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WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA DAY
February 16, 2011
EDDIE CARBONE: Okay, after a few remarks and announcements we're going to have some individuals who will join us via a video feed from Riviera Country Club where the Northern Trust is being played right now in California. We are 21 days away from the first tee shot being struck here on Thursday, March 10, on our TPC Blue Monster course, where the best players from across the world will be here competing in south Florida in what's going to be one of the most exciting and awesome events for 2011 of any golf tournament across the globe.
The PGA TOUR is already off to an incredible start, and we've seen quite a bit of movement of players in rankings, players from the European Tour that have been making quite a few moves, and the Cadillac Championship this year we anticipate will play host to all the best players from all the world's tours here at Doral, folks like Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer from the European Tour, players like Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, our defending champion Ernie Els, and a new crop of exciting players from the PGA TOUR, guys like Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Hunter Mahan, this new sensation Jhonattan Vegas from Venezuela and Justin Rose. So we anticipate that March 9 through 13 will make for an incredible, exciting event here at Doral in the Cadillac Championship.
To start off with, I'd like to reinforce the message that we continue to put out to our fans and the public here in south Florida. Right across the street from us is the United States Southern Command, and with all that's going on in the world these days, the Cadillac Championship has been a strong supporter of our United States military.
In 2011 we will again provide free admission all day every day to active duty, retired and reserve military, along with their dependents. All they do is go to birdiesforthebrave.com and download their ticket information or show valid identification at our main entrance gate.
In addition to complimentary admission to this event, we also provide these guests with a free hospitality area called the Birdies for the Brave Patriots Outpost, which is located on the 17th hole, a great view of the green and provides free food and beverage to the men and women who serve our country and protect our freedom and also their dependents. This is an initiative supported by the local Cadillac dealers here in south Florida.
Along with us I want to introduce you and provide a little background to our first speaker, Brigadier General Juan Ayala. General Ayala has served in the United States Marine Corps for more than 30 years. He has been deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in support of Cuban and Haitian refugee operations. His squadrons have participated in operations and exercises in Lithuania, Norway, Nicaragua, and Haiti, and on counter-drug missions along the southwestern United States border.
He was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The groups that he led supported combat operations from 11 different sites throughout Iraq. In January of 2006 he volunteered to be an advisor of the first Iraqi Army Division in Habbaniyah, Iraq. He and his advisors participated in counterinsurgency operations in Habbaniyah, Fallujah, Nasser wa'Salaam and Ramadi.
He now serves as the chief of staff of the United States Southern Command right here across the street in Doral and he'll be promoted to major general in the coming months. Please help me welcome a true patriot and man of honor, Brigadier General Juan Ayala.
JUAN AYALA: Good afternoon, and thank you for the introduction. I really appreciate that. Again, it's a privilege for me to be here. It's a privilege for me to represent not only the United States Southern Command but also to represent the thousands of men and women that have served our country and more recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and who do so at home, so my greatest gratitude to you. My gratitude to the PGA TOUR and the World Golf Championships and Cadillac. So thank you. Thank you very much.
At Southern Command, we're all about partnerships. We partner with 31 different nations in our area of responsibility. We partner with their military. We partner with their civilian organizations, but also here in the United States we partner with institutions, academic institutions, military government institutions but we also partner with institutions such as this one.
And so being all about partnership, being all about reaching out is par for the course and the reason I'm here and the reason that I'm so proud to stand up here and represent the United States Southern Command and the partnerships that we have for this tournament.
As Eddie mentioned, it's going to be a great tournament. I think that we're looking forward to being here and seeing all the great players, and I think our dependents and all of us are going to have a great time.
There's about 1.7 million of us that have served in Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. About 10 percent of those are from Florida, and as Eddie mentioned, unfortunately we've had in this state over 6,000 casualties. So I represent, am privileged to represent all of them, and I'm also privileged to thank you for allowing us to partner with you during this tournament.
So again, thank you very much. We really appreciate it, and I'm a little biased, but the Marines rock.
