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OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERSDecember 8, 2014Amy BouldenDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES THE MODERATOR: Amy, welcome to the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters. Playing this tournament for the first time, but you know due by really well. So how is the course and how is it all looking so far this week? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, it's great. I'm really excited to be playing this week. It's obviously my first time here playing this course and this tournament. But yeah, I'm really excited. The course setup is great and it's in fantastic condition. THE MODERATOR: Have you played this course many times in practise? AMY BOULDEN: I came here just before I went to India and played it a couple times. I've walked it a lot. I've been to the Dubai Desert Classic watching the men quite a few times, so I've walked the course a lot. Q. How does it feel seeing Sally and quite a few others quite close behind you? How does it feel just heading into the tournament? AMY BOULDEN: I'm just excited about it to be honest. I've had a great year so far and I'm happy with how I've played. I didn't have a great week last week in India, but I had had quite a few weeks off, so just getting back into tournament mode and just getting prepared for this week really. I'm playing with Sally, so I'm excited about it. Q. As the Rookie of the Year, how do you feel your season's gone overall? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, starting the year, I didn't have a full card. The year's gone pretty good considering I didn't have that full card and couldn't get into every event. Yeah, just managing to do Top‑10s and then getting myself into the following week. But yeah, I'm pleased with it. Pleased with my year. Q. Is it nerve‑wracking coming into the final event knowing you need a result to clinch the Rookie of the Year? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, I suppose there is a little bit of pressure when Sally's not too far behind going into this event. But I know if I play my own game and put some good scores, I'll be fine. Q. What's Sally capable of? Do you think she's obviously capable of‑‑ AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, definitely. She's a great player and she's also had a great year. She had a good finish in India last week, so she's obviously on form. So I need to try and get my game together and put some good scores in this week. I'm just trying not to think too much about Rookie of the Year and rather more this tournament. Obviously I want to win the tournament, not just Rookie of the Year. So we'll see. Q. Sally was saying quite generously that she hopes you play well because it will bring out the best in her. Is it sort of the same for you that for the first two rounds, that if she plays well, you've got to respond, too? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, definitely. I think it would be great to have a good battle out this week, and especially us playing together, I think it will be good for us both. I don't want her to play badly, as well. I want her to play well and put some good scores and that will hopefully make me play better. Yeah, I think we can bring out the best in each other. Q. How is your relationship with her? Are you really tough competitors? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, we used to be‑‑ we've played a lot of amateur golf together. I've never actually played on a team with her before but we know each other from a few years back from when we used to play amateur stuff. Yeah, like I'm friends with her and she's a great girl. So obviously in tournament, you have to focus on yourself and you obviously are still friends with everybody. But yeah, got to concentrate on yourself this week. Q. Sally was saying that next year being Solheim Cup year, that it's something which she has in the back of her mind. Is that something, as well, that sort of you would consider next year, having a crack, trying to get involved? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, definitely. You can see what Charley has done in her first year and getting into the Solheim in her first year on Tour. That's definitely something that will be in the back of my mind. But I know to be able to get to that, I have to win tournaments and compete in every tournament I'm playing in, so that's more the target to be playing and competing in every event and see where I end up. Q. The Rookie of the Year is obviously a lot of big names have won it in the past and they have gone on to great things. How big of a deal would it be for you to secure that title? AMY BOULDEN: It was one of my goals from when I turned pro was to win Rookie of the Year. I thought it was going to be quite tough this year not having a full card. I wasn't sure how many events I was going to be playing in but starting the year well has helped me a lot and definitely that's my biggest goal for this year is to do that. But yeah, it would be a great honor to win that. Q. Sally was saying earlier that the reason perhaps why you're leading is because you hit a purple patch in the year and just rocketed you up, and maybe she's been more consistent, as it were. Is that how you see it? Is that a fair reflection? