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FARMERS INSURANCE OPENJanuary 28, 2010Chris TidlandSAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA MARK WILLIAMS: Chris Tidland, thanks for joining us, 7-under 65 on the North Course in the first round here at the Farmers Insurance Open. You graduated from the Nationwide Tour last year to get back to the PGA TOUR for I think the third time and had a win in Wichita last year. Talk about your round today and obviously what it's like to be back on the PGA TOUR after a few years. CHRIS TIDLAND: Well, it's great to be back. Having the best year I had in my career last year, I was excited to start this year off and play against the best players in the world. Today I was pretty fortunate. I didn't take advantage of the par-5s. I parred them all. But played the tough holes well, made the key putts and kind of kept the round going. MARK WILLIAMS: Is this your first start this year? CHRIS TIDLAND: No, I played Hawai'i and Palm Springs. Q. What did the wins at Wichita and Boise do for your confidence? CHRIS TIDLAND: I mean, the Boise one was probably bigger. That was the first time I had ever won on the Nationwide. I had lost in three or four playoffs, and that was always one of my favorite events, one of the best events out there, and to win there was pretty special. And then Wichita was just two hours from my house. My son came with me. It was just me and him all week, and I won, so that was pretty special. Q. Have you had a hard time keeping your confidence up after the ups and the downs? You've had a lot of them. How far have you been down, and was it hard to come back up? CHRIS TIDLAND: Not really. I feel like I've improved every year in different ways. But I've always been motivated when I play poorly; I work harder. I've never been one to -- obviously there's disappointments, but I get over them pretty quick and it makes me work harder. This game is kind of built to frustrate you, so if you understand that, it's going to do that. But I feel very fortunate to do what I love and I've been able to support my family for 15 years now, and I love it. Q. Having played in Orange County growing up, do you have any family and friends down here? CHRIS TIDLAND: Oh, yeah, my dad is here and then a bunch of friends, yeah. And they'll be coming and going. I've been running by will call tickets every day, so that's going to be fun. I played here a lot in junior golf, so I have great memories. It's always been one of my favorite places. Q. Your parents still have a place at Alta Vista? CHRIS TIDLAND: Yeah, they're still in the same house I grew up in. Q. Do you get back there to practice at all? CHRIS TIDLAND: Yeah, quite a bit. My wife grew up right next door to me right there, so all her family is out here. So this is kind of our second home. Q. Talk a little bit more about your history here going back to junior golf. What are the best memories? CHRIS TIDLAND: Well, you know, I played Junior World here every year, our 15-, 16-, 17-year-old year, and that was always the biggest tournament for me of the summer. So it was always special to come here. I eagled the last hole one year to finish 9th, and I thought that was the greatest thing ever. I wasn't a great junior player, highly recruited or anything, so that was a big deal to me. So I've always -- every time I go down the 18th hole my caddie gets sick of it, I tell him this is where I hit it and this is the putt I made. He's like, "Yeah, I know." Q. What did you hit in and how far was it? CHRIS TIDLAND: I remember. It was 5-iron from like 180. It was when it was a lot shorter obviously. I could have 5-iron for my third now. Q. And how far was the putt? CHRIS TIDLAND: About a 50-footer or something. Yeah, a bomb. That was fun. Q. Who were your peers at that time? CHRIS TIDLAND: Chris Riley from here, Jason Gore, Tiger. Tiger was kind of the perfect age younger than us. I was 16, he was 13, and he was still beating up on us. So I played a lot growing up with him, and that is always fun to kind of play against the best at every level. Q. As a guy who played against Tiger, and obviously we've been writing so much about him the last couple of months, what's your reaction, and do you get a feeling here without Tiger? Is it any different? CHRIS TIDLAND: Oh, sure, it's different. The traffic is not as bad. The crowds aren't quite as -- there's not as much buzz right now. But with Phil around, you kind of get that feel. But you know, we're all looking forward to him getting back soon. Just to have the greatest athlete in the world in your sport, we feel pretty fortunate, and it's fun to compete against him. Q. Did you beat him at all? CHRIS TIDLAND: Very little. Very little. I beat him to win the National Championship for Oklahoma State. We