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WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONALAugust 6, 2011Ryo IshikawaAKRON, OHIO LAURA HILL: We'd like to welcome Ryo Ishikawa into the media center and his translator Shingo Horie. Maybe just start off giving us some comments. When we were talking in there, you were kind of the last guy into the field and now here you are at the top of the leaderboard. Chat with us about how things went out there today and now being in position for your first World Golf Championships title. RYO ISHIKAWA: I think it's a little too early to think about winning this whole thing as of now. But I do feel that I was able to play at a pretty good level, pretty high level today. Actually I am a little bit surprised of how I performed out there. There were times where I had to do some trouble shots, hitting out from the woods, but when I was able to make those recovery shots, I had -- there were some really warm claps and all from the fans. So I was very happy to be out there today. Q. Are you becoming more comfortable playing in the States? Obviously you've been here 25 or so times and the results probably haven't been what you had hoped until this week. RYO ISHIKAWA: Yes, I've been challenging a couple of tournaments here in the States and overseas. For me it was a little bit hard for me to control the mental side of the game, and they were difficult times for me. But since the Masters when I was able to finish 20th, I think from then on, it has started to become fun, actually fun to play here in the States. Q. What are you doing with your winnings for the tsunami relief, what specifically you're doing there, and kind of talk about your motivation for that a little bit, and also what do the armbands represent? RYO ISHIKAWA: As far as the tsunami relief goes, Japan is still in a devastating situation. There are people that have no homes right now, and we actually don't know how long it's going to take for Japan to recover. So I would just like to give my support to Japan. That was for the tsunami relief. As far as the armband goes, it's for well being. I have something on my neck which Rickie and Rory wear, as well. It's made by Colantotte. And for the band on the right-hand side, I used to wear something more colorful in the past, and I used to wipe my sweat off with that, but I just wanted to get something more thinner as fabric goes, and it's part of my fashion, as well. Q. You hit that remarkable shot on 18 on Thursday. You had an eagle yesterday. When you make shots like that, does that help you with your confidence? When watching you out there, you seem very confident in any shot you hit. RYO ISHIKAWA: I feel that I am very calm when I'm playing out there. When I shoot some of my trouble shots, the way the gallery, the fans, respond when I hit a nice shot is spectacular, so in that sense, I don't hate hitting trouble shots at all. Q. You've had a lot of high scores in Japan and missed a lot of cuts this year. Why has that been, do you think? RYO ISHIKAWA: Two weeks ago in Japan, on the Japanese Tour, I was able to be second in that tournament. The following week I wasn't able to make the final round. I think the golf that I'm playing right now is unstable in a sense. And so considering that, I'm not really sure as to how I will perform tomorrow to be honest with you. Right now what I'm focusing on is out on the field. Instead of going in there telling myself that I need to compete, I look at it as going out on the practice field and taking practice swings, so that has been my theme as of now. Q. Could you have guessed that you would be in the last group? RYO ISHIKAWA: The players that enter this tournament play at a very high level. Last year in this tournament I did not play well, and that could have happened to me this year, as well. But I feel that I'm able to go out there and give what I have, give my 100 percent out there. So for tomorrow I would like to keep it the same and go out there and do the best that I can. Q. Could you talk about, aside from the long travel, jet lag, what are the biggest challenges to playing over here, whether it be finding foods you like to eat, the golf courses perhaps, are they more difficult or is it a different type of grass that you're not used to? Could you just discuss that, please? RYO ISHIKAWA: So the jet lag part, it was there for the first two days. To get that out from the system, you just have to go out there and do some training, get the sweat out. As far as the grass goes, a little bit different from what it is back in Japan, but I actually like the grass here in the United States. Also, you see some of the Japanese fans out there cheering for me, but it feels -- you feel that sense of loneliness playing out there being away from where you were born or where you've been raised up. But I look at it as the people back in Japan are watching me as I play out there on the field. Q. Have you met Tiger Woods? And if so, what was that experience like for you? RYO ISHIKAWA: I've seen Tiger take his swing, and you realize how fast that swing is, and you think that that's eventually where you want to get to. I have been seeing Tiger out on the green and telling my his (hellos) to him during this time, and he has responded like others, "Why did you cut your hair?" Q. What was the answer? RYO ISHIKAWA: Too hot here. Too hot. (Laughter.) Q. What happened to the perm? RYO ISHIKAWA: I thought that no one really cared that much. LAURA HILL: Ryo, thank you. Good luck tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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