EDDIE CARBONE: Thank you, General Ayala. A couple things: First of all, this partnership with Southern Command has been made possible I think the last five years now, and we look forward to doing this, and we can't think of a better way to recognize what everyone is doing, 1.7 million folks that have served in this country in Iraqi Freedom in all aspects, so hats off to what you do.
Basically since we announced that Cadillac is the sponsor of this World Golf Championships event, we've been really looking hard, hitting the ground running with an incredible partner, our new title sponsor in Cadillac, and we have seen the commitment to excellence, the detail they have shown as they prepare for this major, major golf tournament. I think fans, players, volunteers and all of you in the media will recognize the amount of effort that they have put into this event and the support they are providing for the Cadillac Championship and for this community.
One of the phrases that we keep hearing from our friends at Cadillac that their product is a derivative of nothing; it's unique, it's original. They are taking this philosophy and applying it to their ideas for this tournament. I think you'll be very impressed with what you'll see.
SPEAKER: Not only does this event showcase some of golf's greatest players, but the event also has history of benefiting several worthy charities. This PGA TOUR event has been instrumental in raising more than $16 million for charity. Needless to say, we're proud to now be a part of such a great tradition of giving.
The First Tee organization is the primary beneficiary of the Cadillac Championship. It's dedicated to providing young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop through golf and life skills education. The First Tee promotes honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, all very important character traits for our future generations.
When you join us for the tournament, we hope you'll take the time to check out our current generation of vehicles at the Cadillac Experience, where you can learn more about our lineup and receive access to exclusive seating at the 17th and 18th holes. You'll also be able to visit the Cadillac Performance Center, where amateur golfers can work on their personal golf game with professional instruction and golf simulators.
And best of all, as Eddie said, spectators should keep an eye out for a hole-in-one on the 15th hole. Any player with an ace on No. 15 will win an all new 2011 CTS-V coupe, Auto League's best of the best car of the year. This vehicle like the one here to our right has 556 horsepower and is part of the world's fastest family of vehicles. What an awesome vehicle to win.
Cadillac has been a luxury leader for more than a century and is now the fastest growing luxury automotive brand. We're in the midst of a historical renaissance and we're establishing Cadillac as the new standard of the world. The Cadillac CTS coupe, sedan and wagon make up one of the most acclaimed lines in the luxury market. The CTS family has been selected for four straight years to Car and Driver ten best lists. Our SRX is making a name for itself among luxury crossovers, and of course the Escalade remains the clear leader among full-sized luxury SUVs.
Now with the history of excellence at Doral coupled with the history of excellence at Cadillac, I'm expecting an exciting and dramatic Cadillac Championship next year. I know we're anxious to hear more about the new additions that will take place at the Cadillac Championship. I'd now like to pass the mic back to Eddie.
EDDIE CARBONE: A wise person once told me that one entity that can have probably the greatest impact on a golf tournament is the title sponsor, and I'm firmly convinced that you're going to see that happening from Cadillac this year and for the duration of this partnership.
The next part that we're going to talk about is something that you may have heard about yesterday that was announced by the PGA TOUR and announced I think with a lot of interest on my part and I think a lot of interest to our spectators and patrons that enjoy PGA TOUR tournaments. We have a new policy on the PGA TOUR allowing spectators to bring their cell phones, whether they are smart phones or stupid phones, to the golf course for the first time.
Just two years ago I think we took into our possession 1,000 cell phones from spectators. That's an awful lot of phones and an awful big inconvenience for spectators.
We're pleased to announce that this new policy will be in effect right here at the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship. It comes as a welcome opportunity for our fans. I'm firmly convinced of that, although it does come with a few caveats. Without going over each and every rule, we do have a lot of the information on this new policy on your flash drive that you have for a take-home that you received today. Here's a couple things that are important.
With this revised policy, spectators are allowed to carry mobile devices on the golf course with the volume set on silent. Phone calls may be made or received in designated areas throughout the golf course. We will implement this plan that puts these cell phone areas in places that are both convenient for fans in frequent locations and will also not distract our players.
