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ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 18, 2007Phillip ArcherABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES GORDON SIMPSON: Every time we meet Phil in an interview room, he's shooting really low. Seems a long time since that 60 in Wales, very close to history, but I imagine this round wasn't that far away from that same level of golf. PHILLIP ARCHER: Yeah, the putt fell in on the first hole. I holed one from about 12, 15 foot in the first, went straight in the middle. When I was on the green yesterday, knew I was going to putt decent but today the confidence, I felt I could hole everything. GORDON SIMPSON: It was interesting, Nick Dougherty was just saying, where have you been, that you have a solid golf game. Do you feel that way yourself and now it's time to put yourself forward? PHILLIP ARCHER: Yeah, I made some big changes after just keeping the card, especially with the putting stroke, moved 138 spots in the putting last year, so no surprise what the improvement was there. All around, really, things have been good, working with the coach for the last five years, that's coming to fruition and also working on the mental side. I'm a lot better on the course. GORDON SIMPSON: Who is your coach? PHILLIP ARCHER: Mark Pearson in Redditch. So the kind of package I'm putting together, just as I did last year and that gives you the self-belief. That's the biggest thing, prove it to yourself that you can do it. I think I've said it before, the big thing was just keeping the card in 2005 and then I felt I could really go on then. Q. (On comparing this round to 2006 round in Wales). PHILLIP ARCHER: It's like the feeling I had. The start, I knew I was going to give myself chances. At the first I hit two really good shots and rolled the putts in, so then I knew don't really have to go firing at pins. I can hole it at 15 foot. I holed a good couple of 30-footers, and once you do that, you get confident, so that kind of moved on throughout the game today. Q. On shooting low rounds? PHILLIP ARCHER: Well, again that's something working with the mental side of it. That's gone, I can't do nothing about that now so move on to the next and try to make birdie on this one and take every chance as it comes and that's what I'm getting better at. Okay, I had four, five holes left, and I was just looking for the next birdie. I made a couple of good pars on 10 and 11 after a couple of bad shots and then I knew I was going to get some birdies on the way in, no reason why I couldn't knock them in. Q. What worked, to help you move up 138 spots in the putting stats? PHILLIP ARCHER: I went to see a guy called Dr Paul Hurrion at Quintic,com and they analyse all different sports, and he's just on putting and he just got me more balanced over the ball. My weight was on my right side. These pressure putts, all cameras everywhere, he just got me in a better position to be able to just swing the shoulders and change the grip as well so the palms were just facing each other. Q. How long have you been working with him? PHILLIP ARCHER: I've been to see him about four times now. First time was straight after Mallorca in 2005 when I just kept my card because I wanted -- I was looking at the aspects of the game and where I needed to improve and that was a big place. GORDON SIMPSON: Is it quite a high-tech operation? PHILLIP ARCHER: Yeah, it is, it all sounds high-tech but when he puts you there and tells you what to do, it's really common sense. Same thing with the mental side. It's just got me better in my weight distribution over the ball and with the putter and the ball positioning and being able to stroke the ball through. Q. What is his name again? PHILLIP ARCHER: Paul Hurrion. Q. Where is he based? PHILLIP ARCHER: Birmingham, he's based close to Forest of Arden. Q. Is he a private coach? PHILLIP ARCHER: No, it's a company. I think Padraig Harrington and David Howell have worked with him as well, Quintic. Q. Could you have shot any lower? PHILLIP ARCHER: No, because I think I holed three 6-footers for par on the back nine. I was confident, they went straight in the middle and I holed a good couple of 30-footers so I don't think I left much out there. I just played nice, solid golf. I birdied the first about 15 feet, 9-iron. 8-iron to 12 feet. 6-iron to the fourth about 18 feet. 4-iron on the fifth to about four feet. 4-iron to the seventh to about six feet. Bogey in the water on the ninth, knocked it up and made bogey. 12th hole, 7-iron to about eight feet. 8-iron on the 13th to about 30 feet. Then again about 30 feet on the 16th with a 5-iron. 3-iron to 17 to about 12 feet. And then it was a long, about a 50-foot bunker shot to about six-foot on the last. Q. When is the last time you worked with Paul? PHILLIP ARCHER: Just before I went to South Africa before Christmas, so the end of November. Q. Do you see him regularly? PHILLIP ARCHER: No, it's just when -- I just go for checkups. I don't overdo with him. He gives me some real good things to work on, I just do the drills every week. If things don't feel quite right, I'll go back and have a look again. No, even if I'm putting well, I'll go there and see if I'm doing it right. Q. What sort of changes have you made with him? PHILLIP ARCHER: Yeah, the big thing I think that changed around for me was the grip. He's got me really gripping two palms facing each other just wrapping around, so thumbs are basically the same height on the putter, so it levels the shoulder straightaway. And I'm making putts with just the palms facing down, just straight down, so straightens the forearm. Q. Do you get recognised for your 60 last year? PHILLIP ARCHER: Quite a bit. Well, qualified for the U.S. Open, a lot of people called me 'Mr. 60' in the crowd. Meet a few people and when I went to South Africa, people say, oh, what's your name; "oh, 60, I watched that." There's also Peter Kay the comedian, went straight through the hair sort of thing because I thought I holed it and I didn't. I was going to punch the air and I just caught it. Q. On your reaction to shooting 60? PHILLIP ARCHER: There was probably a reaction, I just broke the course record by two and I played great and I had a 6-footer for 59. It was as though I had done something wrong in the paper the next day, I couldn't get my head around it. I just tried to take the positives out of it, I shot 60, I shot the lowest score ever, I came really close to a magical score, and the results of the rest of the year, I didn't let it affect me. GORDON SIMPSON: Well, if you shoot 59 here, you'll have done something correct. Well played today. End of FastScripts |
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