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OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUPNovember 27, 2008Richard GreenBrendan JonesSHENZHEN, CHINA RODDY WILLIAMS: Richard, Brendan, thanks very much for coming in and joining us and after a terrific round out there in I think not easy conditions, but you really got it going on the back nine. Richard, if you could maybe start us off with a couple of comments. RICHARD GREEN: Yeah, you know, we sort of progressed pretty nicely through the front nine and hung in there I guess. You know, like Brendan said before, if we play the par 5s well, we'll get a bit of momentum going, and hopefully pinch a few birdies on the other par 4s and par 3s, and we did that. We had a really nice run through the middle of the back nine. Made most of the birdies there, I guess. It was a good feeling finishing off the way we did. RODDY WILLIAMS: Brendan, a couple of comments from you, it's good fun this fourball, but I think you played well together as a team today. BRENDAN JONES: Yeah, I just think this format, the fourball format, really works in our favour. You know, I hit -- I generally play the par 5s well, and Richard plays the 5S, 4S and 3S well. Yeah, but you know, there was a couple of times that we were a bit out of position. I was watching Richard play a few holes, and it's harder watching than actually being in the hole with him. But you know, we just supported each other and when I was out of play, he was playing well and if Richard made a bogey, then I was there to make my par or birdie. So, you know, it was just about keeping bogeys off the scorecard. It did get difficult out there with the wind swirling around. A lot of the holes out there that you think you can birdie, they weren't birdieable today, because you just were a little bit unsure about which way the wind was coming. Q. Can you tell us, is this your first time playing at Mission Hills, and how do you like it so far, the resort, the course, the city? RICHARD GREEN: Yes, first time we've competed at Mission Hills. You know, the golf course is in fantastic condition. It's a very tricky golf course and a lot of slope and very challenging. I think both, mine and Brendan's games, we are working out; had a plan and it's coming together pretty nicely. I think the course is great. The facilities are fantastic, and great venue for the World Cup. BRENDAN JONES: For me, it's my first time to China. You know, I'm having a great time. Playing with Richard, it's very easy. He's a very laid-back sort of guy, and he doesn't hit too many poor shots. I just hope we're talking tomorrow after the foursomes round. Yeah, we're having a good time, food's been great, people have been very friendly, and the resort here at Mission Hills is probably one of the best I've ever seen. So, yeah, having a really good time. Q. Today you had a wonderful round in the fourballs, but tomorrow it's foursomes. Do you have already a strategy planned out for tomorrow, who is going to play the odd-numbered and even-numbered holes? Is it much changed from today and tomorrow strategy-wise? BRENDAN JONES: Yeah, it's worked out quite well for us. Richard is shaping the ball right-to-left, and I'm shaping the ball left-to-right. So we've found that I'm going to take the odd holes and Richard will take the even holes, which gives me most of the drives on the par 5s and hopefully I can put him in play to really take advantage of those. And yeah, I just think it works out perfectly for the shape that we are both hitting it right now. So hopefully we're sitting here tomorrow saying how well it worked. Q. Are the finishing holes a little bit more difficult from 15 all the way to 18? And also, tomorrow playing the foursomes, when one of you have not hit a good shot, how does the other partner try to relax the partner or how do you try to recover when there's only one chance? RICHARD GREEN: I think, you know, definitely the 18th hole is a very difficult hole. But I think there's holes throughout the round of golf or from the word go where there's some difficult ones and ones you can be aggressive on. There's sort of not one part of the round that really stands out as being difficult. It's a difficult finish. The 18th is difficult to hole, but hopefully the way our strategy is, it will work out pretty good. I'll be playing probably the second shot -- no, Brendan will be playing the second shot into 18. So, you know, I have to get it in play on that hole. We're just going to have a good think about how our strategy is going to work tonight, and we'll team up well tomorrow and discuss probably every shot that we've got together. We did that very well today, reading putts together, and we made some, which was really nice. So hopefully we can do that again tomorrow. Q. When somebody is not playing well, how do you try to calm down your partner or try to recover? BRENDAN JONES: Well, the thing is, if either of us are not playing as well