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WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 27, 2009

Ross Fisher

MARANA, ARIZONA

RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, thanks for coming in and joining us. That was a terrific win over Jim Furyk. That was a big match, that one.
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, obviously it was a great achievement to get to today, but I knew going into today playing a guy like Jim it was going to be a very difficult match. He's a great player, he's a Major winner, he's Mr. Ryder Cup; you know, he's a gritty competitor. And you look at his Ryder Cup record, I don't think he's lost too many singles games. So I knew it was going to be a very difficult match, but I felt very comfortable and confident going into it.
My game's been in really, really good shape this week. I feel like the course suits me very, very well. I just knew I had to come out and play some solid golf. And every time I had an opportunity to pick up a hole, I knew I had to take it, and fortunately for me I didn't take a couple, but I took enough to take a handsome lead on to that back side and managed to close him out 4 & 3. So yeah, it feels good to not go to the 17th and 18th. So I got a bit of a rest; that's nice.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Three wins, not bad for your first time here in this event.
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, very pleased. It is my first time here, so kind of wasn't really sure what to expect, but every game's a tough game. It's match play and it's the top 64 players playing, so every game's going to be difficult. If you turn up and you're slightly off your game, you're going to go home. And even you can turn up and be on your game and shoot 5-, 6-under and you can still go home.
So it's a funny game, match play, you just never know what's going to happen. It kind of happened today. I gave Jim the 11th by hitting it in the bunker and then splashing out and then found it underneath a bush, so I kind of gave him that one.
But then I holed probably about a 45-, 50-footer on the next and he almost holed a bunker shot. So it just shows you anything can happen in match play. And it sure did today.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Justin Leonard in the next round. How do you fancy either of those two?
ROSS FISHER: I think obviously from an English and a European perspective, I think it would be great if Ollie did manage to get through Justin. At least then it means that there's going to be one Englishman through, so that would be great, but obviously he's playing another gritty competitor in Justin. He's another Ryder Cup superstar, so I'm sure they're having a very tight and tense match. But whether it's Justin or Ollie, I'm just looking forward to it. I'm playing well, so yeah, just I think going back, relax, chill out, get a good night's sleep and try and put in another good performance tomorrow.

Q. Talk more about your form. Without looking at the stats, you probably made as many or more birdies than anybody in the field here for three days. Were you playing good when you got here? Did you find something when you got here? Talk about that, please.
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, it's a bit strange, really. I kind of had a long period off over Christmas and New Year and then started back up in the Middle East playing Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai. And I kind of, I was looking forward to Abu Dhabi because I haven't made the cut there in two attempts, so to make the cut there was finally an achievement, and I played solid. I shot 8-under, which would have last year and the year before finished 10th, whereas this year it finished like 39th. So it was a little bit different.
Then I sort of started to play a little bit better in Qatar and then played very well in Dubai. I think I finished 13th there. So I kind of felt like I was ready, and then unfortunately kind of came to a halt and went home and a bit of a snow hit where I was. So I basically had the whole week off, couldn't even get my car off the driveway, it was that bad.
So I didn't really get as much practice in as obviously I would have liked to have. I had maybe in the three weeks off -- I didn't practice Tuesday and Wednesday and then I was away for Valentine's with my wife and then I had the previous week, all of that week practicing and playing and trying to get competitive, get myself ready for this. So if I'm being honest, I wasn't 100 percent prepared, but I felt like my game was in reasonable shape, and fortunately coming here it just seems like it's getting better and better every day. I feel very comfortable and confident on the golf course and I feel like I'm swinging it really, really well. I'm finally starting to hole a few putts, which obviously in match play is crucial. So, yeah, just hopefully the form can continue tomorrow.

Q. Maybe you need to get snowed in more often.
ROSS FISHER: Possibly, yeah.

Q. Is that unusual weather for your area at home?
ROSS FISHER: It was very unusual, yeah. I think that I would say where I was it was not far off two feet of snow, so to not be able to go anywhere for I think it was about four and a half days, had to basically rely on my wife's mom and dad who had a four-by-four to come by and take us places because we couldn't get our car off the drive. So it was a bit strange, but at the same time we don't get much time off in this game, in this business, and it was kind of nice to just relax and spend some time at home with my wife and her family and my family and friends.

Q. Momentum's obviously an important thing in a tournament and in a match; did you feel any? You had built that good lead up and then you had that sort of wobble at the 11th. Were you confident you could still pull through, or were there sort of some nerves kicking in?
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, you know, I think that I felt like I played really solid, and I think back to I think it was maybe the 5th, I had a very good chance on the 5th to I think get to 2-up, 2 or 3-up actually it could have been. And unfortunately I missed that. So I was kind of kicking myself. I thought, you know, I can't afford to let opportunities slip by with a guy like Jim, because I know he's going to come back fighting.
But fortunately for me I birdied the next two to get a healthy lead. And like you say, to hole that putt on 9, to have a nice lead after 9 and then to make a good save on 10 I thought, well, you're in control here, just play solid. And obviously unfortunately I hit a couple of loose ones on 11 and kind of gifted him that. You can't give away holes to guys like Jim or anyone in this field because as soon as they see a glimmer of light they're going to take it.
So I had to take up on that next tee and hit a good golf shot, which unfortunately I didn't, but I managed to hole a massive putt there, and I kind of expected him to hole that bunker shot, and he almost did. So fortunately I won that hole to get back to 3, and then obviously par-5, played into my hands there, didn't make a birdie, so all of a sudden back down to 2. But then fortunately I made a birdie on the next hole, and from there on in I thought, just got to play solid, hit a couple of good shots on 15 and this game hopefully will be over by 15, maybe 16.
And I was surprised that Jim didn't make birdie on 15. But as soon as he missed that, I thought, I got to step right in here and knock this thing in. I don't want it to go any further, because if I give him any opportunity he's going to come back fighting. So fortunately I managed to knock that putt in and knock him out 4 & 3.

Q. Talk about the momentum of the tournament. You obviously are building confidence with each round?
ROSS FISHER: Definitely, yeah. Every time you go out there you're going to face a tough competitor and play a very tough match. And I've played in -- even playing Pat it was still a tough game. Fortunately for me I played very, very well, and he was slightly off his game. So it was nice to have a convincing victory.
But at the same time, playing Robert first, it was nice to have a tough battle. I should have closed him out on 17, and unfortunately I didn't and it went to the last, and thankfully his chip slid by. So I've kind of had a real tough one, a kind of relatively easy one, and then today may have looked easy, 4 & 3, but I can tell you it certainly wasn't.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, thanks very much for coming in and joining us.
ROSS FISHER: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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