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, I think I started the year a bit rough. I think I missed the cut in Morocco. I had an okay finish in Turkey and when we went to play U.S. qualifying, my game really hit its peak and there and I was playing well and qualified for the U.S. Open, and then got into the Buckinghamshire ISPS Handa Masters and competed in that, finished like about tenth, got me into the Open, and it all kind of went on from there. Had a good finish in Germany, Prague. So I did get on kind of a bit of a roll. That is just when my game peaked and that's what I was aiming for, to have my game peak towards the British Open and it's always a target for me to be getting into that. I didn't perform as well as I wanted to there, but getting my game ready for that week was what I wanted to do this year. Q. Is it a bit of a distraction having the Rookie of the Year thing hanging over your head coming into this event? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, a little bit. When you go back home to your golf club back home, everyone is like, are you leading Rookie of the Year, have you won it yet; no, it's in Dubai. It's exciting and exciting to play this week and see if I can capture that title. But I mean, me and Sally are in control. If she wins, fair play to her. So we both know what we have to do this week. Q. Is it maybe a good prep for your career going forward to have this sort of experience, this sort of pressure, this sort of competition as a newcomer going forward to feel that pressure? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, definitely. I've been in quite a few final groups this year, and I think having that in your rookie season and having the pressure and a bit of crowd watching you, I've really enjoyed that this year and hopefully next year when I get in contention, I can handle it maybe a little bit better and go onto win. Q. What are your thoughts on field this week? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, the field's fantastic this week. It's great to have obviously Charley playing and Cheyenne Woods is over, she just got her LPGA card. It's obviously a great field and I'm excited to be able to compete. I've got a good group obviously playing with Sally and Minjee Lee, I'm really excited. Q. The transition from amateur to professional, is it difficult? AMY BOULDEN: It was a little bit. I would say it is a big leap. You just realise how much every shot counts now that you're playing for money. I would say it's a big leap. But I grew up watching these girls on tour, people like Laura Davies and now you're playing in the same tournament as them. It's quite amazing. Yeah, I think I've adjusted quite well this year. Q. Who got you started in golf? AMY BOULDEN: My dad. He brought me into golf as a young age when I was about six years old and that's all I've ever really known to do. My older sisters used to play, one turned professional and she's now coaching. I always grew up playing golf and used to go out with my dad just to the golf club. Just got brought into it. Q. You said you had been here before for the men's. What was it like being on the other side of the ropes? AMY BOULDEN: I used to come out every year to practise every year, anyway. My sister worked at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, so we used to come out here and spend about six weeks practising. So I am quite used to the greens and the golf courses. Yeah, I'm excited to be here inside the ropes and actually playing. Q. Do you think your insight into the local courses will help you? Sally was saying this is her first time here and she's looking on the Internet to see how the course plays out. Do you have an advantage? AMY BOULDEN: I'd like to think so. I mean, there's quite a lot of grain on these greens and they are a bit tough to read. I played more in Abu Dhabi and the greens are very similar. So I am hoping that will give me a slight advantage that I've been able to practise on these greens for a long time. Q. Can you remember which of the men's events you've been to here? AMY BOULDEN: I caddied for a local guy who played in the Pro‑Am and he played with Tiger. I'm trying to think which year it was‑‑ Q. Was it Khalfan Al Ka'ab? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, I caddied for Khalfan. I'm quite close to Khalfan because he was a member at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. I was lucky enough to watch Tiger play up close, and, yeah, he taught me quite a lot that day. Q. So you caddied for Khalfan whilst he was playing with Tiger? AMY BOULDEN: Yeah, it was cool, he got me to hit his driver. He was really friendly. THE MODERATOR: Was that in the tournament or the Pro‑Am? AMY BOULDEN: In the Pro‑Am (laughter). THE MODERATOR: What's the name of your sister? AMY BOULDEN: Kim. She moved home last year. THE MODERATOR: Is she coaching for Wales? AMY BOULDEN: She now works for Development Wales but she was just coaching at Abu Dhabi Golf Club for a few years. THE MODERATOR: What year was that Pro‑Am? AMY BOULDEN: I think it was 2011 maybe or 2010. Q. Is it weird now things have changed, coming here as a fan and coming here as a player? AMY BOULDEN: I guess so. I used to watch the Desert Classic and the Abu Dhabi Championship, and when you're watching golf, you always want to play. But I'm really happy to be here, and I've heard a lot about this event from all the girls and everybody says it's one of their favourites. I'm really excited for this week. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, best of luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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