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COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS PRESENTED BY DOLPHIN ENERGY

January 28, 2010

Oliver Wilson

DOHA, QATAR

SCOTT CROCKETT: Thanks for coming in and joining us and congratulations on a very good day out there. Just give us your thoughts on 67.
OLIVER WILSON: Yeah, obviously really pleased with it. Strange, one of those that I felt -- didn't really feel that hard. Felt quite easy, in context, obviously and got in and realised the scores -- quite obviously been playing tough out there, so looked like it was tough for a lot of guys. I was a bit disappointed I didn't pick up more shots coming in, had some good chances, but all in all, really happy.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Anything in particular please you? Conditions that test all your game, isn't it.
OLIVER WILSON: I guess my putting was better than it had been last week, especially on the wind and grainy greens I find it very tough. That was a lot better today. Holed a few good putts but overall everything was really good. Drove it well, hit my irons really good.

Q. The changes that you made are coming to fruition obviously?
OLIVER WILSON: Yeah, I think last week the first day, I did a lot of changes over Christmas and they are not quite grooved yet. And last week the third round it was windy and I didn't know how to it deal with it all. Friday was good because I played really good and learned on that Thursday experience and since then, they have all been valuable experiences, learning how to deal with the new changes I've made when they are not quite going according to plan.
So that has been good, and I did a lot of good work yesterday night doing some drills and I am pretty excited. I think I've improved as a golfer over the Christmas period and new year and looking forward to the new year.

Q. Can you give us a summary of the changes and why you thought you needed to make them?
OLIVER WILSON: Well, obviously I haven't won, so something needs to change. So I did a lot of evaluating over Christmas with my coach and my team with various thoughts on things and stats and where I need to improve things and sort of implemented plans for that. Golf is obviously one I felt like when I've been in contention; I've got second places, and I've got worse. I've got real strong tee-to-green and got slightly worse which is not what you want to do.
Starting to find a lot of answers why that happened, and part of it has been balance, which I've worked on hard, and suddenly it feels a lot easier to swing the club. I've been swinging the club out of balance for so long that, you know, it does feel a lot easier now. I've always had such high tolerances from being really good to really bad and now I know why.
That's why when the wind came last week it was tricky and this week I can deal with it, and I know how to change it before I hit the shot, which I've never known before. And today was pleasing. I hit some really good long irons into the wind which have been weaknesses, and I hit some really good shots there.
I'm getting closer to the player I want to be and be able to matter of fact all of the areas, not so much master but improve in other areas and contend.

Q. Were there chances that got away on the back nine?
OLIVER WILSON: 16 and 18. 16 is a tricky hole and you hit your drive, you walk around that and see what you've won. You can't see anything and don't know what's going to happen. Pitched it on the green and ran through and had a good lie. 18, missed that one as well, from about eight feet, and one of those two would have been nice, but you know, I'm not going to grumble too much.

Q. Did you get a read from Miguel Angel Jimenez's putt?
OLIVER WILSON: On 18, well, that threw me because it turned quite a lot. I gave mine a little bit more outside left and it went dead straight that's the trickiness the grain. Straight downgrain it is a bit of a balancing act when you're putting out there.

Q. How good does it feel to be top of a leaderboard when everyone is struggling?
OLIVER WILSON: Yeah, it feels good. You know, especially this early on in the season, like I say, it's a strange round, because halfway around, I knew it I was leading and I was enjoying it.
I feel like I'm enjoying my golf a lot more because I can relax a lot more. I've always put myself under so much pressure because much my golf swing, there's no easy shots, and now I feel like I'm in balance and I feel like it's just easier to do.
I don't know what's going to happen from now on in, but I'm certainly improving and that's probably why I felt like it was easier out there. Obviously it helps when you hole a few putts, but to get in and see all of the scores, I think 1-under is on the leaderboard or something like that. It's obviously tough out there, which is quite exciting for me.

Q. The changes you've made, have they affected length, ball flight, what?
OLIVER WILSON: They have affected everything. I can't explain how big of a difference it's made in all areas. It's very exciting. And it's changed ball flight. I thought I'm going to have to do some work on my irons and shafts and everything to make sure the changes that I've made have matched up right. My driver is not 100 per cent at the moment, but I'm not really hitting very wide.
I'm hitting it vary straight, maybe not getting the most out of it at the moment. But yeah, it's changed ball flight, it's changed distance, and it's definitely changed my confidence over the ball.

Q. Do you have a different strategy now your leading?
OLIVER WILSON: I haven't even got that far to be honest with you. If it's not windy, the scoring will be better, but I'm not really worried about that right now. Just want to play and get plenty of rounds under my belt and feel like I'm improving.
I've set my goal to the end of Dubai to make sure the changes are grooved as much as they can be to where I can just go play and forget about all technique. So that's what I'm going to stick to doing, relax out there and enjoy it and see what happens.

Q. How did you stumble across this balance problem?
OLIVER WILSON: Just a lot of analysing, really, a lot more scientific. Been working with Paul Hurrion and Hugh Marr, my coach, and really leaving no stone unturned trying to cover every area. And through doing that, high-speed cameras and 3D machines, the censors, you can get a lot of scientific information, which is over here for me. But the guys know what they are talking about and can explain it and they have done that. It was unbelievable when I found it all out, and a light came on and I could do what I wanted with the golf ball.

Q. Were you going backwards or forwards?
OLIVER WILSON: Forwards mainly. I was on some force plates that measure the pressure on your feet, and yeah, it was very interesting.

Q. Some players are suggesting they have got it wrong here with watering the fairways to make them soft but leaving the greens hard. What is your view?
OLIVER WILSON: The greens are like concrete, which is good. I like that. But when they are watering the fairways, I had a shot on 9 from out of the rough at about 70 yards, and SÃ¸ren and Miguel played one from the fairway, one from the rough, and he pitched on the edge of the green and gone 35 yards past the flag and I pitched mine of the rough and it rolled a yard. There was no physical way of getting it close to that pin, or it didn't seem to me. If it's going to be firm -- if the greens are going to be firm, you want the whole course playing firm and fast, not a mix.

Q. Are you going to speak to David Probyn about it?
OLIVER WILSON: I'll mention it if I see him, yes.

Q. Talk us through your approach shot to the 18th?
OLIVER WILSON: Yes, obviously missing the fairway, I knew I was going to be struggling. That's one of the shots that I stood on the fairway knowing I can play that shot, the high, hold-up 7-iron into the wind, and I have confidence to do that for the first time. I took it on and get got a little lucky because it played on the fringe but it played out how I wanted it to. If you end aim left and end up with a 60-foot putt which isn't fun, but had to make the shot and it came out perfect.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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