|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
DUBAI DESERT CLASSICFebruary 2, 2007Ross FisherDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, well, thanks very much for coming in and joining us. Another terrific round, never easy to follow-up a low first round, but you've done it in some style here. What was the story of today? ROSS FISHER: I think really, like my attitude before, just felt really, really comfortable ever since I got here. I had a really good week off last week but a lot of practise with my coach at Wentworth. Just worked on a few things and just seemed to click, just felt comfortable, played really solidly last week at home, just a few friendly fourball games. And since I got here, playing the nine holes Monday, nine holes Tuesday, I thought this course really suits my eye and it's in really, really good condition. Probably one of the best-conditioned courses I've played so far since being out here on Tour. And obviously it just helps because I'm hitting the ball probably as good as I've ever hit it and it just makes my job and Adam's job so much easier, whereas Abu Dhabi wasn't quite on top of my game, wasn't striking it as great, didn't now far the ball was going. Whereas this week, I'm absolutely flushing it. Like I said, it just makes Adam's job that much easier to club me. Q. So how did today compare with yesterday? ROSS FISHER: Funny enough, it almost felt better than yesterday. Felt even more comfortable. Obviously got off to a fantastic start birdieing the first. I think I holed about a 40-footer and then followed me in from about 35 and then he's all of a sudden got a 3-footer for 3, never felt so nervous on a 3-footer which is amusing we all birdied the second. I don't think I've ever seen that, all three in the same group birdie the first two holes. Obviously it helps seeing those guys performing well and play really solidly on the front nine, made one bogey obviously which was down to a 3-putt from about 50 feet. It's such a tough hole that hole. And then 10 was a good birdie and just went a little bit quiet from there, just struggled almost to get the ball to the hole. I was focusing so much on getting the line right, just kept on forgetting to hit it, whether it was the brief shower we had that softened the greens up; they are a little bit slower. Adam just said to me, just stay patient, as long as you're hitting good putts, I was hit going putts that just weren't going in. He just said stay patient and keep focused, and if you keep stroking the ball well, you're going to hole some putts. Fortunately I holed a couple of good ones on 16, 17 and then to obviously hit the green on the last 2-putt was very satisfying. RODDY WILLIAMS: Certainly a nice round. Shall we take some questions. Q. At the moment you're four shots ahead. We don't know where it will be at the end. But if you're going in with a three- or four-shot lead tomorrow morning, will you be awed by the occasion? ROSS FISHER: I don't know, obviously to lead any golf tournament is quite a thrill. I've only led one tournament once before which was China which actually was my first tournament by one stroke and I was actually playing with Ollie in the last group and that actually relaxed me a lot. I didn't really feel like played that badly and to shoot level par I was quite pleased with, finished tied fourth. I've put myself in position beforehand and just haven't quite got over the hurdle yet. As I say fingers crossed this week and just going to keep doing what I'm doing and as I say I feel so comfortable and calm and relaxed on the golf course at the moment. Hopefully it can continue. Q. You said you worked on a few things last week. What sort of things that made you feel comfortable? ROSS FISHER: Just basically I was getting a little bit slouched with my posture. Just basically was looking at the V1 system which is like the coach's video you swing and they put it onto this V1 system which is on the laptop and you can analyse a swing next to another swing, which one could be from today and one could be from yesterday. I basically was just putting old swings on one side, and the swing where I was on Monday when Christian took it. I just noticed that my posture had just slouched just a fraction so basically just trying to stand a little bit taller. I'm working on movement in the takeaway and occasionally I tend to stand a little bit -- you stand quite a little bit open, and it went to the other way, or staying a little bit closed, aiming right. So got me to aim a lot squarer now. So as I say, that week last week seems to have played off. Q. Yes, Adam, your caddie, how long have you been with him for? ROSS FISHER: The first tournament he watched me was Tenerife, I believe in -- I believe it would have been 2005 on the Challenge Tour. And then went to Q-School later that year and then caddied for me all of last year. So I think it was a very good find, because obviously he's a young guy like myself. He's full of enjoyment. He's really enthusiastic, really keen and he's thoroughly good at his job. I mean, he's so professional, he's always up here on time and he seems to know my game inside out now. So seem to get on just really, really well. Q. What's his name and has he always been a caddie, surname, sorry? ROSS FISHER: His name is Adam Marrow, and basically I discovered him from one of the members at Wentworth. He plays at a place called Queenwood and that's basically where Adam was brought up, caddying at Queenwood since he was about 15 or 16. I was fortunate enough to play with this guy at Queenwood a few times and he always used to