TIM CLARK: The putt was about 25, 30 feet. I made a long one there. I guess the first four holes I hit it inside 15 feet and didn't make anything. Suddenly I made a 25- or 30-footer there. Then I birdied 16, the par-5, just a driver, layup sand wedge to about eight feet. Bogeyed 17, I drove it in the bunker left and didn't get it to the green. Driver, 8-iron into 18, made probably a ten-footer there. 1, I actually missed the green left on 1, and I think everyone -- there's going to be a lot of people missing that. My ball pitched right of the flag and actually rolled off the green down to the left and just hit a little putt with a hybrid there maybe from 20 feet. And then the par-5, 2, was a driver, 3-wood about 40 yards short of the green and got it up-and-down. Q. How many times did you hit your hybrid today? TIM CLARK: I've got no grooves left on it. I must have hit it probably five times into par-4s and a couple into the par-3s. Probably six times. Q. And the putter. TIM CLARK: And one putt, yeah. End of FastScripts |
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