	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM

February 12, 2010

Matt Jones

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

DOUG MILNE: Like to welcome Matt Jones to the interview room. Matt is currently tied for the lead at-10 with 5 others. Talk about your round today and then we'll take a couple questions.
MATT JONES: I started on No. 10. Actually got off to a good start. Didn't hit a good shot, but holed a bunker shot actually to start the round.
Birdied 11. Got upwind, and then had a little bad stretch and bogeyed three in a row, 12, 13, 14.
But then got back on track with a birdie on 15 and 17. Didn't actually get to birdie 18, which is disappointing.
Made a good putt on 1.
Hit the green in two on No. 2 and two-putted there for birdie.
Hit it to about a foot on 4, and then hit it to about three or four feet on 7, and that was the round.
DOUG MILNE: Okay. Questions.

Q. You have to feel pretty good to come back after the three bogeys?
MATT JONES: I wasn't very happy after these three bogeys. There was a couple of bad course management errors on my behalf picking the wrong lines off the tees. They're new lines actually off the tees now with the fairways how they are, which caused some mistakes.
The comeback was good. Then to keep that going on the front nine was nice.

Q. What do you think of multiple-course tournaments like this one?
MATT JONES: Um, yeah, you kind of -- it happens. It's something you deal with. It's not an issue, I don't think. I love playing these anything golf courses.
To get to play these once a year is something we're very privileged to do. That's the way you should look at it as well. Best golf courses in the world, and I just like playing them.

Q. You're tied for lead, but does did feel that way?
MATT JONES: No, it's Sunday on the back nine. That's what everyone says, the old cliche. Everyone's playing a different golf course. It could blow tomorrow at Pebble and not at Spyglass.

Q. How many holes have you gotten to play there?
MATT JONES: I played 18 holes there with Adam Scott on Monday. It's a very good golf course. Gonna be a lot firmer than when we played the last couple days.

Q. Did you play that previously?
MATT JONES: No. It's very nice. Greens are good.

Q. What is your history at this tournament?
MATT JONES: This is my third year. Made the cut both years, but I haven't had a great finish at all.

Q. You come here, and obviously weather over the years has been such a big part of the story here. Today was beautiful.
MATT JONES: Yep.

Q. Do you sort of mentally prepare yourself for it to be lousy and just ignore it and go out and play golf? Some guys get sort of spooked by the weather.
MATT JONES: Coming from Australia, you're used to it. We're used to playing in the wind growing up in tough conditions. I mean, you look at the golf courses -- like Torrey Pines is a long, tough golf course, and Australians play well there.
So we look at the forecast, but I don't mind tough conditions. It's a bit more of a grinding round, which I like sometimes.

Q. You mentioned you're good wind players. How about rain? I mean, the clubs get wet, et cetera.
MATT JONES: Yeah, it's not fun. It's hard. But I don't think anyone likes having to deal with that. If you have a good caddie that does his job well, you'll be fine.

Q. The field shortened up a little bit this week. Have you noticed a pickup in the pace of play?
MATT JONES: Yesterday I definitely did. It was really fast yesterday. But I did tee off at 8:30 in the morning. Today I was last group off, and pace of play today was a lot slower. I don't even know how long I played today. Don't have a clue.

Q. (No microphone.)
MATT JONES: It's a big difference. You have to change your whole warm-up routine as well. You've got to get there early, hit balls and get a lift to the putting green, so you're pretty cold, I would say, when you get to the 10th tee. Especially -- and it's different here going to the 1st tee as well, because you got to get a ride down to the 1st tee.
So I get lucky with the draw getting 1st tee at Spyglass and Monterey, so that's nice.

Q. (No microphone.)
MATT JONES: I think teeing off on 10 in the Open is gonna be interesting when they put that tee back. That's gonna be a beast of a hole from all the way back. Be some players struggling to get to the fairway.

Q. Did you watch the last Open here on TV?
MATT JONES: I did, yeah.

Q. Can you compare Monterey since you were out there to Pebble overall?
MATT JONES: One place is gonna play a lot harder and faster. Well, it's not gonna be hard and fast, but the ball is not gonna be plugging in the fairways. Both great golf courses. Different type of grass. Greens are gonna be different, and the lies are gonna be very tight.
Fairways are cut very short, and you're gonna have a lot of putting. If you miss the green, there's gonna be a lot of chances to putt from little roll-offs and other little areas. It's a great golf course. I really enjoyed it.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297