OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

January 30, 2021

Laurie Canter

Emirates Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. Good through three days here at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, how would you assess how it's gone so far.

LAURIE CANTER: Yeah, I played really, really well. There hasn't been much plodding along. I either really hit my targets, hit my shots. The game has felt quite easy or has felt unbelievably hard. I'm making it look pretty tough on the greens. I haven't got the speed at all. Haven't all week. Yeah, I don't think I've ever played greens like how they are playing now; it's a new experience to try and adjust.

Yeah, it's going to be fun tomorrow.

Q. Talk about that back nine, topsy-turvy, 5-under through 13 at one stage, as well, and obviously a couple of bogeys on the card. Talk about that experience on the back nine.

LAURIE CANTER: I birdied 10, 11, which 10, you feel like is a really great chance and 11, I had no shot there. 12 is a tough hole. I mean, I hit the first putt 20-foot by, did well to three-putt.

Then 13 and 14, I hate the tee shots; trying to draw it, it goes against all my instincts to try and do that, so I hit pretty poor tee shot there. Made a great 5 really in the end.

The next hole, hit it sort of back edge in two. Put still matters the hole, goes in, like 15, three-putt.

Yeah, 16 is playing tough, so I didn't have a very good tee shot there.

And then -- yeah, it was topsy-turvy.

Q. Birdie on 14, that must have felt good?

LAURIE CANTER: Well, it felt good to see it go in because it was motoring when it went into the hole. I guess that's how this course is playing. There's going to be guys in this field who have played 15 U.S. Opens and they are going to be able to draw on that, and I haven't.

I mean, I am guessing what it like, but some of the putts, the greens, they are so quick, you have to factor in whether the part of the green you've made the putt is even alive, because you can't read the putt -- it's kind of moving about. In terms of trying to feel the shot, I was struggling, especially with the putter. Going to try to stay out here and hit a few putts and we'll do our best tomorrow.

Q. Sound a little bit down with some of your play but you've carried on this good form you've found since lockdown. What's been the secret to success?

LAURIE CANTER: I'm not downbeat, sorry, I'm just a bit beat up on the back nine. I'm in a great spot with a round to go. So I'm very happy about that and I'm hitting the ball well. I've been giving myself a chance.

Yeah, to come back to your question, I'd say it's more I've just been really focused on what I'm doing from tee-to-green, trying to create some shots and just kind of allow that competitive instinct to come out a bit more. I guess that's really been in it.

Q. You've been close a couple occasions last year in Portugal and Italy. What lessons have you learnt from those near misses tomorrow to turn that around?

LAURIE CANTER: Yeah, they are different. I think I was about this spot in Portugal and had a good last day, whereas Italy I was leading and that felt completely different to lead. Any time you're leading by a few, if you're not used to being up there, it can feel more difficult. So there's a bit more noise around you, you're going to carry that a bit more.

Truthfully, tomorrow, it's going to be front nine, just demands a lot of good golf shots, so go out, really get focused on the first tee shot and go from there. If I'm able to do that, the great thing about how the course is playing, if your tee-to-green play is good you have got quite a big advantage. It's going to be great shot after great shot; that's how you've got to play if you're going to have a chance tomorrow.