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FUNAI GOLF CLASSIC AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT

October 21, 2005

Tom Pernice, Jr.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA

TODD BUDNICK: We welcome Tom Pernice, Jr., after a career best 10 under 62. No bogeys today. Very nice day on the course.

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Yeah, 62's are always really nice. You know, it was awfully humid and sticky this morning. The ball wasn't going very far. Got off to a little bit of a slow start, you know. Vijay and I both had easy approaches into 11, didn't get them up and down or make pars.

Made a birdie on 13 and 14 that kind of got us going. 14, I made a nice putt, hit it just short of the green in the rough, had a tough chip, chipped it about 15 feet and made that putt. That really kept my round going early in the day. I hit it two feet on the next hole. You know, that really kept my round going.

Then later on the Back 9, I made a nice putt on No. 1 when we made the turn. Drove it in the rough, had a layup. Pitched up 10 or 12 feet, made that putt for birdie.

I hit it close at 2, eight or 10 feet, made that. Then 3, I hit it a foot or two and made that. Those putts on the par 5s kind of kept it going. Then got around on the back, on our last nine, and on No. 7, hit it just short of the green again in two, out of the rough, left it about 12 feet short, made another 12 footer.

No. 8, made birdie.

Hit it eight or 10 feet at the last and made it. Three really key putts on the par 5s, 10 , 12 , 15 foot range that I was able to make that really kept the round going.

TODD BUDNICK: 87th on the Money List coming in, no worries the rest of the year. No top 10s this season. Kind of summarize how you feel about the year.

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, you know, my ball striking has probably been better than it has been in years past. First part of the year, I really struggled with my putting and chipping. It started to get better in the last month or so. I've seen a little better signs, but not really putting it all together.

Really started striking the ball a lot better last week at Vegas. Felt good with the putter. Showed a little bit of signs. But, you know, I played with Vijay and I played on Tuesday, really hit the ball well again, saw some good signs.

You know, I really like my putter, Futura putter. I know it's a good putter for me. It just hasn't performed. It's starting to work. I'm feeling more comfortable, just trying to free it up.

I made some putts today. To shoot 62, you obviously have to. I've been to the studios and saw how the ball rolls. A beautiful putter, the ball reacts beautifully. Have to trust it and let it go. I'm trying to do that a little bit more.

TODD BUDNICK: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. The first time anybody has shot 62 the same day here. You're UCLA pal did it, as well. Maybe a shot, shot and a half? Two awfully low numbers even for here or is that overrated?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: You know, I thought initially that it would be. But we really weren't picking up much mud on the balls at all over the past two days. You know, really doesn't have that huge of an effect unless you've got some opportunities where you're going to tee up and hit a driver and reach.

I think psychologically maybe it makes a difference, but when you sit and think about it, I mean, I didn't have any mud on my ball to speak of in two days, and, you know, for me, I was able to sit down there and I use a line on my ball, Titleist ball, put a line. I was able to line it up at the hole. Maybe that's a little bonus. In reality, this week it didn't seem to make a lot of difference.

Now, you know, earlier in the week, on Tuesday, we were picking up some mud on the ball. If they were going to do that, then it would have. I think they put the rule into effect in case the hurricane came here early and for the some rain today. If the courses got unplayable, they were stuck. Everybody knows the fairways here don't drain very well on the Palm Course.

It was a precaution. I don't think it had a whole lot of advantage. I mean, it probably had some, when you pick up some mud occasionally, then it's gone. I didn't pick up much mud on my ball this week.

Q. When you shoot a 62, you're obviously on some kind after roll. How do you keep that going mentally? What in particular was clicking for you? How did you stay out of your own way?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Well, you know, I really wasn't I didn't know how many under par I was, to be honest with you. I knew it was going well. I was just playing golf.

Q. (No microphone.)

TOM PERNICE, JR.: That's okay, too. We had a walking score, but I wasn't paying much attention. You know, it's always nice for me to be paired with Vijay. Good friend of mine. My caddie Chad and his caddie Paul, they're best of friends. Right there we've got four of us together that are very comfortable with each other.