Fans will be allowed to receive and send messages, check data and access pgatour.com on the golf course so long as they're silent. No video recording will be permitted at any time during the week and photography is only permitted on Wednesday for the practice round. Photos are not permitted, of course, during the official championship rounds.
When we first heard of this, that cell phones would be allowed, we were really pleased that we might be one of the first events to have this opportunity. We've thought about what this means for us on-site. With our operations team and with the help of a lot of volunteers, we're going to make sure this policy is adhered to as best as possible and provides the least amount of inconvenience for fans as we move into this new era.
Obviously there will be a new way for fans to communicate with each other on the golf course. When I think about it, most sporting events you have logical breaks where you can meet at half time at a football game in certain locations where you have a seat in the stadium. With golf hopefully people are out walking, watching the world's best players here at Doral up close, and this is another way for fans to kind of connect with each other during the tournament, and I think it's really important. I think it's something that we're really obviously pretty fired up about here.
When fans bring their smart phones on property, they're going to have access and availability to use social media, and with the new use of this policy the Cadillac Championship will launch several new social media initiatives. I think back four or five years ago, we were probably the first event to have a MySpace page, probably one of the first to have a Facebook page, but we have not embraced that social media opportunity which reaches a key demographic for us. Yes, and we're doing so for the 2011 Cadillac Championship.
These initiatives will be launched in two phases, pre-tournament and during the Cadillac Championship. In order to be a part of these promotions, fans will need to be a part of the tournament's social media network on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to posting news and tournament updates through other social pre-tournament initiatives include "Hide and Tweet." Fans will be given hints that can lead them to locations of a Cadillac Championship Street Team and a 2011 Cadillac vehicle. Those who find the team on a given date meeting up at the tournament will win tickets, passes to the tournament's after-hours Club Blue VIP party that we have Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. They can win opportunities for golf on the TPC Blue Monster and the other courses here at Doral other prizes that we have.
The second thing is we have social media happy hours. Much like the Hide and Tweets, we'll be giving a fans a chance to interact with the social media team and get exclusive tournament updates and promotions and also have the opportunity to receive special giveaways and discounts around greater Miami. For the happy hours fans will get advance notice on when and where to meet.
On-site initiatives include spectators at the event Facebook page or followers of the tournament on Twitter will gain free entry to a special social media zone, a hospitality area which provides discount concessions, contests and upgrades of tickets, as well as many other initiatives, as well. The social media zone will also be one where fans will be permitted to use their cell phones for making calls, sending emails and texts.
Fans on-site will be given questions to answer about the field, the course, Cadillac, vehicle displays and more. Spectators bringing the correct answers to the social media zone will have a chance at more prizes and discounts. Spectators on-site and at home will also be able to submit questions for players via Twitter and Facebook, and answers will be posted on the tournament's social media outlets.
Fans will also be able to check in at various locations on the grounds through four square, as well.
Social media has changed the landscape of communications and continues to evolve. Both sports media and athletes have found out that Twitter and Facebook have become great ways to reach fans and a new audience. Here are a few facts: Facebook has more than 600 million active users with more than 200 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices. Since social plug-ins launched in April of 2010, an average of 1,000 new websites integrate with Facebook every day with more than 2.5 billion pictures being uploaded to Facebook each month.
Twitter has 175 million registered users with 95 million Tweets written per day. The Twitter site gets 700 million queries every day.
There are 111 PGA TOUR or PGA TOUR affiliated golfers who currently have Twitter accounts. We have a list of those players on the flash drive that you were given earlier. These numbers show the reach, but for a more concrete example about Twitter as used in our sport, you can kind of see what happened with Bubba Watson and his popularity through Twitter through his posts and videos and pictures, et cetera.
He will not be unfortunately joining us today for this press release. He is ill. But we do have a couple other folks that are going to be joining us from the Northern Trust tournament, and these two gentlemen are Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose. These players have been very successful as of late, and they have almost 150,000 Twitter followers.