caddie for this guy, Peter Lomas, and he basically got in touch with me going to Tenerife and said, "You know, I'm looking for a job, is there any chance you could put in a good word for me?" And I said: Well, I'm actually playing, how do you fancy putting up with me?" He said, "Yeah, I've love to." So we took it from there. Unfortunately we missed the cut that week, and then I asked him, I said, "How do you fancy going out to qualifying school." He said, "Yeah, I'd love to caddie for you." Obviously if you can survive six rounds of Q-School you can get through pretty much anything. Q. You talked about changing a bit of your posture in the last ten days, but has there been any change in your mental thought process? Were you thinking something differently when you were playing golf in Abu Dhabi, and you're thinking something differently playing golf here? ROSS FISHER: Possibly. When I went out there I went out with the view that I was going to be away for three weeks and then obviously to get out in Abu Dhabi and see the list up for the week after in Qatar and I was 14th reserve, it was kind of a little, I don't know, shock to the system is the right sort of phrase. But I was a little bit sort of taken aback. I thought I was out three weeks, knowing that I might not get into Qatar was obviously a bit of a blow because it's a big tournament along with adieu dab and I this week in Dubai. So maybe that might have knocked me a little bit in thinking that, crickey, there's a bit of pressure and I've got to perform, get a Top-5, Top-10 to really get in. Just really struggled in Abu Dhabi. Didn't really like the course really suited me. I felt the greens were really tricky to read and get the right speed, and I don't think we had fantastic weather because the ball just didn't seem to be flying anywhere. It caught me a number of times. Hopefully like I say, doing so well this week having not getting into Qatar last week, is obviously a blessing from disguise. Q. Going back to the weekend and handling the pressure, you have to learn how to handle the pressure if you're going to make it, haven't you? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, definitely. You've got to keep putting yourself into contention on Friday, Saturday, just so you can have a chance at winning a tournament on Sunday afternoon. Because that's what every guy's dream is, to win a European Tour event. That's what we all come out here for. We all come out to win, and I don't think, you know, my mind-set is any different. I always come out, even though obviously this week is a really strong field, I know deep down that I'm good enough and that I feel like I belong out here and I feel like I'm ready to win. Like I say, two days have gone and I feel really calm and really relax and most at ease with my game and I know where I'm going. So hopefully do a bit of work this afternoon and just go back and relax and chill out and be fresh for Saturday and hopefully it can, well, as I say, it would be tough to have a third 65, but, you know, it's out there if you play well. The green are rolling perfectly, so there's not any doubt that I could go 65, maybe even lower if I keep a bogey off my card. Q. Is this the best 36 holes you've played since you've turned pro? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, without a doubt, yeah. Just obviously to have two bogeys in 36 holes, but to make an absolute stack of birdies is obviously really pleasing. Because I don't think my putting stats are fantastic, so hopefully this should help them out a little bit. Q. Can you recall your previous best 36-hole total? ROSS FISHER: I would say off the top of my head maybe China would have been pretty good. I think I was maybe 6- or 7-under after two days, and I was maybe two off the lead maybe. Ireland I was doing pretty good, but apart from that, yeah, this obviously stands out by far because obviously the calibre of the field here, obviously Woods and Els, obviously Campbell, you've got a load of big-name players here. So obviously to be leading such a prestigious tournament like this is a great thrill. Q. Yesterday you spoke about your first meeting with Tiger Woods, if you can call that. What would your reaction be if on Sunday you went out in the final group with, let's say, Tiger Woods? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, obviously I'll have to cross that bridge if it happens. It would be an absolute thrill to play with the best player in the world. He's been the best player in the world for it seems like an eternity. What's it been, eight or nine years now almost. Q. Considering what kind of a meeting you had last time -- ROSS FISHER: Yeah, obviously the crowds, if I may drawn with Tiger, last group Sunday, crowds are going to be absolutely enormous. But at the end of the day, it's the same for him as it is for me. Obviously all of the pressure is going to be on him because he's expected to win. No one's really going to be thinking, well, I think Ross can take this guy on. So it almost, I would say work to my advantage. I can just, you know, try to almost block him out and just sort of shake hands with him on the first tee, try not to watch him too closely because at the end of the day, I'm going to try to beat the guy. Just stay on mind-set of focusing on what I've got to do and who knows, we'll just have to wait and see. Q. There's always a lot of noise and excitement around Tiger. If you were playing with him, do you have any special techniques, mental techniques to cut out what's going on around you? ROSS FISHER: No, I wouldn't say so. I mean, I don't work