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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

September 5, 2018

Marc Leishman

Carmel, Indiana

JACK RYAN: Defending champion, Marc Leishman at the 2018 BMW Championship. Marc set the tournament scoring record last season en route to a wire to wire finish.

Marc, an opening comment on coming back to defend your title, albeit at a difficult course.

MARC LEISHMAN: It's great to be back. Obviously a different feeling being at a different venue but, you know, the other two tournaments I've tried to defend at the same venue I haven't managed to do so I'll look at it as a positive and see if I can do that here this week.

Yeah, excited about the week. The course looks great and looking forward to getting into it.

JACK RYAN: You played 18 holes in the Pro-Am today. What did you see from the course and how did it fit your eye?

MARC LEISHMAN: The course is pretty soft. I think the changes are really good. There's quite a bit of room off the tee but if you do hit it in the bunkers they're very penalizing.

I think most people will be hitting a lot of fairways. But good iron play is going to be probably the key along with obviously holing the putts. But I think good iron play is a huge, huge advantage this week as far as, you know, the scoring will go. If you're in the wrong parts of the green you have no chance.

JACK RYAN: Take questions out here.

Q. Leish, a lot of people refer to you as the most underrated player in the world sort of before you won this last year, particularly after Boston.
How do you think winning changed that in the fashion that you did?

MARC LEISHMAN: Well, I mean, I guess put me more in the spotlight, you know, bit of attention that comes along with winning. Yeah, I guess it was a good tag while I had it but I'm happy to, you know, be noticed a little bit more now. But that just comes along with playing good, I guess.

You know, I enjoyed it when I could just fly under the radar and all that but, you know, I'm enjoying the way it is now, too.

So, I don't know. It's good -- just be playing well enough to not, I guess, be treated or underrated, whatever.

Q. How different would a win this week be compared to winning last year; kind of reminding people you're one of the best players in the world?
MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah, I guess so. You know, there's obviously a long way, lot of great players here. That's the goal is to win here this week, that's why we're all here, but I feel like I'm playing good at the moment.

Happy with how I played last week. Obviously on the greens wasn't exactly how I would have liked it but, yeah, it will be nice if I could knock another one off here and go back to back. I'm sure it would be a great feeling.

Q. A quick Bryson question. I don't know, is there any urge or temptation from players to look at what he's doing a little more seriously and say maybe there's something there I could incorporate, or would your head just explode?
MARC LEISHMAN: I think as far as his clubs go, the one length, possibly. I'm not going to say I didn't think about it after he won last week, two times in a row. Just get you thinking, how far would you clubs go, how would it feel pitching with a 7-iron length lob wedge?

Yeah, I definitely thought about it. It's not something I'll do mid season but as far as all of the other stuff that he does, my head would definitely explode if I did that. There's not much that goes through my head and that would be way too much, yeah.

Certainly works for him.

Q. Talking about your head, can you go down to the local supermarket or the local hardware store and not be recognized?
MARC LEISHMAN: Oh, not -- not really. I mean but it's not like people rude or anything. People are really friendly and they know that I'm nice and if they want photos or whatever I'll do it.

But, yeah, in the last -- particularly since I've been playing with Tiger so much, I've been getting noticed more but I guess it's, you know, it's part of what I do.

If you're successful at this job, which I have been for the last couple of years, luckily, you know, that comes along with it and I enjoy it. It's good especially when kids come up to you and they're so excited to see it. You can make their day very easily and I love doing that.

Q. What's some of the questions they would ask you about playing with Tiger?
A It's mostly about the crowds, you know, how the crowds -- most of the time I would answer that you can't really see a lot of the crowd. Once it gets beyond about two deep you don't know if it's three deep or 20 deep.

But, yeah, I mean ask what we talk about and just general questions. You know, I give mostly a vague answer to most of the time but most of the time they just come up and sort of they're happy to see you, shake your hand and leave.

But, like I say, with kids when you can see the look on their face and see the look on their parents' face when they come up to you, that's a really cool part of my job.

Q. Marc, we're not to the weekend yet. What have you seen out of Philadelphia fans here so far in the Pro-Am today and some of the kids yesterday as well?
MARC LEISHMAN: There wasn't too many out there today. It was pretty hot. But I mean I played here in 2010 and 2011. I remember the crowds being great. I guess probably better ask me that tomorrow about that with the crowds. 8:30 in the morning on Wednesday, there won't be too many. I'm sure they'll be great. They support their sport very strongly and hopefully they'll be out and making some noise on the weekend. Hopefully I'll give them something to cheer about.

Q. You talk about the fairways being wider.
What were some of the most noticeable things with the changes and how much did it change. It played -- I know when Rose won, he compared it to a U.S. Open.

Did that change a little bit or not so much?

MARC LEISHMAN: I remember it being like, you said, narrower. I remember thinking that there would be -- this would be a great spot to hold a Major because it was so tough and the fairways were quite narrow, rough was very thick.

I think it has changed a little bit. I think the scoring is going to be quite a bit lower with the width of the fairways; with it being soft as well you can take a lot of the bunkers out of play if you want.

There's plenty of space between them to hit a club to take both sets out of play and then the greens being soft, it's a lot softer than I remember it. I remember the greens being very, very severe. I think they possibly softened them out a little bit but with them -- it's only Wednesday and with them being slower than what they will be Sunday and softer, I'm assuming they'll firm them up. We could play a completely different golf course tomorrow than what we played today.