Because of their outstanding performance, they're all qualified for this year's Cadillac Championship, and we're going to reach out to them now and see if they can join us. Please know that there's about a five-second delay between when we ask a question and when they'll provide a response. Justin, are you there, and Hunter, can you hear us?
CHRIS REIMER: We have Hunter here, and Justin, I just got off the radio, and Justin just putted out on his pro-am and will be here in a cart in mere minutes. You guys can kick it off, Eddie, with some questions for Hunter, and we'll get Justin here shortly.
EDDIE CARBONE: Thank you, Chris, and thank you, Hunter, for joining us from across this great country.
HUNTER MAHAN: Glad to be here.
Q. What makes Twitter so unique as a way for you to interact with your fans?
HUNTER MAHAN: Well, Twitter is just a tool for us to get closer to our fans and let our fans know kind of a different side of us. They see us play golf, but that's such a small side of who we are. You know, it's a way we can interact and have fun with them and give them a little insight into our lives.
Q. Those of us who follow you here at the tournament have noticed that you also have a new bride on the account. In fact, she posted the pictures of some chocolate roses she received for Valentine's day. Nice job with the Valentine's Day gift. Is this just another example of the way fans get a glimpse of your life and get a better idea of you and your wife's personalities?
HUNTER MAHAN: Well, no question, but those were from her mom. I got her real flowers. It's all little stuff like that. It's kind of what we're doing; if we're playing a pro-am or we go to a football game, basketball game or whatever, fans just kind of want to be involved. Anything we can do to involve them in our golf or just in hanging out or whatever is a good thing. Anyway we can help the PGA TOUR by Twitter or help any tournaments, especially the Cadillac Championship, we're all for it.
Q. Aside from my embarrassing comment right there, tell me, what's been the most surprising thing that you've noticed in your use of Twitter?
HUNTER MAHAN: The most surprising thing? I guess just how interested people are and sometimes how you can connect with somebody maybe you haven't talked to in a long time. I know I've met -- I've seen numerous friends from high school, from junior high that have come on and sent messages to me. You know, it's just all little things like that. A lot of times how much people know about you and how big a fans they are. You don't really realize the impact that you have and how much people like you and how really interested people are in your life. You think I'm kind of in a bubble and just kind of being me, but you don't realize how big an impact you make in other people's lives and how much fun they have watching you. So it's always interesting and it's always overwhelming at times, but it's exciting that people actually like you as much as they do.
Q. Tell us about looking forward to the Cadillac Championship here at Doral in March.
HUNTER MAHAN: Well, obviously it's one of the really great events on the PGA TOUR schedule and really one of the great events in the world. I know it gets an incredible field every year, great competition, great golf course. It's always a tough challenge and a strong list of champions that have won there. So I think it's a tournament that every player really wants to win, and every player is going to prepare the best he can for that week and going to give it his best shot because it's an event that has a long history, and it's a golf course with a long history, and that event really is one of the best events on any tour.
Q. I had a couple questions for you. One, does the Florida Swing kind of mark a point in the season for you guys as you start heading towards the majors, Augusta and things like that?
HUNTER MAHAN: No question, no question. When you hit the Florida Swing, I think you realize that kind of maybe Augusta is just around the corner. There's a ton of great tournaments in Florida, a lot of great golf courses, and no question that Florida kind of symbolizes the beginning of major season. It's kind of really when you want your game to start peaking and you realize that this season is really underway. You want to get off to a good start.
Q. The other question, have you played with Camilo in Florida, in south Florida, or kind of seen the galleries and the popularity that he generates?
HUNTER MAHAN: Well, no question south Florida has a strong golf energy. They love golf, and Camilo is a huge -- a big fan favorite there being Colombian and being so close to many kind of South American places there. He has a huge, huge fan following, and it's great for the game that we are so international now. It's been quite impressive. I know he had a great run a few years ago, and I know the fans were just going crazy for him. It's pretty awesome.