as we'd like, it's not because we are not trying. We are out there trying our best, and we're human. We are going to hit poor shots and we are going to hit shots that we are not happy with. But I think in foursomes, I just think to a point, you have to play a little bit more conservative, especially than you do in the fourball. And the secret is to just keep the big scores off the scorecard. Sometimes a bogey is a good score, and you've just got to try to go out there and you've got to think, all right, the worst thing we are going to do is make a bogey and we have to try to keep the real train wrecks, the double bogeys and worse, off the scorecard. Yeah, you have to know when to be aggressive and know when to play a little more safely. I think between us, we think very similar around the golf course. And I think if you're not comfortable on the shot, then you've just got to play to your strengths. Maybe it just playing to the fat part of the green, as opposed to going at a flag. Yeah, you've just got to be very smart and just eliminate the really big numbers. Q. Brendan, you play on a regular basis on the Japanese tour. Do you find it quite different? This is your first time to China; we are both Asian countries. Can you tell us if there's much difference? And also, does the economic crisis affect much on the Japanese Tour? BRENDAN JONES: I haven't really noticed much about the financial crisis that the world is suffering right now. There's a young boy on the Japan Tour now, (Ryo) Ishikawa, who has just got so much -- he's got so many people watching golf and being excited about golf again. You know, the prize money went up in Japan again this year, and we are playing the same amount of tournaments next year, maybe even one or two new ones. So I think golf in Japan is looking pretty good right now. We just need Ishikawa to stay in Japan and not go to America too soon. But I think he's the real deal, and the whole world will know about him very, very soon. The big difference I've noticed around this golf course is the grain on the greens, which Japan really doesn't have a lot of tournaments where they play on grain. I haven't played on one tournament this year in Japan where they have grain. I find putting a little difficult over here. I didn't grow up playing on grain, and, you know, there's more than just reading a line. You have to read which way the grass is lying, and so that's one big difference from playing in Japan to here. RODDY WILLIAMS: A big tournament going on in Australia at the moment, the Australian Masters, and yet you guys are here representing your country. Wondering your reasoning for it, and was a tough decision, and how proud you are to be here at Mission Hills? RICHARD GREEN: It's never a difficult decision to accept the invitation. To play for Australia is a huge honour; both me and Brendan feel that way. You know, the Australian Masters, it's a great golf tournament, and one of the tournaments I've always wanted to play well at. I won it in 2004. I only found out the other day that it might be the last time it's at Huntingdale. So I guess from that point of view, it's a little disappointing. But we're at the World Cup, both myself and Brendan have focused on the World Cup and winning for Australia, and doing as good a job as we can. Someone has got to come up here and do it. We both, probably out of all of the guys, probably are the two that really want to be here. BRENDAN JONES: I haven't really played the Australian Masters much over my career, because playing in Japan, the major tournaments are at the end of the year and they generally clash. You know, so I'm missing out on the Casio tournament in Japan, which I would generally play. It was one of the easiest decisions I've ever had to make. You know, like I represented Australia at the amateur level, but when there's two professionals that get a chance once a year to represent their country, you know, I just think it's one of the greatest honours. As Richard said, we both really want to be here and we both really want to do well. So we're a quarter of the way there, and I'm sure if we would hold the World Cup at the end of the week, I'm sure that there would be a few people playing the Australian Masters that they wish they were in our shoes. We are just going to enjoy the four days, enjoy the whole week, really, and not have any reservations about not being in Melbourne. Richard is going back to play next week at Coolum in Queensland, and then I go back to Japan the season-ending tournament there and then play the Australian Open. Yeah, it is a shame that it all clashes, but there's so many golf tournaments going on around the world these days that you're always going to miss out on a tournament that you would really like to play in. RODDY WILLIAMS: Brendan, Richard, thanks very much indeed and well played today. Thanks very much for your time. End of FastScripts |
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