WGC WORLD CUP

November 16, 2003

Paul Casey

Justin Rose

GORDON SIMPSON: We have Team England with us Justin and Paul. A fantastic performance to get to 9-under 67. Paul, just give us your outline on the day's play.

PAUL CASEY: We set a target of 66 on the range. We thought that would really challenge. We felt a 66 would lock up second place. And if South Africa faulted, a very outside chance, and I think we almost got it. I'm very happy with the way we played today. A couple of blemishes on the card, but we've played foursomes very, very well. I don't know what it is. It's frustrating we haven't played the better ball as we would have liked. The foursomes we gel nicely. It's been a great day.

GORDON SIMPSON: Justin, if you do it again next year you'll have four aspects right.

JUSTIN ROSE: We're working our way towards -- last year second, and natural progression, first. If we both play well enough to be back, we've proved a very strong partnership. I think this weekend we really gelled well together and backed each other up when we needed backing up and it was fantastic. Paul hit some nice shoots and made some nice putts on the back nine today. It was a good solid day's golf.

Q. 17, do you think it will prove costly to you?

PAUL CASEY: I don't think we can put it down to the 71st hole. I think there was plenty of other holes out there just during the week that -- taking a double on Thursday, you just can't do it.

JUSTIN ROSE: We made double on 13.

PAUL CASEY: I didn't hit a good tee shot. I have been looking forward to it for the last three days. It gave Justin a very difficult lie. I don't know his point of view, you can ask him right now, but I don't feel upset about making bogey there.

JUSTIN ROSE: Obviously I felt for Paul on the 17th tee. I said, from my point of view, don't worry, just hit it and see what happens. It would have been on his mind the previous four or five or six holes. Obviously as we go up in the hunt that shot became harder and harder and harder.

PAUL CASEY: Background me, I haven't been hitting any cuts this week either and the wind is off to the right.

JUSTIN ROSE: Basically what we said, which I think was actually pretty clever and pretty smart for us in a way, we said if we could play the last two holes in 7, rather than looking it as a par 3, par 4 or we made bogey, if we can play the last two holes in 7, we would be delighted and we did that. We went 4, 3.

Q. Was that a difficult shot, the shot that Paul left you there in the dunes?

JUSTIN ROSE: To be honest, it was. It was on the edge of the hill. There was a lot of sand behind the ball and one thing I wasn't sure about was how much sand there was under the ball. I could have had practice swings but I couldn't have a practice swing in anything similar. If I got too close the ball might move. Basically with water behind the flag, there was no way I was going to catch it thin.

Q. How aware were you of what South Africa would do?

PAUL CASEY: I don't know what they are now, but aware they weren't making any ground. It looked like they were 13 for a long, long time, dropped one after nine holes or something. I didn't actually scoreboard watch today. I didn't scoreboard watch South Africa. I looked at everybody else, very aware of what second place was.

JUSTIN ROSE: That was our goal at the beginning of the day, to sort of move up into second and obviously when you're in that position -- South Africa, they were 10 ahead of us at the beginning of the day, so we couldn't really realistically look at them. We could look at second and if South Africa had a nightmare we could be there.

PAUL CASEY: Just trying to beat France, as well, twice.

Q. You were only three behind South Africa as they were playing the 11th, after you had those two birdies, for a moment.

JUSTIN ROSE: I felt going up 16, if we could make two birdies, 16 or 18, whatever, that was our only chance. That's asking a lot. It's a tough finish.

Q. The obvious chemistry that exists between you on the course, is that a natural thing or was this something you had to work on when you started?

PAUL CASEY: Sort of a big show. Don't actually like Justin at all. (Laughter.)

JUSTIN ROSE: Your bank manager does now, though. (Laughter.)

Q. Gordon, since you play two people and one ball, how do they call it foursomes? Why not twosomes?

GORDON SIMPSON: You've put me on the spot now. Ask the guys.

JUSTIN ROSE: A very good question. Maybe we should call it alternate shot. That makes more sense.

