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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI

November 16, 2018

Tommy Fleetwood

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Q. I know you weren't happy with the ball-striking yesterday. How much better did it feel day two?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It was a lot better. Yeah, two completely different days, really, like a day today where -- we were the last ones on the range last night. Sometimes you just need to do a little bit of work. Felt like I hit it on range this morning with a decent understanding of what I needed to do, and a couple of good swing thoughts, and I was like a lot more consistent today.

So yeah, it was much better. A complete turnaround from yesterday.

Q. You also talked about you've got to take this shot-for-shot. You know exactly the situation and you know what you have to do, so shot-for-shot is the kind of game plan you're trying to take into each round. How much did you stick to that plan today?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, it's tough. Especially when it's something like The Race to Dubai, and it's not just one tournament, but a combination of every single shot you've hit throughout the year, and just everything this week is heightened; I did it last year and it's very difficult.

You get tested in so many different ways. There's putts out there: 3-putt on 7, 3-putt on 14, YOU feel those more than what you might do, but you definitely feel them more than if you were playing 50th this week and you weren't in with a chance.

It's still only day two, and in terms of the golf tournament, leaderboards mean nothing in day two but you can't help but look at them in the moment when you know what you have to do.

It's a challenge but it's one that I think every other player would kindly accept. You've got to enjoy that. That's the reason why we do it and they are massive, massive learning experiences. As difficult as it is, it's still very enjoyable.

Q. And do you feel like you can really use what happened a year ago, all that experience and over the first two days into the weekend now?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I'm trying to, yeah. How much more, even though over the course of the year, I'm a much more mature person, and I've had different experiences this year than I've had last year.

It's still a very difficult task and the odds are -- I've only won once this year. It's not like I'm a prolific winner this year. I've had chances and missed them.

So still trying to knock on that door and win a tournament, the same as everybody is. So there's so many different things going on, but the situation is pretty black and white. Just keep going and if there's any -- just put everything into it for another two days.

And at the end of the day, when that season starts, I kind of I said it at the start of the week, I said it yesterday: We've got two rounds of golf left of all the rounds of golf that have been played by all the players on Tour, and you're still in with a chance to win The Race to Dubai. It's pretty cool and you'll always take it.

Q. Two better than yesterday's opening round. What was the difference that helped elevate you today compared to yesterday?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Ball-striking. It was a completely different day ball-striking-wise. Yesterday I couldn't have got anymore out of that round of golf, and it felt amazing to just get off and I felt like I kind of stole a couple of shots.

Today, in a strange kind of way, you know, you can easily look back at shots that I might have -- that I could have done better, but I did so many good things, and you know, even -- a lot of times, it's the same on a scorable course, you still have to hit the golf shots and you still have to execute everything. It's not that easy. I will very gladly take that today but ball-striking today was a completely different day to yesterday.

Q. Given that you have to win to take The Race to Dubai, how important was today to keep you in touch with the lead?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, every shot seems very important. It's just a completely different feeling to any other week of the year. They are experiences that you have to have and that you want, but yeah, every shot just like a little bit more heightened. All your senses are a little bit heightened and every shot means that little bit more because it all comes down to this. And again, from a tournament perspective, 72 holes is a long time but it's a very short period of time that we've got left now in the grand scheme of the year.

It's difficult but you just have to keep your mind an the next shot, the next shot and keep pushing on, and again, the important thing yesterday was to make sure I still had a chance at the end of the day. The important thing today, make sure you have a chance at the end of today. We've still done that, so we'll just be happy with it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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