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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPJuly 14, 2015Rickie FowlerST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND THE MODERATOR: Very pleased to welcome Rickie Fowler to the interview room. Rickie, great win for you on Sunday. You were joint runner-up at the Open last year. Must be pretty much ideal preparation for you coming into this week at the Open at St. Andrews. RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, playing last week at the Scottish Open, I felt like last year was great preparation, had a good finish there, as well, and went on to have a great week at The Open. This year I wanted to get back over here, get some swings on links golf, ultimately be in contention, and get the juices ready for this week. I think we did a good job of that. I had a lot of fun on Sunday with the way I closed and ultimately being able to win the tournament. The game feels very good right now, and I'm very comfortable on links golf, one of my favourite courses, and this is a special venue. I'm really looking forward to the week. Q. When you left Chambers Bay, what was your mindset, and what does it say about you getting over it so quickly? RICKIE FOWLER: I mean, obviously I wanted to have a great week there and not exactly the start I wanted. It was tough. I was looking forward to a couple weeks off, enjoyed some great vacation time and really just started looking forward to the Scottish Open and The Open, getting to some golf courses that I love playing, being that I love playing links golf, and I was going to be able to come over here and kind of get the game back where I wanted it. I was able to get some good practice early last week and get off to a good start, which is what I needed last week. Yeah, it was nice to kind of quickly put that behind me, and unfortunate that I got off to a bad start there at the Open because with what I did in the majors last year, I wanted to continue that. I was close to getting top 5 at Augusta, and I really felt like at Chambers that I could play that golf course well and just kind of got it going the wrong way. Like I said, glad to have the game back where I want it. Q. Can you talk about how much you enjoy links golf? Can you give us an idea of your first exposure when you came over and played your first links courses and why you took to it so easily? RICKIE FOWLER: The first time I came over was in college. I played the Palmer Cup. After Palmer Cup, I think right before that would have been Walker Cup '07, so those are kind of the first experiences with kind of some blind shots, tee shots and approach shots. And for me, growing up on the driving range back home, Murrieta Valley Golf Range, really had to kind of visualise my shots and learn how to hit shots there. It wasn't like there was -- it was basically like hitting into a bare field and kind of had to visualise the shots that I wanted to hit there, and I feel like that's what you have to do in links golf. Sometimes you don't exactly have specific targets and you have to see your shots before you hit them. So it kind of took me back to how I learned the game and was able to have some fun and be creative. There's so many different ways to play these golf courses, depending on weather conditions, how firm the golf course is, being able to play the ball on the ground, wherever the pin is. Sometimes you have to hold it against the wind or use the wind, use the ground. Sometimes you fly it there. I think a lot of it just comes back to being able to visualise it and use the creativity and see it before you actually hit the shot. Q. How much, if any, advantage do you feel you have perhaps over the guys who played at the John Deere with your win last week in the wind especially over the weekend, and I refer specifically to Jordan who won over the weekend but he's coming here into a completely different environment? RICKIE FOWLER: I don't think I have an advantage by any means. The best players in the world are here, and there's a lot of guys on top of their game. But for me, I felt like it was the best preparation, and I really couldn't have done anything more last week to prepare better. You know, that being said, I mean, talk about Jordan playing at John Deere, yeah, he's been playing some amazing golf, but travel hasn't stopped him from winning, either. I know at the end of last year he won in Australia and flew back to the States and won Tiger's event. I don't look at that as a disadvantage. But for me, I felt like the best preparation was being over here and spending some time, and it's gone exactly how I wanted it to. Q. The fact that you've won the Scottish, we saw Phil win it two years ago and then go on and win The Open, do you think that more guys from the PGA Tour are going to come over and play the Scottish in the following years ahead of The Open because of your successes? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, when the schedule lines up the way it does and being on a links golf course, being acclimated to the time change and being over here and getting adjusted, I feel like more and more guys have come over, and it all comes down to how guys want to prepare. Some guys don't exactly like to play the week before, but it has I feel like been the best preparation for me. Yeah, you may see a growth in the field of Americans coming over, guys playing in the Scottish beforehand, because I do feel like it is a good warm-up and a good test to see where the game is at, and ultimately, like I said, try and get in contention and get ready for a major. Q. Your two wins this year at THE PLAYERS and obviously last week in Gullane, being able to flick a switch now, you said when the moment was there you were able to step up and take it. What's changed in you? What have you learnt that's now made you a winner when the moment is there? RICKIE FOWLER: Well, last week was big for me putting myself in those situations. I probably got the most looks at that than I have any other year, and the control of my golf game, kind of taking it to the next level being with Butch has definitely helped kind of the belief and confidence. Some of it definitely goes back to playing Tuesday games with Phil and the boys, being in situations where you have to step up and make something happen, playing against some pretty good players when