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THE PRESIDENTS CUP

November 19, 2011

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

JOEL SCHUCHMANN: We are joined by three members of the United States Team, Nick Watney, Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan, if we can with start with some opening comments.
NICK WATNEY: Obviously we are pleased with today. We knew we were up against a very, very strong team, and had a great morning session and they put a bit of a run on us, but we are really looking forward to tomorrow.
JIM FURYK: I felt like we went through about three different seasons today weather-wise. It was a tough day and a long day for those who played 36, and this morning was big for us to go 4-1 in five matches and go out with a five-point lead and we hung on this afternoon, I think getting a point in those last two matches. We put ourselves in good position and have to come out firing tomorrow.
HUNTER MAHAN: I had a great time with David Toms the first two days, I thought we really clicked in foursomes, we really played well. It was really fun playing with Bill.
I know Bill and Nick were extremely motivated today to kind of get a W on the board. You know, hearing from Jim and Nick, they both played -- Nick played great and Bill played just awesome, had should huge clutch shots today.
And then we had a tough match with Badds and Jason and we really hung in there on the last few holes and Jason made an incredible putt there and I had a pretty good look at mine. The greens are smooth, and hit a great putt and went in the middle and it was a great feeling.
It was a long, tough day and to end it like that, you can't put it into words. It was huge, and definitely the way the points were ending up we needed a W, we needed a half a point, and it was huge for us to get the last two matches with full points. So that was really some big, clutch golf right there.

Q. After Tiger and Dustin have a pretty tight match and they get upset, when you guys -- it looked like the board was going very blue and a lot of the flags, it was all-square, were you paying attention to this? Were you aware that we have to turn this around a little bit and not let -- because obviously the difference between 12-10 and 13-9 is huge.
JIM FURYK: I wasn't as aware this afternoon what was going on because the conditions were so tough. It was raining. We were under an umbrella. We had our hands full in our match. The momentum was shifting a little bit there towards the end.
I wasn't looking at the boards that much. But knowing we were the only match left out, and we were fortunate, Adam hit a great putt on 17 that did not go in. And Nick and I thought we hit good putts, they hung on the left side of the hole, coming the other way. He hit a great putt, but it actually missed on the other side of the hole. So I'm not sure; I don't know how you made that one, actually, Hunter.
But I felt like we got away with one there, and you know, being involved with these tournaments for a while now, I know how momentum can shift, and Nick played the 18th hole real well, made it for us, and Adam's putt slipped by.
So that's a big deal, having that extra point on our side is a big deal. You try to keep the momentum from shifting as much as you can.

Q. When you look back on it, I think Brookline was the last time a team overcame four points in the singles. When you guys are in the lead and you have the four points, how do you stop something like that from happening?
JIM FURYK: Are you asking me? Okay, well, I think first and foremost, we have to feel very fortunate we are in the position that we are in; that we played well and we earned it to this point.
But as you said, I remember at Brookline, one of the players on the other team making the comment that you know "this is over," in the press room, and that's actually the wrong attitude to have and maybe it's one of the reasons it bit them. I think we as a team have to realize tonight that we have to come out firing tomorrow and it's important for us to -- each and every one of us of the 12 players to go out there and work the hardest they can to get their point.
You know, we'll look forward to it. It's a bunch of good players on the other side, and, you know, I think the attitude, though, is not to -- same as in match play, you get 2-up with four to play, you don't let your guard down. You keep trying to keep the pedal down and keep trying to win another hole and that's what we need to do tomorrow. You need to keep that pedal down and try to win our matches.

Q. It seemed like the crowds really came out today with a little more motivation; can you guys just talk a little about playing in front of the visiting crowd, the home crowd here that's not necessarily going for you, and kind of how that atmosphere was, bringing you threw the ropes? And Hunter, I know you had an incident yesterday, but if today, things were a bit better out there while you guys were hitting.
HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, I was definitely warned of the Australian crowd coming into here. A lot of the players back in '98 said this definitely has a Ryder Cup feel to it, and it definitely felt like a Ryder Cup today with the weather the way it turned on us. It was pretty nice for the first few holes, I thought we were going to have a pretty good afternoon and just turned windy and cold and rainy and felt like we were back in England.
And they were singing; they were very boisterous today, playing with Aaron and Jason, you knew they were going to be out there today following those guys. Because those guys have been playing well and they have had some tough matches.
We definitely have had a few things happen to David and I this week. I think today, playing with Bill, really being his first time in a team event, I didn't at all want to spark the crowd by kind of getting into it with them in any way. I kind of wanted to enjoy it and smile as much as I could today and embrace the fact that we are over here, because we are on enemy territory and kind of need to enjoy that a little bit.
I tell you what, to make that putt on 17, to hear nothing; I mean, to hear a pin drop, was the greatest feeling in the world. You didn't hear anything. You know, but a minute earlier, you heard -- everyone was going crazy when Jason made his putt.
This has a great feel to it. This is very, very competitive. They have a great team. We have a long way to go, and we know that, and boy, I think we are just all excited to do what we did today and we are all really looking forward tomorrow, because we have a lot of work to do.
These fans have been great, really, this week, and have been a lot of fun. You can kind of ham it up with them a little bit. You know, I don't think -- they are not mean-spirited in any way. We had a great time today and I expect the fans will be out full-force tomorrow. So really should be a lot of fun.

Q. With the way your match ended with Jason making the putt and you making the putt, how sort of happy are you that you get to continue a little of that now back and forth tomorrow in singles?
HUNTER MAHAN: Yeah, for sure. Jason is playing great. A lot of big clutch shots today. Made a great birdie on 15 today when they had to have it. Great competitor. You know, being in his home country, I think he's extremely motivated to play well, as all of the Australians are. It's got to be great feeling for them.
You know, we get to play at home in The Ryder Cup and The Presidents Cup every couple years, but for those guys to be home for like Geoff Ogilvy and Aaron Baddeley, I mean, it's got to be special. I feel like it's kind of back when Kenny -- back in Kentucky, and J.B., it's got to be special for them, those guys were so motivated to play well. And the crowd is just so for them. You know, it's going to be fun to kind of be in it again and to kind of hear the yells, and I'm going to do my hardest to get that silence back.

Q. Freddie has put a lot of the young guys out first tomorrow, really up until Phil, the first six is young guys. Obviously put pressure on you guys to perform and to play well, and you know, what do you feel about that, that strategy?
NICK WATNEY: Well, I think we welcome that. We definitely want to justify our places on the team and win points for our side.
So I think all of us are very excited and we would like to obviously go out there and do our best. I think playing with Jim today, I kind of -- I learned a whole lot from him so I'm going to try to soak inasmuch as I can tomorrow. I have a really tough match with K.J., so just try to soak in as much as I can, and hopefully I can maybe one day give some knowledge to a young player like Jim did with me today.
JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thank you, gentlemen.

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