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DUBAI OPENDecember 19, 2014Joshua WhiteDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Q. Just talk about your round today. JOSHUA WHITE: Started a bit shaky, really. I hit a few wayward drives in the first nine holes, but my recovery play with my irons was really good, and I managed to capitalize on them shots with some good putts. So I found myself on the par through nine holes when I could have easily been 3‑over. And then I started hitting the fairways and then hitting the good irons again from the fairway. Good back nine of 3‑under, sort of just made up for that, really. Q. Does this give you confidence going into the weekend? JOSHUA WHITE: Oh, for sure, yeah. Going to go on the range now and hit some drivers, but it was good coming in, so it should be fine, as soon as I get the driver on the fairway and not going into the greens with too much club. I can pretty much be a lot more aggressive from the fairways, so hopefully do that and roll some putts in. But yeah, took a lot of confidence from my scores, and obviously having some good results recently, it's nice to play with a bit of freedom. Q. And are you surprised how well the MENA Tour guys are doing? JOSHUA WHITE: Not really, to be honest. A lot of the pro tours now, they're all very good players, even the amateurs that play are very good. It's just some players are playing well on better weeks, and they go up the ladder to the next tours. That's just what it is really. As you can tell from here, there's not that much difference. But it's really good to see, and a lot of the Arab players doing well, as well. The game is progressing in the UAE, which is really good. So no, I'm not too surprised. Q. It's good for the MENA Tour? JOSHUA WHITE: Yes, it's great for the MENA Tour. They've done a very good job with the Tour for the last, what is it, five years, four years. To be able to now have how many players have made the cut from the MENA Tour? Eight players, something like that, that's just fantastic, really. So hats off to Mohammed, really. Q. And it speaks volumes that the players are keeping like a level pegging with Asian Tour players, isn't it? JOSHUA WHITE: Yeah, it is. Like I said, when you play the MENA Tour, I've played with most of the players on there, and when they're on their day, they're as good as probably the people who have their day on the Asian Tour. Probably the people on the Asian Tour don't have as many bad days. But it's good to see that the MENA Tour players are in their good days. Q. Coming into this tournament your main goal was first to make the cut and then go for‑‑ JOSHUA WHITE: Didn't really have any goals to be honest. Obviously I've been playing very well, and I knew that if I went out and played well, I would be in the position that I'm in now. I couldn't control what everyone else is doing, but what position I was going to be in, I didn't know. But I knew that if I went and played well, I'd give myself a chance, and now I've got a chance going into the next two rounds. Q. So playing the Asian Tour there wasn't much pressure, like you're stepping from this level up? JOSHUA WHITE: Not at all really to be honest. I'm quite lucky that one of the clubs I'm a member at back home, Wisley, a lot of Tour players are members there, so I get to play with a lot of guys, and you know they're still playing the same game. They're still humans, they're not machines. It's nice to come out and play and get out with some of the big names. Q. Do you take for from it because it's the Asian Tour? JOSHUA WHITE: I take more from it from it's nice to get your name out there a bit more. Obviously it's joint with the tours‑‑ or maybe not joint, by run by Golf in Dubai and then you've got the Asian Tour, so there's a lot of people, and to get your name out there and be seen, it's nice. It's nice to move up, to progress. Yeah, that is good, but I want to be doing this in WGCs, so it's nice to be able to make a progression and take the ladder up. That's good. Q. Does that give you confidence from here to go on and do that? JOSHUA WHITE: Yeah, for sure. You've got to start‑‑ I've only been a pro for a year and a half, so for me, I'm learning every day still. As long as I learn a little bit every day, then I'll go on from there. Hopefully with all the things I learn, I'll end up where I want to be, yeah. Q. Have you picked up anything from the lads that you've been out with the past two rounds? JOSHUA WHITE: No, not‑‑ Q. Has there been much talk? JOSHUA WHITE: Yeah, there's been talk, but I haven't‑‑ I'm not looking at other players when I'm playing my own game. I'm really concentrating on myself. I'm not really too fussed about what they're doing. They're really nice guys, but like the guys‑‑ both of the guys I've played with have both won on the European Tour, and I've managed to beat them the last two days, and if people come out and watch, I'm sure they'll root for those they've seen. But that's for me. That's my confidence, my point of view. Okay, if these guys have won, maybe I can do the same thing here. They're really nice guys, though. Q. What's your ambition the next couple months? What's your movements? JOSHUA WHITE: The next couple months, Christmas, food, yeah. Q. After that? JOSHUA WHITE: Desert Classic, as well, I've got after this. The MENA Tour has given me the opportunity to go and play in the Desert Classic, and hopefully I can capitalize on that opportunity and play well and be in the same position as I am here. Q. Is that the first time you've played‑‑ JOSHUA WHITE: That will be the first European Tour event I'll play in. That week I'll be looking to learn a lot for sure. Q. You turned pro at the Creek last year? JOSHUA WHITE: No, Tour school last year, at that first stage in Austria. Q. What was your first professional tournament? JOSHUA WHITE: Tour school, then professional tour was MENA Tour, so the MENA Tour has helped me progress. Q. Are you looking at Q‑schools for‑‑ what's the future of Q‑school or anything like that? JOSHUA WHITE: I'm going to hopefully get a few invites on the Challenge Tour. I missed out on second stage of European Tour school, and the European Tour events I'll get through MENA Tour, hopefully capitalize on them, and then I'll play the Euro Pro back home, just to do some things and then have some time off. I would go out to Asia and play, but I'm really fussy, and it don't really suit me, so I'm going to stick to my strengths. Q. Because you get an exemption into the final stage of Asian Tour. Do you fancy that? JOSHUA WHITE: No. No. It's a great tour. It's lovely. I've played Tour school there last year, and I need to find a way around‑‑ it just doesn't suit me to be honest. Yeah, as much as I love golf, I just love it a little bit less out there, just personally. That's a personal thing. It's a great tour, it's really well run. There's great players that go on to win on the European Tour, so it's fantastic. But for me, with the food and everything, I just don't feel great out there, so no, I won't do that. Plus I'm engaged, and my fiancé is back home, as well. Yeah, there's a lot going on back home for me at the moment. Q. Do you spend the majority of the year in England? JOSHUA WHITE: Yeah, I do come out here to practice, though, for a couple weeks. I've got a family I stay with to come out and play with, and they're really nice. Me and Zane Scotland stay with them. It's a champagne and pasta diet. It's perfect. Q. You're a big foodie, huh? JOSHUA WHITE: Yeah, got to love it. Q. So you're back home for Christmas? JOSHUA WHITE: Back home, yeah. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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