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THE RYDER CUP

September 23, 2014

Matt Kuchar

AUCHTERARDER, SCOTLAND

PAUL SYMES: Well, Matt, I think we'll get started. Many thanks for joining us. I noticed that you're unbeaten in foursomes and fourballs, so I'm guessing we might see you on Friday, there's a very good chance.

MATT KUCHAR: I've had good team experience. I love the team experience. I love match play. I've got a great record, singles matches, non-Ryder Cup. Ryder Cup is not quite as good. But fared well in the team matches, certainly really enjoy it and partnered up with some great guys and played some pretty good golf myself. It's something that we do once a year. It's really amazing to be a part of.

PAUL SYMES: You're just coming from the course. How do you feel it plays to your strengths and to the team's strengths?

MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, it's my first look. Wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I think I might have expected more of a links-style golf course than this. It's a little more Americanised with the thickness of the rough, with the maybe softness of the golf course. Certainly a lot of fun. I went out with Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson today, and there were a lot of birdies made amongst the four of us. I think this certainly will be an exciting match-play course with the amount of birdies that can be made. It was fun. It didn't seem to be a course where you're required a whole lot of practise rounds to figure out lines to take. It seems like pretty straightforward, like most guys will have it pretty well figured out by this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon. I know come Thursday, just be raring to go for Friday.

Q. What's been the feeling or the reaction of having Lance back with you and for the rest of the guys?
MATT KUCHAR: It's been great. Lance came over early. He didn't come on the team charter. And so once everybody arrived, he and a couple guys that came early greeted us as we arrived at the front of the hotel. I mean, everybody one after one, kind of went up, gave him a big hug, got to kind of spend some time with him. And I think most guys are happy to see him back to some sort of normalcy. I think everybody has felt so bad for his situation. To now have him back, it's kind of great to have him back as part of the family. We all felt like we lost a little something when we lost Lance and Lance's wife, Angie. When she passed, we lost a bit of Lance, as well, and to have him back has been great. It's been great for me. I think people have kind of gotten over the sadness of it, and are now kind of just glad to have Lance back.

Q. What part do you think this week plays in kind of getting Lance back to, as you described, normalcy? What is it about this week that will get him back to feeling halfway normal?
MATT KUCHAR: It's hard to say. I have one other friend that's gone through a similar thing, and he said that something that helped was a guy came out and said, listen, there's no rule book as to when to do anything as far as in a situation like this, when you go back to work, when you -- you name it. There's no set rules for how to work this. He said, you make the decisions on your time. You make those decisions whenever you're ready to do anything. It's completely at your pace and your time. I think he shared some of those ideas with Lance. I'm hoping to see that Lance is ready to come back and kind of get back to some normalcy and some normalcy is kind of being out on Tour. Being here is a unique, special event because of the bonding that happens, because of the amount of time you get to spend with the guys, is fantastic. So yeah, I still kind of think that this is a start. Not sure what exactly is going to happen with the future, but that's all completely still his decision and there's no rule book on this.

Q. Can you talk about sort of the role of being the underdogs this week and how the team has embraced it? Can you use that as motivation?
MATT KUCHAR: It's interesting, Tom Watson, as the captain, he's got a very single-minded purpose, and that is to win the Cup back. The underdog mentality, I don't know that it's been talked about a whole lot in the team room. We're all sharing some great past stories and certainly looking forward to getting back out and playing some good golf. I don't know -- I know that in the weeks leading up, we've certainly been considered the underdogs, but we've really had no discussion of trying to make that an advantage. We've really have had no real discussions of the underdog. I know that the general rule is, whatever your situation is, you try to take that as the advantage. As the favourite, you're the favourite, you go out there and dominate. As the underdog, you've got nothing to lose. You go out there. And so both roles, you talk it up as an advantage to yourself.

Q. You mentioned the practise group earlier today. Given that Bubba and Webb have played together, should we infer that we might see you and Jordan --
MATT KUCHAR: You guys are very quick. It does appear like that could be a pairing.

Q. What would you think of that, obviously a young guy there?
MATT KUCHAR: Very cool. It would be interesting if we played together all week, trying to figure out what are our different strengths and weaknesses to try to use more strengths in an alternate-shot format, if we play all the matches and if we're playing alternate-shot together. We haven't really sat down, and this is our first look at the course, but Jordan and I have a pretty similar game. Distance-wise, we're very similar. We both putt the ball well. Trying to figure out the advantage of who should approach, who should putt. It's kind of the one thing you try to work out with a partner is in the alternate-shot, who should break it up, odds and evens, who should putt more, who should hit more approaches, who should hit more drives. We have a similar game, so it will be interesting if we play alternate-shot to try to figure that part out. But as a teammate, he's fantastic. He's young, he's excited. He's a fantastic player, great putter, a guy that certainly I think anybody on the team would love to play with. And I think he and I might actually be the two guys that could be easiest to pair with anybody. I think he and I kind of would be two guys that would get along with anybody and kind of nice to have a guy -- just for any of us, it's so easy. I think to be paired with a guy like Jordan is fantastic for me.

