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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 16, 2013Branden GracePERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA MICHAEL GIBBONS: Welcome to Perth and the Perth international. Just give us an update on your sort of form and coming into the week. BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, it's been good. I had a good week off last week. I managed to sneak down to Perth a couple of days before. I actually got here late Friday evening, so the jet‑lag and everything is out of the way and ready to go. Obviously I had a good week at The Presidents Cup. The form was there. You know, obviously those guys just killed us on the greens and things like that, but the form is there and I feel like I'm playing well again. So just a matter of a couple of putts going in and that's going to be the difference from shooting 69s to 65s. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Have you had a chance to look at Lake Karrinyup yet? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, like I said, I've been here early. I came out on Monday and yesterday and played nine holes each. It's great. It's one of those holes where you get on to the first hole of either nine and you think, what are they really going on about. There's only like a little flick 3‑iron, flick 4‑iron, flick gap wedge, things like that; then you get to a couple of the beast holes around the corner there. And it's everything everybody said it's going to be. I'm sure that there's a couple of surprises around the corner for us waiting, especially drying the greens out in the fairways and things like that. So it should be a good test. Q. You said you got here on Friday. Apart from a few rounds, what have you been up to? BRANDEN GRACE: Not too much to be honest. The first couple of days was just trying to get over the jet‑lag, just taking it really easy. I'm hoping to maybe get down to do something tomorrow‑‑ not tomorrow, on Friday after I play in the morning, go out to explore Perth a little bit. You know, I've never really seen all of the wildlife here, the kangaroo and those things. I really want to go to a place where I can go and see them and maybe hang out a little bit. Q. Obviously your form in 2012 was incredible the first few weeks on The European Tour, and this year‑‑ any idea why there was a form slump at the start of this year? BRANDEN GRACE: No, I wouldn't really call it a slump. I've been finding I've been playing very steady, very solid. Although I haven't had a win, I've been close. But you know, it can't be that big of a slump if I'm still No. 6 on The Race to Dubai. It's been all right. There's a lot of firsts again for me this year. Going out to the States is very different than playing in Europe. Everything is a lot bigger, and the courses are a lot different. You know, I've found that my golf game from tee‑to‑green has been very similar to last year. The big difference has just been on the greens. Especially in the States, we have to adapt to the speeds going from‑‑ in Europe, let's say you play average from ten to 12th on the Stimp every week. You go to the States and it goes from 14 to 16, so it's a big difference. A lot of guys say, you just have to hit the ball softer but there's a lot more that goes into those things. You really have to expand your eyes on reading the greens and things like that. But this year has been good. I've learned a lot and obviously if I get back there again next year, I've learned the things that I had to learn and so hopefully I can do things different. Q. What's it like playing golf in Australia? I guess a relaxed atmosphere? BRANDEN GRACE: It's been great. I've been here awe couple of times. I've been here once as a junior and I've been here at Kingston Heath a couple of years ago when the J.B. Masters were there. It's great. I'm very fond of the sand‑base courses which gives a little bit of a links‑feel course. It's been great and the people are great, as well. Kind of feels a little bit like home here. They say there's a lot of South Africans in this area which is nice, and it's nice to see people speaking Afrikaans a little bit like home. So it makes the trip a little bit more worthwhile and things like that, but everything has been great, the hospitality and even just staying there at the Crown has been phenomenal, so it's awesome. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Been in the casino yet? BRANDEN GRACE: I have, but let just leave it at that (laughing). Q. How do you like your chances this week? BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, I think it's pretty good. You know, everything just depends on how they set up the golf course. It's either going to play into your hands or it's not. I think a big key on this golf course, what I've seen the last couple of days is just going to be patience, because you're going to get some bounces that goes your way and you're going to get some bounces that doesn't go your way. But course management is also a big thing this week. There's a couple of sucker pins out there, especially with these greens being so elevated in certain parts of it, so you're really going to have to position yourself well on spots on the green where you can give yourself chances. But I feel the golf game is good. Like I said, it's just a matter of making a couple of putts and really giving yourself the opportunities. Q. Just the bigger picture of the Majors, what do you have to do to take your game to the next level? What specific areas? BRANDEN GRACE: You know, like I said, being in the States this year, I've learned a lot and I've seen what it takes. I don't think my game is that far off to be honest. I think I've already put my foot into the door on that next level. It's just a matter of just rounding the small things off; and small things, I think with short game and putting. I think the long game and ball‑striking, I'm up there with the best in the world. So you know, it's just a matter of adapting and taking those chances, and the next big thing for me is trying to compete in the WGCs and the Majors. I've played in all of them this year, and I haven't had that great success in them, but it was all mostly just down to the putting. Just hard work on the greens the next couple of months, and you never know. Q. 16 Under won here last year – would you expect a similar winning score ? BRANDEN GRACE: Yes and no. You know, I think if the greens‑‑ if the golf course softens with the weather that they are predicting, it should get a little bit softer. I think then you can really attack some of the pins out there. Although there's the big elevations and things, but you know, the balls are not going to take all the slopes down and all the run‑offs to the side of the greens and things like that, so then you can really attack, and then it might go lower than that. But if the golf course plays pretty similar to last year, firm and bouncy, then you'll probably see maybe that and lower. Q. You talked about the putting. Can you just talk us through how frustrating it can be sometimes? Obviously it's down to millimeters when it comes to the putting, and you spend hours upon hours practicing. BRANDEN GRACE: It's just one of those things. You just have to keep grinding I suppose. I think the worst thing about putting is 90 per cent of the time, you actually are making good strokes. Most of the time, you make a good stroke, but the ball just doesn't go in. So obviously it's down to the reading of the line. In Europe, playing here the last couple of years, I think I've been a pro six years now, playing in Europe the majority of the time, you get to learn the greens and you get comfortable on the greens; you sometimes see a line before you even read, and that's not the case in the States. In the States, you kind of almost have to double what you see on the greens, which is very hard to trust it out there, so it's a very hard trust factor, if I can put it that way. At The Presidents Cup, I spoke to the guys, Ernie and Scott and them, and I said, give us something to work on on these greens. I feel like I make good strokes and it doesn't go in, and they said you just have to double or triple what you see, depending on the speed. In Europe, because the greens are a little bit slow, you can hit the ball a little bit more. In the States, as soon as you hit it a fraction harder, you're six or seven feet past in the blink of an eye. Take my word for it, you don't want seven‑ or eight‑footers on those greens all day long. You just have to get used to it and you have to adapt. Q. Have you played with any Aussies in practice to get some local knowledge? BRANDEN GRACE: I haven't actually. I've actually just played with a couple of South African guys. I played with James Kingston yesterday nine holes. He's been here a couple of times before. He's been around the block a couple of times as well. He's told me this course has changed obviously a lot in the last couple of years, as well. It gives you a little bit the ins and outs of the golf course, the lines and things, but I think it's fairly new to him as well with the changes. I'm playing with an sauce‑tomorrow as well which is nice, so hopefully you can learn a little bit on seeing how he does things on the golf course. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for joining us. Good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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