LIV GOLF PROMOTIONS

December 11, 2024

Adri Arnaus

Ollie Schniederjans

Chris Wood

Riyadh Golf Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome Adri Arnaus from Spain, Ollie Schniederjans from the USA and Chris Wood from England. You've all had years of experience playing, whether it's DP World or PGA Tour. What's influenced your decision this week for you to try and qualify for the LIV Golf league this week?

ADRI ARNAUS: Yeah, happy to be here. I think what made up my mind was to give it a shot to play with a really strong field. At the end of the day, I believe that not the best players anywhere play on the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, so I want to compete with the best again.

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS: Obviously the International Series and the LIV Tour are just a great opportunity to play great courses against some of the best players in the world, and that's what I want to do. Happy to take this opportunity.

CHRIS WOOD: Yeah, I think for me there's a few things. I've had a difficult few years, which has taken its toll on myself, which I've spoken a little bit about.

I think the world of golf has so many opportunities now, and LIV has been the catalyst of that. It's branched out, and it's given players more opportunities to look at other ways of playing.

I played a couple of International Series events in Thailand about six weeks ago. Really enjoyed them, had a great two weeks.

I also think the schedule on LIV, there's 14 events. I've been a pro for 16 years now, and I've got four children, and playing 28, 30, 35 tournaments, those days are probably behind me now.

For players with families, playing less golf appeals. They're quite sort of high up on the reasons why I'm here.

Q. Have any of you spoken to any LIV Golf players about LIV, and if so, has there been any advice for this week or just in general?

ADRI ARNAUS: Yeah, of course. I've spoken plenty with the Spanish guys on LIV, and they're all enjoying it a lot. Their time on the tour has been very, very cool.

Yeah, it's definitely made me want to give it a go. But as far if they gave me some advice, not really. Just come out here and make some birdies.

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS: I have not friends on the LIV Golf that have played the International Series and heard nothing but a lot of great things about the golf courses, and on LIV the team aspect is really interesting, and I think a really exciting thing. Hearing about some of the camaraderie you get out there, on the PGA Tour it's a lot more kind of solo. That part of the LIV Tour is really interesting to me, and it sounds like would be a lot of fun and I think could bring the best out of me. I think probably a lot of guys feel that way. In college golf you get that, and then after college kind of everybody is on their own.

Yeah, just from the LIV Tour guys and International Series guys, they've had nothing but a lot of cool things to say, as well as caddies. I have a lot of friends that are caddying on the LIV Tour that they're very high about how much fun they're having out there. It's exciting to hear.

CHRIS WOOD: Not really, no. I've not seen many players. It's a very different schedule to DP World golf or PGA Tour, so you don't really cross paths. I spoke to Sam Horsfield a little bit in Thailand. He played there. And Terry, who caddies for him, he's Poulter's caddie, who I go back a long way with. I was an amateur in 2008 at The Open at Birkdale and played with Poulter on the last day, and Terry was obviously on his bag, so was sort of good to catch up with people like that that you've got a long-term friendship with.

But as far as advice goes, no. I think the branding says it all. You've got one shot and there's one spot. You've got to go for it.

Q. I think Greg had a run at Birkdale that year; is that right?

CHRIS WOOD: That's the same year, that's right. He was leading going into the last day, yeah.

Q. There's only one place up for grabs this week. It just shows you what's on the line for the players. Does that add to the pressure or change the game plan in any way for you this week?

ADRI ARNAUS: Yeah, obviously there is one spot, but at the same time you've got to go through a couple days before to get to that. I feel like definitely it's not the same game plan that you would do in a normal tournament. Like every day from the first shot until the last it's just be a tiny bit more aggressive and don't really leave anything out there.

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS: I think the first two rounds are a little bit more predictable what it's going to take. They just had the tournament here last week. It's going to be nice weather, so probably going to take 3- or 4-under those first two days is fairly predictable, but the winning score, one guy, 20 players, could be 9-under, could be 15-under.

I think you just play aggressive, kind of how you have to to win a tournament, and not try to guess too hard what it could be because just one guy gets that spot. Could be a crazy round, but with only 20 players, could be pretty doable, as well.

CHRIS WOOD: Yeah, it's a tough format. The first two days, 20 guys, you could play well and finish 21st and you could be going home Thursday night. It's brutal.

But that's professional sport.

