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FUNAI GOLF CLASSIC AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

October 23, 2005

Tom Pernice, Jr.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome the runner up of the 2005 Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort, Tom Pernice Jr.

Tom, one stroke shy today. Nothing wrong out there today. Three birdies, eight pars to finish off. You couldn't get that last one to fall.

TOM PERNICE JR.: I had some chances on the back nine early. I 2 putted 10 for birdie and gave myself some relatively good chances on 12, 13 and 14. I had good putts on all of them, but they pretty much lipped out. I had a chance to do some good there and it didn't happen.

I hit a couple of good shots at 16. My 6 iron went farther than I thought. I thought I had to hit it pretty hard back into the wind. It was going to be 10 feet left of the flag, but it ended up being about eight yards long. Didn't have much of a birdie putt there.

I was a little disappointed I didn't have a better putt at 18, that's all. Didn't quite hit it firm enough and the green caught it and took it left on me.

TODD BUDNICK: Talk about the day out there. You said you saw Ryan Palmer make a run. At any time there were probably six guys in the race. Were you aware of that?

TOM PERNICE JR.: Score boards are everywhere. I saw Jeff Ogilvy made a run, got up there. In an event like this you know you need to make some birdies. Looking at the score board really doesn't matter. I tried to look closely on 17 green, after I made my up and down there on 17, I saw that Lukas was at 23. I knew he needed to make birdie then.

I had a good drive and good 6 iron. I gave myself a chance, I just didn't have a very good putt, unfortunately.

Q. Were the greens a little bit slower and harder to read today?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: No, I think they were the same.

Q. I saw a lot of people leaving putts short.

TOM PERNICE JR.: For us that have played here over the years, these are new greens. The greens aren't really established yet. In years past where we've seen putts that are quick and down grain. There's really not much grain. So subconsciously you see players get fooled sometimes.

Years past they are usually a little quicker here, too. I think a lot of it has to do from guys who have played here over the years. Subconsciously you think they're pretty quick, and they're not. There is a lot of moisture in the grass right now. The humidity has been at 100 to 95 percent for four straight days. It's tough to get the moisture out of them. They're going to be a little bit sticky. But overall I thought they were good.

Q. They finally put all the tees back there on those last three holes today. In the same day you had seen tastes of them. It makes it a little rougher, I suspect, to be down a shot or two and to try and mount a comeback done in years past?

TOM PERNICE JR.: Lucas birdied 17 and 18 with the tees back. I had a birdie putt at 18. If you hit a good drive at 17, and my leaped into the right rough. I was playing for a flyer and it didn't fly and it came up short. Still, if you hit it in the fairway, you probably would have had a 5 iron into the green at 17, if I hit a good drive, and I had 6 iron into 18.

The opportunities were there. 18 was an accessible pin downwind, so it didn't matter that the tees were back, I don't think. 17 was obviously a difficult pint. 17 is the most difficult one because the driving is so difficult with the water right there on the left, it comes more into the play. And I play left to right off the tee, and the wind was left to right, so it's not the most comfortable tee shot in the world.

Q. When you have lipouts like you did those couple three holes in a row, that 11, 12, 13 stretch, does that wear on you or make you start thinking things differently or get in your head?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: No, I try not to let it bother me. Once it leaves your putter face, you don't have any control over it. I had beautiful putts on 12, 13 and 14. 14, I may have actually misread it a little bit. It may have broke a little bit more. I had a good drive up there and a good pitch, and it broke quite hard. I was a little surprised. All in all, I hit some good putts. Once you hit a good putt, you can't do anything about it. It's a tough game. Some days they are going to go in and some days they are not.

I had my opportunities, it just didn't happen today. All in all, I played okay. Lucas obviously shot 65 and birdied the last two holes. He did everything he could to win a golf tournament. My hat's off to him. He's a great young player.

Q. (Inaudible)?

TOM PERNICE JR.: I'm so impressed. Nobody realizes the kid made a $2 million birdie at the final hole of the qualifying school this year, maybe one of the hardest holes you ever played. At PGA West he hit driver, 9 iron, and made birdie. He got his card on the nose. So that birdie he made at the qualifying school he's going to be at $2 million. I don't know what he's at, he's got to be close.

So without that he's playing on the Nationwide Tour. That's how fickle and crazy this game can be. The guy makes birdie on one of the toughest holes you'd ever have to play water down the left, 470, and gets his card on the nose and now he's in the Top 30 with a win.

Things can turn around quick. I'm happy for him. He's a great guy. I kid him all the time because I just call him redneck all the time growing up. He went to Clemson and stuff, and he's a young guy and very naive, so I just called him redneck. My hat's off to him.

Q. (Inaudible)?

TOM PERNICE JR.: He's young. He's a redneck, he is. He's just a good old boy.

Q. Are you more disappointed or overall pleased with having a good performance and 21 under 22 under?

TOM PERNICE JR.: I'm disappointed that I didn't hit a better putt and have a chance to go into a playoff, yes. You get opportunities to win and you don't do it, it's very disappointing, obviously. A win here gives me an opportunity, if I play good next week and win again, I'm in the TOUR Championship and it gets me to Kapalua for the Tournament of Champions, which is one of my favorite tournaments. So it's disappointing to hit two good shots in there and not to hit a better putt. You can only do your best and keep working on it. I'm thrilled. Like I said, I started to play better the last three or four weeks, and hung in there this week and had a chance.

Q. How long was that putt on 18 and did you feel like you had a real good read on it?

TOM PERNICE JR.: It was about 16 feet. I thought it would be about right edge and thought it might be a little bit slow, but the cup was leaning a little bit to the right up there, so, you know, it broke a lot, but I barely got it to the hole. It could have been right lip or just outside. I really don't know because I didn't hit the putt like I wanted to. That's how I read it. I'm disappointed, obviously.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll go through your three birdies there. No. 2?

TOM PERNICE JR.: I hit a wedge in there about 15 feet just right in the hole, straight up the hole and knocked it in.

Par 5, 4, I just hit it in the right bunker there below the hole, perfect spot, hit it out about five feet and made birdie.

10, 5 wood on the back of the green and 2 putted.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Tom.

End of FastScripts.

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