Q. What has been the talk amongst the players about the new policy about mobile devices, and is there any worry or how much of a worry is there that one goes on in the backswing, and how often has that occurred in years where there weren't supposed to be any mobile devices out there?
HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I think with technology the phones now are cameras and they're internet and they're so many things that you don't get -- actually you don't get too many rings nowadays, you don't get too many times when a phone is ringing, especially with the new policy. I don't think there's been any other occurrences with cell phones on the golf course. I don't think that's really changed much.
I think we're just asking people to be kind of courteous a little bit. But I think it's actually good. Phones are so quiet nowadays and you can take a picture and not hear anything. I think it's actually better than having a normal camera out there and taking a picture during the week. I think it's fine. I think it's great.
Any time we can grow the game it's a good thing. Instead of sneaking phones in as people have done in the past, they're just going to be allowed and I don't think it's going to be that big a deal and I think it's going to eventually help grow the game in a positive way.
Q. To follow up, I was curious if the PGA TOUR had come to the players at all and asked their opinions on modifying the policy, and did the players have any input?
HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I've talked to a few PGA TOUR officials and stuff, and I think all the players are all for it, really. You know, I think all the fans are smart fans. I think we have -- I think they understand what we're trying to do out there, and I think they're very smart with their phones, and I don't think it's really going to be a problem at all. I think everyone is going to be pretty aware of having the phones out there and turn them on vibrate. I don't think it's going to be that big a deal. I think the players are pretty much all for it.
Q. Speaking of fans and phones, what do you think of the issues with fans calling in rules violations and things like that, and how do you think that's been handled, and do you see it kind of changing here in the coming months?
HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I don't like the fact that players can get DQ'd for a violation they committed the day before and somebody calls in that night and then the next day they look at it and they DQ a player because it was after the round. I mean, it's -- if the player makes a rules violation, he makes a rules violation, you give him two shots and you let it go. It's our responsibility as players to know the rules, and if we see something then we need to call it then, but if we don't, then we don't.
But I don't think players should be DQ'd. They can be penalized; that's fine. We're all trying to play by the rules, every one of us. It's important in our game. But to be DQ'd seems kind of harsh, the fact that it happened -- someone called in after the round or whatever time it takes to get there, it seems a little harsh penalty for someone maybe not knowing the rules or whatever the case may be. It just seems a bit overboard.
Q. Last question, which Cadillac should we reserve for you, the SRX, CTS, Escalade, what's your choice?
HUNTER MAHAN: I would rather go with the CTS-V that came out, the two-door. It's a beautiful car. I'm sure there's some of those jumping around there. You know, I have a Cadillac Escalade. It's a fantastic car. But I'll definitely be happy with anything.
EDDIE CARBONE: Thanks again for joining us today, and you'll see that car on the 15th hole when you make an ace out there at the Cadillac Championship this year.
HUNTER MAHAN: Great. I like black, so if you can just ship that one out there. (Laughter.)
Next up we have Justin Rose from the Northern Trust Open. There he is right there Tweeting away. This is Eddie Carbone from the Cadillac Championship.
JUSTIN ROSE: Thanks for sorting this out. This is a little different for us.
Q. Through Twitter we get to see or read some of the locker room banter between players on the PGA TOUR. Recently you posted a very funny picture of Lucas Glover sporting his new look, his new beard. Can you share with us what you said about it, and also just talk a little bit about the fun you and other professional golfers have with the back and forth that goes on through Twitter.
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, sure. Actually I think it actually involved Hunter to be honest with you. I was on the putting green in San Diego, and Lucas was there, and I had mentioned to Hunter, hey, have you seen Lucas' beard, his growth, it's pretty impressive. Looks like a bit of a caveman. As soon as I said it, something clicked in my head, and I went, "wow, winning a U.S. Open, so easy even a caveman can do it." Quite clearly because of all those great commercials we've seen over the last few years, and I thought, well, I thought that was pretty funny because of the commercials for me, not normally the most easiest thing to happen. So I thought I'd share that little moment of humor with the Tweets.