So, my first reaction was that it's going to be a lot easier but if they decide to tuck some pins, put them on some high spots, I think they can dictate the score by doing that. I think they put the pins in low spots there will be a lot of birdies and low scores.

But, like I say, they decide to tuck them in more difficult spots, they'll -- you know, I think anything under par will be pretty good.

Q. You hit a lot of drivers to just carry all the bunkers and get to the wide spots?
MARC LEISHMAN: There are -- a lot of them if you can fly it 310 plus, a lot guys will be. If it gets hot enough I might be able to but I'll have to hit a good one to get over. I'll probably hit, I don't know, 70 percent drivers and then I think I'll hit one iron, that's on maybe 13 or 14, maybe a couple of 5-woods.

It's mostly going to be drivers for me. There's enough room that you can hit it between the bunkers. You don't have to completely take them out of play if you don't want to.

Q. What was the best thing that came out of winning this event last year, in a normal golf sense?
MARC LEISHMAN: Well, I think it was obviously getting another trophy, that was awesome, having my family here, that was really good but personally I guess, for myself, it was on a Sunday last year, probably one of the hardest rounds of golf we ever played because the week before in Boston I had a lead by two shots going into the back-9 and didn't win, didn't play very well on the back-9 and left there really disappointed.

And then being in a similar position the following week, you know, still thinking about that and I was very determined not to do that again and to play well enough to be able to enjoy it walking up the last -- that was probably the most satisfying thing that I worked hard, overcome what happened the week before and was able to enjoy it and I distinctly remember walking up to the green and looking over to the right and Audrey and my three kids were all there and the looks on their faces was just unbelievable, and that gave me goosebumps and also the first win with my daughter there as well. That was probably the thing that I remember the most, yeah.

Q. As a young, totally impartial International team player you cast an eye on the makeup of the European Ryder Cup teams? I was wondering what your thoughts were. Looking at the U.S. team so far, how does that sort of shape up compared to the team you faced last year, any thoughts?
MARC LEISHMAN: I think the U.S. team always shapes up pretty good. They're very strong. You know, they've got the picks they made yesterday were great picks. I think Tony will have to be there and he'll be a great part of their team if he happens to be on it. They were really strong and all in very, very good form at the Presidents Cup last year.

The score showed that. I know -- I'd expect them to play well this year as well. Probably going to be a little more difficult for them being over in France but the European team is a great team as well. They made the picks this morning. Who did this pick?

Q. Stenson, Casey, Sergio and Poulter.
MARC LEISHMAN: Lot of experience there. Both teams going to have to play great to win. It's going to be, you know, pretty good spectacle, I think.

Q. Sorry, one more about off the tee. But in 2010 then was it more conservative than just kind of find fairways and now it's a lot more drivers and be aggressive? Long time ago.
MARC LEISHMAN: I can't remember really, to be honest. I remember it being narrow. I'm driving it so much better now than what I was back then so I think the fairways looked like a ribbon back then. Now they look a lot wider because I've been playing a lot better. Yeah, I honestly can't remember. I can only remember three holes today being out there and lot of holes that I was just relearning, yeah.

Q. Marc, there is a lot of work, working hard this week. They need one each to achieve everything. Do you know what you don't know?
MARC LEISHMAN: Do I know?

Q. What you don't know. Do you know what you don't know?
MARC LEISHMAN: Do I know what I don't know?

Q. Yes.
MARC LEISHMAN: No (laughter). No, I don't. Sorry. I don't understand the question.

Q. Following up on the Ryder Cup, how much of an interest do you take that week in watching the action or are you just more disinterested because you don't really have a horse in the race?
MARC LEISHMAN: In the Ryder Cup? Yeah, I think -- no, I probably won't watch too much of it. I think me and my wife are going away that weekend, actually. So we'll -- yeah, I probably -- I might catch a little bit of it in a bar at some point if I sneak off for an hour or so.

But, yeah, I don't tend to watch a whole lot of golf when I'm on off weeks. Too busy with the kids and all that, yeah.

Q. Marc, last time the Tour stopped here three of the hardest holes on the course were the par-3s. You had a chance to play it today.
Do you have a good game plan for how you're going to attack them this week?

MARC LEISHMAN: Yeah. 8 is a long, long hole. I think you got to be pretty conservative, 8 and 17. You just got to hit good shots. 8, 17 -- is it 5, the short one? That's a good hole, you know -- any of them you can't really short-side yourself on. Anything in the middle of the green is a pretty good shot.

And then well, what was it, 14, 14 with that long right. If you hit good shots you can make birdies but you got to hit -- the same as the second shots into the greens on the par-4s. You have to be hitting your irons good and hitting your spots.

If you don't, it's going to be tough, it's going to be very tough.

Q. Is there any apprehension because of the length being over 215 yards?
MARC LEISHMAN: Not really. I mean I think what, 8 is 240 yards? It plays so far downhill, I mean I hit a 5-iron in there today. Whether you're hitting -- might be some guys if it's chilly in the morning, which I think it's meant to be, then there might be some woods hitting there.

Whether you're hitting a 5-iron or wood, doesn't really matter. You have to hit good shots.

And if they decide to tuck the pins on those holes, which I would assume they would, you probably not going to be aiming at the flag. Probably the middle of the green on the three longer ones are pretty good holes, pretty good shots.

JACK RYAN: Thank you, as always, for the time, Marc, and best of luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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