	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE BARCLAYS

August 30, 2015

Mark Wilson

Edison, New Jersey

MARK WILSON: Something in the top 30, I'd probably move on. You just know based on tee times where I stood. I figured I was in 40th something coming in. I figure if I go out and shoot under par today, I'd probably make it.

I really tried to focus on each shot the best I could. I played a great round of golf. Got a little ahead of myself. I was trying to knock it on the green on 16; hit it a little to the right, got a good break.

You know, had a good birdie on the last two.

Q. (No microphone.)
MARK WILSON: I don't look at it at all. I glanced on one hole. I noticed there's a paragraph, Yeah, so-and-so makes this spot, he'll move into the top 100. I know one stroke better and... Every birdie today helps the cause. It means you don't have to play as well next week or the week after.

I wanted to shoot as low as I could. I'm happy to be moving on.

Q. What about down the stretch? You birdied 17, right? You're thinking, What do I need to do here?
MARK WILSON: You know, I just wanted to hit a good shot in there and make a birdie, no matter what tournament it would be. Hit my hybrid out on the fairway, land on the green, hopefully make a putt. It's not going to change my strategy in any way. That's why I don't look.

Q. If you move on, would you have accomplished what you set out to do here this week?
MARK WILSON: Yeah, that was the number one goal. There's a lot. Just making the cut was big after shooting 72 the first day, have a bounce-back day. We're greedy as golfers. I really wanted to have a great finish and move into the top 50 so I'm good for Chicago, my hometown. But that wasn't the case.

Q. How much more volatility is there in this tournament as opposed to the other three? You're a math guy. You probably knew that.
MARK WILSON: There are more players.

Q. More guys not making points as opposed to guys making points. You probably had that figured out, right?
MARK WILSON: Yes. My experience with the FedExCup over the years, you could see that. You can move from barely in the top 125 to well inside Chicago with a top 10 this week. You just can. But that's the case once you get to Chicago. Let's say you're 60th there, you finish 10th, you're not going on to Atlanta. You need a fourth or fifth or third or something like that, so...

There's just more guys. Obviously that last week, everyone makes points because everyone makes the cut. Obviously there's less volatility in Chicago and there's less next week because there's less players playing.

Q. You're around 90. Do you put pressure on yourself to get to Chicago or take the same approach, not looking forward?
MARK WILSON: I did great this week. I was reading Dr. Rotella's book. I've read him a lot. One of the chapters I read was about staying in the present. The first day I did not do that. I'm like, Just stay in the present and see what happens.

It was easy that second day because I didn't miss a shot. Then the next day was a little bit more of a challenge because I was a couple over at the turn. Not get ahead of yourself. Then I birdied 10 and 12. All of a sudden your day's turned around.

But it's a hard thing to do. I don't think any of us players have mastered it. If you can somehow shove score aside, just hit the best shot you can each time, we'd do a lot better. Just add it up at the end.

Q. This is an esoteric question: Rory is missing this week, Sergio is going to miss the first two. Is there something to be said that maybe if there's a penalty, if they took points from guys who chose not to play for some reason other than injury? Has that ever been talked about or considered?
MARK WILSON: No. I think they've made the points where they are to encourage guys to play. But, yeah, if you have an amazing year like some of those guys, you don't have to play the first couple. There's a fine line. You don't want to make the Playoffs worth too much. If a player like that misses the cut the first week, he's gone. What he did in 2008 with that 2000-point thing if you make the cut, it just was a little crazy.

I think we got it right. You also want to reward the regular season enough. That's why it's four times instead of five times the last few years. You want to reward the regular season a little bit, too.

There hasn't been any talk of any penalties and I personally don't think there should be. If they don't want to play... There's enough incentive for players to play. I don't know how to say the word, incentivize.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297