	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

THE INTERNATIONAL

August 8, 2006

Nathan Green

CASTLE ROCK, COLORADO

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Nathan Green, thanks for joining us here at The INTERNATIONAL. It's your first time here and you're enjoying a great rookie season, five Top 10s, tied with Trevor Immelman among rookies. Talk about your season so far, obviously a very good one.

NATHAN GREEN: Yeah a bit unexpected. I worked pretty hard the last few years and my main goal was to just to try to come out and keep my card. Played really well early, but still managed to play pretty steady through most of the year. I had a couple good finishes at Colonial and Milwaukee as well.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: How important was that at the Buick Invitational to basically keep your card in the first month or two where pretty much from there on you can just play golf and not worry about having to make a certain amount money?

NATHAN GREEN: Yeah, first time it happened to me on any tour I've been on to have that pressure off. I found myself sort of not searching for my game as much as I usually would, and just going out there trying to play and just had a lot more success doing it that way. Hopefully I'll be able to do the same sort of things next year, but looking forward to the challenge of trying to have a few more good finishes towards the end of the year.

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: You've had a chance to play the course out here, maybe your initial impressions.

NATHAN GREEN: It's a very good course here. I've played this format a couple of times before in Australia. We had an event which was Stableford. And I'm probably not the best suited for this format, I'm not a massive birdie maker or anything like that or a long hitter to take advantage of the par 5s. But I still think if you can have four good rounds, and maybe have one really good round in there, still have a chance.

Q. What adjustments are finding you have to make?

NATHAN GREEN: Just one club for me today, that's about all I find. I'm not a real long hitter. I played a little bit at elevation in that sort of thing but, yeah, just a couple of shots downhill today that I found. It's tough to get the right club in your hand today but I think I found it. Yeah, for me it wasn't a huge difference for me, about one club.

Q. You're not a very long hitter?

NATHAN GREEN: Not really, no.

Q. How did you do well on the South Course at Torrey Pines?

NATHAN GREEN: Just kept it in play. I was putting really well. Probably the first two months of the year I putted really solid from ten feet. I was just trying to get it in play because I didn't have the length to recover from the rough like the other guys did. But pretty much just kept it in play and just made a lot of putts and managed to make a lot of good par saves during the week. And then there are those weeks where everything is going your way and that was it for me.

Q. Some guys are who are not the longest hitters don't even bother. Why did you choose to come here, and did you talk to some of the other guys on the Tour and also you probably saw the list; not all of the champions are long hitters here.

NATHAN GREEN: That's true. Other guys highly recommended the course and the tournament and Denver as just a location for a good week. All of the guys have said great things about it. So I could go back to Dallas and sit in 110 degree heat the week before the PGA or come out here and got a bit of work done on the ball striking and that sort of thing. Still, I'm not grinding it out hard this week as I usually would, but just working on some things that might help me next week as well.

Q. Just curious, do you have any thoughts about the FedEx Cup?

NATHAN GREEN: Yeah, I haven't really had a real good look at it. I probably couldn't even tell you the basics of it. I'll look at doing a schedule toward the end of the year. I think it will be the same sort of thing as it is now. If you play well, you're going to be fine anyway. I know it's definitely going to add a bit of excitement to the Tour, something different, and I think it should be good for the Tour.

Q. Is that kind of a buzz among the players? In conversation, is it something players are talking about at all?

NATHAN GREEN: The players I'm hanging out with not really. Most guys are still pretty focused on this year. But there are probably some guys who know down to every detail what's going to happen next year at the FedEx Cup. I think most of the guys are like me, in the off season will have a look at it and try to work out a schedule after that. I really couldn't tell you if different events are worth more or anything like that yet, not too sure.

Q. Just like the media.

NATHAN GREEN: Exactly. Seems like the information is there for everyone to look at it. It's not something I'm not going to play certain events just for the sake of points next year. I'll probably look at it more, courses I've played at well and courses I like and if I can play well and do well in the FedEx Cup, so be it. It will just be the same thing, just go out and try to win golf tournaments.

Q. Retief said awhile ago that the next year's schedule will open up some time slots for guys to play all around the world. Do you agree with that, do you think it will change some guys' schedules a little bit and they will play everywhere?

NATHAN GREEN: I'm really not sure. If it does, it would be a good thing I think. Maybe I'll be able to play a little bit in Europe and a couple on the Australian tour.

For me at this stage of my career, the U.S. Tour is my main focus and pretty much my only focus. Just establish myself here first and then look at maybe doing other things if I'm successful early next year.

Q. I had a question about sports psychologists. There seem to be a handful of sports psychologists people use out here being Bob Rotella probably being the most famous one out here, Gio Valiente and guys like that. Have you used a sports psychologist?

NATHAN GREEN: I've always had the thought that if you want it bad enough you shouldn't need one. I see a guy, Neale Smith, he was on Tour out here. Probably about ten years ago, he won at Tour School then played poorly. I just sort of find talking to him, compared to some of the other ones they had back in Australia that we used growing up, it's good to know someone that's been in the same situation and knows what you're going through, anyway. For me it was, I'd just stand there and hit balls, and just different little practice things and just mental games to play and just different ways to apply myself on the course. For me it's been a big change, it was a big turnaround for me and probably definitely from last year and my last year on the Nationwide.

Q. Inaudible?

NATHAN GREEN: Towards the end of the season before that. End of 2004, mid 2004 I think. Yeah, did a lot more of it last year and then this year we sort of started doing a few new things. He's helped me out a lot, yeah.

End of FastScripts.

About ASAP Sports • FastScripts Archive • Recent Interviews • Captioning • Upcoming Events • Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297