|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIPSeptember 21, 2007Steve FleschVERONA, NEW YORK STEWART MOORE: Steve Flesch, thanks for spending a few moments with us here in the interview room at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. Playing some great golf this week. I know a disappointing bogey at the last, but you still have to feel great about the way you're playing. STEVE FLESCH: Yeah, actually, I was just saying that was the only putt that I just totally whiffed on the speed today. My speed was great. Made a lot of putts early on. My back nine, I lost a little bit of rhythm, was in between clubs a lot. But the front nine, man, every yardage I got was just like the perfect number for the iron I had. And I manage d to make some putts. But that 9th hole has given me some problems so far. But that's all right. I'm still glad to be leading. STEWART MOORE: When you won earlier this year in Reno, you were a statistical monster ranking in the Top 5 in virtually every important category that week. Through three rounds you're leading this tournament in greens in regulation, I think you've only missed two greens. You're Top 10 in putting average. Is this another one of those weeks where you can really get it going and maybe run away with this thing? STEVE FLESCH: That sounds great, actually. Let's hope that happens (smiling). I've always said my iron game is the strength of my game. And when you give us generous fairways like this, you know, my driving accuracy's decent. But if I get the ball on the fairway, I usually can find the pins with my irons. You know, that's my strength. That's what I did in Reno so well. I just keep giving myself birdie putt after birdie putt. And if I get that putter going, I'm kind of streaky with it, I'll make some birdies. That's always been the strength of my game. You know, the two greens I've missed, one of them, the one I missed today was a fringe, you know, so I don't really count that. But that's my strength. So it doesn't surprise me how I'm playing. But I just like when that putter gets going, that really makes the game a lot easier. STEWART MOORE: Still using the belly putter? STEVE FLESCH: Yeah, actually Tuesday I wasn't. I had something else with me, and I was playing a little matchplay event with a buddy of mine. You know, on the back nine, and I had to putt on the last hole that mattered and I didn't make it, and I was like screw it. That was it. Back to the belly. So didn't last long. STEWART MOORE: Questions for Steve. Q. Could you just talk about the course and all the talk this week was that the course was going to play longer than last year and the roughs were going to be a lot thicker making it more challenging. But watching you play, and watching some others out there, it doesn't really look that challenging. Is that true? Is it the weather today was nice weather? What really played a factor in that? STEVE FLESCH: You know, I don't care how long you make it when fairways are as wide as they are, guys are still swinging for the fences out there. You know, I mean we've got 50-yard wide fairways this week, some of them might be wider than that. And a lot of the new tees that they added put the bunkers out of play for me. I mean, it's 305, 310 yards to some of the fairway bunkers now. Where if the tees were up 20 yards where they probably were last year, I didn't play last year, but then I'd have to worry about them because they'd be 285, 290, that's kind of my range. So some of them on the side of the fairway I'm driving down anyway are out of play. You know, so it's kind of you've got to be careful what you wish for there. Because, yeah, you can make the course longer, but a lot of times you're taking the trouble out of play for some guys. But if you make guys play around hazards like bunkers and water, that's harder than if you take those hazards out of play. Guys just go ahead and hit it. So fairways are wide, and they're still kind of soft so the ball's not running out of them. But the biggest thing is the greens are still soft. That's why you're seeing all those low scores. When you have generous fairways and soft greens, I mean, guys are ripping it right in there. I played with Bart Bryant on the last hole, he drove it down the middle and hit a 6-iron five feet, a 480-yard hole. If the greens were firm, these greens have a lot of dynamics to them a lot of motion, that would make it really interesting. But they're just a little soft right now. Albeit, they're perfect. You get your putt online and it's going to go in. They're absolutely perfect. But I'm surprised the Tour staff has kept them as soft as they have, because that's why you're seeing the low scores. Q. Is the course too easy with the wide fairways, is the layout too easy? STEVE FLESCH: No, I don't think it's too easy. I do think the soft conditions are, you know, the slogan these guys are good. I mean, guys out here we're the best. You give us soft greens and we'll find the pins. If all of a sudden greens are firm, and we can't aim it right at a pin with a 6-iron, you've got a better chance of missing greens you're not going to get it up-and-down as easily. There's plenty of rough out there. But the problem is the rough is so far off the -- the fairways are so wide that the rough is, I mean, you've really got to hit a bad one to hit it in the rough. So if the fairways were maybe 5 to 8 yards narrower on both sides, bring them into about 40 yards, I think what, the U.S. Open averages 28 yards. I mean, these things are 50 yards, you know. Especially the par 5s, the longer par 4s. You know, it's beautiful. It's a great golf course, but there is a lot of room out there, and I think that's why scores are low. Guys have a lot of fairway to hit it in out there. But if the fairways were a little bit narrower, that long rough is going to be more of a factor. Q. As a follow-up then - given that, the 9th hole has kind of cursed you the first two rounds almost being 500 yards uphill, what is the difficulty on that? STEVE FLESCH: I don't know. Just, you know, there's nothing about it. I just played it poorly two days in a row. Actually, I played it fine today, just my putter let me down. But yesterday was just an aberration. I just pulled a ball in the bunker, and you know, thinned a 4-iron out a lip, and made a double. But you know that stuff happens. That's the game. Just like I bogeyed it today, but it's all right. I mean, I made so many long putts today. It just happens. That is unfortunately how this game is, stuff like that is always going to happen. Q. Given that, when you've lost