with a mental coach or a psychologist. I feel like I'm progressing and I feel like I'm really strong mentally. I feel like I'm just focused and basically go about my own job. I see it's going to be totally different to what I've experienced before, obviously playing the last group in China is absolutely fantastic. But the crowds were not too huge. And then probably Ireland was I guess the biggest crowd I've had because I've played with Darren Clarke; so obviously in Ireland, as well, the crowds were pretty big there. I felt like I held my own; whereas, who knows, Sunday it could be the biggest crowd I've ever played in front of. But, at the end of the day, like I said before, this is what we want to try and do, that's what I want to try and achieve is to win golf tournaments because that's why I turn up. If I am playing with Tiger, obviously it's going to be a great thrill and a great honor to see up close and in person the greatest player in golf at the moment. Q. You seem to be playing very well when you play in Asia; China, Singapore, and now Dubai. Anything special here that spurs you on? ROSS FISHER: No, not really. Q. The food maybe? ROSS FISHER: I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. But obviously, China I've done well in before. Obviously Singapore last year was a fantastic week for me, and obviously this week in Dubai. So I don't know. Maybe I'll have to have a think about that. I don't know, I just feel so confident, really comfortable this week, more so than I did in Singapore and in China. So, who knows, hopefully this week I can go one better. Q. You talked about going back and relaxing and chilling out; how do you get away and deflect from the pressure, the limelight that you're in? ROSS FISHER: I'm rooming on my own this week, which is sometimes it's good. Other times it's quite nice to room with someone so you've got someone there to have a chat about what's happened today. But also, it's nice to you know, just get away from golf, because we do it so much. It's just nice to get back to the hotel room, chill out and relax. I'll get back probably get out of these clothes and have a shower and just wind down. Q. Is there anything you do, just play games? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, the first thing I'll do will be to record my stats because I do my stats after every round for the guys at StrokeAverage.com, Chris Sells and John Franks, who have helped massively over my professional career and a few years of my amateur career. So I'll do that first. Then once that's done, just put to rest and probably flick the TV on and might even watch this afternoon's golf or watch a DVD or play on a couple of games or something. I might go into the mall. But I'm going to try to get my wallet in my back pocket I think. Q. Just want to know your family background, where you're from and what does your old man do for a living and all that. ROSS FISHER: Yeah, grew up in Boldish Farm in South Ascot with my mum and stepdad, and he basically got me into golf when I was at the age of three. So he's obviously brought me up playing golf. Unfortunately I didn't get into Wentworth until I was 13, so I'd been playing golf for a while, just playing with him in like pub societies and stuff. Getting into a place like Wentworth for me was absolutely fantastic, getting the support from them, and obviously Mum and Pops was absolutely fantastic and he's been with me in the amateur career there where he's watched me. Unfortunately they don't come away to many tournaments but they are always watching the TV or watching the Internet, how is he doing, almost feeling with me if I make a bogey; come on, make a birdie sort of thing. The support and love they have given me over the years has been tremendous. Q. What's your stepdad do for a living? ROSS FISHER: He works for a company called Sunny Flow, which do like shower and bathroom utensils, like shower cubicles, stuff to do with the baths and stuff. Try not to get to into it because to me it sounds a little bit -- I'll a boring compared to what I do but obviously someone's got to do it and he's very good at his job. But unfortunately he does travel quite a lot, so Mum's obviously on her own quite a bit. So when I'm at home I try to pop over and see my mum and see my Pops as well. RODDY WILLIAMS: Can we rattle through the details of your birdies? ROSS FISHER: 15, driver, I think I had 6-iron and holed it from about 40, 45 feet. 2, I hit 2-iron and sand wedge and holed it from about ten feet, 12 feet. 6, I hit a good drive on the fairway and tried to hit 5-iron just cut it in there just probably in all fairness was probably not the right club, should have hit 4. Hit about 50 feet and left it eight or ten feet short and missed that. 7, the par 3, I think I had full 7-iron right over the flag to about ten or 12 feet. 9, hit 3-wood and a 6-iron just short right. Probably about 15 feet I would say. 10, I hit good drive and just went down, ripped a 3-wood to hit it nice and high just on the back edge, probably about 13 feet. Left it about a foot, two foot short. 16, hit a really good drive and then went down with the grip on a 9-iron and hit it to about five feet I would say. 17, I hit a 2-iron and hit a full sand wedge. That was probably 12 feet I would say. 18, I hit a good drive and tried to hit a cut with a 4-iron, just went dead straight and probably was about 35, 40 feet and rolled it up to, I suppose it was about a foot. RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, thank you very much. Good luck tomorrow. 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
|