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PORTUGAL MASTERS

October 19, 2007

Ross Fisher

VILAMOURA, PORTUGAL

ROSS FISHER: Sounds probably quite funny but felt like I was really struggling actually, start of the week. Had a lesson last week and kind of knew what I was doing wrong but couldn't fix it and came here, not really with any expectations, had not really been hitting it great, and then just sort of found something to try and work on and yesterday obviously seemed to work, 68, felt like I left a few out there.
Tried a new putter because I thought the greens might be quite quick. Putted okay but thought, well, I'll just change back to my tournament-winning putter, and as you can see, it seems to have done the trick, you know, 64. And to be honest, I left one or two out there. Obviously got very lucky on 17 to get away with five.
But yeah, to shoot a low round like that, and see your name on the leaderboard in the lights again, it's been a while but hopefully I can keep it going the next two days.

Q. Inevitably it begs the question, why do you ditch that putter? Because you're a golfer?
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, you get new toys and new ones to play around with. No, just I used it in Mercedes-Benz Germany and felt like it wasn't coming off soft enough, and the greens there were lightning, and same with the Belfry. Obviously difficult not to use a putter you've putted so well, and winning a tournament.
But there's different greens that suit different putters and I got here and I thought, well, these might be quite quick and yesterday they were reasonably quick. I knew this afternoon they would be quite slow and bumpy so I thought, well, just put it in the bag and see how it goes.
64 shots later, it was a good change, so I think it will be in the bag for the next two days.

Q. Are you going to get like Lee Westwood and have a garage full of these things?
ROSS FISHER: I've got a few, but really I've only got, I would say two or three that I actually use. I've probably got like five or six, just I haven't really used obviously because I got this one and won with it, and I thought, well, here we go, this will be for keeps. And obviously you don't putt very well and you ask yourself: Is it me? the putter? the greens? And you sort of tinker for a little bit.
I normally travel with two or three but I'm not going to do a Westwood and have a garage full, I think.

Q. After a round like this. It's easy to say the course suits you, but looking at it beforehand, with your length and not too much problem off the tee, thought you would enjoy it?
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, I think it's a very good golf course but I think it's just, I mean, to me it seems like a boxer's paradise and I can driver literally everywhere. I hit driver on 11 in practice but I played it quite cautiously the last couple of days with 3-iron off the tee and sand wedge in. I think the second today, I hit 3-wood but everywhere else, the short holes, it's just driver everywhere for me.
And if I'm driving it well, which the first I drove it really, really solidly, and today I drove it excellent for, you know, 16 holes and then all of a sudden my faulty shot came back in when I didn't need it and on the last as well.
You can get into a rhythm and if I'm driving it and swinging it good, and if I'm putting the ball on the fairway I feel like I've got a decent chance obviously with my length on the par 5s, I can get up to all of the par 5s and obviously I've had two eagles already on the par 5s and they are quite key.
Yeah, if I can keep driving the ball well I feel like I've got a good chance.
Q. The second eagle today?
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, just sort of a nice, high, floaty, cutty 9-iron. I think I had 136 flag, slightly uphill, and evident an said, this is a really tough flag to get at and I'm in with an iron and I thought we're just out of the semi I said, what about 140, what if I cut in there. And he said to me, "I think that might struggle. If you want to go 145, go to the middle of the green and if you want it persuade it in there, do so." And fortunately I persuaded it in there nicely, great word that.
But yeah, 145, 9-iron, just persuade it in there and that's what I tried to do and it sort of pitched perfectly and took from the applause, I thought was a good shot. And I thought, crickey, I've holed it. It was magical.

Q. Can you be persuaded that there's a second win potential here being in this kind of position of the weekend?
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, why not? I turn up every single week to win, and here is obviously no different. Obviously I came in with not great form, and not really any high expectations, but I still turn up to compete and still believe that I can win, and fortunately, my swing it feeling pretty good at the moment.
So got two more days, so if I can achieve two more good scores out there, I have a good chance. But a lot of good players out there, obviously Martin shot 61 and Daniel, he's another bomber; Charl Schwartzel, and the Spaniard, Quiros. And it's going to be tough. But you've got to fancy your chances when you're hitting the driver well and obviously today I putted well. If I can keep those two going, I've got a good chance.

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