we're doing that, and you have to make things happen in those games. I've definitely been in situations that I can relate that have helped me with the finishes at the THE PLAYERS and last week at the Scottish. It's definitely a learning process, learning to win. It's definitely not easy out here playing against the best players in the world, and it's nice to finally have a multiple win season. Q. Two very exciting victories this year. You're up into the top 5 in the world and you're part of this generation at the very top of the game. How much ground do you feel you have to make up to catch up to Rory and to Jordan? What specifically do you have to do, do you think? RICKIE FOWLER: I mean, a good start would be to become a major champion, and that's something that I've always dreamed of and have wanted to accomplish. You know, the way obviously Jordan has been playing, amazing golf, and Rory has been doing that for quite some time. I do have some work to do. I need to continue winning. I think that's the biggest thing, and putting myself in positions to win. I can't worry about them or other players, just got to keep working hard and focus on what I need to do and take care of my business. Q. And are there any specifics in your game that you would particularly address in that regard? RICKIE FOWLER: I would like to make everything better. I mean, that's just how golf is. I think you're always working to become better. All the guys out here, there's no reason to ever settle. You're always trying to tighten things up and continue to become a better player. You can never master this game. That's what's so great about it. Even when you are the best player in the world or winning tournaments, there's always more to be done and more to be won. Q. I recall you playing well at Royal St. George's in tough conditions and then second last year. I wonder was there one particular moment when you thought, yeah, I get this, I can win on links golf? RICKIE FOWLER: I've always enjoyed playing links golf, from the first times that I played. But when I believed that I could really win over here was after my stellar start of 79 here, my first time out at St. Andrews and shot a 67 to make the cut and went on to have a great weekend, ended up finishing 14th. So to piece that together, and outside of that first round, I really would have had a chance to be in contention and had a chance to maybe show Louis something, but he played pretty amazing that week here. But yeah, that was really the time that I believed that I could play links golf and saw that I could put together some rounds in some tough conditions here. Q. Rory shot 63 in the first round five years ago. Given the relatively soft conditions and hopefully a day with not much wind, can you see somebody shooting the first-ever 62 in a major this week? RICKIE FOWLER: I wouldn't put it past anyone. These are the best players in the world. I wouldn't say it's -- it's not too soft out there. I played this morning and the golf course is in great shape, but yeah, if the wind is down, I mean, it's definitely scorable. Outside of that, it looks like you may be holding on and trying to just hold on to that score after the first day because it looks like it could be tough come this weekend. Q. You mentioned 2010. What were your initial impressions of the Old Course and what have you kind of learned the more you've played it? RICKIE FOWLER: I learned very quickly that you had to know where you wanted to go. There's some tough tee shots out here, and visually it doesn't exactly set you up where you think you may be going or may need to go. It's a course that you learn more and more every time you play it, and the more times I did play it, I got more comfortable. I love the golf course. It's a lot of fun to play. It's a special place being The Home of Golf. It has a special feeling every time you're here, every time you step onto the first tee. It's going to be a tough challenge this week, especially if we get the weather that may come in. But yeah, it's a lot of fun to play. You get to hit a lot of golf shots around here, and like I said, I enjoy it every time I get to go around. Q. If someone had told you after your group's first round at Chambers Bay that one of you would have been in contention Sunday, would you have believed it? RICKIE FOWLER: Well, I probably would have picked Louis because he had the lowest round on Thursday. Q. What did you just make of what he did the last three days? RICKIE FOWLER: It was very impressive. I got to see him piece together a solid round on Friday, and it was definitely impressive for him to go and give himself a chance to play on the weekend and then continue that on. It was pretty crazy to think that after what he did, what he shot the first day, that he was going to have a chance to win the golf tournament. Louis, he's a very impressive player. I love watching him play. I love watching him hit balls. It's a very simple golf swing, and he's also fun to be around. Q. You had talked about the Masters earlier this year, how comfortable you were going into that event, the atmosphere, the greens there at Augusta. As you said, you prepared so well last week for the links test there at the Scottish and you won, and getting in position you talked about, as well, here. Are you as comfortable as you've ever been going into a major now this week here at St. Andrews? RICKIE FOWLER: I mean, definitely looking at how comfortable I was last year and coming into the majors this year, I wouldn't say I'm any more comfortable, but I am very confident about where my game is at, and it definitely feels good coming off a win and playing as well as I did last week on a links golf course. I obviously don't want to overlook the fact that it's going to be still a tough test of golf, still playing against the best players in the world, but yeah, I do feel very good about how I've been playing and how I played last week, so I'm really looking forward to getting out and getting off to a good start. But like I said, I have to be on top of things. I've got to make sure that I still go through the process and make sure that I'm committing to golf shots and really give it my full focus. Q. During the practice rounds today I think you lost your lucky ball marker for a while and then you got it back. How worried were you and how relieved were you when you got it back, and what did Miguel tell you? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, we had a match going and I didn't have to make my putt, and I had my ball marked and I forgot it was over there. I had made some putts with it, so I wanted to get my ball mark back. But yeah, I had some cash ready to change it over if I needed to get it back from Miguel. But Miguel is a good friend. He's a lot of fun to be around. I love playing with him, and yeah, luckily he handed it back over. Q. He thought about keeping it for a while. RICKIE FOWLER: Well, the coin has worked good. I'm surprised he didn't keep it. Q. In anticipation of your first major, those of us who have covered it now, we've seen enough from you now that we expect you're going to get that. Can you speculate for us what it must be like for somebody that's going for their third major in a row? RICKIE FOWLER: He's got to feel pretty good about his game. But I don't think you really think about in a row or what number it is coming into The Open here at St. Andrews. It doesn't matter who you are. You're focusing on this week, and I know that's my main goal is just getting ready to play this golf course, and I don't think it's different for anyone else. Everyone is really gearing up to make sure they have their best and ready to play this golf course, whether it's for the first major, second, or three in a row. Q. We all talk about you and Butch, but what would Barry have said about the runs you're on with THE PLAYERS and the Scottish and how much of your success on links golf is carried down from what he put in your head as a kid? RICKIE FOWLER: Well, I'm sure he helped me a lot last week, being that he had ties in that area. I know from what he got to see from my early years playing professionally, just getting to the PGA Tour and from where I came from and worked so hard with him, to have that opportunity and chasing a dream, he was proud just to see me get there. You know, it would have been nice if he was still around to see what has happened. But yeah, a lot goes back to him as far as kind of laying down the groundwork and the fundamentals of me kind of developing my game early on. Like I talked about, growing up on the range and really having to kind of figure it out on my own and learn how to hit golf shots and visualise golf shots, yeah, a lot to be said with that, being able to play on links golf courses and succeed over here. Q. There's nothing sinister about this question at all, but I wonder if you could just share with us how many times you've been drug tested this year, whether it would surprise you to be tested here this week, and what your understanding is of the protocol running into the Olympics next year. RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, I know there's a lot that goes along with the Olympics. Obviously we're all on board with that and excited to have a chance to play for our country. I don't know how many times I've been drug tested. I've been successful at that, and I'll continue to be successful if we're drug tested here. We'll take care of it and we'll be good to go. Q. Has it been a handful of times or not at all or perhaps a few times? RICKIE FOWLER: I'm not sure exactly, once or twice maybe. Q. You've played a lot of golf with Bubba. He was in here talking about how difficult it is for him to see the shots here because he curves it so much. You talk about visualisation. How much of that is an art in becoming a complete player? RICKIE FOWLER: I mean, it's definitely different for every player. Some guys move the ball more, some guys don't. I think some guys enjoy playing in the wind or conditions more than others. To me, I would see Bubba being able to see that maybe better than he leads on. He may be just trying to fool you guys. I don't think he has any problems seeing shots. Maybe he doesn't know how much they're moving. We'll have to start drawing pictures for him so we can help him visualise that. But he's definitely an amazing player. Maybe I can help him with some visualisation and maybe take him to the next level. Q. You talked about the weather that was forecast to come in later, and we don't get weather that we see over here on the PGA Tour. How are you able to adjust to the weather conditions and be successful, and how exactly did you learn to embrace the weather conditions and play so well in them over here compared to what we see in the United States? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah, it's definitely different. A lot of times when wind is blowing that hard or something along those lines, we're seeking shelter and it's a storm blowing in. Over here, it's just hard wind and sideways rain sometimes. I think the biggest thing for me was going out and trying to make it as fun as possible and kind of embracing the challenge. Looking back to St. George's, the Saturday we had there, it was nasty. Probably one of the best rounds I've played. But the thing that helped me a little bit was Joe, my caddie, saw Tom Watson go out and it looked like he was out there having fun and kind of soaking it in and trying to make the best of it, because there's probably some guys in the field that may look down on it and may think it's going to be harder than it should be, and I try to just go out and have fun with it. It may not be the warmest weather, the driest weather, but you've got a tee time, go tee it up and make the best of it. Q. Was there a moment where that happened, where it clicked? RICKIE FOWLER: That was, at the time, probably some of the worst weather I've ever played in. But I think what helped was getting to play in weather back in Stillwater when I was in school at Oklahoma State. I used to play when it was pretty cold out. I think the coldest I played was probably 27 Fahrenheit, so below zero. Yeah, I don't know. I'd try to go out and have fun. I enjoyed playing more than hitting balls, so I didn't want to hit balls in the barn, instead tee it up and go play. Over there you'd get some crazy wind, so that also helped my wind game. You get a north wind when a front is coming in. You've got to bundle up, and it may be a day we're out qualifying, and you can't pack it in, you've got to figure it out. THE MODERATOR: Rickie, thank you for joining us. Best of luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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