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ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT SCOTTISH OPENJuly 10, 2012Richie RamsayINVERNESS, SCOTLAND MICHAEL GIBBONS: Welcome to the at Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. Start us off with your thoughts on the week, a big couple of weeks coming up, links golf, your National Open, doesn't get much better. RICHIE RAMSAY: Well, the sun could be shining. Massive couple of weeks, probably for me and all of the Scottish guys. I'm not that far from home, so guys can come up for the day and watch me. You always want to do well. The Scottish Open, I was a little kid, I went to Gleneagles, I think it was when Jesper won the Bell Scottish Open, 1990, back in the day, and now to be playing in it is fantastic. But I want to do well in it, I don't want to just kind of make the numbers up. MICHAEL GIBBONS: And you did well at Royal Portrush on the links. RICHIE RAMSAY: Yeah, I played lovely in Ireland. I actually played lovely last week. I hit the ball fantastically well. I just putted really poorly on the Friday. That cost me some shots, and I think if I just holed one more putt, I would have made the cut and pushed on on the weekend. So it's kind of, you know, sport is one of these things where it's small margins and that was a week where the margins didn't go for me. But I'm hoping this week and next week are the two where they do work out. And I've got an aye on trying to get into the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, and hopefully that will be something that will be a reward for all of the people that have helped me in the States to come down and watch me there. Q. Can you tell us about the injury you suffered last week? RICHIE RAMSAY: The physios have been fantastic. It was just, I don't know what I did. I just woke up one day, and my hamstring was almost like cramping. It was really quite swollen. And I just made sure that I stretched in the morning and I stretched at nighttime. And like said, the physios have been fantastic and it feels a lot better. I was really a lot concerned on Wednesday, and then Thursday morning, I had a slightly later tee off time and it was fine. I just have to keep on top of things. It's just one of these things; planes, trains and automobiles, you're sitting on them all the time. So your body doesn't react the best, so just have to keep on top of it. Q. You obviously want to do well, but how important is it to have a strong field this week? RICHIE RAMSAY: It's massive. That's what the sponsors wanted to see.  That's what the fans wanted to see. At the end of the day, you're trying to produce a product for the guys to come out and watch. I think the perfect illustration or the combination that you want is top, top players, but guys who are hopefully from the home country. I think The Irish Open illustrated that fantastically well. Massive names, G‑Mac, Rory, Darren, and the crowds were just unbelievable. And that's what we are trying to do, get big names. But hopefully a few of the Scottish guys can kind of push on. Obviously Paul is doing really well and Martin is doing really well and I know myself, George, Scotty, David Drysdale, those are the kind of guys trying to make the next leap and become more of a name player and have a bit more of a following. Like I say, to get the field they have got this week, they have done really, really well because some guys have a decision to make, whether they play the week before the open or they go away and practise in Ireland or wherever it may be. But they have got a great field, traditional links course and I think the reception of the guys from last year was really positive, and even now with some of the changes on the course they have made. Q. Do you get the impression that there could be a home winner this week‑‑ RICHIE RAMSAY: I don't see why‑‑ I can't think of any reason why there's not. I think Scott was pretty close last year. I mean, to lose to Luke Donald, you take your hat off to him, because I think he played some great golf on the last 18 holes. But yeah, there's a lot more strength and depth than we had maybe five years ago. We used to have kind of one or two here and there, and then Paul and Stephen Gallacher, and then there was a gap between them and probably myself, Scott, George, coming through. But now they have progressed, and we have got a few guys behind us that are popping up the ranks. A lot of positive things. But I think then you've got Martin and Paul who can do well. So there's definitely a good chance we could have a home winner. You look at what Andy Murray's done, you look at someone playing well in a massive, major tournament, and the whole nation starts watching. I'm not saying everybody is going to turn on the TV and start watching the golf, but it has an impact and there's a feel‑good factor that brings. If we had someone like that, or if Paul gets in The Ryder Cup, then there's definitely a kind of knock‑on effect and like you say, a feel‑good factor rolls through all of the players and the golf clubs. Q. Michael Stewart and David wall are playing this week; how well do you feel that you feel that you have adapted to life on The European Tour from The Challenge Tour? RICHIE RAMSAY: To be honest, I felt quite comfortable straightaway. I felt I believed in my ability, or I started to believe more after sort of consulting a few people and keeping a sort of close circle of friends around me. And I would say not listening to what other people had to say outside that was the two main reasons I felt more comfortable, because I started to believe in myself a little bit more. I started to continue with what I had done previously, which was just trying to improve all the time. But there is a point where you think, more so you go out there and you feel comfortable playing, but there's a point where you feel that you can go out and really do well and compete. I think that comes when after you've been in the mix and maybe you didn't play so well, but you'd been up there and you'd think, well, if I can play my a game for 72 holes, I have a good chance of winning. And that's when I won in South Africa. So it does take a bit of time but I think you've got to be careful more so mentally about listening to the right people and not taking the right advice from certain people. And how that affects your mental state probably more than anything else. Q. Talking about the Royal Portrush, what difference can it make, despite the weather today, what difference can that make for you and the Scottish guys? RICHIE RAMSAY: Just makes it, the atmosphere, a lot better. You want to play better.  Like in Ireland when I holed that putt on the 10th green from about 30 feet, the roar was unbelievable. I'm not even Irish. I don't know if they knew who I was. They knew that I was obviously playing quite good, and that's what they want to see. They want to see good shots. It just changes the atmosphere. You want to go out there and play well, and there's an added incentive to do well in front of the home fans. I know, because when I was young, I used to go and watch the Dunhill and The Scottish Open, you sort of sit there and you used to watch the shots coming down and think, how good are these guys. Now you're out here playing and you're kind of‑‑ you kind of want to show off a little bit and kind of show people, that I am good; I've practised and this is what I can do. I can hit it left‑to‑right, and I can hit it up‑and‑down and I can spin it back and I can stop it. You want to prove to them and show them how good you are. When you get people standing on the hills and watching you, it does create a better atmosphere, there's no doubt about it. Q. (Inaudible.) RICHIE RAMSAY: Definitely there's a few guys I went to school that are coming up, a few of the guys who helped me out from the very start when I turned professional. Just people that I've known, and it's nice to have them come out and watch me, because you don't always get the chance. Like you say, spending time in America, I've chosen that because I feel it's going to prepare me better, but it's nice to come back and then catch up with old friends and then try and put in a good performance and people can really see that you're moving on, you're improving, you're always getting better and really start thinking, you know, okay, he was a good amateur player but he really has turned into a good professional and he really can compete with the top guys coming down the stretch. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Richie, many thanks for joining us. Good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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