TOM PERNICE, JR.: The ball that Jack Nicklaus used was different than the ball that Ben Hogan used, and the ball Ben Hogan used was the different than the one Walter Hagen used. Maybe we'll hit shorter clubs into these holes and stuff, but we play the up tee at eight today and it's such a better hole. It's such a bad hole from the back tee. They need to blow up the back tee. It allows about five guys to reach the green in two, and today everyone got to reach the hole in two with a good drive. And that's what the excitement of this format is kind of about. Mr. Bicker should blow up that back tee.
With the amount of rough that you have here, if it wouldn't have rained like it did, and the fairways had firmed up, it would have been a tougher driving week and the premium would have been hitting it in the fairway. I don't see the winning scores any lower than they were 15 years ago. We play in more rough than they used to play in back 20 years ago, the greens are harder and faster. The pins are 3 from the edges and they used to be 6 or 7.
The greens or 13 on the Stimp meter, they used to be 8 or 9. I don't think that we have to hit the same club into the greens that they did 20 years ago. Pins are 3 from the edge of the greens. The greens are firm. If it doesn't rain, the greens are 13 or 14 on the Stimp meter. They don't say anything about the greens that have all this pitch and slope to them that are designed for 9 on the Stimp meter and we're playing them at 13 or 14.
I think it's all relative. I think the ball is about done. It's not going to go much further. The driver issue is pretty much done. It's not going to do much more. To me, the belly putter or the long putter has been an issue to me, way more than those other two factors. I mean, it is an aid in terms of your anchoring a club, and I think it can help a bad putter, and I think the USGA is looking at it.
Q. Are you surprised at all that you're in such contention this week or no?
TOM PERNICE, JR.: I've been playing okay. I've worked on my putting and I've not been putting good at all all year, and I got a couple of tips and it's been great. I've putted much better this week and I got myself in contention. It's amazing what good putting can do. I've been hitting the ball pretty well, better this year.
TODD BUDNICK: Thanks.
End of FastScripts.
