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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 23, 2014John WadePERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA OLIVIA MCMILLAN: John, welcome to the media center. You must ecstatic after your opening round; course record. JOHN WADE: Yeah, feels a bit weird actually. I certainly haven't been top of the leaderboard for a hell of a long time; playing much golf these days. Yeah, just got a fast start. Didn't play well last week, so wasn't a lot of form going in. Once I got a fast start, I had to think, Well, maybe I've turned it around a little bit. 6‑under after 6, I normally back it up a bit from there, but I managed to hold tough. That was the hard thing for me with no base at all ought competitively, was just hang in there. Managed to do that pretty well. The back nine I thought was a bit tricky‑‑ sorry, the front nine on the golf course. Hit some nice shots on some difficult holes. Yeah, all added up to a good score. Didn't really leave any out there. I sort of milked it pretty well. Got a couple up and downs in bunker play and stuff like that. It helps your round, definitely. OLIVIA MCMILLAN: You said it's been a while since you've been at the top of the leaderboard, but you certainly do know how to win. You had a win on the European Challenge Tour. JOHN WADE: Yeah, back in the Darkages, 2006. Yeah, look, I mean, that was a different set of circumstances. I was playing a lot more and feel like I still had some golf game. It's been an unknown quantity at the moment, to be honest. I've played bits and ‑‑ I played the British Open last year, which in a way I called on that a little bit today. I played a British Open at Muirfield with no golf, and that's pretty scary. Got through qualifying and had to really try to man up in front of a pretty intense environment. So I felt today at least, even though it was a long time ago, it was over 12 months ago, you can draw on some of that stuff at my age. That gets you through days like today when you're playing okay. OLIVIA MCMILLAN: Questions. Q. Tell us about the qualifying process for this week. It was only Monday that you got through; is that right? JOHN WADE: Yeah. I came over last Monday and tried to use WA Open as preparation for this week. I didn't fire a shot there. I missed the cut, which I think was good in a way, because I managed to do some good practice for Monday. Played pretty good Monday. The fore spotters (?) Aren't easy really. You just go out and try to shoot a score, and if it gets in, it gets in. Birdied the last three there, which helped me out. Then didn't play a practice round. Just got pretty windy the last two days and didn't feel like playing. Hit some practice balls. I know this course very well, so that helps me sometimes, silly as it sounds, not playing a lot of practice rounds. Q. Has it surprised you? JOHN WADE: Absolutely. It's ridiculous actually, I've really been struggling. Even in the leadup hitting balls at Commonwealth where I work, been disappointed with the way I'm hitting it, and not anywhere near where I want to be. You sort of underestimate playing the game competitively. So even the couple of rounds last week probably got something out of it. Then the weekend I sort of tweaked a couple things, which were a bit scary trying to get behind the ball more on the backswing, which I haven't done for years and years. So I went with that, and I guess bad shots were a lot better today. That's the key I think to my game and most guys', is just missing the ball in play and then you can score. So I felt like it was going one way most of the day. But answering your question, yeah, this is ridiculous really. I didn't know what to expect. I just was proud that I didn't let it go after I was 6‑under, which is really annoying for most guys. And someone in my situation, you're probably half expecting that to happen. I was proud of myself for putting maybe three bumps through six holes together. That was that the plan once I got to 6‑under, was trying to just calm down and get through the next six and hang on until the end, which I sort of did. I didn't hit it very good the last couple. I was sort of steering it home. But that happens. There's cameras and stuff which I'm not used to anymore, so that's all part of the experience again. Even at my age. Q. What's the mindset going into tomorrow? JOHN WADE: Look, yeah, tomorrow is another day. This is, again, all new to me. I'll just to have go out with the same attitude. Different‑‑ completely different golf course in the afternoon tomorrow. Look, I'll just take it the same approach. I don't think I'm going to change at all. Just deal with it one day at a time. Yeah, that's it. Q. Can you explain to us your approach? JOHN WADE: Yeah, well, I think it was healthy for me within Commonwealth also to still hang on to a golf game before I played the British Open last year. Unfortunately I made‑‑ I kept my card in Australia to a certain degree. I knew I would get some starts. So I guess I just wanted to be a little bit hardened going into these. But the best I could come up with really was only last week, so I've just tried to‑‑ silly as it sounds, I'm aware of where I'm at. Been doing it for five years not playing a lot, you get used to almost a less‑is‑more mentality and don't have to worry too much about week to week. I just enjoy getting out there more. And I think sometimes that the baggage you hang onto as a tour player, you let go of it all and just try and come out and enjoy the weeks when you're out here. But deep down, I mean, I was aware that this week we've got the Masters and hopefully I get a sniff in the PGA and the Open. Not sure where that sits at the moment. But at least let's look at the end of the year. If I don't play any good at all, that probably makes the decision for me to put the clubs away permanently. But every time I play Pro‑Am or so forth, I still feel like I can play a bit. So I guess just having the foot in the door in Australia, which you've got to do to get in these big events. Obviously tough on Monday. You don't want to be doing that every week. But still, I had a good round Monday. Probably gave me a bit of confidence going into this week. Q. (No