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WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN

January 31, 2017

Hideki Matsuyama

Scottsdale, Arizona

MARK WILLIAMS: We'd like to welcome Hideki Matsuyama and his interpreter, Bob Turner, to the Waste Management Phoenix Open media center.

I'd like to make it clear that because this will be a bilingual press conference, for the benefit of our transcriptionist, we do get questions in Japanese or English and we'd like to have them translated in advance, and the answers, as well. Please be patient with that. We do have microphones, so use them when you have questions.

Hideki, welcome back. Defending champion. I'm not sure if everyone knows, but this is his fourth start in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. You've had three top five finishes. There's only one player in history that's also done that, and that's Rocco Mediate.

I'm not sure if you know, Hideki, but 14-under is the score that you have shot each year, 270.

Do you think that this score, if you shoot it again for a fourth year running, would be good enough to win with the way everyone is playing so far on the PGA TOUR?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Yeah, I'm not sure if 14-under will win, if it's a good score or not, but that's going to be my goal for the week.

MARK WILLIAMS: Before we get to questions, we'd also like to say to Hideki, you have been in a great run of form for the last four, five, six months. Looking forward to this tournament, coming back here to defend.

What is the feeling for you?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Thank you, Mark.

Yeah, I have played well the last six months or so. I didn't have real good tournaments at Sony and Farmers, so I'm a little reluctant to say I'm in top form. But hopefully coming back to the desert, especially here in Scottsdale, it revitalized me. Hopefully I'll be able to compete on Sunday for a repeat.

MARK WILLIAMS: We'll take some questions.

Q. Could you just talk about what do you like about this place so much to go T-4, 2, 1?
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: You know, I'm not really sure whether it's the course, but I do know that the tremendous galleries that we have here just invigorates me and gets me going. I love playing here.

Q. Do you expect more from yourself now after this great run that you have been on?
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: There are higher expectations, but, you know, in golf, it comes and goes. What I'm trying to do is be more consistent. You know, I'd love to be able to compete every week, you know, to win.

But I'm also trying, even when I'm not playing well, to be able to raise that level of my game to a point that, you know, I'm out there doing my best. So I guess consistency is the main thing I'm working on right now.

Q. Jon Rahm will be in here later this afternoon. Have you had a chance to play with him? And what are your impressions of his game?
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: I haven't had the pleasure of playing with Jon yet, but anyone that can do what he did in that difficult -- I mean, that was a difficult course last week.

He can certainly play. You know, hopefully I'll be able to keep up with him.

Q. Are you already looking ahead? Are you thinking about the Presidents Cup?
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: You know, it's still a ways off, but hopefully I will qualify for the team.

And hopefully, I'm looking at our teammates, too, what type of team the international team is going to be. We haven't won in a while, so I am looking forward to that and being able to gel with my teammates and put up a good fight against the U.S. team.

Q. There are a lot of players that have already said they are looking forward to the Masters. Is the Masters on your mind yet?
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: Like everyone else, yeah, that's the first Major of the year, and that's one of my goals. The preparation has begun already, to be able to compete well there.

Q. What do you remember about the playoff with Rickie Fowler last year? Any moment? Any shot in particular?
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: What I remember, I guess, is some of the putts that went in. I putted well during that playoff. Yeah.

MARK WILLIAMS: You're paired this week with former winner Brooks Koepka and also the rookie of the year two seasons ago, Daniel Berger. What do you look forward to with that pairing? Do you pay attention to pairings during tournament weeks?

HIDEKI MATSUYAMA: I enjoy playing with both of those guys. I played with Daniel last week at Farmers and played with Brooks last year at HSBC. We get along well, and hopefully we'll have a good three-some.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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