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January 18, 2018
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Q. Bark at the top of the leaderboard here again. What was it like out there?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Very good. Very stress-free. Played really well from start to finish. Felt like I did what you need to do well around this golf course, which is drive it well, hit your irons, but you can't really be too greedy all the time. Then sort of my pace putting was really good. Just basically did what you need to do to get a good score around the golf course.
Q. You didn't miss a green out there. You have to be so happy with that.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I was trying to, at one point I was sort of figuring it out. I couldn't figure out if I missed one or not. Yeah, it's a good golf course to hit 18 greens around. I just felt -- there's a couple shots, 7, really, was a missed green if you like but it was fine. But just a good ball-striking round and nice to start the year off like that.
Q. Talk about picking up from where you left off 12 months ago, that was a terrific start.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it really was. Had control of my ball really from the get-go. Just sort of did what you need to do well around here to get a good score. I drove it well. Got a way with a couple of tee shots. The rough is actually thick in parts. You think the rough is okay at times but other times it will catch you out.
Yeah, 18 greens, doesn't happen very often so nice to do it around here. Sort of my pace putting was really good. I didn't put myself under any stress at all. So all in all, very good morning.
Q. Just talk about that record of hitting all 18 greens in regulation. That is the kind of thing that really gets a professional's juices flowing, isn't it?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I didn't quite -- I knew I had hit a lot and walking down 9, I wondered if I missed a green. There's a couple of shots, really, 7, the par 3, widest green in the world, so that was kind of a missed green, when I hit it to about 200 foot. But yeah, just a good day and like I said, felt like I drove it really well. Starting lines were really good. Generally I try not to short-side myself a lot, so if got start lines going all right, generally going to be okay.
Q. How much satisfaction do you draw from performing as well as you have done when you're given a marquis group, you've earnt this position, but there you are with the world No. 1 and with Rory McIlroy and you beat them on the day.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I think during my career, I think I'm going to struggle to find a better three ball, really. Doesn't matter how long I play. That might be the best one I get.
Yeah, it's great. All you can do is concentrate on your own game and that's kind of what you always do is you set out to play the best you can.
But yeah, these two, I don't know what I'll do in my career and nobody knows what the future holds but I think these two might be going down in the history books, so it will be nice to tell them that I played these two in a three-ball.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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