MARK STEVENS: We'd like to welcome
Pat Perez. You got it to 14 under, one shot off the lead going into the final round. Talk about your round today.
PAT PEREZ: It was a shaky start. Haven't been in the lead in a while, and to get the delay and have to wait until 3:15 to tee off, that's a long time to sit around and think about things. Got off to a shaky start, was not a real good shot on 1, and 2 I hit a good shot but the wind switched and just killed it so it stayed 20 yards short, missed the putt. Hit a bad shot on 3 but a good save and then a birdie on 5 and I started to settle down and hit some good shots. I just didn't putt as well as I had the last two days.
Q. Were you in the last group a couple starts ago?
PAT PEREZ: No, I was close, third to last in Hilton Head and third to last in no, second to what the hell was it? Second to last at San Antonio, third to last at Hilton Head.
Q. What did you hit on 17? What line were you taking?
PAT PEREZ: When I saw Bill hit 8, I couldn't believe he got 8 past that flag. We figured it was about 175 and I wasn't going to hit it. I thought there's no way I can get that 8 over that bunker, so I just kind of hit a I tried to rotate my body as fast as possible so I could just kind of hold that 7, hit it a little higher so it had a little more spin on it, hit it about 90 percent. It was pulled a little bit, the face was moving left because I wasn't going at that flag, I was going right up the middle, and I looked up, and I knew once I hit it it was left but it was straight, so I knew it was going to be perfect.
Q. As scratchy as you were at times, are you pleased to have a 70 and still be right there?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah. You know, it still could have been 67, 68 just easy. Missed the one on 2 and I missed the one on 14, and those are inside six feet. And then 15 I was right in the middle of the fairway and made 5 there. That's a bad one. And then 7 I screwed up. You know, it was kind of scrappy all the way around. It wasn't great, but I guess 70, just shows I played pretty good to shoot 70, I guess.
Q. The longest putt you made was five feet. Does it get irritating at all out there not being able to make anything outside of...
PAT PEREZ: I don't know about irritating, but when you've made 18 birdies the first two days, you've made long putts, yeah, you're thinking about making every putt you stand over. Maybe a fraction frustrating. I wouldn't say irritating, but the good thing is to have a lot of opportunities. If you have a lot of opportunities then you're hitting it good and you really can't shoot that high. So it's better to have a lot of birdie putts and there's a lot of par putts.
Q. Do you feel like you left a few out there?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah. You know, you're going to go through a stretch in 72 holes where you're not going to hit it great for a few holes, and I didn't. I didn't hit it great on 1, 2, 3, 4 today, and 5 tee shot. But after that it was pretty good. But yeah, I just didn't I don't know what it was. There was just a lot of things going on as far as nerves and not being there and just trying to stay calm and positive and all that good stuff and just trying to not get in my own way was pretty much the goal today.
Q. You and Bill are both kind of fast players. You guys were basically waiting on every shot
PAT PEREZ: I wait on every shot always.
Q. But you guys were really fast. Did that sort of mess with your...
PAT PEREZ: No, because I wait every single shot every single day on the PGA TOUR, so I've gotten really used to doing that.
Q. Did you ever go first off with Daly?
PAT PEREZ: I've been off by myself at Hazeltine. It was 1:53.
Q. At a major?
PAT PEREZ: I shot 74 I think it was. I putted out on 18 before Tom Watson behind me marked his ball on 9. He was the group behind me.
Q. You might be the only guy I would ask this question of because you're pretty honest. Do you feel like you've gotten the most out of what you bring to work in your career?
PAT PEREZ: I've done a lot of no, I've gotten about 10 percent I think of what I could do, and a lot of that comes from my own doing. I think not playing the right way has definitely hurt me, not swinging the right way, not putting the right I don't know, just kind of everything. I never feel like I get 100 percent out of my game.
You know, the last two days have been pretty good. I would say that's about as close as possible. But it would be nice to actually have that run for a while, like these guys who are anywhere from 5 to 20 in the world that do it all the time. I go from 50 to 190 to and kind of hover. It's never consistent. I would love to be a consistent guy like a Tim Clark or [Ian] Poulter or any of those guys, not necessarily I don't have to be No. 1, I'm not saying that my game is good enough to be No. 1 forever, but it would be nice I know I'm a top 50 player, but I just haven't in my opinion I really haven't just put it together. There's a lot of things that have gone into it, but it would be just really nice to be consistent like those guys that play well all the time.
Q. Are you comfortable going into tomorrow one stroke back or would you rather be tied for the lead or in the lead?
PAT PEREZ: I don't really care. You know, I know I'm going to have to shoot low tomorrow. Look at the scores today; they were all low. I know tomorrow is going to be well, it's going to take a number. It'll take a number for everybody tomorrow. You've got guys a lot of guys at 11, 12, 13 I don't know about the 13, but guys do it all the time. Guys come out and shoot 65, 66 on Sunday and they move way up the board. Look at Snedeker, shoots 64 and the guy was done for two hours and has to wait around. You never know, you get a guy in the morning that tees off and he's 7 under and he shoots 8 under tomorrow. I did it a couple years ago where I was 9 under through 15. So it can happen. And I know that it's just you've got to keep your foot on the gas, and it's not going to be play for pars and stuff like that tomorrow. But I'm more than comfortable being one back.
Q. I can't remember if you were behind at the Bob Hope.
PAT PEREZ: I was three back, yeah, so I was really comfortable at that point. Yeah, I'd rather be behind. I'd rather chase.
Q. When is the last time you played in the last group?
PAT PEREZ: F--k, you tell me. I couldn't tell you.
Q. Pat Burrell?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah.
Q. What's the story there?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah, him and Cody Ross and Brian Wilson, they're all we all hang out in the off season together. Burrell I've known the longest.
Q. From Scottsdale?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah, me and Burrell and Cody play the same club, and Wilson just kind of plays with us for free.
Q. Seems like an odd dude.
PAT PEREZ: He's awesome. He's the greatest. He's definitely a little out there, but he is an unbelievable guy. He's definitely nuts, but he is awesome. You never know what you're going to get with that guy. I'm telling you, it's unbelievable to be around that guy.
Q. What do they say about you?
PAT PEREZ: I don't know, you guys write it.
Q. He caddied for you during a practice round?
PAT PEREZ: Yeah, in Phoenix. He had that jumpsuit made for him with the beard on it. We're going to get thrown out of here. He's unbelievable, though.
Q. Where do you play, what club?
PAT PEREZ: Estancia.
Q. Being in contention on the back nine which you've done a few times, as quickly as you like to play, do you ever find yourself just needing to slow down and kind of find your rhythm?
PAT PEREZ: No, because I just kind of walk around and talk and walk around and then when it's my shot I'll kind of move into my stuff.
Q. Does it bother you?
PAT PEREZ: No, I've gotten so used to it. For ten years it's taken five hours to play and all everyone does is bitch about it. It never changes. It's five hours every time you play.
Q. Is it true that the guys who don't bitch are the fastest players?
PAT PEREZ: Probably, I mean, yeah, easily. I don't know what it is, they always talk about pace of play and this and this, and yet every tournament still finishes on Sunday afternoon. It's not like every tournament is going to Tuesday because pace of play is so slow. Yeah, I just try to take my mind I don't even watch today was a nice pace until we got to 18. I don't know what happened, someone must have had some trouble up there. But for the most part it was nice today. I didn't even think about it. Wasn't even thinking about it at all.
Pat Perez is looking for the young golf fan at yesterday's Reno-Tahoe Open. If anyone knows who this little man is, please email us or shoot Pat a note via Twitter so Double P can apologize and do right by him!