Q. How did you and Jordan get together? Was this your idea or did Tom let you know?
MATT KUCHAR: Certainly didn't approach Tom and say -- I didn't tell Tom anything as far as -- I was told by Tom that I would be playing with Jordan.

Q. That was it?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah.

Q. And given the fact that teams are different, is this whole notion of redemption, is it overcooked at all?
MATT KUCHAR: Redemption you said?

Q. Yeah.
MATT KUCHAR: I would have to think so. I would have to think so. The U.S. record the past few years is not good at all. But the game of golf is so different than any other sport. If it was tennis or basketball or football or something where you just go -- you know, this team is going to win 100 per cent of the time every time, bet your money on it; you can't do that in the game of golf. It's just such a unique game that way. I think we come in here as perceived underdogs, but everybody here thinks they have got every bit the same chance that the home country has. So I don't think there's a revenge nature in the game of golf. I think guys are looking to go out and play their best, and everybody feels like they have a chance to win. I think we come in absolutely feeling like we have a chance to win.

Q. How is your attitude or your outlook different coming into this one, as it was at Medinah or at Wales, or is there a difference at all?
MATT KUCHAR: It really hasn't been. I mean, Wales was unique for me because it was my first, and not knowing how things work, not knowing exactly what to expect; now I'm much more familiar. Although, the media session has been different. I think we used to do some sort of bullpen media where you kind of go in with three other guys and separate into quadrants and the media would kind of break off. So far I think that's the only difference I've seen is the non-bullpen style media session. The excitement, I don't know if that'll ever go away. The first one, you're really jazzed up for because you don't know what to expect. But making the second and now my third team, I don't know that the level of excitement goes down any. A Ryder Cup is just so unique and there's so much passion to it that I still feel every bit as excited to get going, and here we are Tuesday, and Friday is a long way away. I mean, I think you could talk to the 24 players and everybody would like to get started tomorrow.

Q. Us, too.
MATT KUCHAR: Seeing the course -- I'm sure you guys have a lot to fill in the next three days. I think guys are chomping at the bit probably already, where there's something that the veterans kind of have to take the guys aside and just let them know, ease into it. However, even if you don't ease into it, I don't know that you get too tired because of the adrenaline that exists in The Ryder Cup. You go 36 and 36 and 36, and I think you could keep going until they finally say, you know, all right, the matches are all done, and then is when -- that next week you get worn out. But I don't know that guys use too much energy pre-week. I think most major championship weeks, you try to dial back a little bit. Here, you probably should try to taper because matches don't start till Friday, but with the amount of adrenaline that exists, I don't think you see too many guys too tired.

Q. Have you played any ping-pong yet?
MATT KUCHAR: Played doubles match. Bubba and I took on Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker. Bubba and I are still undefeated. (Laughter).

Q. I know it's early in the week, as you just said, but I'm wondering if there's anything different about this year, sort of atmospherically or otherwise, under Tom Watson, some different way he's doing the team, either specifically or just atmospherically.
MATT KUCHAR: No, not that I noticed. He's very good at making everybody aware of what's going on and when it's happening and where it's happening. It's been a good leadership so far.

Q. No new wrinkles?
MATT KUCHAR: No, I don't know that there's anything to drastically change how a Ryder Cup is run by a captain.

Q. Just going back to Jordan, is there any particular advice you'll be able to give him in dealing with his first Ryder Cup and the other rookies?
MATT KUCHAR: Is this his first Ryder Cup? I didn't know that. Yeah, I thought he played. I guess that was Presidents Cup. Was last year his first Presidents Cup? Amazing. I think he's 21, and already I've pegged him as a bit of a veteran. He seems like he's played good golf for a long time now. So no advice. Yeah, I may talk to Steve Stricker a little bit. I know they paired up at Presidents Cup last year and made a great team. I may talk to Steve a little bit just to see how he approached it. But he seems to be very aware of what's going on and how to handle things. I mean, he's quite mature. At 21, he seems nearly a veteran. He seems like he could nearly be a guy to just speak like he's been here for years.

Q. The number everybody keeps throwing out is seven out of the last nine that Europe has won, and we like to endlessly speculate and ask you guys why Europe has been successful. But there's a counter-argument where the matches have been so close, many of them, and it's such a small sample size that it really looks like a coin flip that's gone wrong just a little too often and might just be random. The question finally --
MATT KUCHAR: I'm going to go with that one. We're just going to go with that one.

Q. My question is: Is it random or something Europe's done better?
MATT KUCHAR: I can't put my finger on anything, so that would be random. (Laughter).

Q. Yeah, but Matt, saying that, it seems beyond the randomness. After being on a team that loses, don't you go back home and think, why did it turn out that way?
MATT KUCHAR: What would you put your finger on?

