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QUICKEN LOANS NATIONALJuly 29, 2015Rickie FowlerGAINESVILLE, VIRGINIA JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Rickie Fowler here into the Interview Room. He's making his 4th career start at the Quicken Loans National and coming off just an incredible summer so far, Rickie, won early in May at The Players Championship and then recently at the Scottish Open. Just comment a little bit about your season up to this point and being back here at the Quicken Loans. RICKIE FOWLER: It's great to be here this week, especially with my partnership now with Quicken Loans and being associated with the company. Looking forward to having a good week and enjoying the start of a partnership where, since signing with them, won twice and it's been great; so, obviously, The Players win was the biggest win for me of my career and to go back and get it done again at Scottish Open. So, I'm feeling really good with my game and really looking forward to this week and the stretch of golf ahead. We have I think, what is it, 7 events in the next 9 weeks so it's going to be a tough little stretch of a lot of golf. Looking forward the playing well through it. Q. You spent a lot of time signing for fans after the 18th there. Is that pretty normal for you and how important are those fans for you? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah. I love being able to do that after the round because I don't sign while I'm on the golf course so I'm able to kind of take care of what I need to get done, get my practice done and make sure I'm ready to play golf and get my preparation in that I need, and afterwards I'm able to, depending on what time commitments I have, try to stay as long as I could today and sign and take as many pictures as possible. I haven't stopped. I went in and ate and five minutes real quick. I had to make another stop before here. Here I am. It's hectic. I definitely try to make as much time as possible for my fans when I can. Q. You mentioned the schedule 7 of 9 weeks coming up. How difficult is that? RICKIE FOWLER: It's 7 of 9. Q. I assume you're not playing Wyndham and a week off. How difficult is that over that stretch in trying to plan and things get more complicated next year? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah. Haven't even gone into looking too much at the schedule next year yet but I know it's going to be tough. Really just making sure that I'm well-rested. You know, through the summer the training and the hydration becomes a big part of it, too. But time management is key, knowing when to take some time off as far as next week I'm going to just relax on Monday and then kind of get going after that as well as at the PGA. I don't want to spend too much time preparing and wearing myself out to where I'm not ready to play on Thursday. Luckily the next two weeks are places where I've been before, know the golf course. I spent a little bit more time here learning a little bit on the golf course and getting ready for the week since it is a new venue and I haven't been here so the biggest thing is the time management, making sure that I'm rested and ready to go come Thursday. Q. Rickie, you played an elite schedule for a few years now and because of that, you're rarely the highest ranked player in a field you're playing in. Does it change your mindset, does it change your confidence, does it change anything to be, if not the highest ranked player, maybe the guy with the target on his back a little bit, maybe the favorite? RICKIE FOWLER: In a way it's kind of given me more confidence right now just because I've been playing well and I feel very confident about my game. I can see where it could put more pressure on you if there was a worry of not playing well but I've been swinging really well with the win at the Scottish and then probably the best I swung it ever really at the first three days of the British but just -- I didn't get anything out of it. I don't think I've gone through a stretch of hitting my lines and solid golf shots as I did Thursday and Friday. It was almost like going back to The Players and going through the last few holes shot after shot. I just couldn't make a putt. Made the putts the week before and it's been some good work in the last couple days. Swing feels good. Rolling it well. I guess I've kind of earned one of the top positions as a top ranked player and I'm looking forward to having a good week. Like I said, the game feels good and coming off some good weeks. Q. Beneficial for you to look up and down the range, say I know I'm as good as if not better than everybody else that I see around here? RICKIE FOWLER: I feel like you have to believe that to really have a chance out here. And you look at -- the other thing, you look up and down the range, yeah, I believe in myself and I know I'm one of the best players in the world but you look up and down the range, you go any guy on this range right now can go win this week. That's how good the guys are. Everybody is here for a reason. Anyone that goes out and puts four rounds together has a chance to win. By no means do I think I can easily be in contention and have a chance. I have got to be on top of my game and take care of business. Q. I want to take you back to when you were kid and watching Tiger. Was there something you wanted to take from him that you thought part of his game or the part of his mental approach or anything? RICKIE FOWLER: You know, when he was in his prime when I was watching a lot around 2000, around that era it was, it seemed every time he played he gave himself a chance, was in contention a lot. Ultimately that's where I want to be, I want to be in contention, having chances to win golf tournaments and being out playing late on Sunday. It's been nice to be there in a few situations this year and just want to do that more often. Q. I just wonder, was there a tournament or victory that he had that you said, "I want to go do that and I want to play golf for a living"? RICKIE FOWLER: I mean probably the one that stands out the most, the one that I remember most shots from and have watched the most be '97 Masters. Kind of I think probably one of his most memorable early wins in his career. And I wouldn't say I was saying I wanted to be exactly like him or anything like that but it was something that I think inspired a lot of juniors around that time and gave us something to look forward