Unfortunately for Vijay, he was going along nothing spectacular, then he made the seven on the 6th hole, whatever, kind of ruined his week.

You know, that's always helpful for me. I'm the kind of person out there, I like to be able to socialize. I like the format with the amateurs because I like to go out there and talk, too. Vijay is someone comfortable enough that I can go up there and talk to him any time throughout the day.

Being paired with Vijay, being comfortable with him, having someone to talk to, no matter what it would be, that's helpful for me.

The time that I won, my first win, I was paired with Joey Sindelar at the Buick. Joey and I are great friends. Joey likes to talk. That's the best thing for me, that I can just keep my mind away from the game a little bit, just kind of socialize like I'm playing in the pro ams on Wednesday, get my numbers, get my clubs and go play. I seem to do the best. I'm always trying to do that.

Sometimes you're limited. You get guys you don't know, they're pretty quiet, it's kind of tough. Sometimes you'll see me over talking to the scorekeeper and the standard bearers. My ideal pairing would be Peter Jacobsen and Joey Sindelar if I could have it every week.

Q. Not thinking about your score helps your score?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Oh, absolutely. I think you just got to go play. An event like this, I mean, like I told my caddie today, whatever it is, you can't make some birdies, you can't shoot low enough. Geoff Ogilvy, he could birdie coming in. Whatever it is, it's not enough out here. Just got to keep plugging away.

The courses are in great condition. The greens are relatively receptive, which is not always the case here.

Vijay is always good to play with. When I won at the International, I was paired with Vijay, too, on Sunday. To me that works well for me. Different. Other people like to stay quiet, stay to themselves. I'm a little bit different. I like to have fun and be like I'm playing in the ProAm on Wednesday. This format lends itself to that.

Q. What is your thought, there's been some talk that the TOUR may end its official season in September when the new TV contract takes effect? Would you like that or do you think tournaments like this could be diminished?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: I don't think if that is the case, I don't think it will be diminished at all. I think we will basically have the same number of tournaments that we have now, in my conversations with Commissioner Finchem. What I think the TOUR is trying to do, our tour championship comes at a time of the year to where it is very anti climactic.

The TOUR's thinking is, dealing with the TV contracts, we could have a better TV contract if we had the networks end in September, mid September, with somewhat of a bang or something sensational to our season, with three big tournaments leading up to THE TOUR Championship and THE TOUR Championship itself. Then after that shift to the other six or seven tournaments and call them "Race For the Fall," "Race For Your Card," whatever you want to call it.

I think Tiger is still going to come play here. I think Vijay is going to play here and next week.

Q. Vijay will play here.

TOM PERNICE, JR.: There's opportunities on the West Coast for some tournaments, some new tournaments, that are coming on board possibly. I don't think it will make that much difference. What it will do is in this time of the year when NFL football and college football is so strong, we'll have some TV coverage, whether it be ESPN, USA Network or The Golf Channel for the golf fans. That's fine.

It may be a better fit overall. When it's all said and done, then major networks will be even stronger and better from January through September. I think that's kind of the direction that they're leading.

I don't think we're going to lose any playing opportunities at PGA players. It's going to be interesting. We're not all filled in on it yet, but we got filled in the last couple weeks after couple meetings.

I think in general they're trying to do the right thing, surprise to everybody in the TV negotiations (indiscernible) a better capacity. It will put the cable networks in a better position to be fighting for these six or seven tournaments possibly from September on through November, and then the major networks can spend their time in an effort from January through September.

Q. (No microphone.)

TOM PERNICE, JR.: It is very popular. It's not only just NFL and college. You look at some of those games, they're getting 15s and 12s in ratings. It's not fair to our people that are spending money trying to advertise and sponsor events out here that are going up against them. If we recognize what in reality is happening, we're not going to be able to compete on a great level week in and week out with NFL football on Sunday or with college football when they have a big game on Saturday, just realize what it is. Then that TV package for those events later in the year is obviously not going to be near as big as it is for the ones earlier in the year.

