What they said: Tim Clark

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Transcript archive: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Tim Clark, thanks for joining us here after a first round 63, leader in the clubhouse. Excellent day for you, you hit 16 of 18 greens and hit 12 of 14 fairways, just an all around good day and maybe some opening comments. T

TIM CLARK: This is a course I've really enjoyed. I've had good results here. I always hook forward to coming back. I think that helps me when I get out there have a good frame of mind and I continue to play this course well.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's talk about a few of those past results you had here, you nearly won here a couple of years ago, just maybe reminisce about that a little bit?

TIM CLARK: Well, obviously, I guess it just breeds confidence that I enjoy the golf course. I guess from the first time I played it, I realized I liked it a lot. The good tee shots, good iron shots, and really rewarded good golf. I've enjoyed coming back here every year. Like I said, it's always a course that I think I can score well on.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Questions?

Q. As a guy who really likes the course, what did you think of the changes? In specific what was the biggest ones to you?

TIM CLARK: I guess when I heard they changed it I was really worried. I thought, like most courses that get changed nowadays, all they do is add a bunch of length and mess the courses up. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how good the changes have been. They have made some subtle changes.

They haven't changed the playability of the course at all. They added some bunkers which I think are in some good positions, kind of stops the longer hitter taking a different sort of line. The changes have been very good and obviously this week the course is in great shape. Obviously, the greens being somewhat new, they are softer than normal but, obviously, that's helped me shoot a good score today so I'm not complaining.

Q. Can you talk about your first putt on 18?

TIM CLARK: Yes, just a bad putt. For the first time all day I got a little bit anxious and hit a bad putt.

Q. Do you expect things to get a little bit tougher as the greens firm up and the wind comes up a little, Tim?

TIM CLARK: I don't know. I know in the years gone by, the greens always firmed up. I'm not sure being new greens. I know in years gone by, the greens always firmed up come Sunday. I'm not sure what's going to happen. This course always plays tougher in the wind. This morning we were pretty lucky. It was pretty calm. Who knows, like I said, it depends what happens with the greens. I don't see myself shooting that every day.

Q. Talk about the way that you feel like you are playing so far this year with three Top-10 finishes already?

TIM CLARK: Yes, I played good. I think this year for me I've started to hit the ball better again. I think the last few years, I putted great and just wasn't hitting the ball that great. This is probably the first year in quite a while where I feel I'm starting to hit the ball better.

If I can keep that going, and continue to putt like I have, I think it's going to be a good year. I have been happy so far. No real great finishes. I think my best finish is fourth or fifth maybe. Nothing great. But my rounds have been consistent. I see my scoring average is good so far this year so I know I played pretty good.

Q. Tim, with the changes, a lot of it involved maybe some strategic shifting of bunkers, did it cause you to pull any different clubs off the tees or rethink any strategy going into the round today?

TIM CLARK: Not really, when I play here I like to play aggressive and take driver where I can. Obviously there is a couple of holes, like 10, and a few others, where you cannot hit driver. I like to attack the golf course and hit drivers so I have shorter shots in which obviously helps you make birdies. I think that's why the course suits me quite a lot. It's one of the few courses that I'm probably closer to the green than a lot of the longer hitters because they hit an iron off the tee or what have you.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Birdies, 7 of them today, we'll take one last final question. You started on the backside today. You birdied 14, 15, 16.

TIM CLARK: 14, one of the holes they obviously changed, they put a bunker on the left. It stops you cutting the corner there. I hit a driver, 7-iron there to I guess it was six feet or so, made birdie. 15, again a hole a lot of guys don't hit driver.

I hit driver and left myself 150 yards and hit 8-iron to five feet, four feet. 16, for me today was a 5-iron into the wind. I think it was playing 188. I made a good putt there. I made a 20-footer, a big turning putt, so that was a good one. 1, I just laid up and hit a 90 yard shot. I hit inside a foot there, so just a tap-in birdie. 4, the par-3 is long, that's 250 yards.

Today was a little downwind, I was able to hit a 5-wood to ten feet, I think it was, and made a good birdie. Obviously you're happy with a three on that hole. I actually made a good save on the following hole on 5 I drove in the rough and laid up to 70 yards and made a good par. That kept the round going. A wedge into 6, not a great shot but about 20 feet below the hole, made a good putt straight up the hill. 8, 6-iron to two or three feet. 9, to about a foot and missed it.

Q. Talk about the par save at 5, was that your closest brush with bogey out there today?

TIM CLARK: Yes, it's a very tough driving hole. You can't afford to miss it right. I hit it in the left rough and realized I had to take my medicine, pitch it out and leave myself about 70 yards which to that flag, was the right shot to leave. I was able to get it to probably six feet and make the putt.

Q. I was wondering about your putter. When was the last time you used a standard?

TIM CLARK: I've been using the long one now for 12 years. It's been a long time.

Q. So it's not like you went through that because you were having problems?

TIM CLARK: Well, I mean I was in college, I wasn't putting great. It was something I was more comfortable over. I was still in college when I changed. I haven't switched since.