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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN OPENSeptember 28, 2011Nick WatneyLAS VEGAS, NEVADA Q. It's been a great year overall. How do you -- NICK WATNEY: Well, I think it's just -- I hope it's just a progression of, you know, identifying a weakness and trying to make them less weak or strength or doing some things. So overall I'm pleased. I think I still have a ways to go, but I'm pleased with the year. Q. I asked Butch Harmon where you've made the greatest strides, and he said your short game. You guys really worked on your wedges and you're trying to really be more efficient with everything you do close to the greens. Could you just talk about all the hard work you've put in with Butch and how has it paid off for you? NICK WATNEY: Well, yeah. The more I play, the more I'm learning. That's the key. Most everybody hits it pretty well out here on TOUR. It just comes down to who gets it done around the greens, and you know, that definitely is where I needed the most work after last year. So that's where I did the majority of my work this season and it's paid off. Q. How many years have you been with Butch now? Six? NICK WATNEY: Seven. Seven years. Q. Hey, can I ask you about playing here in Vegas, living in Henderson? Is there any kind of home course advantage, home site advantage for you? NICK WATNEY: Yeah, definitely. I mean getting to sleep in my own bed, and it's just a half hour's drive, which is nice. I think it's great, you know. It's a bit of a comfort factor, and definitely very familiar with this place. So I'm glad to be here. Q. You know, a lot of eyes will be looking at you this week. You're one of the highest ranked players in the field. Any extra pressure playing in front of the hometown and knowing that you're kind of one of the big names in the event? NICK WATNEY: Well, I mean it's nice to hear that. I hope to do well, but unfortunately once we tee off, it doesn't mean anything. So I wish it was a couple shots lead or something like that, but once the gun goes off, we're all on equal playing field, and hopefully I'll have a chance come Sunday. Q. And what about just playing on this course? Is this a course you get out on a lot? NICK WATNEY: I don't come over here a ton, but I've played it probably more than the rest of the guys. So I feel like I know my way around. Q. Could you talk about the changes in the course this year, the Bermuda, the rough being a little higher than usual and how you think that might impact play? NICK WATNEY: Well, I think it'll just add -- it's high enough that you will lose control coming into the green. So you definitely want to be coming from the fairway. I think there will be quite a few guys going -- there's a lot of fliers to be had out there. So it could affect scoring, but I think the greens are so good that the scoring will be quite low again. Q. Is this a place where you have to go low to win? NICK WATNEY: Definitely. I think last year was 21-under par, which is pretty low. Yeah, definitely there's a lot of birdies. Par-5s are reachable, and like I said, the greens are good. Q. Do you wake up with the mindset in the morning like, I gotta go out there and make birdies? NICK WATNEY: Yeah. The guys that have played here enough know that if you shoot even par you're going to get passed by a lot of people. So just kind of -- you know, you can't force it, obviously, but just try and make birdies where you can and keep making them. Q. Can you talk real quick about Fred's last pick in the Presidents Cup yesterday? I'm sure you saw that. NICK WATNEY: Yeah, I think it was a good problem to have. The guy is the FedExCup champion and the PGA champion. Unfortunately both of them can't come. If it was 13, I think it would be very obvious who the players would be. But you know, I'm glad that I didn't have to make the choice, and now that Bill's on the team, I'm very excited. He's a good friend of mine, and obviously he's a great player, so I think it'll be a lot of fun. Q. What has you excited about playing Presidents Cup and hopefully Ryder Cup next year? NICK WATNEY: Well, just playing for our country, you know, is a huge honor, and I've grown up watching those events. So I'm real excited to be a part of them. Q. Do you think your game is well suited for that kind of competition, because you're so consistent now with everything you're doing. It seems like you'll be able to hold your own in Match Play. NICK WATNEY: Well, I'd like to think that. I feel like I've kind of -- I grew up playing a lot of different sports, so I know how to play competition, and you know, I'm really looking forward to Match Play. I think it's -- it's a different animal, but I really enjoy it, so I'm excited. Q. Is this your last TOUR event this year? NICK WATNEY: It'll be my last time in the States. Q. That's what I mean. NICK WATNEY: Yeah. Q. I noticed that your schedule was set up where you wouldn't play more than three consecutive weeks at any time prior to the Playoffs. Can you talk about how important that was, and obviously looks like you were the beneficiary of some very intelligent and smart scheduling. NICK WATNEY: Well, I think it's my seventh year out here. I'm kind of learning what's best for me in terms of how much to play. It's a long season, you know. Playing pretty solid for 10 months, and rest is a part of it with all the travel and whatnot. So I think -- you know, I get with my team and kind of map out stuff, and things happen occasionally, but for the most part we know what we're going to do, and I think rest is just as important as being prepared. Q. What about the mental part of it also, not just the physical? Butch was telling me that the important thing was to keep your battery recharged and keep your mental battery fresh. NICK WATNEY: Yeah. Q. Can you just talk about how that did work out to your advantage by playing the schedule the way you did this year? NICK WATNEY: Well, yeah. It's -- you know, you can be -- physically you can be as good as you are all year, and if you're mentally, you know, tired or not 100 percent, you know, I think winning golf tournaments is very much everything is balanced. You know, you might have weeks where you hit it better but you're not necessarily thinking as well or executing as well. But those weeks when you are fresh and hitting it well, then that's when good things happen. Q. Did being newly married play into the scheduling? NICK WATNEY: Not so much. She's pretty much -- she's a trooper. She'll go wherever she's -- she doesn't have too much input on the schedule. Q. How are you feeling right at this moment physically? You played four weeks in a row first time all year, and you were playing that pressure situation in the Playoffs. How are you right now physically? NICK WATNEY: You know, I'm a little bit tired. I mean it's not -- I'm not really one of those guys that -- I don't want to be overly dramatic about it. Q. Sure. NICK WATNEY: But I'm a little bit tired. And you know, if this tournament didn't -- if it wasn't this tournament, I wouldn't be playing. Q. If it wasn't here. NICK WATNEY: Right. Q. Sure. That makes sense. The other thing I wanted to ask you was you gotta be very disappointed with your play in the majors, especially the U.S. Open and the British Open. Do you think you put too much pressure on yourself to perform in those settings, because you'd had some success prior and after? Do you think maybe you put too much focus and too much pressure on yourself to perform well in those majors? NICK WATNEY: Yeah. I think that's fair. You know, trying too hard is kind of a weird way to think about it, but I can see that. I think sometimes when we find that balance between, you know, not caring and caring too much, then that's when I perform my best anyway. So it was a learning experience, those two weeks, and just try to do better next year. Q. Do you think that playing those events, especially the British, will help you at Presidents Cup, playing against those guys that you saw at the British Open, and also playing away from home thousands of miles? NICK WATNEY: Yeah. I think so. I think golf is becoming a world game, and I think I'm going to travel a little bit more in the future, just because, you know, there's a lot of good tournaments all around the world. So Presidents Cup, you know, I think most -- almost all of the players play on the U. S. tour anyway. So we know most of those guys. It's just a matter of going and hopefully coming out on the good side. Q. Thanks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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