	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

THE RYDER CUP

September 29, 2010

Jeff Overton

NEWPORT, WALES

GORDON SIMPSON: Gore well we just had one Ryder Cup rookie, Bubba Watson and now we have Jeff Overton who is experiencing this for the first time. Give us your thoughts and your experiences so far.
JEFF OVERTON: You know, I'm just trying to take it all in. It's really neat. The whole experience has been really neat so far, as far as just getting on the plane, sitting next to all of the guys, and just the whole camaraderie of it is awesome.
GORDON SIMPSON: And the golf course? Your initial thoughts.
JEFF OVERTON: This place is -- the rough's up and it's long. The golf course is playing really long. It will be interesting to see kind of what tricks and games with the tee boxes the other side likes to play. If they move the other tees up, it will definitely make for a lot of birdies. I think if there's a few of the tee boxes that stay way back, it will definitely play extremely difficult.
GORDON SIMPSON: We heard from some of the players about the inspirational speech by Major Rooney last night. Did it catch you, as well?
JEFF OVERTON: Yeah, I just hate to hear of anybody who ever has to go to war. It's just an awful thing.

Q. I'm guessing you've probably seen the first tee box, they have basically built a football stadium around it. I'm wondering, as a guy who is pretty nervous anyway, how will you handle that?
JEFF OVERTON: Who said I was nervous? (Smiling).
Yeah, it's going to be awesome. It's a dream come true to represent the U.S. in a Ryder Cup and to have a tee box with all of the fans and everybody over here out there supporting both sides, and especially over here, to be on foreign land, it's going to be a challenge.
And at the same time, it's going to be fun. It's a great event. It's awesome.

Q. First of all, did you win a bet with Tom Lehman? I see he's wearing an IU hat.
JEFF OVERTON: (Laughing) We got on the plane and there's like 60 Hoosiers, I think there was like 95 red IU hats. They will be in the crowd this week and he was wanting a hat.

Q. He's a Minnesota guy, too.
JEFF OVERTON: Yeah, it's pretty hard to get one Big Ten guy to switch to another school.

Q. The other thing is you guys may be the longest-hitting Ryder Cup Team ever. Is there much room out there for you to hit driver?
JEFF OVERTON: You know, it seems like it. I can't find a hole you're hitting too many 2-irons off the tee. Every hole is 600 yards long it seems like, and it's wet and it's cold.
It's definitely not -- it's definitely playing long. And like I said, it will be interesting to see if they are going to move the tees up or what they are going to do with it. You have to think they will. I'm sure tomorrow in the practise rounds, we'll probably play -- just to check it out, see the tee boxes.
They have the rough up, but just the way the whole format is, it's one of those courses that you're going to have make a bunch of birdies on, just like anything in match play. Usually the person that makes the most birdies can kind of come out on top at the end of the match. It's all about golf course setup from here.

Q. Going back to Major Rooney for a second, and I know everybody thinks war is bad, but I'm not sure he was brought in to give you the message war is bad. What message did you take away from his talk last night and what did it leave you with?
JEFF OVERTON: It was just pretty personal, personal team thing.

Q. You've played some great golf this year, and probably one of the most consistent players on the Tour, but do you think that since you've struggled under the pressure on Sunday, this will pin your chances of being one of the eight players to play in the first session on Friday?
JEFF OVERTON: Yeah, it was tough getting beat by a 59. I didn't play very well that day and hit every green (laughter).

Q. Does it help the American Team that you now know a lot of the European guys, because they come over and play a lot in the States? There won't be too many surprises?
JEFF OVERTON: Say that again?

Q. Does it help the American Team that a lot of the European guys now play over in the States and you've seen most of them and there won't be too many surprises?
JEFF OVERTON: Oh, the Europeans, they have a great team. You've got a lot of guys that come over and have played really well this year. They have got the home-field advantage and we are going to have to go out there and bring our A Games.

Q. Everyone cut it short after nine today except three guys. Any thought to keep going and see the course in different conditions or do you try to not wear yourselves out?
JEFF OVERTON: I just think it's a long week and it's just trying to stay game-ready.

Q. Do you have any thoughts about what type of person, player you'd like to be paired with, characteristics of a person, vet van, long hitter, short hitter, precise hitter?
JEFF OVERTON: Yeah, I'm not real sure just yet.

Q. You mentioned not having home-field advantage; the U.S. has not won here in 17 years in The Ryder Cup. How difficult is it going to be playing against not only an opponent in match play, but the crowd; really, you're playing against two opponents?
JEFF OVERTON: Say that again, you're playing against two opponents? Well, it's the same thing; Colin wouldn't want be the first guy in 17 years to lose over here. Also, they don't want to mess up.
At the same time, we are just kind of going out to get it, because we are not supposed to win this one. And just going to go out there and give it our all.

Q. Not long ago, you had your appendix removed and you were playing through some pain to stay on the Tour. Could you have envisioned playing on a U.S. Ryder Cup Team so soon after that?
JEFF OVERTON: Man, as of about four or five months ago, I don't think -- I think I was probably one of the last people on the Money List and really did not envision myself playing over here for sure.
Then, you know, kind of caught fire. It's just one of those games, it's funny, you work so hard and you don't see very many immediate results and next thing you know, it's like, all right, I'm going to let my hair down a little and just go out and play. Then all of a sudden, bam, you're playing great.
It's a fun game and I'm really excited to be part of something so cool.

Q. Not long ago, you were not thinking about this; did you have anything else planned, a vacation or anything you put off to come here for The Ryder Cup?
JEFF OVERTON: No. No. Just was hoping to play. When I got on the team after the PGA, I set up a little fishing trip for after this week and go down and do some deep-sea fishing with some buddies and try to catch some big, blue marlin, probably somewhere in the Keys, or venture over to the Bahamas, somewhere down there. Somewhere warm.
GORDON SIMPSON: I'm sure you'll enjoy that after The Ryder Cup. But for the moment enjoy the whole week and the whole experience. Thanks for coming in.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297