I think as far as it goes to getting through each day, it's a massive patience thing this week. I think be as aggressive as you feel you need to be. There's a case you could finish 19th and then first. But there's also a massive appeal of the 10 places for the International Series, so for myself, I've sort of got half an eye on that, as well.

But as I said, I think you could quite easily get caught up in thinking there's only one place, and there's about 90 players here, so the standard is obviously very good. It very much needs to be your week to get that one place.

But like I said, there's other thing to be playing for here this week, as well.

Q. Ollie, have you had a chance to play with your brother much in tournaments before, and what's it been like so far? I assume you guys are hanging out together?

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS: Yeah, it's an absolute blast for me. We played on the PGA Tour in Bermuda together, so we got to play that event and play a practice round and prepare for that, and I finished third there, so that was a really fun week. We've played two Korn Ferry TOUR events together. He beat me in one, I beat him in one.

But yeah, being at a tournament, I've played over 100 events having him here, and doing the practice rounds with him, it feels more fun and less like a job because there's nothing I'd rather be doing. So it's a lot of fun for sure.

Q. I assume you guys talked about coming over here as a tandem. What were those discussions like that?

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS: We just think it's a great opportunity, and yeah, the landscape in the world of golf is wild right now, and what LIV has done has been super interesting.

For us, we just want to play great courses against the best players, and we're excited about what's going on with LIV and that opportunity, and also the International Series. There's a lot of new stuff going on in the world of golf and a lot more opportunity in different places. We're really excited about this chance.

Q. Chris, there's nine guys out here from that 2016 Ryder Cup already. If you get the spot, you'd be No. 10. Would it be nice to kind of reminisce with those guys? Would you have imagined eight years ago that you'd be here competing in a tournament in Saudi Arabia?

CHRIS WOOD: Well, I didn't realize there were that many from that team, so yeah, it just shows how different the landscape has changed in golf. Yeah, that was a team that -- well, half of us were rookies, Ryder Cup rookies. We'd all been experienced in playing in the majors and the world events in the States, and Ryder Cup rookie is probably out the window these days because if you make a team you're playing in all those big events with the best players in the world. That's interesting that there's that many playing.

So we'll see. You create a bond forever when you play in a Ryder Cup like that, and Europe is famous for their friendships and the camaraderie and the spirit, so even if I hadn't seen -- like I haven't seen Sergio for probably three or four years, but I'm sure if I saw him we'd embrace each other, and it would be great. He's always been good like that.

Yeah, I think however long it goes between seeing players that you've played on a team with, I think there's a bond that stays forever.

Q. You guys kind of touched on this a little bit, but the format itself is so different. Do you have to take kind of a different mental approach to, all right, I just need to survive these first two days? Like you said, you could be first --

CHRIS WOOD: I think so, yeah. I haven't decided if I really like it or if I really hate it. It probably depends on my golf. Part of me thinks it's brilliant that this is something different. There's too much golf, too much four-round golf, and I think having a different format like this where it really is like on the line on that day I think is fantastic for the world of golf.

When you're in it, it's maybe a little bit different because it is survival. But I think there's so much potential in formats like this to just change the landscape of the Thursday to Sunday four rounds. The majors obviously stay like that, but I think there's scope to do something different throughout a year because nearly every week there's a golf tournament. There needs to be things that are slightly different, and that is, I think, a big appeal to particularly this week but obviously what LIV are doing.

I think it's quite exciting to go out there and see -- like I said, there might be a guy that finished 20th, 20th and then goes mad on Saturday and wins the thing. It's great that the scores reset. It's just real interesting. We'll see how it plays out.

There was a similar format last year, I think, but there was a couple more spots maybe. A friend of mine suffered heartbreak on the last hole. Laurie Canter had a tough finish.

But yeah, that's what this format creates is that much pressure and that much drama coming down to the last hole. I think it was in a playoff, as well. Yeah, we'll see.

OLLIE SCHNIEDERJANS: I don't really know what to think of it. It's different. But then you play a lot of rounds that matter a lot in golf. If you have a final round or you've got to make a cut on Friday, a lot of times you're playing rounds that come down to a shot here or there. That's going to be from the start this week. You can't make too many mistakes early. You have to play a good round the first round for sure.

ADRI ARNAUS: Yeah, as I was saying, I feel like you just have to be ready from hole one, and once you do that, just give it your best every round. I think the tough part of this, if you don't have a very good round to start, then forget that and start over. But we're all here in the same boat, so yeah, you're just kind of focusing the best on every shot and every round.