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July 28, 2007
MARKHAM, ONTARIO
STEPHEN AMES: It's still very wet out there. The two firmest greens out there are 17 and 18; I don't know why. I'll let you decide that.
Q. We haven't had any rain.
STEPHEN AMES: I don't know. It's either the PGA TOUR, the RCGA or the superintendent, I don't know. It's not the superintendent's fault, that's for sure. He's not here unfortunately.
No, they are just exceptionally slow, very sort. I think they are trying to protect the golf course from something. But for a National Open, I don't think it's in the right spot. It doesn't have that atmosphere of a National Open, unfortunately.
Q. Did you have anything in mind in terms of a score?
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah.
Q. Did you get there?
STEPHEN AMES: No. Couldn't get there, no. I was looking for 5- or 6-under today. Didn't end up that way but tomorrow is another day and next week is another week. Have to look at it that way. I've taken a lot of positives out of this week so far which is nice and just keep plugging along.
Q. Were there chances to get there?
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, definitely, just didn't make any putts at all unfortunately. I had a lot of chances. I hit the ball exceptionally well today. I think -- yeah, I know, I missed -- no, I don't think I missed a fairway, which is good.
And then the greens, yeah, a couple of shots that I hit over the back of the greens, which is good, because I tend to be a little tentative. So today was aggressive which is very good.
Q. Depending on the afternoon, have you done enough to stay in the mix?
STEPHEN AMES: To move up into the bigger mix would be nice, would be exciting to be in that situation but just to play well obviously. Seeing my name move up the board is exciting obviously.
Q. Any pins tricky or tough?
STEPHEN AMES: Actually probably about five or six, we were looking at actually were on slopes. I guess that's where they're protecting the golf course by tricking it up. The easiest one would have been not to put any water on it. Which might have been too difficult. I'm not sure why.
Q. 14, I heard was tough and you birdied that one, the short par 5 --
STEPHEN AMES: I did. The short par 5; 583? Okay, sorry.
14, oh, did I birdie that? Just a little 9-iron. Could have hit wedge there. That was actually tricky. It was on the side and you had probably one or two before you got the downslope and -- (indiscernible) -- you knew where the pin was, looked at it from yesterday.
Some of the greens, the reason, you've got to think about it, but -- had to think about it, I should say. Overall, if they really got the greens firm and fast, some of the pin spots would be unplayable. So they had to protect it that way. That's unfortunate but that's the nature of the golf course, too.
Q. In the countdown to the Presidents Cup standings here, do you feel like when you're on the course or practicing that every day, every round you have is being scrutinized in the whole picture here?
STEPHEN AMES: Why, is Gary here scrutinizing?
Q. No. Maybe he watches the paper or Internet or maybe he's on the phone. Do you feel like he's watching every little thing?
STEPHEN AMES: I'm sure he is. It's got to be him. I thought Ian Baker-Finch is was; he isn't his assistant, but he hasn't named one. I'm sure he's got somebody doing it or he's doing it. He's going to look at the results, I'm sure he is. Every week he's going to be doing that and obviously he's going to be looking at the guys who are playing well or consistently playing well and then he's going to go off the team.
The guy that finished fifth last week, he's playing well again this week at Europe in the TPC (Andres Romero), The Players Championship for Europe, so he's up there again. So there's another guy that wasn't in the mixture at the beginning of the year now all of a sudden has jumped into it, and he's a long hitter. So all of those things -- make him a good choice, an outside choice without a doubt.
Q. Do you think RCGA or the PGA TOUR are surreptitiously watering the golf course or tricking it up?
STEPHEN AMES: I'm not saying they are tricking it up, but the pins are on the slope.
Q. Because it is so wet?
STEPHEN AMES: It is wet.
Q. You suggested that the RCGA or the PGA TOUR --
STEPHEN AMES: Somebody is watering it, they are very wet.
Q. The RCGA or PGA TOUR --
STEPHEN AMES: I don't know. Why don't you stay up tonight and find out.
Q. You're the player telling us for three days, telling us how wet it is, and you think it's a conspiracy, I want you to --
STEPHEN AMES: It's not a -- I'm not saying it's a conspiracy that they are doing it. It might be the superintendent.
What I'm referring to is that it's not a normal, regular PGA TOUR event, where Saturday, Sunday they are a lot firmer. Here, it's a lot softer.
Is that explained properly there or would you like --
Q. The PGA TOUR or RCGA --
STEPHEN AMES: Well, they are the only ones that are in control. We are not watering the greens; they are.
Q. They are watering fairways.
STEPHEN AMES: I don't know if they are watering the fairways, either.
End of FastScripts
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