HUNTER MAHAN: You're usually not very funny.
JUSTIN ROSE: That's right. I thought I had to make the most of my one comedic occasion in my life.
Q. Many of the European Tour players have gotten involved in Twitter, yourself, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and of course Lee Westwood. What is it about the mentality of players from across the pond that make the back and forth work so well on Twitter?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, there's definitely a great camaraderie, I think a camaraderie that's been in place for a good number of years, and I think Twitter is a great vehicle for the general public to see the banter that goes on between players. I mean, it is pretty relentless, it happens in practice rounds, it happens in airport lounges. It happens all over the world. It's now happening on Twitter, so you get to see pretty much what happens day in and day out amongst friends, and I think that's kind of a good insight for people to have.
Q. What's the most interesting thing that you kind of have come across in your Tweeting on Twitter?
JUSTIN ROSE: It's actually kind of an interesting vehicle for catching up on news sometimes. Obviously the headline news that's going to make the top news stations, but it's quite interesting what some people Tweet about. For example, it's a sad note, but Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy were talking about a plane crash back in Northern Ireland or on a more lighthearted note I get to catch up on a little soccer news, I say soccer for you American guys but football news, and catch up on the banter. Like now, I just Tweeted the fact that I was running a little bit late due to the pro-am and I'd be answering questions shortly, but while I was doing that I just saw that Arsenal just scored a goal against Barcelona in the Champions League. I use it for all sorts of reasons really.
Q. Tell us about how you view Facebook, and are there several Justin Rose Facebook pages out there other than your own?
JUSTIN ROSE: To be honest with you I'm not aware that I have a Facebook page. I certainly don't have one that I actively contribute towards. But my wife has a Facebook page. It's something I haven't explored that personally, but I think Facebook is a fantastic way for people to view your life. Obviously with Twitter people can view your thoughts in a moment, but Facebook is much more of a whole view of your lifestyle. You can post pictures, comments, all that type of stuff. But it's a way of once again being able to stay in touch with people, especially with the life on the road.
I think it's good for family and friends to see our little boy grow up, for example, but I haven't really used it in a public setting just yet.
Q. Can you talk a little about playing down here at Doral in south Florida in March and what your thoughts are for the coming Cadillac Championship?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I'm really excited to be back in the field. I missed it last year, and it's obviously a great tournament. You always want to be involved in the World Golf Championships. It's really exciting that Cadillac have come on board, obviously a great name, an iconic brand over here, so definitely it's exciting news for the tournament.
Any time players get to compete in World Golf Championships you're playing against the best players in the world, and Doral always proves to be a pretty good test. The wind can blow, there's a lot of exciting things to look forward to. For me part it's part of a four-week run, which I'm also really excited about.
Q. You just mentioned the four-week run coming up. Hunter discussed how that kind of marks the beginning of major season. Can you just about the upcoming events and just kind of tone of competition change, the whole bit?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I think people have found their feet a little bit. Definitely the first few weeks on TOUR there's a little bit of a feeling of where does my game stack up, how much work have I done in the off-season, how is that work translating to my game. So I think definitely people have started to knock off the rust now, and it's almost a point in the season where there's no excuses. Your game must be in good shape. You should have managed to do enough good work to have things where you wanted.
It's definitely part of a busy run where there's lots of good tournaments now every month or every few weeks there's a major or a World Golf Championship over the course of the next five or six months. It's an exciting time of year. It's a time of year that I'm going to play quite a lot of golf. I've just taken two weeks off in preparation for stepping up the schedule now over the next few months, so it's going to be fun.
Q. When you play Doral or are down in south Florida, have you seen the way the crowds receive Camilo Villegas, and what's your feeling on it?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I think there was one pairing one year where Camilo was playing with Sergio, and definitely by far and away had the biggest atmosphere. There's definitely -- there's such a different feeling of culture down there in south Florida, and it's a fun place to play. And in some places it's a very different vibe down there to most places in America.
