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SONY OPEN IN HAWAII

January 16, 2009

Tom Pernice, Jr.

HONOLULU, HAWAII

DOUG MILNE: Tom Pernice, a heck of a way to finish, eagle at 18. A 7-under 63 today puts you on top of the leaderboard, co-leading after the second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.
I heard you talking about working hard and working a lot and very hard in the off-season with an emphasis on closing strong, where you really could not have closed any stronger today. Just a few thoughts on the round and the finish there.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: The finish was spectacular, and it's always a surprise you're thinking about not holing it from the fairway. Yeah, it was tough out there today. If you get into the rough, things become a little more difficult. Luckily I scraped it around when I needed to and didn't make any bogeys and just kind of hung in there. And when I hit some good shots, I made some putts, so, you know, it's kind of what you're such prosed to try to do in conditions like this and very fortunate that it all worked out.

Q. Obviously the conditions were not as bad as they were predicting, but were you -- was it still tough out there anyway?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Sure. I mean, it's still blowing out there and the rain is always a little bit of a nuisance because it's on and off, and you're in and out and rainsuits on and off. That makes it not so easy.
Yeah, you don't get the ball in the fairway, you've got your work cut out for you. You've got to rely on getting some good chips and some good bunker shots and holing some putts in conditions like that. Today I was doing all of those quite well, so it ended up pretty good and the finish was obviously quite nice.

Q. Is there any part of your game that you've been working on in the off-season?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I worked pretty hard in the off-season a lot, but I started working with a gentleman by the name of Jim Fanning, and we just talked about some stuff and trying to set some goals. Kind of set myself straight on how to think out there and things to do. So he's really been helpful and we have been spending a lot of time together. I nice to get off to a pretty good start and stay in a good frame out there.

Q. So it's more of a sports psychologist?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I wouldn't call him that, but yeah, he's been great so far. I feel good out there on the golf course.
You know, it's just trying to have some fun, enjoy life a little bit. I have two wonderful girls and a wonderful wife. So I need to enjoy life even when I'm trying to win out there on the golf course a little bit. Worked hard with that through the off-season and looking forward to continuing on.

Q. When did you start working with him in the off-season?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Just after the Fall Series was basically done, so the last couple of months or so.

Q. 7-under in conditions like that, how does that rank, was that one of your better rounds?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, yeah, obviously, conditions like this on a challenging golf course and to get around in 7-under, yeah, it's a very good round. You know, you're not going out thinking you're going to shoot 7-under. You just kind of plod your way around and try to hang in there. It's not necessarily something where you feel like you're going out and hitting every shot perfect. It not going to happen, even in these conditions because your good shots don't always turn out good.
So just the mentality was to hang in there and keep plugging along, and made some nice saves when I needed to on the back nine. Obviously the eagle at the last was quite exciting.

Q. How many yards was that?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I hit a little knock-down pitching wedge and spun left and went in the hole, 92 yards.
Days like today, I wasn't 100% sharp with all my shots, so I had to scramble pretty good. I thank my man, Bob Vokey, we worked hard on our wedges, so they were something that I do work hard on all the time, and my short game really helped me and saved me today.

Q. You had I think six Top-10s last year, and a pretty solid season it seemed like.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Last year I put myself in position quite a bit, and I just didn't close very well and didn't do very well, whether it was Saturday or Sunday. So I'm spending some time with Jim Fanning and trying to work on that. I feel like Jim Hardy has really worked with me on my golf swing and getting me there. The only one is Joey-D is not Jim, otherwise I would have all Jims. I feel like I have a good team around me.

Q. Who is the other Jim?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Jim Sieckmann; I work with him on chipping and putting; and obviously Jim Hardy on my golf swing. I feel like I've got a great team around me and just going to continue to work hard and try to achieve some of these goals that I've set this year.

Q. Do you want to tell us at all about any of those?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Yeah, I mean, right off the get-go is to win a golf tournament to get into the Masters. That's first and foremost. And the short term is need to win a tournament to get to the Masters. That's what we are working for right now.

Q. You said your mentality was just trying to hang in there. Would you have had trouble doing that before you started working with Jim?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I don't know if I would have had trouble, but it would have been -- my demeanor would have been a little different, let's put it that way. We are working on some different things, I don't want to get too much into it, but yeah, demeanor would have been a little different I think.

Q. Could you give us one example of something that he's imparted to you that you've tried to really incorporate or taken to heart?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, I think I just in general, I need to enjoy life a little bit more. Doesn't mean you don't work hard and try hard, but I'm a pretty intense guy, so I didn't need to work so much on my intensity. I needed to work on some other things. He's been great thus far, so I'm really excited. I came over here excited about the year.

Q. How long have you been coming to Waialae?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: My first year was probably '86 or eight receive. You know, this is as good as it gets for my family. They are not too concerned about going to many other tournaments other than this one, I can promise you. This is one we do not miss, and I love it. I think Waialae is a great, classic, old golf course.
The people at Waialae Country Club and the people at Sony have been nothing but gracious ever since we've been coming. It's a special week for us. A lot of friends and members here at the golf club that take me to dinners and spend some time, the Matsuas, as you all know, and a bunch of members here that I've gotten to know. It's a very friendly week for us.

Q. Is it disconcerting when you hear that there's trouble that Kapalua might be leaving and that might affect this tournament, and maybe no golf in Hawaii?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: All of that, you have to take with a grain of salt. The economy is tough and the TOUR has to sign a lot of title sponsors, and it's going to be tough. I think people realize that.
Sony always existed before Kapalua ever came here and they still had great fields and they still had great tournaments. So you've got an opportunity to come play a golf course like this, and the hospitality and the people here at Waialae Country Club, I'm sure I'm not the only player; my family loves coming here and staying at the Kahala and enjoying Hawaii and the people. I feel good and I hope Sony feels good that they have something special here at Waialae Country Club. The players do love to come here.
DOUG MILNE: Yesterday there were zero bogey-free rounds, and today there were a small number, yours being one of them. If you would not mind running us through your birdies and eagle there.
TOM PERNICE, JR.: Birdie at 2. That was probably about 15 feet.
The birdie at 5 was about three feet, hit a 6-iron in there, very nice.
7, 7-iron to about seven or eight feet.
9, I drove it into the rough. Hit it down in front of the green and hit a beautiful little pitch from about 25 yards to about a foot.
Had some nice saves on the back nine. I had to get up-and-down out of the bunker at 10 for par. I had to get up-and-down out of the bunker at 14 for par.
Made a birdie at 15. That was about 25 feet.
17, I had to get up-and-down out of the bunker and made about a 4-footer.
Then 18, obviously the pitching wedge from 92 yards that spun in the hole. My bunker game definitely saved me today. But you have to have these days, they count the same just as a perfect tee shot.
Thank you all.
DOUG MILNE: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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