|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
WGC CADILLAC CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 10, 2012Keegan BradleyMIAMI, FLORIDA JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Thanks for joining us after a third round 66, no bogeys on the scorecard today. Obviously a good day, no bogeys the last two days. So you're playing very well, and in third place heading into the final round here at the Cadillac Championship. If we can start with some opening comments about this week and today. KEEGAN BRADLEY: Today was such a great round. It feels so good to play good golf like that. I never really got myself into trouble, and my chipping, most importantly this week, has been so good. I can't think of one that I have not got up‑and‑down, which is just huge out here. I'm taking care of the par 5s which is what you always have to do at this course. I just feel really comfortable out here. Q. So you practiced at Augusta with Phil, and you know, was that then coming into here, how did that work? Did you feel after Augusta, did you shut off and say, all right, now I'm here, or did you work some things out there that have now continued into this week? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I'm really trying to focus in on Augusta and trying my best to play well there my first year. I'm going to put a lot of time in and there's not a better person to go up to Augusta with than Phil.  I seem to go play with Phil, he gives me a good beating and I play really well the week after. (Laughter). It seems to work out. But playing with Phil, it's more intense playing against Phil in a match than it is out here. I don't know why, and it seems to relax me in some way or make me feel more comfortable. I seem to play good golf. Q. How do you explain the consistency this year? You're in the mix, seems to be week‑after‑week after week. KEEGAN BRADLEY: You know, I think talking to a lot of players last year, they always say your first year is the hardest. I obviously played very well but I did have some inconsistent play throughout the year. Missed some cuts and not where I really wanted to be some of the weeks. This year, I've just felt more comfortable. Most importantly, I've worked on my short game with Jim McClean, my chipping and wedges most importantly. If I was a D wedge player, I'm a B plus now. It's really, it's dramatically improved. I think that's the reason why I'm seeing myself in contention, where if I don't have a perfect ball‑striking day, I can still shoot 3‑under like I did in the first round in the wind. That's the biggest difference. Q. What's your grade at the PGA last year? KEEGAN BRADLEY: My grade was pretty high, but the other ones, my short game just wasn't there. Like watching Phil, I am amazed‑‑ it's annoying, but I'm amazed at how often he can get it up‑and‑down. I want to be like that, and he was my inspiration to do it. I just realized how far behind I was from him. Q. Your work with Jim, is it here at Doral? Do you get a little extra time working down here so it helps your chipping and putting this week? KEEGAN BRADLEY: I do come down here to work with Jim but I've never played the course really. We would go out to the 11th hole and chip. It's so funny, yesterday I had a chip that we practiced probably a hundred times, front left pin, I was short right, got it up‑and‑down. But it's a good place for me to come just because the grass is the same, and practicing with Jim, I have not played the course a lot but it's a comfortable course for me and there are a lot of carries that I don't have to worry about and I feel comfortable. Q. Did you play as a junior or amateur? KEEGAN BRADLEY: I played the course once as a junior, but it's so different. I mean, I was 15 or 16, and it's so different in the tournament, anyways. Q. You seem to relish your chances when you get in the mix. Some guys seem to pucker, for lack of a better term. What do you attribute that to, to get in there and sink your teeth in even deeper. KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I seem to really‑‑ first off, I really enjoy it, one. And two, I seem to be able to hit better shots when this time comes. Like today on 18, I was feeling it on the 18th hole. It's very rare, I think you feel perfectly comfortable on that tee, but I felt the juices and I just smoked one. I think I'm just over‑‑ just these last couple of years, I've noticed that when it is time, I'm okay. When I feel that little bit of nerves, I actually kind of like it. It's kind of like‑‑ it's kind of a fun feeling, because you know you're in the midst of a tournament or something special. Q. 14 months in‑‑ KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I'm very much learning. But I'm very lucky to have a guy like Phil to talk to and a guy like Jim Furyk and Camilo Villegas. These guys have been so helpful to me and I'm all ears when I'm talking to them. You know, just like I said a million times, Phil has been great to me, and it's helped me on the golf course. Q. What did you do with your chipping technique to improve it? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Me and Jim, we work on basically the fundamentals of chipping. I opened up my stance a little bit and really kind of got very precise with my chipping in terms of, I want to land it here, as opposed‑‑ or I want to fly it here. And just very precise in seeing the shot. Q. How gettable was that course out there today? Obviously plenty of low numbers being put up; and who picked up the check last night? KEEGAN BRADLEY: The course was very, I would say, if you hit it in the fairway, you could get any course and you could get them today. The pins were where you could fire at them. But just like this bermudarough, if you hit it in the rough, you can't stop it. There were a couple holes that I drove it way down the fairway and I had a wedge to left or something.  So if you drive the ball well, you can get at them and you have to drive the ball in the fairway on the par 5s and you can have a good chance at eagle. Q. I think he asked who picked up the check last night. When you play with a guy like Bubba, who is, you know, very imaginative and does a lot of unorthodox things, does that make it easier or harder for you to focus on your game and the task at hand trying to win a tournament? KEEGAN BRADLEY: As much as a cliché as this is going to sound, I really‑‑ when I'm playing with Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson, Chris Kirk, anybody, half the time, I don't even know what they are doing. So when you play with Bubba, it is‑‑ some of the shots he hits are pretty unbelievable, and you just have kind of got to watch him and enjoy watching it. It is fun to watch. But it doesn't make it any harder, that's for sure. I love playing with Bubba; if I am, I'm not sure what it is, but I just try to play my own game. Q. Like Bubba, you talked about after L.A. kind of trying to simplify your pre‑shot routine, I guess is the best way to say it. Bubba actually talked about the same thing yesterday. Can you see similarities between sort of the nerves and maybe how fidgety you are going into balls sometimes? KEEGAN BRADLEY: You know, I do it differently than other players. I have gotten better but it's just what I do. I've always done it. It is different than, you know, a Tiger Woods or somebody else, but it's my‑‑ it's the way I do it and it's just a little different. I can understand that people think it's strange or a little different. But it's kind of the way I've always done it. It is odd, I admit, but it seems to be what gets me into the shot. It kind of keeps me moving and not stagnant. JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Let's go through your round and we'll take one or two final questions, starting with the birdie on the first hole. KEEGAN BRADLEY: The birdie on the first hole was huge. I hit it in the right rough and hit it over the green and made a 15‑footer for birdie, which is basically a par on that hole and that kind of got me going. Then I birdied, let's see, I birdied 5. I hit it way down there in front of the green 70 yards and I just wedged it to four feet and made that. Then I made a nice 15‑, 20‑footer on 6, and that was big, because it keeps kind of‑‑ keeps you going. Fortunately, I parred 8. That was a little bit of a setback, but I kept it going with a great up‑and‑down on 10 for birdie, and the birdie on 12, I hit the green just over the green and got it up‑and‑down and then I birdied the 13th, which I hit a 5‑iron in there to five feet. Probably the best shot I hit all day. You know, I made some good pars coming in and I hit it in the fairway bunker on 16 and 17 and made a par, which was huge, because Bubba has it going pretty good out there. I didn't want to fall any further back. JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Keegan Bradley, thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|