	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

BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN

June 24, 2017

Richard Bland

Munich, Germany

Q. A colourful 67, how was it for you?
RICHARD BLAND: It was good fun. It's always a pleasure playing with Henrik, and yeah, we had a few laughs out there. Yeah, I hit some really good shots out there and I hit a couple of scrappy ones coming in, but my short game saved me. Got my feet wet, and holed a second shot into 13. So yeah, kind of ran pretty much into everything.

Q. Did Henrik at one time suggest you get down to your under pants like he did?
RICHARD BLAND: Yeah, what I was walking around, the SKY guys said that they could see the ball. I was thinking, yeah, it's gone for a swim, and yeah, that's it, I'm going to be dropping it. The guy said, no, we can see something. And then I was walking around thinking, what kind of boxer shorts have I got. But fortunately Gaz saved my blushes with saying that he had the waterproofs in the bag.

So yeah, it was a sort of 50/50 shot, yeah. It was one of those, if it doesn't come off, you're going to look silly, but fortunately it came out and an added bonus, I rolled the putt in to make four. I was staring six in the face, really, so that's a two-shot swing right there.

Q. Tell us about the shot. What club was it?
RICHARD BLAND: We were 120 yards, but we were a little bit of altitude this week, so playing less than that. It was a real good 54-degree gap wedge for me and just came out perfect and pitched just right of the hole and spun left and in it went. Again just a huge bonus, really.

So obviously you're trying to hit it as close as you can. If it goes in, then added bonus. But yeah, just really pleased to be going out there tied tomorrow and if I shoot the best score tomorrow, I win.

Q. Your mind-set tomorrow, are you thinking about that at all?
RICHARD BLAND: Not really. I just want to chill out tonight as much as I can. I'm sure when I wake up tomorrow morning, of course it's going to be on my mind. Yeah, I've been there before. I've been in this position before, so I know what to do. It just hasn't gone my way just yet. Hopefully it will tomorrow, and if I can just keep doing what I'm doing, the old clichÃ©, just one shot at a time and control what I do and not worry too much about what everybody else is doing, and add them up at the end and hopefully it's good enough.

Q. To be able to play shots like this, you need a lot of confidence. Where do you get this from at that moment?
RICHARD BLAND: Yeah, the confidence to be fair has been a little fragile recently. I've not been playing that great. But rounds like that, and the two previous rounds, just kind of helps the confidence. So yeah, I've just got to go out there tomorrow with the same attitude and if I can keep hitting some good shots, then hopefully I've got a say come tomorrow afternoon.

Q. Do you think there are spaces where you can improve?
RICHARD BLAND: Of course. I got a little loose coming in. I had it pretty much under control most of the way around but just kind of, I think the second shot on 14th kind of threw me, and I just kind of probably got a little defensive coming in. Yeah, so I've just got to go and hit some balls on the range. Just try and tighten it up a little bit for tomorrow and hopefully I can put in a good swing tomorrow.

Q. How will you make it to not think about winning the tournament tomorrow?
RICHARD BLAND: There's a lot of golf yet to be played and there's some great, great players. I'm playing with the Masters Champion tomorrow. And Henrik, we all know what Henrik can do when he gets on a run. We can't count him out. It's that kind of course where you can get it going.

Tomorrow you've got to stay aggressive when you can and hopefully take your chances, and yeah, hopefully that will be good enough.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297