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THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY NATIONWIDE INSURANCEMay 29, 2012Branden GraceDUBLIN, OHIO BRANDEN GRACE: Getting the wins under the belt gives you a lot of confidence, a lot of self‑belief, believing where you want to play, and what you want to achieve, and I think this is really one of the places where I want to play golf. I definitely want to get out here more often and see how I can go and how I can compete with the bigger boys. CHRIS REIMER: You played your practice round today with Charl and Louis. Talk about how they've helped you along, not only on the European Tour but here, as well. BRANDEN GRACE: You know, they've been great. We're good mates. When we're always at events together, we always have a barbecue or things like that to relax and things like that. But on the course, as well, it's more laughs and jokes out there than anything else. Obviously they try to give you a little bit of advice around the corners and things like that, but I think more where you get the inspiration from is where they come and you see what they've achieved and you try to do the same. You know, that's been great, and just seeing how Charl and Louis have done in the Majors really gives you inspiration to head forward. Q. It was a big week for you last week, wasn't it? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, last week was good. I really wanted to play well last week. My first time at Wentworth, actually, and it was‑‑ I think not just for myself but everybody wanted to see how I can perform on that big a stage with Rory and Luke and Westwood and those guys in the field. But it was good. I really played well. I didn't really play as well as I wanted to play. I played decent, got it around. But it was a good experience, and I am just looking forward to this week. Q. You got your ranking up to, I think, 55. I'm curious what kind of decision you make on Monday depending on what your number is. BRANDEN GRACE: You know, I think the decision is made so far. I'm staying here now. I'm going to spend next week with Louis, the week off, down at West Palm Beach. I'm going to spend a week down there with him and Charl and do some practice and hopefully should be good enough to get into the Open, and take it from there. Q. Are you going to play the qualifier? BRANDEN GRACE: No, no. It's done now. I think I should be good enough, but I'm definitely not going to do the qualifier. Q. Are you comfortable that you'll stay within the top 60 after next week? BRANDEN GRACE: I'm playing really well. I'm looking forward to the week. I really want to start playing and showing the talent that I have here in the States and see pushing on from there. I see it as I still have another week down here to get into the top 50 in the world and take it from there. Those things all get to play into the way I think it's going to go, and the way I'm playing, I think it's looking right. Q. When you came for Doral, how long did you stay? BRANDEN GRACE: Just for the week. It was a really short‑‑ just one week in and out again. But you know, I've learned at Doral and things helped me a lot. It was my first time in the States playing as a pro, so obviously I was a little bit nervous the first round, but as soon as I found my feet and found the swing of things, then I played the type of golf that I know I can play. Q. What was different about it? BRANDEN GRACE: Just everything around it. Louis and Charl have always told me the first time to the States it's a bit different, just to settle in and things like that, and the greens and the courses and stuff is a lot different. I found that the first week, Doral is a funny course. If you compare Doral to this week, this week is a lot different. This week is like I've always seen PGA TOUR standards of golf. This course is by far one of the best courses I've ever played in my life, just the shape the course is in and the conditions, I've never seen anything like it. It's nice to see and be able to play on a course like this and see what I can achieve at the end of the week. Q. There's no jets flying over the course or anything? BRANDEN GRACE: No, there wasn't. Q. You say that everything is happening really fast this year. Number one, have you surprised yourself? BRANDEN GRACE: The first one was I played really well the last year, as well. When I went to Q‑school I really thought I was going to get a card. I thought my game was in good shape for me to be able to finish up there. One of my goals was to win one of the first two events back home because it was in South Africa, and I thought, well, I've really played well at those courses the last couple years and things like that. But I never really expected to win the Jo'burg Open. I thought my first event was going to be the African Open where it's windier conditions, suits my game a little bit more around the edges and stuff like that. But I kept my head down. I think I was a little bit too relaxed in Africa because I had only top 10 finishes there before. I thought, it's going to be a good week again, and just shot myself in the foot there. But then the next week just kept playing well, and everything from there just happened really quick. I think just getting over that first hurdle of getting the win under your belt just gave me loads of confidence just to keep pushing on. And then just to get back to how it's changed the schedule, dramatically. You know, I'm playing events that I haven't been playing, I don't even think I'm going to play in. So for me it's only experience. But I think so far I've coped pretty well and I've taken it with both hands and just running with it. Q. Is there anything in your swing that kind of fell into place this last year or thereabouts? BRANDEN GRACE: Swing‑wise I've been swinging really good. I think the only thing that's really changed has been my putting. I've always been a guy that really listened to everybody about putting and tried to change things for the better and the way it looked, and at the end of last year, before Tour school, I told my caddie, I'm going to start doing just things the way I feel comfy and just leave what it looks like for now and try and make the putts and take it from there. I went back to a little bit