Q. Well, McGinley was in here saying how they have a template. I'm just --
MATT KUCHAR: (Laughing).

Q. McGinley says that they have a template that they just tweak a little and that's what does it. We're not in the team room, so I can't really say what that's like. We're certainly not inside the ropes with the matches, so we don't know what that's like, but you are. So you must have some thought of why that's happened.
MATT KUCHAR: Random (laughter). Random is my thought for that.

Q. You've got Phil and Jim on one end of the spectrum here with experience, you have rookies, but as you keep playing on these teams, do you feel your role change a little bit? Do you feel able to speak up and take charge and step forward a little more?
MATT KUCHAR: I had a funny experience at Melbourne. I guess it would have been my first Presidents Cup, but I just played a Ryder Cup, and I'm in the training room getting stretched out. The captains, assistant captains and a handful of the veteran guys, Tiger, Phil, Jim Furyk, Stricker, all are in this little meeting room that's basically in a bag storage room that's going on. And I think Freddie hollers out for me and says, "Kuch, you've got to get in here." I was like, this is great, called in with the big boys, I'm now one of them. They asked me, they said, in your in next round, do you wanna play with this guy or that guy? I said, all right, this guy. They said, all right, get outta here (laughter). So I hadn't yet arrived, and I've not been called into any other meetings yet to discuss my thoughts on how I think a team should best be matched out or in order or anything like that. So I've not yet arrived to any sort of true veteran status just yet. I do feel like I'm close to one of those guys that can speak up, can kind of be a bit of a go-to guy for some of the younger guys. But I've yet to make that proper bridge over to true veteran leadership abilities just yet.

Q. If you take the young 21-year-old under your wing, isn't that some kind of sign?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, I think that's a kid that anybody would be excited to partner with, much less take under their wing. You know, he's a guy that I can't wait to start the competition with. He's a guy that when Tom mentioned his name, I got excited.

Q. Is losing a match to Poulter different from losing a match to anyone else on Europe's team?
MATT KUCHAR: I might say yes there. I mean, losing stinks. I think everybody -- I think Poulter is a guy everybody kind of wants to draw, everybody wants to get the best of. And at the same flipside of it, you hate to get beaten by Poulter. But you get beaten by anybody, it stings. Poulter, I don't know if it stings worse, but he's kind of the marked man that everybody wants a piece of.

Q. Is he the No. 1 marked man for Europe?
MATT KUCHAR: They have got so many great guys, headed by Rory McIlroy. If you have a chance to play and beat Rory McIlroy, I mean, that would be a huge boost to Team USA. I don't know, there's certainly not a weak player, but what Rory McIlroy has done and set himself apart, I mean, No. 1 player in the world, that's kind of their top guy.

Q. And lastly, Tiger was asked last week what he would not miss about The Ryder Cup and the only thing he said was your jokes and your pranks. Can you give us an example?
MATT KUCHAR: I actually think he will miss those (laughter). I think that's what he'll miss most (laughing). Hard to give you examples. It's just I think he's a guy that likes to stick it to people, and most people have a tough time kind of giving it back. I think the greatest thing I witnessed is when Phil Mickelson throws down the ultimate gauntlet when he doesn't have a comeback to whatever you've said, he just says, well, I've won so many majors, suck on that (laughter). He can only say that if Tiger's not around. He kind of has to look over both shoulders and make sure because then Tiger gives him his number (laughter). So I do find that to be a fun one going back and forth.

Q. What's the best prank you've pulled on Tiger?
MATT KUCHAR: I can't give you my best one. But I'm sure that he misses them.

Q. Can you give us the worst one?
MATT KUCHAR: (Shaking head no).

Q. The idea that you can speak up now, do you feel that at least at this point in your career in Ryder Cups that you can speak up? When you were a rookie, you probably didn't feel that way, but do you feel that way now?
MATT KUCHAR: Yeah, do I feel that way. I remember certainly early on in my career, I didn't speak up at all. I kind of was in awe and didn't want to ruffle feathers. I kind of felt like you have to earn-your-way idea out here. I've gotten to a point where I'm comfortable enough and okay to ask guys how they do certain things, whether it's Phil or Tiger. They're fantastic at certain shots, and now -- as a rookie, I never could have pulled Tiger aside and said, you've got to show me what you did there, how did you do that. I've been comfortable enough, I've seeked out Lee Trevino to ask him some things. Actually two summers ago, I approached Ray Floyd, tried to come up and spend some time with him, which I did, up at Shinnecock. So kind of comfortable enough to seek out advice from players, past and present. It took me a while to get to that point. Now, I feel like I've established myself well enough, or at least I'm comfortable enough with my game and who I am to be able to ask questions and to be able to step up and take a bit of a leadership role.

PAUL SYMES: Many thanks again, Matt, and have a great week.
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