	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

RBC CANADIAN OPEN

July 25, 2010

Stephen Ames

TORONTO, ONTARIO

Q. Something positive about the week?
STEPHEN AMES: The same. The same. I didn't get anything out of it, unfortunately. I mean the end was a little bit rough, but the nature of the golf course should I say.

Q. Things looked pretty nice coming in?
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah. 17 was okay. Well, somewhat. If you miss it right, it's down the hill there. 18 was a bit suspect. 15, yeah. There's a tree that covers the right side of the green there.
I guess they needed to lower the fence because it's so soft now. They don't want any more 60s.

Q. With the week over, what do you think about the decision to come here now? A good one?
STEPHEN AMES: Still think it's a good one. I don't think that the true test of the golf course actually showed it's teeth because of how soft it was, but to be honest, I think if we were at Glen Abbey, I don't think we would be finishing on Sunday. We wouldn't have been finishing on Sunday. It would have been another long week again, and I don't think it would have looked good for RBC altogether.

Q. If they set up a Canadian rotation, which I guess they're are trying to, do you think this should be part of it?
STEPHEN AMES: I've talked to a couple of members and the chairman here, and they want to do it every six and seven years, which is fine.
I know that there are a few other golf courses in the Toronto area that we can go to, that can host the Canadian Open. I don't know how hard Scott's looking at them. We've played a couple that we thought were -- Eagle's Nest, I think it was, that we thought was definitely good enough to host it.
I think the fact that we keep going back to Glen Abbey, Glen Abbey, Glen Abbey, I think everybody's kind of tired of that. And I think the general consensus among the players is that we'd like to move to other golf courses.
There are over 600 golf courses in this area alone. I'm sure we could find a couple that are adequate enough to host the Canadian Open.

Q. A lot of players don't talk on the golf course, but you're in the locker room, what do you hear in the locker room?
STEPHEN AMES: I'll put it to you this way, is that the first thing the players look at when they're making a schedule is the golf course. They're going to play their game; they're going to pick a golf course that suits their game, and that's the same with me. I'm going to pick golf courses that suit my game that enjoy playing. I'm not going to go to a golf course that's a bomber's delight, wide open, no rough and 30-under is winning, 25, 30-under is winning. It's a putting competition.
I think the players are tired of the putting competitions. It's fun. Mind you, it's fun to shoot, which we have the events, and that's part of the package that the PGA TOUR has.
Some golf courses are tight, short, which still stand up today, and we have golf courses that are wide open, bombers' delight, so I guess it's a mix and match. And that's basically in some respects our TOUR schedule, should we say.

Q. Where does the Canadian Open stand in your mind in relation to where it was say three or four years ago?
STEPHEN AMES: Oh, definitely in a better position, I think without a doubt. The job that Golf Canada, RBC, have to throw IMG in there as well for getting all the players involved with coming to play the Canadian Open has put it in a better status position now.
And you consider that the guys are talking about certain things like -- simple things, like how good the food is in the players' lounge and everything else. I mean the service that we get with the BMWs being there, the service that we get coming from the Open, from the British Open, I think all those things are additives that have made the Canadian Open an event that has put itself back into the status of where it used to be.

Q. What do you think about next year at Shaughnessy? It's going to be on the West Coast.
STEPHEN AMES: Yeah. I know. You know, the only dilemma there is probably the flight's going to be, what, two hours longer?

Q. I think so, yeah.
STEPHEN AMES: That's about it. Two hours longer, which is not bad.
I guess with the travel they might move the event -- they might move the time to a little bit later to give us -- hopefully I'm there next year -- to give us some time to rest a little bit better. So instead of getting in at midnight, we're getting in at 1:00. Just leave earlier. I mean there's different ways of doing it.

Q. I think they've got a military airport there.
STEPHEN AMES: Yes. There is one right there five minutes away. I know exactly where it is. Yeah.

Q. St. George's?
STEPHEN AMES: No. It's Kent. It's Kent-St. George's. So we have to fly -- I don't know if there's anything there. We'll have to go back to Stanza, or what's the other one that's south? There's one closer, Stanza, I think that's what it is, yeah.

Q. Do you think that based on this week that Canadians have a lot to look forward to in terms of the talent that's coming up here, and it's really only a matter of time before we can stop saying when is a Canadian going to win this?
STEPHEN AMES: If you wouldn't bug us so much. No, I'm only kidding. I think -- that's a good question, actually, because I think that we need more, to be honest with you. And I think the programs that are in place at this stage right now, they're good. But you get to the elite level, the 17 to 21 years, and that's where everybody kind of falls off.
Different rules come out or their level of competition is gone and they have to go to the States to be able to play. I think that's the level of competition and excitement within the players that I think has been lost, because you see so many great junior players that have come out, and then all of a sudden, what are they doing? They just quit playing golf. Example is James (Lett), great young player. I think he was a junior player for years. He was nominated junior player and (Scored Health Awards,) and he's quit golf. He's 21, 22 years old now. He's running a shoe company, his own shoe manufacturer.
I'm just saying that part of the game, I think the level that Golf Canada has to look at a little bit better, because the junior level, all those levels of getting kids interested in the game and all that I think is extremely good. But I think that part of it is what they kind of lack a little bit.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297