microphone.) JOHN WADE: Roll the dice. Yeah, I don't really read too much into it. I guess I'm just trying to‑‑ I don't enjoy playing bad. I don't think anyone does. That's probably why I gave the game away pretty much. I guess when you're around the golf club like Commonwealth all the time, even teaching you pick up bits and pieces that you learn off people that you're teaching that might help your own game. So I guess all that add up. Yeah, just backing off myself a bit. Probably beat myself up a bit too much on the golf course. I think I'm over all that. See what happens come the end of the year. Just try and play what I can. The traveling is pretty much done, that's for sure. Q. What if you were to win here, though? JOHN WADE: Yeah, jeez. That's an interesting one. Yeah, well, I enjoy playing in Europe. I played there off and on for a ten‑ or twelve‑year window where I couldn't get exempt. I just played pretty poorly most of the time. Couldn't crack it for an exemption. I kept going back to tour school. So I know the place and I love the tour over there. Again, it's pretty hard. There are so many great players at a young age now, and I'm at the other end of the spectrum. Yeah, you always dream on, I guess. Put it this way: If that happened, I would love the option of making the decision. I've got a hell of a long way to go this week, I know that. Q. (No microphone.) JOHN WADE: Yeah, well, I would have to run it past Commonwealth. Look, I doubt it. I know where I'm at. I'm closer to the senior's tour. Simple as that. Not that I've given that any thought. But I've got a lot of holes in my game still. Unless I can get rid of that, yeah, I wouldn't even contemplate. But as I say, if that ‑ dream on‑ if that happens, I would certainly like the decision to make anyway. Q. (No microphone.) JOHN WADE: Oh, it would, yeah, huge. My CV is pretty short and small. This would stick out definitely. Look, I'm fully aware of it's one round and it's a great field here. I'm going to of to battle my own situation tomorrow. When you've had a good round today, it's never easy to back it up. That's it. It's good to get back in this environment. A lot of great guys I've known from the European Tour this week that I haven't seen for years. Great to catch up with them. And even some of the Aussie guys I don't see at all working these days. I guess all these things add up to a decent mindset and just trying to just have a good time and enjoy playing golf. End of the day, that's what I decided to do a long time ago. Q. People love going for the underdog. What if you end up winning? JOHN WADE: Jeez, that's a big call, isn't it? Yeah, look, I don't know. I don't even try and think about all that stuff. I know what you're saying. I feel like at the end of the day, look, a lot of people have said I had a golf game that probably I should have done better at. So I guess it's some opportunity to just get the best out of myself, even though it's tough not playing any golf getting back to that again. But I feel like I've sold myself pretty short in this game. My short game has been a massive issue my whole career. As you know, that's where you cash in. So I guess answering your question, I think I just like to see if I can just get the best out of myself the next few days and see what happens. Q. If you had your time over again, what would you do differently? JOHN WADE: Good question as well. I guess I've learned a lot from guys I grew up with. Like Richard Green is good mate of mine, and I grew up sort of with Allenby and Appleby and these guys. I always try to take a few shortcuts along the way where you're flying in later and trying to save dollars and staying with other guys when maybe you should have backed yourself in and have your own space and do your own thing at times. I think the good players I've been around have backed themselves in more and roomed on their own. Might cost twice, but you get that back in return for peace of mind. Those things probably all added up. I've always been a bit unselfish I guess. I haven't looked after myself enough. You have to be pretty selfish in this game to a certain degree to get anywhere. And my short game has killed me. I'll be the first to admit it's frustrating. You play with guys, even when your long game is a bit off, they're scrapping and scraping and holing putts and chipping it in. That's par for the course now. Look, I've tried and tried, but that's an area that I'll probably never get on top of. If I had my time over I wish I was probably give a better short game, I guess. I've tried hard, but sometimes their the cards you're dealt. Hasn't really worked for me. You got to improvise. You can shape it around the greens and play a few different shots, which probably helps me. So, yeah, that's probably where I fell down. And I miss Australia. Like a lot of us from here, you got to travel to Europe and live out of a suitcase, and that sort of stuff. It adds up. Some days you want to come home and you can't. So I guess, yeah, if any of that makes sense, all that adds up to probably not getting the best out of myself. And belief is probably the other thing that I haven't had enough of. You have people telling you you're good enough, but you got to believe it yourself, like any sport. So I probably struggled in that area. Q. Did your mindset change for the back nine at all? JOHN WADE: Yeah, well, I was actually really happy standing on 16, too, because I was 6‑under after 6. There are three really difficult golf holes for me. I don't hit the ball long, so they're pretty strong holes. To get through those, no, I just felt it got a bit trickier. The wind got up a bit and the first probably birdieable hole with a wedge in your hand. Apart from that, I found to a bit tricky coming in. The par‑5 downwind, 7, it wasn't that easy to hit. I hit it way over the green and made a good up and down, but I found that nine quite tricky. I would've been happy just to hang on to what I had done, to be honest. It was nice not to drop a shot, because I was pretty anxious from the word "go" today. To feel like that and still execute okay. I was happy with that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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