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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 30, 2012Nick WatneyNORTON, MASSACHUSETTS MARK STEVENS: We'd like to welcome Nick Watney, who moved into first place in the FedExCup standings last week with a win at the Barclays. If you want to talk about your thoughts coming into this week and then we'll have a few questions. NICK WATNEY: Well, I am still very, very happy with last week. This week with the extra day has been nice just to rest up a little bit, and I'm looking forward to getting the week started, got a really nice pairing, and hopefully continue the good mojo and momentum. Q. How did you celebrate? Where did you go? NICK WATNEY: I went into Manhattan with my wife and some friends from the TOUR. Adam Scott was there, Charley Hoffman, Tim Clark, John Mallinger, Justin Rose. We had a good time on Sunday night. We had a good time. Q. I assume you picked up the tab? NICK WATNEY: That is true, but I was very happy to do that. Q. You were in contention last year on Sunday and then you had the 11 at 2. What did you learn from playing it again today? NICK WATNEY: I learned not to hit it in the water, and once I hit it in the water not to ground my club in the water, in the hazard. No, that's a very difficult second shot. It's almost a‑‑ sometimes it can be a blessing if you drive it in the rough because then you lay up and play a wedge to the green, whereas if you hit a nice drive, you still have a 3‑ or 4‑iron over water, and even if you bail out and miss the green left, it's a difficult up and in. I think it's a great par‑5 just because of the risk‑reward is really big. It's all kind of set up by the tee shot, though. If you drive it in the fairway you've got a chance. If not, you have pretty much one option. Q. How much did that pull you out of what you were working on that Sunday because you were right in contention, too? NICK WATNEY: Well, it was very deflating. It took me out of the tournament. You never want to do that that early, especially on a hole I had hit a good tee shot. So it was disappointing to have a blow‑up like that. But I hope I'm in contention again and have a chance to go for that green. I am sure I can do better than 11 shots this time. Q. Can you talk a little bit about what the other challenges are this weekend on the course, what holes you're concerned about, and also, conditions of the green. NICK WATNEY: Yeah. Well, I feel like there's a lot of tough holes out here. There's‑‑ the front nine sort of starts off fairly tame. You've got a shorter par‑5 and a drivable hole, but then 5 and 6 are very difficult, especially if you get a tee shot off line. 10 for some reason seems narrower than it is just with the hazard on both sides. 11 is a very difficult hole. And then 12, 13, 14 are tough driving holes. So the course presents a lot of challenges I feel, especially off the tee, and then the greens, I feel like they always get them pretty firm here, and it puts even a bigger premium on driving, just because of if you're coming out of the fairway you have a chance to put obviously more spin on the ball as oppose to the rough. Driving I believe sets up this golf course. Q. In your mind what do you have to do to get picked for the Ryder Cup? NICK WATNEY: I mean, I really don't know. I haven't spoken to Davis. I got a text from Freddie, but he didn't say anything about it. He said nice playing. So for all I know, I'm not even in the conversation. I'm really not sure. All I can do is go and try to play my best. I know that's watered down and cliché, but it's really true. I'm not really shooting for any number or any‑‑ if I finish in the top 10 I'll make it because I'm just not sure. I guess I'll just try to continue my momentum, like I said. I always love to play with Tiger, so maybe that can spur me on even more, and if I get that call, I'll be‑‑ I could probably walk to Indy just as fast as fly because I'll be super, super excited. Q. If you were to win this week, would you expect to get picked? NICK WATNEY: Well, if I were to win this week, I guess‑‑ I've heard he said he's looking for a hot player, and I would have to classify myself as a hot player if I were to win two tournaments in a row. I could honestly see a scenario where I win this tournament, and Davis says, well, just based on the year, if Brandt or Dustin played well, I'm taking the two or three guys that are really experienced, and Brandt and Dustin have had a better collective season than this guy. I wish‑‑ part of me wishes that I knew what I had to do, and part of me is glad that I don't. I'm excited to play the Deutsche Bank. I feel like I'm in great position as far as the Playoffs go, and if that call comes, like I said, I will be overjoyed, and if it doesn't, then the first five months of the season cost me. Q. Your thoughts on the new 18th green and what kind of impact do you think that'll make this week? NICK WATNEY: Yeah, that is a huge change in my opinion because if you hit it in the fairway, I felt like it was a par‑4 because you're playing a long iron, but if you hit it to the left there with the rough, it was a fairly probable up and in. Now I bet there will be a lot of guys who hit the fairway and lay up, just because it's really difficult to hit it on the green with a 4‑ or 5‑iron. So I think it'll add at least‑‑ I don't know if it'll make a full shot because it's still a par‑5, but at least half a shot or three quarters of a shot to the scoring average for the tournament, just because there's going to be guys that go for it, miss it to the left and make a 6, whereas that would rarely happen before. I think it's a huge change for that hole. If a guy is down by one in the last group, down by one, or Stricker was a couple years ago tied and coming to that hole and hitting it left and getting up and in, that's a lot more difficult these days. Q. (Inaudible.) NICK WATNEY: Well, it's definitely more difficult, so that could be true. Q. There's three more playoff events left, and I was going to ask you to discuss your strategy to get to Atlanta, and do you think about that $10 million paycheck that Bill Haas got last year at the end of that tournament? NICK WATNEY: Well, as far as my strategy, I think I'm in pretty good shape to make it to Atlanta at this point, and that's really the goal starting the Playoffs, because as Bill proved last year, if you make it to Atlanta and you win, you have a pretty good shot at winning the whole thing. So my strategy is to just keep playing. But do I think about the $10 million? The answer is no, only because conceivably you could win the first three events and finish 10th in Atlanta, which would be a nice finish, and not win the FedExCup. Because they reset the points, it's not really a thought right now. Q. Twofold on 18: The green has been moved away from the creek, and visually as a player looking at it, it doesn't look that much different from the fairway, because the pattern and the footprint is pretty much there. Do you think the creek, number one, may come into play a little more, try to bounce it up with a long iron, where you didn't have that opportunity before? And second, that right bunker looks like it might be an easier place to play from because there's not as much slope away from that bunker. Do you think that could be the bail‑out this year, and is that going to be a better opportunity to try to get it up‑and‑down? NICK WATNEY: Yeah, as far as bouncing it up, I think coming from that distance, the wind always swirls a little bit because the treetops are so high, and down on the ground is a little‑‑ you're not 100 percent sure of the wind. So I think that's a little too risky to bounce it into the green, just because there is more, but you've got to hit a pretty precise shot. But yeah, the right bunker, depending on the flag, and if it's tucked to the right, it would still be a tough shot. But if the pin is on the left edge of the green, I agree with you 100 percent, it seems like the place to miss it, only because it's‑‑ we've all hit bunker shots, and to run it up a five‑foot bank is much more difficult. Q. Can you talk about the back nine par‑3s? The 11th hole, 230 up the hill, how do you play that hole? What's your tactic? NICK WATNEY: Well, 11 is‑‑ I try to make a 3 every day and just‑‑ if you hit it in the center of the green, if it catches one of those slopes and gets close, that's a bonus. But making four pars there is not going to lose you anything to the field. And they're pretty much dead opposite because 16 is short, depending on where they put the flag. There's funnels on the green, and if it's a calm day, it's a birdie opportunity because you have 8‑ or 9‑iron in your hand. From a 3‑iron to a 5‑wood to an 8‑ or 9‑iron, they're pretty much dead opposite holes. MARK STEVENS: Thanks a lot, Nick. Good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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