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VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPMay 18, 2013Graeme McDowellKAVAMA, BULGARIA MICHAEL GIBBONS: Graeme, another long, long day, thanks for joining us, take us through your day. GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, long day, like you say, but fun day. You know, a little bit of a pattern emerging in my game. I don't think it's really too difficult to know what that pattern is. I'm getting off to great starts and sort of around the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th mark, I'm kind of losing anyway a little bit. It is a tricky part of the golf course, there's no doubt about it. Defending a lead, guys are more aggressive and hitting looser and hitting better shots. Yeah, I'm giving guys like Nicolas Colsaerts a look in and you don't want to give these guys too many chances. Surviving and I'm happy to be through, I'm playing good, a little scrappy coming in. Seeing the greens better and better every day. They were cut and rolled today and they are running much, much, much better, putting well. Just very excited to be in the semifinals. It's a great tournament, and excited about tomorrow. MICHAEL GIBBONS: And a word on your opponent, Branden Grace. GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, good player obviously. Obviously playing well and he'll be a very, very tough competitor. There's no such thing as an easy match, especially at this stage of the tournament. Guys know their way around the golf course. They are obviously making birdies. I'm going to have to play tough. My game plan has very much been trying to hit fairways and greens, really don't give my opponent too much of an opportunity, make him win holes, and that's been working pretty well. Like I say, I just need to tighten it up a little bit coming home. Just a couple of interesting little turning points out there a few times today when I looked like I could have‑‑ on 10 today when Nicolas literally got it up and down out of the toilet, I looked like going 4‑up at that point and he makes a phenomenal four, and then all of a sudden things get a little tighter. Decent, playing nicely, excited about tomorrow, Branden will be a tough competitor. Q. Ever see a guy drive it into a toilet before? GRAEME McDOWELL: I tried my best this morning, hit my 3‑wood on a very similar line this morning. That's kind of where the Rules of Golf get a little funny and a bit kind of whacky and people watching it on TV will be thinking, what is going on. That's just kind of one of those funny things, and what a four he made, wow. Brings new meaning to the terms nearest point of relief I guess; nearest point of relief the toilet, interesting. Q. What do you do to change the lack of focus on the holes you were talking about? GRAEME McDOWELL: I wouldn't change anything I suppose. I still want to be entering the last 2‑ and 3‑up, entering; if I was 1‑down that would change the focus a little bit but I don't want to try that. Getting better and better. Through 12 holes today, I barely missed a shot. 13, I just kind of‑‑ it's a tough tee shot for me. 14 is a tough tee shot for me, kind of a 275 carry over that out crop of rough and rocks and decent hit for me, kind of up the hill. I kind of didn't flight one very well and hit it in the crap and then lost that hole. 14 was just kind of Nicolas's par coming into it, he was able to hit down there just short of the green. I'm on an upslope trying to bump‑and‑run it and he's find of forcing my hand a little bit and didn't play a great shot there. Really, I mean, I'm getting the hang of it, let's put it that way. I putted more solidly today. Fairways and greens, like I say, make your opponent work, try not to give him holes. And like I say, protecting a lead, 3‑ and 4‑up gets you a little bit defensive. I just need to stay aggressive and keep hitting fairways and greens. Q. You won the Volvo Scandinavian Masters and you were runner‑up in this last year; it's an historic event, what would it mean to you to win the Volvo. GRAEME McDOWELL: Very historic. Like you say, it's a trophy full of legends, legends' names on it. Think back to the golden years around Wentworth, watching a lot of my heros winning this great, great tournament, and I'd dearly love to add my name to that list. But four guys, three other guys I guess who feel the same way. And I've got a very tough match in the morning but no doubt about it. Won the Volvo Scandinavian Masters in 2002 which kicked my career off. And I think Volvo has done fantastic things, especially with this event, taking it to Spain the last couple years and then kind of unchartered territories down here in Bulgaria, I think they should be very proud of what they have accomplished here. I think that I would certainly love to add my name to that trophy, so fingers crossed. Q. I was interested to see Branden Grace had a few little aches and pains and was stiff, and he's only 23, 24 years of age; how does playing so much golf over a period of three or four days‑‑ where are you at the moment and the concentration, does that have something to do with it? GRAEME McDOWELL: I have to say physically I felt very good today. I think anything I've experienced in the past, tight match up this morning, it's very hard to have 40 minutes to re‑set and get back to the first tee but I actually did that quite well today, and energy level is still pretty good. You know, this golf course is kind of physically demanding I suppose, but we are getting a lot of cart rides on that back nine, and it's not that tough to walk really. Yeah, it's hot and whatever, drank a lot of water today. I have to feel pretty good, I have to say. I feel about as fresh as I probably could feel having played 35 holes today. So I'm feeling good. It is a long walk. When you get tired and the back postural muscles get a little kind of fatigued, but let's not kind of start saying this is a very physical sport. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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