WALKER CUP MATCH

August 14, 2005

Oliver Fisher

Garth McGimpsey

Kim Saiki-Maloney

Lloyd Saltman

Q. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be joined by the GB&I Captain and several players. Closest to me, Gary Wolstenholme, Ollie Fisher, Lloyd Saltman. Garth, in the disappointment of losing, can you see the sense that this was a match for the ages? This was a dandy?

GARTH MCGIMPSEY: It was a pretty good game, all right. It was similar to Ganton. I think the books are balanced between myself and Bob, one tight match each. I was disappointed and proud at the same time, if that's possible. These guys gave everything they possibly could. To lose by half a point is always a bit tricky to live with, I would have to say.

Especially during the afternoon, after about the 8th, 8th holes, we were sort of leading in five matches. At that stage, we were thinking maybe we might sneak this and pull off another victory, but the Americans are a great team and they pulled us back and we looked dead and buried there and we came back again. We had great fight backs from Lloyd. Gary managed to hold on to win. Dinwiddie chipped in at the last. Ollie here held a great putt, but it was too much to do. Then the last, half a point down.

Q. You joked about you and Bob Lewis maybe getting it back together. How serious are you about that? How much would you enjoy that opportunity?

GARTH MCGIMPSEY: It was a joke actually. Obviously Bob's got to be asked and I've got to be asked and we've got to go home and reflect. I'm not going to make any decisions at this stage, because I haven't been asked, but it's my home patch. I'll be there regardless, whether I'm team Captain or not. I'll be there as a supporter or helper or whatever.

Q. Question for Lloyd actually, because you said you were on a three year plan, and you planned to play at the next Walker Cup.

How does this wet your appetite for staying and playing there.

LLOYD SALTMAN: Definitely. It's a serious consideration. You know, after getting a taste of this weekend, just falling short, it makes you want to come back and be on a winning site. It's you know, there is nothing written down, so I'm going to kind of keep my options open, and who knows? Maybe be back in two years to get a Walker Cup.

Q. Gary, we know you would love to come back. Ollie, what about you?

OLIVER FISHER: I love the idea. It's really, really good fun. We had a great team. All the guys were really, really good to be with all the time. I would love to come back in two years' time and play.

Q. Gary, just to get you started, you got something to take home in terms of being the GB&I point leader?

GARY WOLSTENHOLME: Obviously, I'm very proud of that. I would have given anything to have lost today if the team won. I know that's a bit of a cliche. It's deflating in some respects, but obviously such a special moment and the tournament is such a special tournament that even though we've lost, I actually felt, having watched the guys, and so proud how they sort of fought back, it actually feels as though we've almost won.

I don't know how that's possible. That putt on the last for Nigel, and half an inch is what it's turned out to be, that's what determined which way the Walker Cup goes. Matt Richardson did so well to get the points on the board earlier. I managed to win, admittedly a lot harder than it should have been. Hopefully, that gave the team a momentum. It was just like Ganton. It slid both ways. I really thought the heroics of our team had gone our way. It wasn't to be, but that's the way it is.

It's great to be here. I've enjoyed the experience so much. The guys are like family now, and hopefully I can be here in two years' time.

Q. Over the last few years at the Ryder Cups and Walker Cups much has been written about the Americans and their inability to play as a team. For Gary and Garth, who have been around these a few years, did you get a sense it's a more cohesive American team than maybe you've seen in the past?

GARY WOLSTENHOLME: From a personal perspective, I think that Bob's worked very hard to try to create a more cohesive unit. Obviously little stories come out that they got together ten days ago, that sort of thing. At the end of the day, that's not what it's all about. It's all about the human beings being together, and we had fantastic team spirit. Really, all I can talk about is our team. Garth, he was father, brother, friend, mentor, the whole thing this week. Peter was the same, Roger was great. We have had a fantastic team spirit for a year or more, since we came here last year.

And the great thing is that everybody who's been in the team, new guys like Ollie have slotted in fabulously well. I feel we're perpetuating something. Whether their team spirit was better or not, they won the match. You'll have to ask them.

Q. (Inaudible.)

GARY WOLSTENHOLME: Well, I just walked down to the opening ceremony, and they were walking together, and everyone was applauding, and they both put their hands up together. I swear to you now, I could see them doing that coming down the 18th at the US Open. These two are phenomenal players. They're very, very special players. Now, whether they'll be here in two years, I don't know. No one really knows, but I hope they are, because I'll tell you one thing, if we've got these two on our team, that would really be a special team.

The backbone of any successful team, you need guys that are going to be leaders, and these two are leaders, even at their young age.

Q. Gary sort of spoke to this, but Garth or any of the other guys, after the three straight birdies at 18, did you have sort of a feeling that it was just your day, and when Nigel was coming down 18, that it was meant to go like Gary said?

GARTH MCGIMPSEY: I think that yes and no. The pin at the last was a tough pin. It was a pin that wasn't easy to get close to, and the guys that were making birdies were chipping out or holing long putts. From that sense, it was going to be another long one. If the pin had been a bit more accessible, I would have been a bit more hopeful we were going to do it again. You don't expect maybe it's going to go your way, having seen the 3.

Nigel gave it his best shot, and all credits to Overton for handling the pressure.

Q. Garth, how is this different now? Obviously we talked about in the past Captain Lewis coming in and trying to find a way to get the team going in the right direction because we have had some problems with that. Of course, your team doesn't need to learn how to go in the right direction but you lost this match. What's the approach now going forward?

GARTH MCGIMPSEY: Well, depending who's team Captain, I would expect the approach to be much the same. We think we've got a pretty good formula here. Half a point, I don't think we'll start panicking about what we're doing. I think we're doing most things right. I personally wouldn't change anything we've done this week. We got the practice just right. We got the bonding just right. If we had holed one more putt at the right time, we would have the Cup.

I'm assuming we won't change anything. The selection committee might change these guys who have done a lot of hard work over the last four years, it's quite time consuming. Some guys might go and some guys might come in, but there is a formula that's certainly I've stuck to over the last four years with Peter's help. That might change when somebody new comes in. I don't know.

Q. For Gary and Garth, how does the did the atmosphere here rank among all the Walker Cups you guys have participated in?

GARTH MCGIMPSEY: I think it was fabulous here. Not only did you have great support, but we did as well. There was times we thought we had more supporters than you guys. We judged how well we were doing by how quiet it was. Things were pretty quiet there for about an hour in the middle. And then, of course, you hear the roars and stuff, and you need to try to work out is that an American roar or a more subdued British roar. You guys had one more roar than we did at the end of the day.

End of FastScripts.