strokes on a hole like that two days in a row, do you say, Gee whiz, I could be up by four strokes here? Do you look back or do you just kick it away and flush it as they say? STEVE FLESCH: Well, I don't have much choice, do I really? Yeah, when I get to that hole tomorrow, I'm going to be like, All right, here we go. Let's see if we can get it. My only concern with that hole tomorrow is going to be driving the ball on the fairway and from there evaluate what I have. That's all I did today. My priority, I hit a poor drive there yesterday. Got up there today, and I hit my priority was hit it in the fairway, and I drove it right down the middle. I hit a great iron shot. I just misjudged the speed of the putt. It's just stuff like that happens. So I might make double two days in a row. I might make birdie tomorrow. I'm not real worried about it. Q. Did you three-putt? STEVE FLESCH: I three-putted, yeah. I ran my first putt about six feet by, and hit a really stellar six-foot putt then I tapped in. My fifth shot was perfect, went right in. Q. Three-putt from how far? STEVE FLESCH: Probably 30 feet. Q. How about the game plan for tomorrow? STEVE FLESCH: Well, with the score, I really haven't looked at the scores, but I can tell it's pretty stacked up. Is the cut going to be 4 under, something like that? STEWART MOORE: Right around 3 or 4. STEVE FLESCH: Any time a cut out here is 3 or 4 under, the score's got to be really low throughout the field. That's just a testament, yeah. It's generous out there, conditions are really good but conditions are great. Greens are perfect. They're just a little soft. So I don't see there being much change in how firm the greens are the next two days, so you've got to play aggressively. I'm going to have to go out and shoot, you know, under par the next couple of days. I guarantee if I go out and shoot a pair of 70s on the weekend, I'm not going to win. So, you know, I've got to stay just -- I'm not even playing aggressively. I'm aiming at the pins that I get a good number to and sets up well for me. Other than that, I'm just, you know, I always play it off the center of the green. Give myself a birdie putt. Hopefully it's inside 25 feet. Until maybe the back nine on Sunday, I'll see where I am. But I really I don't see a change in my game plan at all. STEWART MOORE: Speaking of the scoring - as good as it's been, there is a scenario where you might actually tee off tomorrow and might not even have the lead or you're tied with two or three guys. How does that affect your mindset? If you go out, if something like that would happen if someone went out - there were a lot of 30's on each side today. If someone goes out 6 under, they catch you, and all of a sudden you're tied and you haven't even put a peg in the ground? STEVE FLESCH: It's part of playing. I mean, it very well would happen. And I almost expect it to happen. Unless the wind's blowing really hard, I don't expect that guys are going to struggle out there tomorrow. Some of the early guys out could get it really going. But I look at it that way and, Hey, they've played well. They might be up on me, but I've still got all 36 holes ahead of me so. I don't watch the scoreboard a lot. But I watch it enough to just kind of get a feel for how the golf course is playing. And if I see somebody shooting a real good score, I know there is another one out there with my name on it. STEWART MOORE: Can you go through your birdies quickly? STEVE FLESCH: Started on 10. I pulled my drive in the rough on 10, that gnarly long rough up the right side. And hit a sand wedge from 95 yards to about 8 feet, and made that. 12, I drove it right down the middle and hit a 3-wood from 260, about 15 feet, and made that for eagle. 13, I hit a 3-wood off the tee, and a 7-iron about 18 feet and made that. I hit a 3-wood off of 14 to 152 yards, I think. And hit an 8-iron, 16, 17 feet and made that. Then 18, drove it down the middle. Laid up with a 4-iron. Hit a sand wedge about 15 feet behind the hole and made that. 2, driver down the middle. Hit a 7-iron about 17, 18 feet, made that. And then 8, par 5, I hit a driver and a 3-wood from 255 on there about 15 feet and two putted and made that for birdie. And then 9, driver down the middle, 6-iron about 30 feet behind the hole. And 3 Jack. Q. The last thing, and back to the course. Do players prefer playing a shooting gallery like this where you can just go at the pins and pin hunt all day? Or would they prefer something that's a little tighter? STEVE FLESCH: Depends who you are. I prefer something where, you know, out here 70 used to be a good score. You know, 69, 70 used to be a good score, relatively speaking. When I got on Tour 10 years ago, if you broke par especially on the weekends, you're kind of inching your way up. You weren't flying up the leaderboard, but you'd make up a little ground. But now, you shoot 70, 69 on the weekend, you're not really moving. Often weeks you're just kind of staying put. You're not gaining ground. At a golf course like this, I would prefer it be more difficult because now the way it's playing, so many more guys are in the mix. So many more guys have a chance to win. Albeit, if I was 14 under on a really hard golf course, I guarantee there wouldn't be so many guys close to me. But I prefer that -- I think everybody would generally prefer that maybe it's a little narrower out here. Just not a shooting -- I'm not going to say it's a putting contest. Because you've still got to hit the shots, give yourself birdie opportunities. But you know, when you give guys generous fairways, you know, and soft greens that's the thing. Generous fairways and soft greens, you can expect low scores. I don't care where you are. No amount of length you put on a golf course, as far as guys hit the ball nowadays, is going to make much of a difference if you have soft greens. Now if these greens were brick hard and you're playing 480-yard holes, it would make a difference. Because nobody's going to be sticking to 4, 5 and 6-iron's all day long. But when those long irons and 6 and 7-irons hit and stop, it makes a big difference. So that's why, you know, and the par 5's are reachable. It just makes a big difference. But to answer your question, I would prefer it be a little narrower, just so, you know, it's not such, use the term shooting gallery, scores are low. But that's something they can work on here. But I am surprised that the greens haven't firmed up a little bit. STEWART MOORE: Steve, best of luck this weekend. STEVE FLESCH: Thanks. 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
|