WGC EMC WORLD CUP

December 10, 2002

Paul Casey

Justin Rose

RODDY WILLIAMS: Justin, Paul, welcome to the EMC2 World Cup. Justin, you could start us off, please. You have a new partner this week, and an untried partnership, as well.

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, it is. Obviously we know each other pretty well. We haven't played together as a team, but we played together a couple of times this year. We know each other's games relatively well.

I think the more important thing is, I don't think knowing each other's games is particularly important because you just trust the other guy to play his own game. Just the fact that we are comfortable with each other and can have dinner with each other off the course and basically hang out, as well, which I think is important.

RODDY WILLIAMS: You had a late call-up to this week.

PAUL CASEY: I actually had more notice this year than I did last year. Last year I had, what was it, the Saturday before, and then this year I had a week ago yesterday, which is pretty good, a week to get ready is fine. I was in a practice round and I was getting ready for next year, working out, working on the game. But a week has proven long enough to get my game in shape.

RODDY WILLIAMS: You've had your first view of the course today. Thoughts on that, Justin?

JUSTIN ROSE: I think it's relatively generous off the tee. Although, if you do knock it way off-line, you are going to be penalized, but the fairways are wide enough that you can take your driver out and be aggressive. I think the scoring is going to be relatively low because of that.

The course is nice. Has a good feel. We played this morning when it was quite calm. I don't know, just feels like it could get quite windy around here, so that will be interesting if the wind picks up.

PAUL CASEY: I think we were both learning the grain today. There's quite a lot of grain out there, a type of grass we are not used to playing on consistently in Europe. There is a bit of grain that's going away from the mountain or towards the ocean out there. Today there was a lot of sort of observing the greens.

I think we both enjoyed the course. What's nice, our games are similar and we are hitting the ball in the same place. A lot of the clubs will be the same this week, and hopefully that will prove beneficial and to our advantage over the rest of the field.

Q. I've only had a chance just to look at the card, but it seems to me that it is a fairly modern mix of long and short par 4s, not just uniformly long par 4s. Is it quite interesting in that respect?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, but I don't think -- I'm just trying to think of a par 4 that we hit sort of less than 8-iron in or more than 8-iron. Even the 440 -- what's the longest one, 440, 15 is it? That was like a wedge. So I think the fairways are quite firm and you're getting a little bit more run on the ball than you generally do in Europe. Would you say it's fair?

PAUL CASEY: What was the question? (Laughs).

JUSTIN ROSE: That there's a nice mix of long and short holes out there, although the long holes are not playing particularly long.

Q. What were you using for the par 5s, then?

JUSTIN ROSE: The par 5s are quite tricky. You almost have to hit 3-wood off a couple of the tees on the par 5s. The eighth hole, Paul hit 3-wood 5-iron in there. The 10th hole, you've got the option of going down a different -- well, there's two fairways, so 3-wood -- basically two 3-woods on to the 10th. 12th, a very long hole, 580. Although for Paul, it's definitely reachable. The third hole --

PAUL CASEY: I'm lost already. (Laughter.) I hit 3-wood.

Q. Are you discussing foursomes out there already, who should do what and where?

PAUL CASEY: To be honest, I think the two of us, we're not going to be able to reach any of the par 5s, no matter who tees off first. I think the key is to pick -- I don't know how the par 3s work out, but in my experience, it's always key to pick the guy who has got the best iron game of the week to, put him on the par 3s. That's the way you can win in my opinion, in foursomes. Because off the tee, it's generous enough that no matter how poorly either of us are hitting it, we can get it in play.

Q. How much did you play as amateurs together?

PAUL CASEY: How much did we play together? It was always against each other.

JUSTIN ROSE: And Paul went to America, so I really didn't --

PAUL CASEY: We played a lot as university jurors against each other, Junior Amateurs.

JUSTIN ROSE: When I was about 13, that sort of age, I think we played a bit.

PAUL CASEY: We've known each other for about ten years, we think.

Q. Type of ball for the foursomes?

PAUL CASEY: Titleist. (Laughter.)

Q. Is that important, or do you practice with other balls?

JUSTIN ROSE: It can make a big difference, but we've been playing the same ball all year, so that's good.

PAUL CASEY: What ball is that?

JUSTIN ROSE: A white one. (Laughter.)

Q. Did you get any advance warning, Paul, that this call-up might come?

PAUL CASEY: Not at all, no. As I say, Monday morning, America time, about nine o'clock in the morning, I got a call from my management company which was obviously very nice. It was just very, very nice of Nick to give me notice. Could have quite easily given me less and I'm not sure what his circumstances are, but I appreciate, as I say, giving me as much notice as he did.

Q. You said you were in practice mode. Were you going off somewhere warm to practice?

PAUL CASEY: I was in Scottsdale. So I'm only two hours away from him. Not as humid, but it's only an hour difference, time difference for me from here, so I feel like there's no jet-lag whatsoever. The climate is fairly warm in Scottsdale right now, it's maybe low 70s, it's not too bad. Not much of a change. But as I say, I was very much practice-orientated, not game-orientated, and tried my best the past week to play as much as I could. I won over a member of the club I'm a member of in Scottsdale; my first win in 2002. So hopefully this can be the second.

Q. When is your next tournament scheduled to be?

PAUL CASEY: South Africa. Leaving 3rd of January.

Q. And you are going down, as well?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yes.

Q. Defending, are you?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah, I'll be defending Dunhill.

Q. So you'll get a good look at his game?

JUSTIN ROSE: Yeah.

Q. Nice to get back to winning ways; is that the aim this week, obviously?

JUSTIN ROSE: My brother kept telling me at the beginning of the year, that I was going to win five tournaments this year, and he sort of said, the fifth one is going to be a really big one. I've had a couple of chances but it has not quite happened. Maybe it could be a bit of a last-ditch effort . It would be lovely, a great way to finish off the year.

Q. What else has your brother predicted? Any major hurricanes?

JUSTIN ROSE: No Nostradamus or whatever. But, you never know. Maybe he had a little feeling and I may as well try and believe it.

PAUL CASEY: It's not David Icke, is it? (Laughter.)

RODDY WILLIAMS: Thanks very much for your time and good luck this week.

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