I think it will make them happier. What the TV people are paying the TOUR for the rights is going to be fair for them. I think everybody will be happier knowing what they're getting, selling the scatter market, and the advertising in those markets will become easier because the price tag for those events won't be near as high. Everybody will realize what is going on. That's my take on it.

Q. This will sound about half serious. More pressure playing with your daughter expecting you to knock it two feet on every hole or trying to win a PGA TOUR event with the best guys in the world breathing down your neck?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: My oldest daughter Kristen is very competitive. This is her last year playing. I could feel it out there. The 1st hole, I drove it on the green. She putted it by about six, eight feet. I had this downhill breaker about a cup and a half. I'm thinking, Oh, boy. Because she's expecting and wanting to win. This is her last year.

Yeah, you can feel it. I mean, now, Brooke, my youngest one, she's happy go lucky, just happy to be out there. My oldest, she was wanting to win. Luckily we ended up winning. I was happy for her.

Q. They don't have the Shot Link for? How did Vijay do?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Hit 3 wood off the tee. He pulled it, went in the water. Flew in the water. Never crossed the hazard. I was actually a little surprised, he and Paul walked all the way up to the edge of the water. They basically never crossed it. They dropped it in the rough, right up to the edge. They could have dropped it back on like the members' tees back another 75 or a hundred yards, then hit a 4 iron or something.

I think he went up there, drooped it in the rough, had a shaky lie, tried to hit an 8 iron, he actually sculled it, hit it thin, skipped it across the lake into the bank, never dropped it up. Had to drop it again. Dropped it 15, made a good 15 footer for seven. Responded quite nicely. Made birdie at the par 5.

Hit a great iron shot in on 8 from about 12 feet, missed it for birdie. Missed about an 8 footer for birdie on the last hole. Those two birdies would have gone in, probably going to make the cut.

Q. (No microphone.)

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Hit the bank and bounced back in the water. It never did cross the red line up there. Only tee shot he missed up into that point. Went with a 3 wood and pulled it.

Q. I seldom see this much of a disparity in courses.

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Mostly the par 5s. I mean, virtually every par 5 on the Palm, if you hit the ball out there in the fairway, you have an opportunity to reach. Now, on the Mag, that's not necessarily the case. On the Front 9, the 8th hole is basically unreachable for everybody. You can reach the 3rd hole and the 10th hole, but that's about it.

The other par 5, I mean, Vijay hit driver off the ground on 15 over the water, 270 front, that was impressive. You only have two par 5s that you can reach on the Mag. You got four on the Palm. In reality, there's a couple shots there.

I don't know the difference in the overall yardage, but obviously we played 6 further back yesterday, one of the back tees. 7, the par 3, was moved back. A little longer par 3. 17 was noticeably further back, that tee. You've got another four or five par 4s that used to be wedges that are now longer shots.

Three shots probably, two and a half or three. Two shots probably on the par 5s, to be honest with you, based on reachable and non reachable. No one is going to reach the 8th hole of the Mag. Over the water, isn't reachable. Actually, a pretty good layup on 14 or 15.

Q. Do you think it affects the credibility of the tournament to have wide disparity in the scoring?

TOM PERNICE, JR.: Absolutely not. You know, we're playing in absolute perfect conditions out there, the best players in the world. That's what they keep telling us. If we can't go out and shoot good scores with no wind, under soft conditions on perfect greens that you're putting off, perfect fairways.

I mean, I know everybody has pride in their golf courses and they think their course is only good if winning scores are higher. Well, all I know is Major League Baseball, the fences get shorter, the players get bigger and stronger, they hit more and more home runs every year, the people love it.

For some reason in golf, people think, and maybe it's because the USGA has got in everybody's mind that it is not a major championship, a major event, unless even pars are winning score. You ask all the players, they hate the way the USGA sets up their golf courses because they trick them up to try to control the scoring.

The only way to play golf is you set the course up properly, you have fair setup, you let the weather conditions dictate the scoring. Simple as that. Then you wouldn't have all these people upset with the USGA and what they're trying to do. I mean, they're trying to control the scoring. Scoring should be controlled by the players and the weather conditions, period.

TODD BUDNICK: Thank you, Tom.

End of FastScripts.

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