JOHN MALLINGER 2/9/07 NELSON SILVERIO: All right. Welcome, John. Thanks for coming in for a couple minutes. Followed up your 65 yesterday with a 70 today. Bogey free again. Differences between the conditions yesterday and today? JOHN MALLINGER: I thought I was playing a little longer today. With the rain and everything ball wasn't going anywhere. Seemed like some of the flags were toward the back because I think they were expecting rain. So it was kind of hard to get the ball at the flag... QUESTIONER: Two days, without a bogey? JOHN MALLINGER: Two days, without a bogey. QUESTIONER: What's more impressive to you, the birdies or no bogeys? JOHN MALLINGER: No bogeys. Just using... my day plan is no bogeys. That's always my main focus. It's a lot more possible with lift, clean and place. I drive the ball pretty straight but when you get the hands on the ball it's pretty nice. QUESTIONER: On your 18th yesterday you had a chance to make one. Did you have any today that were a chance? JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah, definitely. I think it was 13, long par 4. I got up and down long curve. I made about a 15 footer. Other than that it was pretty steady. Not too many birdie putts. QUESTIONER: But you don't expect to play lights out with that course, anyway. JOHN MALLINGER: No, I'll take 70 any time. It's a tough golf course. Just tough to score. You never know what you're going to get with the weather and stuff like that. QUESTIONER: These rounds, this is not unusual this tournament over the years. Basically six-hour rounds because of the amateurs and changing courses. Does that get to you? I just wondered, was your round just about six hours and does it get tiresome standing around for a long time at the tees? JOHN MALLINGER: It was great being first. We had fresh greens. It was 8:00, I think we played in like two hours. Then I think our back was four hours. Little bit of difference. Just kind of stay loose. When it's raining like that with your caddy, you've got to keep moving. Just stay patient because you know it's going to happen. QUESTIONER: I imagine in the switching, you started at 1, right? Today? JOHN MALLINGER: Started at 1. QUESTIONER: When you get to the 10th tee was there a pretty good jam up? JOHN MALLINGER: It wasn't bad. I think there was one or two par 5, there was three or four groups on that hole. It's a birdie hole and so when you're standing on the box you want to hit the ball on the fairway. QUESTIONER: This is... over the years Nicklaus, everybody else we've talked to over 30 or 40 years basically says this is a tournament where you need a lot of patience. And are you a patient guy or is this something you had to learn? JOHN MALLINGER: I would like to say that I am, I don't know. So far I think I'm doing pretty good. It's one of those tournaments you just kind of have to cruise around you know, just wait for Sunday. QUESTIONER: John, do you feel really good about what you did today, where you are? JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah, I'm very pleased. I haven't had a chance to look at the leader board or anything but I'm sure I'm probably close to a lead. I'm really excited. Looking forward to the weekend. Looking forward to Poppy tomorrow. QUESTIONER: How much experience do you have on Poppy? JOHN MALLINGER: Not much. Two rounds. QUESTIONER: Two rounds. Were those practice rounds? JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah. QUESTIONER: Are you where you thought you'd be in your career? Did you think you'd be out here sooner or later? JOHN MALLINGER: I think it's a pretty good time for me. I played a couple years on new tours, Nationwide, couple years. As far as learning my style, learning myself on the road, learning what to do, what to eat, how to exercise, stuff like that. I think that's crucial. If you come out of college and go straight here, you're hitting balls next to Furyk or something, it's whoa. I was just playing in the BYU Invitational. You just get comfortable with the guys, you get comfortable with yourself. QUESTIONER: Just throwing that in, the leader board you've got Jim up there and Phil is a shot or two off and Kevin won the match play. You've got some pretty good names up there. Does that concern you at all? Are you intimidated? JOHN MALLINGER: Not yet. I'm playing with amateurs, I'm playing with one other pro, so that's... that's for Sunday. QUESTIONER: When you say not yet, John. If you got into the next to the last group or the last group and it was Mickelson or Furyk or one of those guys, how do you think you would handle it at this point? You're not 22. JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah, I think I'd just kind of stick to what I'm doing. My game plan, you know, just fairways and greens, take your shots, your good numbers. It's the biggest thing. You've got to learn yourself out there, you've got to learn what to do at certain times and what not to do and I think that's just a learning process. QUESTIONER: Are you able to go through good streaks like on the Nationwide Tour and maybe some of these mini tours go through streaks of 36 holes without a bogey? Is that not that uncommon for you? JOHN MALLINGER: I'd probably say yeah. I've probably done it probably 15, 20 times. I'm not a guy that's going to go out and make 10 birdies. I'm real steady, three or four birdies here and there, I find I'm not making any bogeys. It's not a huge surprise. QUESTIONER: That's both a function of hitting it straight and really good putting. JOHN MALLINGER: I would say so. QUESTIONER: Hitting it straight is a great friend in golf, isn't it? JOHN MALLINGER: It's nice this week, that's for sure. It's a huge advantage. QUESTIONER: Because some of these guys talk about now the straight, it may be the most overrated stat on the fairway. What has been your experience in the first few weeks here of seeing... playing with guys and see what other guys do? JOHN MALLINGER: I would probably have to agree with the golf courses we've played so far. We've played no rough. You've got guys hitting 320 with no rough. They have got a sand wedge in their hand, they're going to score. But this week it's a little different. You get a little mud on your ball in the rough. It plays a little different. I think it plays into my hands this week. QUESTIONER: Up to this point what's the most pressure you've felt on a golf course? JOHN MALLINGER: Probably the first Open I've been in. QUESTIONER: It sounds like you're kind of fit in Open? JOHN MALLINGER: I think I was just coming down the stretch trying to make the cut QUESTIONER: How did you internalize it? How did you deal with it? JOHN MALLINGER: Just kind of feedback to gather all your information and all your experiences and just kind of like I said earlier yesterday, you've got to stay in the process that moment QUESTIONER: I'm sorry, I didn't get to hear you yesterday. You played in two opens, which two? JOHN MALLINGER: The last two, Pinehurst and Winged Foot. QUESTIONER: Is there a point where you're out there at an Open and it hits you, wait a minute, I'm playing on a US Open? JOHN MALLINGER: I think if anybody it hits my caddy more than anything. Sometimes he forgets to show up. Yeah, definitely, you're kind of standing out there well, I'm playing in a huge event, but there's a reason why I got there, so that's the kind of thinking I have when I'm out there, that I'm supposed to be here I played my way here. So there's no reason why I can't beat that person if I'm playing well. QUESTIONER: Do you remember watching this on TV when you were 7, 8 years old. JOHN MALLINGER: Yeah. QUESTIONER: Did you watch the golfers or the celebrities? JOHN MALLINGER: I think I watched the golfers. I was around three? just growing up, those guys that were always at the top I just kind of tried to replicate everything they did as far as attitude. That's one of my biggest things my attitude out there usually when it starts going sour I've got to get myself back in check and realize what I'm doing. I'm playing the PGA TOUR this year. So that's one of my biggest goals. NELSON SILVERIO: Mind going through your clubs you used on your birdies? THE WITNESS: Number 4 I hit a 3 way off the tee box. Then I hit a little pitching wedge and it was about two inches. NELSON SILVERIO: 17. JOHN MALLINGER: 17 I hit 3 wood off the tee box again. Then I hit a sand wedge and hit it about four feet. QUESTIONER: Any other calls that you didn't make? JOHN MALLINGER: I hit it close on I think it's number 11, the par 5 I hit it about five or six feet and then other than that, kind of just a lot of 20 footers today. NELSON SILVERIO: More questions? All right. Thanks, John. QUESTIONER: Thanks John.