of old habits, which wasn't really good ones, but it felt better at the time and I made it work and I made a lot more putts than what I used to, and now it's just working on getting it really comfy. Q. Do you have any grand plan, you'd like to come to the U.S. Tour at some point? BRANDEN GRACE: I think that's everybody's goal out there, sooner or later in your career you want to end up here. It's one of the Tours that you always dream of playing and things like that. But for now everything has happened really quick, so I'm still finding my feet in the big events back in Europe. I must say, I'm really enjoying coming over to the States, especially now where I'm putting myself into the majors and things like that and the World Golf events coming up at the end of the year. I think after that I'll really know where and what I want to do, but definitely the end goal would be to head over to the States more often. Q. Pretoria, is that Goose country? BRANDEN GRACE: No, Pretoria is just outside Johannesburg, just like a 45‑minute drive from Johannesburg. Q. Is Retief from there? BRANDEN GRACE: He's from Polokwane, I think. He's more the other side, Pietersburg. Q. Who was your inspiration growing up? BRANDEN GRACE: You know, obviously you look at your own countrymen. Ernie has always been up there, but one of my favorites has always been Tiger. I think every kid growing up, he was his idol. It's nice to see him out at events now, especially you're dreaming of playing with him and seeing how he does things and things like that, and you learn a lot more from guys like that. It's nice to know I can tee it up in events that he plays and see how he does things and things like that. It's really been amazing coming out and seeing it. Q. And where were you the week of the Presidents Cup? BRANDEN GRACE: I was actually going to marshal, but I was a little bit too young, so everything was settled and at the end of the day I couldn't do it. I can't remember what day it was, and I can still remember, there was nobody on the range and Tiger and Charles Howell, they were on the range, so I ran up, there was nobody there, it was only them two and the caddies hitting balls on the range, and I was sitting behind them just watching them hit balls and things like that, and I'll never forget that in my life. It's one of those experiences you'll really cherish forever. Q. It was Tiger and who? BRANDEN GRACE: And Charles Howell III. Q. The timing of playing this tournament, is it somewhat of a no‑brainer to come down? BRANDEN GRACE: I don't really think so. I think it's actually fallen into place really well after last week. I moved up to 55 in the world now, so I think the looks of getting into the U.S. Open is pretty clear now. So I think it can only do me a world of good to play here, especially a lot of guys said that condition‑wise and things like that it's going to be pretty similar to Olympic Club. But it's been good. I just want to get the motivation and things and see how things are here and to play a hard course. Last week was good, and Wentworth is always a tough course to play. But coming out to a course like this where the greens are really fast and really slick is something different. I've never in my life played a course like this before, so it's a whole different experience. Q. Presidents Cup 2013 in the back of your mind at all right now? BRANDEN GRACE: Not really. You know, everything‑‑ I think more my goals now are just to move up in the World Ranking. I've had my three wins so far this year. I'm definitely looking to grow on that, as well, and just to get as far on top of the Race to Dubai as possible back in Europe, and get myself into all the majors for next week. As soon as I get those things and get quite comfy in the world's top 50, then those things will definitely be in the mind. Q. What part of your game has been the biggest turn‑around this year? BRANDEN GRACE: Definitely my putting. The putting has been the thing where I've really struggled the last couple years. It's really just shifting into gear a little bit and it's been the only thing that's majorly changed. I make so many more putts than I used to. I still miss the odd ones, which everybody does, but it's one of those things, overall my game has just been really, really solid. I've been really good from tee to green. It's been amazing. The chipping is the thing that's really been putting me back a little bit more than what it used to be like. But I'm working hard at that and trying to get everything more on a positive level all the time. CHRIS REIMER: You mentioned Doral was your first U.S. start as a pro. As an amateur how much did you get over to the States? BRANDEN GRACE: Not really. I came over once for Callaway World Juniors down in San Diego. That was my first time to the States and things like that, but that's a long time ago. So I was really coming over to Doral was really a dream, was something I really wanted to do for a long time. To get it so early in the year, after this year just kicked off like the way it did, is pretty special for me going to Doral, and coming out to these events now make it more worthwhile. Q. What's the flight look like from South Africa to San Diego? BRANDEN GRACE: It's long, really long. Where I live, I live down at Fancourt where the Presidents Cup was, so it's Johannesburg, straight to Washington, then you have to wait there, then to San Diego. So it took a long time. Q. How did you do that week? BRANDEN GRACE: I think I missed the cut actually, so it wasn't really the best of trips, but we made a little bit of holiday off of it, so it was great. Q. You mentioned hanging out with Charl and Louis. Do you South Africans ever have a meal without it being a barbecue? BRANDEN GRACE: Not often, I must say, especially with Charl and Louis. They both love it. And it's nice. It's nice to know guys like them away from home. Coming to a different country like this, it's nice to know somebody you get along with and you can have a braai as we call it and just chill. We're definitely going to have one or two this week, as well, so looking forward to that. CHRIS REIMER: Branden, good luck this week. Thanks. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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