CHUBB CLASSIC PRESENTED BY SERVPRO

February 13, 2025

Stephen Ames

Tiburón Golf Club

Press Conference

Q. All right, Stephen, our defending champion here at the Chubb Classic. Just to start, how does it feel to be back here in Naples?

STEPHEN AMES: Nice. The weather is nice and warm, which is lovely, as we all know what happened last year.

This year looks very promising. No weather. Should be a beautiful week.

Q. Rewinding back to last year, obviously cut short to 36 holes.

STEPHEN AMES: Yep.

Q. What do you remember about your performance in that week as a whole?

STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, actually I came from Morocco --am I right by saying that?

Q. I think it was the week after.

STEPHEN AMES: Oh, yeah. So I don't know how I was playing that well, but I did, put it that way.

I had two weeks off prior. Same as this year. I had two weeks off prior and think I did prepare a little bit with my coach last year prior to coming here. Maybe that's what the secret was. I've done exactly the same this year.

Spent three days with him at Doral and done some work on my golf swing and trying to get back into the mix of things a bit.

Q. What kind of stuff have you been working on?

STEPHEN AMES: The same things that I've been trying to change. Trying to get a little deeper and flatter. Working on the ball flight and stuff like that.

I mean, I'm 60, 61 this year. Feel like I still got things that I could change and get better and improve on.

Q. The last two years you've won several times.

STEPHEN AMES: Seven.

Q. Several, seven. With that, what are your goals going into this year?

STEPHEN AMES: I think the main one for me is trying not to waste as much energy as I usually do on the golf course. As we all know, there are a lot of issues that we have with professional golfers. We're not going to say certain ones.

But those things do irritate me quite a bit when I'm on the golf course, so something I'm trying to learn to cope with and cope with it better.

Q. Two questions.

STEPHEN AMES: Okay.

Q. Lucky you.

STEPHEN AMES: Yes.

Q. First one: I realize every week is a level playing field whether you won the week or the year before.

STEPHEN AMES: Right.

Q. When you come back as defending champion, do you get an elevated, I don't want do say confidence, but anything that makes you feel a little bit more comfortable?

STEPHEN AMES: I guess. Yeah, I guess there is. There are certain courses that you know right off the front looking at it you'll really enjoy playing all the time.

When I first came to this golf course and played this golf course I didn't enjoy playing it, so it's like, wait, how did that happen?

So, yeah, there is a bit of a confidence now knowing what kind of game I have to bring to this golf course to be able to play well.

I did that last year and I've done that two golf courses that I won on as well. A lot of it is a bit of a mindset. I think it has to change a little bit, which is also one of my goals, and moving forward from there.

Q. A little bit of a philosophical question. Not intended to throw you off. There is a thought that the only time to ever look back is to see how far you've come. You've done a lot and achieved a lot.

STEPHEN AMES: Yeah.

Q. First of all, do you ever look back at all you accomplished so far, and can that serve as motivation for you what hope to do?

STEPHEN AMES: No, it doesn't, no. I look at the past as the past. Tap on the back. I look at it more the fact of it's always ahead. I make goals to usually better myself as a person. Usually that reflects on the golf course as well. Those are the things I reflect on.

Past performances or non-performances I don't look at, no.

Q. Do you ever look back at all you've done? Do you take a real sense of, wow, I'm impressed that I've accomplished...

STEPHEN AMES: No. Only when maybe you kind of look at it and you mentioned it, like you just did it, several times, seven times. I'm like, yeah, okay, I'll reflect on it, but it's in and out.

I tend to like to live in the present and a little bit in the future. I very rarely like to look back in the past.

Q. I wanted to ask a quick question also. Golfers struggle with consistency. You seem like you keep improving. How do you stay so consistent?

STEPHEN AMES: A lot of it is physical. This is the Champions TOUR, Legends Tour, and we're all getting on with age.

For me, the motivation very much is trying to get myself fit, so I'm quite often in the gym working out.

Q. Any specific routine that works better?

STEPHEN AMES: No routine. I've been working with Harry Sese for the last -- this is my fifth year. Works with Jon Rahm, Jerry Kelly, couple guys on the regular TOUR. He's given me a pretty good workout routine.

Every month we change it to different things we have to work on after an assessment. It comes out to the dedication of me actually going into the gym and doing the work, which is what I've been doing.

So it's more the fact that I rededicated myself in that perspective, and I think that's the big -- probably the biggest improvement in myself at the moment right now.