For me it's a fun venue, a different venue. There's always fun stuff going on. There's always people to look at down in South Beach, and for me it's a fun destination to go play golf.
Q. With some of the young golfers coming up, is there a feeling that we might be heading into kind of a transition era on the PGA TOUR where we've got another generation ready to make a push to push into the top?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I think so. I think there's a lot of talent coming through. I know the past few years there's been a lot of talk about a lack of talent coming through. I think we're beginning to see it. I think you're going to see it more and more. Obviously the impact that Tiger has had, I don't think we're really seeing the youngsters come through yet from Tiger's era, guys who have taken up the game, athletes that have taken up the game, other athletes that could have chosen basketball or baseball or football, they're probably maybe thinking golf is now cool, golf is much more of a great career choice if you're a great athlete. So I think we haven't really seen that generation come through yet, but I think what we've seen is the generation of the long hitter start to have much more consistent success out on TOUR, and I think that's probably only going to go that way in the future.
Q. Not sure if you had a chance to play any of the five events that were kind of test events for this new cell phone policy, but I was curious if you have, did you notice any difference in the galleries between test events and events where cell phones were supposed to be banned?
JUSTIN ROSE: If I'm right in saying, the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey was one of those events, and I had quite a high profile group, playing with Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson the first two rounds, and I've got to tell you I didn't have one incident, didn't hear one cell phone, camera, click go off. I heard marshals saying, "okay, mobile devices away now, please," on the tee box a few times, which can be more annoying than the people with the phones. But the point is I didn't have any problem, any trouble with the mobile devices out there, which in a group playing with Phil in San Diego was a pretty good test.
Q. I was going to ask you about the fan call-in rules violations, what's your take on that? Some of these rules seem to be pretty picayune like the Padraig Harrington ruling. Just your thoughts on that.
JUSTIN ROSE: You know, my thoughts on that are probably if a rule has been broken, even if it's completely inadvertently by a player, but if a rule has been broken, if I had broken a rule and had signed my scorecard I'd like a penalty to be assessed because I had broken a rule and unknowingly not scored the score that I thought I had. But I think maybe the thing that does seem a little bit too harsh is obviously the scorecard being so sacred in terms of as soon as you walk out of the trailer, that's it, you're done. That does seem a very harsh penalty.
When something happens that's a little bit freakish of nature and takes a player out of the field and obviously hurts the golf tournament, that's to me the only rule that does seem a little bit harsh. I think the fact if someone does see something on TV, I don't really have a problem with that because obviously a rule has been broken. But it seems to be that the penalty of disqualification the next day seems to be possibly very harsh in that scenario.
Harrington shot 7-under; logic would suggest, yes, he did break the rule; yes, he should have got a two-shot penalty; maybe his score is 5-under starting the next day. But who knows. I mean, obviously that's a rule that's been in the game for a long, long time, and I don't know where you start breaking these things down.
Q. I noticed the hat you're wearing. What do you think of that driver? Is that appearing pretty rampantly now?
JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I mean, for me the club has been -- has been such an easy transition to be honest with you moving into it. The club provides -- I think the biggest thing to say about the club is it's not just the same driver painted white. There's no doubt it takes a little bit of time to get used to the white, but when I say a little bit of time, maybe ten minutes. Put it down, you think, wow, when you put it down because it looks so different, but after a couple shots you're into it. That doesn't bother me, especially having used a white putter. It wasn't a big transition.
But there's so much more technology behind the club, so much more versatility. You can really dial it in, which is obviously a good TOUR term. You can dial it in much easier. You've got face angle options, more loft options, movable weight options. You can build one driver and you can pretty much make it work, and I think that's the cool thing for the amateur actually. They can buy one, sometimes they get it on the range and they think this driver is toed in and they never like it. But if they get the driver out on the range, they didn't hit it so well the first time round, they've got the ability to at least tinker around with it.
EDDIE CARBONE: Thanks a lot for joining us, and please know that we'll have a beautiful Cadillac ready for you for you and your wife during your stay here at the Cadillac Championship at Doral. Thanks again.
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