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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 17, 2012Greg ChalmersPERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA KATHIE SHEARER: Welcome, Greg Chalmers, to the media centre. Tell us something about your year, it's been a good year for you? GREG CHALMERS: I had a really nice year. I think it was 25 starts, 20‑made cuts, not enough opportunities to win but it certainly was something that after my summer here in Australia last year, I had hoped that I had an opportunity to win tournaments, and I probably blew a couple of Sundays, but ultimately, I can't complain. I really am excited about where my game is at and moving in the right direction, certainly from a World Ranking point of view which is great. KATHIE SHEARER: Do you like this golf course? Does it suit your eye this, golf course? GREG CHALMERS: I haven't played here‑‑ it does. I really like what Mike has done, he's made some changes and brought it back to what it was like prior to Peter Thomson doing his changes. It's got a Royal Melbourne feel around the greens at the moment and I think I played here since the late 90s as a kid. I'm just as excited I think about coming back to Perth to play. I really feel like this is where my career started and I've got a lot of opportunities, all of my major opportunities in my career, when I was a kid, when I was young, came here. My family lives here. My wife's family lives here, so that's a large part of the reason why I'm back. Q. Inaudible. GREG CHALMERS: No question, this time last year I was like 216th in the world and a year later I'm in the mid 50s. It's a nice jump. I think to cement yourself in the Top‑50 in the world would be an attainable goal between now and the end of year. I have five more events, including this week and that's another reason why I'm here this week is it's another opportunity to improve my World Ranking. So it's how far can you go, I don't know. I think the next step would be to maintain Top‑50 status and then go from there trying to get to 40 or 30 or whatnot. So it's always evolving. I think as golfers, we're all like, wherever you are, you're always one spot lower. There we go. Q. (Your chances this season) ‑‑       GREG CHALMERS: Yes, lots of chances. Look, I would say that a few things go my way, certainly the second week with the PGA. I really felt like going into Sunday there, thinking I'm going to win this golf tournament or I have a chance, because there were a lot of guys, Casey had a six‑those lead over me, and three‑ or four‑shot lead over everybody else with some very good players in the middle there with Bubba Watson and Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley. Everything fell apart for some of those guys and I jumped up. It's translating what I did last year over to America and just sort of obvious changes in different things, whether it be level of competition or golf course difficulty. But on the whole, it's been more comfortable being in contention. I have not done as great a job in America as I have down here. Q. (What do you think is holding you back) ‑‑       GREG CHALMERS: If you talk about things that hold me back from doing, that it would be week‑to‑week mentally what I do. And then that's on me, and then it would be nice if I was a little stronger, but I'm 39. I don't hit it 300 yards. I hit it 280 yards and that makes a big difference today. Power is such a massive part of today's game and that's not just something that I can turn on, unfortunately. So I have to beat you with something else, my short game, so I have to maintain that. But on the whole, for me I've got to make little incremental changes in all areas and for me to be competitive in America or anywhere week‑in, week‑out, I need to be just a little bit better in every area. Q. (Have you played here before) ‑‑ GREG CHALMERS: Just in person, I've never played a professional event here in Lake Karrinyup. I played The Vines. Last time I played in Perth it would have been maybe '96, '97, I believe it was the Heineken. It's been a long time‑‑ Q. Is there a home advantage? GREG CHALMERS: No, not really, other than I had played this golf course and been here a lot this course as a kid. The only thing I've got is an advantage is I'm staying at mom and dad's, and get some home cooking and that's great. Get my laundry done for free; I like that. Q. (Thoughts on Lake Karrinyup is the Augusta of Perth). GREG CHALMERS: I think most Lake Karrinyup members think it's the Augusta of Perth. It's a lovely golf course and I'll say that some guys‑‑ paying so much to be a member here, and relative to where I play my golf, they are getting a great deal. It's a fabulous golf course. There are some comparisons. It's very hard to relate to, because it's not surrounded by pine trees and the greens are not anywhere near as severe as they are as Augusta, nowhere near as severe. Certainly not now. So it is a fantastic golf course; that may be slightly overstating it. Q. (Recent surgery). GREG CHALMERS: Yes, I had surgery four weeks ago, hernia surgery, no big deal. That was part of the reason why it was a late‑‑ me getting here late was part of that. Also my wife had one four days ago, she had hernia surgery, as well. We are herniated family at the moment. So I just had some hesitation about coming here until everything was fine at home, and as soon as it was, I was keen to get down here. Q. (Contending in majors). GREG CHALMERS: That's a really strong‑‑ I'm going to say I've played 10, 11, somewhere in there and I've played them all now. I'd love to be just a regular at the majors, and I think it's much easier to be competitive when you're in that environment all the time. I know I played the British Open this year. I was lucky enough, I played a practice round with Tom Watson, talking to that kind of player and asking the right questions and just being around in that environment is essential to getting used to it; I'm 39, I'm not 12, but it's just something that you have to be around a lot and get used to it. I think you perform better when you do that week‑in, week‑out. Q. Inaudible. GREG CHALMERS: To be honest I thought I was moving in the right direction at the time because prior to, that I was around 400 in the world. I thought I was close to something good at the end of last year and it turned out it was crazy good and it was two wins.  I think I thought there was something exciting going to happen. I kind of felt like that all this year, as well. I felt, gee, I could win this week, and I didn't. I'm feeling the same about this week and I probably will next week. Q. Inaudible. GREG CHALMERS: Great question. Don't know (laughing). I don't‑‑ I think you take an opportunity when you get it. And I got an opportunity and I took it at the time. And vice versa, give you an example. In Phoenix this week, going into that event, I was three, four shots off the lead going into Sunday, I went out and I shot 2‑over. If I had shot 5‑under, I would have won the tournament. I didn't take the opportunity. I doubled the first hole and before you know it I'm going the wrong direction. It can work both ways. When I won, I birdied three of the first five. So you have to perform when you have to perform. Q. (Thoughts on the tournament giving exposure for Perth as a destination). GREG CHALMERS: Yeah, absolutely. I think in terms of Perth and its situation, I think it's really quite undiscovered, certainly from a tourism point of view and golf‑related. I think it's a great opportunity because there's some fabulous golf courses in this city. And there's so much more to this city when you have lived here and you know it with the water and the fishing and the restaurants and everything; that is has a lot to offer to someone who is prepared to travel down here and take the time to come see it. I think it will showcase fantastic on TV and I hope that translates into some dollars for the tourism industry. There's a lot to be said for this city, because it's one of the greatest, most isolated cities in the world, it's fantastic. KATHIE SHEARER: Thank you so much for coming in. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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