won the team National Championship. That was 15 years ago. I think that's the last time I beat him. Q. Did you play with him head-to-head that final day? CHRIS TIDLAND: We played together the first two rounds. But yeah, I mean, I've known since he was 11 years old -- I didn't know he'd be the best player ever, but you knew he was pretty special, and I've always enjoyed being around him and playing with him. Q. What was the year you played with him in the Western Amateur? CHRIS TIDLAND: That was in '94, I think, yeah, and I birdied the last six holes to tie him, take it to extra holes, and I birdied the second hole and he eagled it. It's kind of the same story he always has, just a different person on the other end. Q. We all know how golf will drive you crazy and get you down when things go wrong. Do you ever sit around and think, God, I used to beat this kid, and now we're equals? CHRIS TIDLAND: Well, like I said, I never beat him. He was four years younger. I beat him in one tournament. No, not really. I feel fortunate to have played with him. Every time -- when he was a little kid we went over to France together for two weeks, and we were partners in alternate shot. Q. Was that Walker Cup? CHRIS TIDLAND: No, it was a junior golf thing, Southern California, and we -- the things he thought about at 13 years old, what he could do with the ball, I couldn't -- I was just trying to advance it, and he was -- it's always been fun to listen to him. I kind of try to pick his brain every time I get a chance. Q. Having seen all that, do you go back as far as with Riley or anything like that, just what's your personal sense of loss for him, or what is your emotion? CHRIS TIDLAND: Yeah, it's sadness. It's tough with a family being -- struggling right now, and there's lots of people this affects. You kind of just pray for him and hope for the best, and hopefully he can work through this and the rest of his family. Q. Going back to your round today, you talked about the par-5s. That's a heck of a score not birdieing the par-5s. CHRIS TIDLAND: Yeah. Q. Can you just give us the brief highlights, a couple of the really good holes? CHRIS TIDLAND: Well, I got off to a good start. I missed a short putt on 1 for birdie, but I played it pretty solid. And then I hit a little pitch shot on 2 to about three feet and made it. Then hit a 6-iron on the next hole to about four feet and made it. And then a 7-iron to about 15 feet on the next hole and made it. So I got off to a good start. I wasn't feeling very comfortable, had a terrible warm-up, and so to get off to that start, it kind of settled me down, and then I kind of got into the round and hit some nice shots, a few squirrelly ones but got away with them and ended up with a great round. Q. What did you hit into 18? CHRIS TIDLAND: 3-wood. Q. It hit the cart path? CHRIS TIDLAND: Yeah, I hit three cart paths today, so that's usually not a good sign. So I've got a little bit of work to do. Q. And just kind of -- fairly safe on the next shot? CHRIS TIDLAND: Yeah, I just wanted to get it past the hole. I've been putting so well, so I figured if I got it on the green, there was a good chance I was going to hit a good putt and at least have a chance to make birdie. Q. You think of golf areas, Florida, Arizona and California where golfers live. How did you end up in Wichita? CHRIS TIDLAND: Actually I'm in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Q. Because you went to school there? CHRIS TIDLAND: I went to school there, and I love it. I love college sports, I love being around the golf team. I practice and play with them. Rickie Fowler, he's one of my best friends, and I play with him every day. Q. When it gets cold there, do you miss a day like this? CHRIS TIDLAND: Oh, sure, my wife and kids are snowed in right now. So it's not all great. But I love it there. The people are terrific, and I love being around the University. Q. How many times through Q-school, and how many times did you get to finals? CHRIS TIDLAND: I think I had a streak, I think it was ten years in a row going into this year. So my wife was very happy not to have to fill that entry form out. Yeah, I missed it one year because my son was being born. So that was the one year. But I think I've been to the finals 12 times and 10 in a row or something. Q. How many times did you get your card? CHRIS TIDLAND: This is -- well, two times through Tour school. Q. In other words, you made the last stage 10 -- CHRIS TIDLAND: Lots of times, yeah. Q. You only got the card -- CHRIS TIDLAND: Twice. Q. This time you made it through the -- CHRIS TIDLAND: Nationwide. Q. That must have been a great off-season. CHRIS TIDLAND: It was very nice, very nice. MARK WILLIAMS: We appreciate you coming in, Chris. End of FastScripts that par-4 down the back and then the par-5. I mean, the par-5 played -- what is it, 12 or 13 or something like that? I hit 5-wood into both holes, and I ripped both drives. It's just the one that's going to the ocean is blowing into the wind and it's a par-4, and it's playing longer than every. Everyone is hitting woods in there today. Q. Are you still (indicating claw putting grip)? ROBERT ALLENBY: Still doing it. Q. That was middle of last year before the PGA? ROBERT ALLENBY: That was July. Q. That was Vijay? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah. Q. Can you recount that conversation? ROBERT ALLENBY: Oh, yeah. It was the Thursday night at Congressional. I'm on the putting green, I'd just probably had about 38 putts to shoot like 1-over or something, and Vijay just sort of came up to me, and he just said, hey, check this out. So I ran with it the next day, and I didn't hit the ball great the next day, but I putted fantastic, felt awesome. And then I tried it at Loch Lomond the week after in the second round. I didn't have the guts to try it the first round, putted terrible, hit the ball fantastic. And then the British Open came and I used it for all four rounds. I just said, I've got to go with it. So I did. I played well there, I putted well. And then my next tournament was Firestone, the Bridgestone, where I finished second. I've stuck with it ever since. Q. Did you have to kind of get over the fact that a lot of people look at that as a sign of desperation? You're a pretty traditional guy. ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, that's right. I think it's -- touch wood, I hope it continues for me. But it's like cheating. I mean, it's just amazing how it just takes all the anxiety out of putting. You're just making a nice flowing natural stroke. The putter blade just stays on-line forever. That's what a lot of people notice. A lot of people notice that the blade is just so square. There's not a lot of fanning of it. It makes a big difference, especially when you're on greens like this that can be a little bit soft and a little bit bumpy every now and again. It's very important to keep that blade square. Q. Are you receptive to all tips from somebody, or is it only because it was Vijay or somebody of that status that you went -- ROBERT ALLENBY: Only players that are better than me. Only players that are better than me. Q. That list is getting shorter. ROBERT ALLENBY: He's got three majors at the moment? Yeah. Q. Most who follow golf can't ever dream of hitting a golf ball like you guys, and they look at putting as probably the easiest part of the game. So for someone who can hit the ball so well, how frustrating is it when putting doesn't work? ROBERT ALLENBY: You know what, you learn to deal with it. That's golf. You know, there's a lot of different elements to this game that you have to just put up with, whether it's someone that doesn't drive the ball very well but is a great putter or someone that can't hit his irons who can drive it well and his short game is fantastic. There's a lot of those guys. There's a lot of everybody out here. A lot of guys are good at maybe one thing. For me I'm always trying to get better. I'm always trying to find a way to get better. It's great when you get someone like Vijay who was willing to offer his advice. I believe he's one of the most amazing golfers that's ever played the game and someone that his work ethics are just incredible, probably the hardest worker out here. So why wouldn't I listen to him because I know he's tried everything, whether it's with a driver or whether it's with chipping or whether it's with putting. You know, he's definitely someone that you can count on. MARK WILLIAMS: Do you see yourself having the same passion and desire as him at that age? ROBERT ALLENBY: I think so, yeah. Obviously my goal is just to keep fit and just work hard enough to maintain it. I think my swing is a little -- it's quite natural, and not a lot really goes wrong with my swing. It's just more of just timing, and that's all I ever work on when I practice, just hitting shots, getting my timing right. I keep it simple. I don't need to hit as many balls as a lot of other people have to hit. Q. Just curious, if golf was a 13-club game, what do you think your World Ranking would be? Top 10? Better? ROBERT ALLENBY: You're saying that I could take the putter out and not putt at all, just hit it on the green and take it? Q. Yeah, you know what I mean. ROBERT ALLENBY: That would be pretty bloody good, wouldn't it? Q. A lot of us would be better, yeah. ROBERT ALLENBY: I don't know. Q. Stats say you're pretty good. ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, I can hit it all right. I don't know -- yeah, it's an interesting question. Q. You were just saying you won the three in a row, you've won here. I remember you winning in the rain at Riviera. So you must have been able to putt. Hogan playing, all of a sudden he can't putt. Did you have that problem where you couldn't putt at all? ROBERT ALLENBY: I go through stages. I've won 22 times around the world, so it's not as if I'm a shit-kicker from down the road. You know, I know how to putt, it's just sometimes the brain just gets a little lopsided and you can't get the silly thing in the hole. Tomorrow it might just end for me. It might just end for me. I don't think so, but I'm running with it at the moment, and hopefully they'll keep dropping in for me. Q. Of all the parts of the game, that's where confidence comes in? ROBERT ALLENBY: Yeah, definitely. There's a lot of things that you can worry about, but at the end of the day, it's just not worth it. I think with putting I've just learnt to just accept whatever happens and move on. I've had so much advice from thousands of people. I mean, it's amazing what people will send to your website. And it's like -- and these are people that have got no idea. But I do the right thing, I read them, and then things just get more crazy. Q. What's been your thoughts on the Ping i2 use so far? Is it fair to everybody else not using it or choosing not to? ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, I think obviously the rule with those clubs was set in court, but I believe -- I just believe that even if they are legal, you still shouldn't be using them. You know, every other company can't make those sort of clubs, so why should -- just because someone has a couple sitting in their garage somewhere or they've got them off eBay or wherever, I just don't think that that's the integrity of the game. Q. It's not the spirit of the game type of thing? ROBERT ALLENBY: No, I think cheating is not the right word to use, but you know, it's definitely an advantage. So why should they have an advantage if we're contracted, whether it's Titleist or whether it's Cleveland or whether it's Callaway or whatever? All those players, the majority of the players are with those companies, Nike and TaylorMade, and then you've got someone who's got these Ping things that -- there's only a certain amount of people that can find them, and I just think it's not right if you're using them personally. Q. When you have a guy like Phil who has been almost strictly a Callaway guy but he's taken one out of the garage and said he used it at ASU -- ROBERT ALLENBY: Oh, he's using one this week? Well, I have no comment there. I'll be a good boy. Q. What's your record in playoffs now, counting everything? ROBERT ALLENBY: 11 and 1. Q. Why have you been so successful in playoffs? ROBERT ALLENBY: I thought you were going to say why did I lose one. Q. I don't remember which one that would have been. There was like a seven-man playoff of LA or whatever it was. ROBERT ALLENBY: It was two years ago at Memphis with Justin Leonard where he won, and Trevor Immelman. I played great, but I just -- I don't know, I just didn't feel -- it was funny, out of all the playoffs, the 12 playoffs I've ever been in, that was the only one I probably didn't feel confident. All the rest I felt I was never going to lose. And even after the player has hit a great shot, the other players or whatever, I always felt like I wasn't going to lose. Q. How is it different when you're playing 72 holes against the golf course and then, zap, it's match play and it's a chess match? ROBERT ALLENBY: Well, I think a lot of people get nervous because it's the type of situation that you're in, whereas I use it the other way. I look at it in the way that, well, I've been given a second chance, so I'd better make the most of it. So I go for it. I play aggressive but quite smart. Sometimes you don't have the opportunities to hit the shots that you really want to hit to get close to that flag, so I play smart, aim for the middle of the green, try and make a putt, and then all the same watching that what other person is doing. A great example is at Sun City at the end of last year against Stenson. We got to the third playoff hole, and when he hit his second shot into the green he blew it right. I knew there was no way he could make up-and-down from where he was, and that particular shot that I hit in there, I just thought, well, I might as well go for it because what have I got to lose? If I miss the green, I worst I'm going to do is probably make a bogey, as well, so I might as well go for it. So I went for it and hit it to like five feet. And then all I did was two-putted because he had no chance of making an up-and-down. MARK WILLIAMS: We appreciate you coming in, Robert. Good start to the tournament. End of FastScripts |
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