to. Q. Last year you had a great year in the Majors. You were in contention in all four of them. This year you haven't done that but you've got two wins. Which is better? RICKIE FOWLER: The wins. It would have been nice to get a win in the Majors last year. With making history and that Top-5 in all four Majors it's going to be special to look back on but winning is a lot better than finishing Top 5. Q. Do you feel that the work you put in has been validated now that you doubled your career victory total this season? RICKIE FOWLER: It's continuing to be validated in a way. Still have a lot of work to do and you can -- you can always get better. It can always be better. That's what I'm continuing to work on. We're talking about being in contention on a consistent basis. I want to continue working on the game and be the best player that I can be. Q. I know it's a long way off still but what's your take on golf in the Olympics next year? Are you excited at all about the possibility of perhaps competing and then I just want to ask you a question about the format, also? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah. To have a chance to represent your country will be really special and I've always watched the Olympics, open ceremonies, closing ceremonies and actually have a chance to be part of that is pretty cool. I would love to have that experience. Q. Are you good with the 72 hole stroke play format? It has been a bit controversial. Maybe they could have done a team thing or combination individual and team. They decided not to for now. I don't know how much thought you've given that but what do you think about how they're going to go about it? RICKIE FOWLER: I haven't thought about it too much but 72 hole stroke play event, I think it's probably the easiest way to go about things and see how it works out. If they need to or want to make any changes, they can. That's how 99 percent of the tournaments are done when we play. We play the one match play event a year. I guess there's some team events that are -- you know, best ball to alternate shot to anything but I think that's probably the easiest and least controversial way to go about it at the start. Like I said, if they really wanted to make some changes down the road they can but I wouldn't mind whatever it is if I got to go play for the U.S. and be on the Olympic play. I'll play any format they want. Q. Can you just walk-thru day by day how things are different here that you're learning a new course? RICKIE FOWLER: Well, typically I can go out and practice Tuesday, maybe play 9 holes, play the Pro-Am and I'm ready to go come Thursday. Here I came and practiced on Monday. Just getting acclimated. Played 18 yesterday and another 18 today. So, a little bit more work spread out through three days versus kind of a day and a half. There is a little bit more preparation that goes in just to really get two looks around a golf course is key just so you can go around and double check things the second time. Q. Do you fell like you know it now well? RICKIE FOWLER: I feel like I've got a good feel of it. There won't be a whole lot of wind. Course conditions are soft which hopefully they can firm up. Without wind changing or any of that coming into play, lines don't tend to change much off tees and then from there just, you know, knowing the leaves around the greens. I feel like I have a pretty good idea but there's not many guys that have played here very much so somewhat of a level playing field. Q. Some people consider you this is a breakout year for you but can you say that when everybody already knew who you were? I don't know. You know what I mean? Does it feel that way in your mind? RICKIE FOWLER: Well, it's nice to get two wins. You know, The Players win was very big. It's the strongest field in golf that we play. But to back it up with another win at the Scottish and I really feel good about my game to possibly have a chance of adding on another one. So to finally have a multiple win year it's breakout in a way for me but it's really hard to win out here. I look forward to giving myself more and more chances and getting that done more often. Q. Rickie, you set goals at the beginning of the year, tangible goals and where are you right now in reaching those goals? RICKIE FOWLER: Yeah. I mean I really feel like the one that was left out last year we took care of everything except for winning and that was really the main goal coming in was to be in contention and win. Probably not as consistent as I would have liked to have been so it would be nice to kind of finish off the year a little bit better in that sense but being in contention and winning and playing well through the FedExCup really in a way is simple but continuing to work towards, you know, being the best that I can possibly be and need to continue to win to be there. Q. You have to adjust back from links golf? You obviously like that style. RICKIE FOWLER: No, I really don't have to -- I don't feel like I have to adjust when I go there or come back. I play a little bit differently in both places but in a way it comes naturally to me. I love playing over there, love playing here. It is different styles of golf but I don't physically try and change or do anything differently. Q. What would you rank a gold model as far as in the hierarchy of golf, win a Major, winning a WGC? RICKIE FOWLER: I don't really know exactly because it's so new. A Major is always going to be a Major. I don't think that's ever going to be -- it's not going to be touched. That's something pretty special. I don't know. I guess I'd have to -- I have to win one and see where it ranks, then I would really know. No, for me it's almost two different things of looking at it as far as, you know, you grew up dreaming of winning Majors and you watch the Olympics and dreamed of having a chance to represent your country but played a sport that really you didn't have that opportunity so it was something you appreciated what other people got to do and what they did do and being able to have a gold medal put around your neck and hear your national anthem, something that kind gave you the chills when you were watching but it wasn't something that in a way ever dreamed of having the possibility of doing. JOHN BUSH: Rickie Fowler, thank you, sir. Appreciate it. RICKIE FOWLER: Thank you FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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