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WGC CADILLAC MATCH PLAYMay 1, 2015Branden GraceSAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA CANDACE REINHEIMER: We have Branden Grace in the interview room. BRANDEN GRACE: Obviously he's been playing great the last couple of months. The thing about match play, it doesn't matter who you play, any game is going to be a tough game. So I played good golf yesterday, and I managed to play well today. I had no bogeys on the card. That's the biggest thing is not give shots away. All in all, it was a great performance by both of us. He really played well. And he also didn't make mistakes, I just managed to make more birdies than he did. Q. You're kind of a poster boy for the new match play. You lose Wednesday, and then you're in a 3 for 1 playoff. I guess the new format, you're okay with the new format? BRANDEN GRACE: Well, I'm sitting here. I think it's good. I think the changes they've made are positive changes. I think it's a lot better than the previous match play. But I think it's not a hundred percent yet. For the people at home, it's nice to see the top players competing, and I think that's the main thing behind it. But I think a couple more tweaks and it will be good. But like I said, I think the main thing about this change was to give everybody more than one opportunity to make it. Today was my day, it's weird to win two games, two out of the four games‑‑ two out of the three games, and still have to do a playoff. For myself this week it's worked out, I'm sure there's going to be a couple of guys that‑‑ you can't make everybody happy, let's put it that way. Q. How would you tweak it? If it was up to you, how would you tweak it? BRANDEN GRACE: It's a tough one. You know, I think our system back in Europe with the match play is a pretty good one. But obviously it differs with players, the amount of players in the field. I think we only have 20‑odd players in the field. Here it's a lot bigger. It's a tough one to get the perfect thing for. Q. Jordan sort of bemoaned to make 18 birdies, play 16 under and have to go home. Is that just the nature of match play, is that just the risk any match play? BRANDEN GRACE: It is. But that's why I said you're never going to keep everybody happy, especially in this thing. For him, he's definitely on a roll. If you make 20 birdies around this place, and not a lot of mistakes, you're thinking you're going to make it down to the last 16. So it's just, like I said, you know, you're going to win some in a playoff and you're going to lose some in a playoff, and I was just fortunate today. Q. You think Jordan is going to be okay? BRANDEN GRACE: I think he will be. I think if I had a green jacket in the closet, I'd want to take the weekend off and enjoy it. But I think for a guy like him, obviously he's a great talent. He's the future of the golf and of the young guys these days. And I think he's going to be definitely a multi‑major winner. Q. I'm sorry to be asking this, obviously, I don't know how the match ended. What did you do to win? BRANDEN GRACE: In the playoff? Q. Yes. BRANDEN GRACE: We all hit pretty good drives. Myself and Zach was in the fairway on the first hole and Charley hit it left. He got away with the second shot, Charley, hit it 7 yards short of the green on the first hole. I hit it just short of the green and Zach hit a great shot to the middle of the green. It was definitely an advantage to Zach all the way. Charley hit a great shot from where we were to about 20‑odd feet. I hit I chip to about two feet, and Zach rolled it up to about two feet and Charley made it. We all tapped in. That was the first hole, so it was nice to go through with birdies. The second hole, all three of us actually hit shots that didn't really leave the pin. Zach hit a great shot just past it and went to about 30 odd feet. Charley and myself were just short of the fringe. I hit a chip which I thought could have missed and horseshoed out on the second hole, and Charley left it just short. That was the scenario on the two holes. Then the third hole, we all hit pretty decent drives. Myself and Zach was in the fairway again. Charley was just off. Zach hit it just short right. Then it was my turn, I hit it to about 10, 12 feet and Charley hit it short. He hit on to 20‑odd feet, made it again, and then it was my turn and I made the putt. Q. Did you know the scenario, first of all, when you went into the day, what you needed to do? And secondly, you chose to walk straight to the playoff hole? I saw you walking down 18. I figured you lost? BRANDEN GRACE: No, no. Okay, obviously with it being in the new format and things, I think everybody is interested to see what you really have to do to progress forward. I think obviously The Golf Channel and those guys did a pretty good job to put it all out. I was watching a bit of Golf Channel last night, I was all I have to win. If I won‑‑ for me to go through, Zach had to lose. And we knew if Zach won then it would be a three‑way playoff. I saw Zach playing the last couple of holes on his own. I thought if he's lost, it's not going to do it. So we managed just to finish our game. We just decided rather than getting a car and going all the way there, just keep the body going and have a nice stroll down 18. It managed to work at the end. Q. Can you describe what the adrenaline was like on the playoff holes? BRANDEN GRACE: It's one of those where although it's‑‑ the playoff is always in stroke play, it's not a match play situation, so it just feels like a normal playoff. If you've been in the situation, it's a little nerve‑wracking, it's make or break, you can't go and hit the safe shot. You have to take shots on and try to win it. You're not going to pretty much win it, especially with a three‑way playoff with both guys making mistakes.  You have to go for it and try to win it. And I knew on the third playoff hole, 4‑iron, not an easy shot, I hit it to 12 feet. If you miss it, you're probably going to go another hole, and it might go for nine holes. You never know how far it's going to go, so you just have to take it in your own hands and go for it. Q. If I have the scenario right, say Zach had lost and you beat Charley, it would have been, what, you would have been 2 & 1? BRANDEN GRACE: I would have gone through. Q. You would have been 2 & 1. Did you like that, every other guy talked about that they don't like that? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah. You know, it's a tough one. Obviously like I said, some guys are going to‑‑ the guys that go through are going to love it; the guy that doesn't go through is going to hate it. You're not going to keep everybody happy. It's a weird one and it's a tough one. I think everybody before the day, they knew what they had to do, they knew what the situation was. It was either going to go your way or it wasn't. If Charley won then it wouldn't have been the situation. So it's a tough one. It really is. It's hard to really talk about. Obviously I'm stoked that I'm sitting here, and I want to make the most out of it. CANDACE REINHEIMER: Thank you, good luck tomorrow. BRANDEN GRACE: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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