Q. Was there anything in particular about your birdies? Did you make a lot of long putts? Did you get it close a lot?

JUSTIN ROSE: We stiffed it on one, up-and-down on two, 2-putt at seven for birdie on the par 5.

11, Paul hit it and nearly spun it back into the hole, so that was a tap-in.

Then Paul made a nice putt on 14 and 15, made two 20-footers there.

PAUL CASEY: A nice knee knocker from three feet on 18.

JUSTIN ROSE: It felt like it was about six feet, to be honest with you. I managed to knock that one in.

Q. Would you mind talking about the chemistry between you two and why you think you play well together?

PAUL CASEY: Justin can give his point of view in a minute. I think we trust each other's game. I know Justin is going to give 110 percent and I think he probably feels the same -- I hope he feels the same about me. We don't apologize to each other, and we're just very good friends. That combines to a very good partnership.

JUSTIN ROSE: I think obviously we go out in the evening and we always have a good laugh over dinner and talk about relevant things to us. Obviously being similar ages, I think that the week goes a lot quicker in a way, sort of hanging out with the mates. There's no strained conversations or anything like that, I think obviously because we're the same age, we have a lot in common.

Q. Obviously it's not your shout, are you watching for the Ryder Cup?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think Paul is looking good for the next one, for sure.

Q. After 72 holes on the golf course, can you give us a critique of this golf course, what you think of it?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think it's a fantastic golf course, and actually in a way a lot better or fairer than I expected it to be. Obviously THE '91 Ryder Cup, there weren't horror stories, but stories about how horrible and brutal this golf course was. It definitely showed its teeth when the wind picked up on Thursday. To me it makes it a great course. Obviously it's exposed to the elements and I really like that type of golf, but it's in great condition and it's a hell of a test.

If I was to say something negative, and something I feel, would be honestly the 18th hole is not as tough as it should be. There is about 17 18 holes -- 17 18th holes, if you know what I'm trying to say. 18, I feel, is not as tough. It's a bit of a breathing space after 17. You get on 18 and you have done the hard bit now.

Q. Paul?

PAUL CASEY: I agree with that. I actually didn't pay attention to what he said. I'll probably just reiterate everything. It's better than I expected golf course-wise. There's a lot of long walks out there, but that's Pete Dye for you. I think Gordon just said the PGA Championship is coming here and it's going to be brutal. It's going to be embarrassingly difficult I think when it comes here. Good things to say really. It was a really tough but fair golf course this week. It definitely rewards good golf. There is no luck out there, I don't think.

Q. Would you like to see the bunkers be the same?

PAUL CASEY: I don't think any criticism of the course. I think that's a criticism of the rules of golf. And for those of you who missed that, was it Thursday? I buried the ball in the bunker on 17, the waste area, in the face. And as you know, I think a bunker you are allowed to uncover the sand until it's visible and then play that ball therefore you can't play a wrong ball out of a hazard. In this scenario, I wasn't given any relief. The crowd indicated where the ball was roughly located, but I wasn't allowed to brush away the sand because it's loose impediment, blah, blah, blah. The rules I think are unfair for that situation. A rule needs to be created to accommodate the scenarios you can get on a golf course like this. Simple as that. If that's in place, then I think this place is fair and off we go.

JUSTIN ROSE: I agree. I also agree you can't rake 50 yards worth of waste when you walk to your ball. That's going to make play even slower. So in a way, that bunkers that can be raked that are in play, should be raked, but it is a tough one. It is a tough one.

PAUL CASEY: I agree you play the ball as they lie. Simple as that.

JUSTIN ROSE: To be honest, it was fairly clear playing the course which bunkers -- I felt, it was a strange experience having practice swings in the waste.

PAUL CASEY: It's great looking at the reactions of the crowd taking practice swings, "What is he doing?" It's strange from a player's point of view, taking a practice swing. "This isn't right, I'm cheating." If I ever get the chance to come back here again, which hopefully I will, I would relish the chance of coming back and seeing what happens.

End of FastScripts.