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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 17, 2013Nick O'HernPERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA NICK O'HERN: It was a bit of an up‑and‑down day. I played the Pro‑Am yesterday and never made one birdie and thought it was going to be quite difficult. Managed to make about seven or eight today, so they came in bunches. The course is playing really nicely. The course is about as good as we are going to get it, but the main thing is you have to leave your ball above the hole. I didn't do that the front nine, came around at level and then started doing that on the back nine and made a few birdies. OLIVIA McMILLAN: How familiar are you, it's been a couple of years since you've been here and we've had a course re‑design. NICK O'HERN: Yeah, probably ten years since I've been back. The Johnnie Walker was my last time here. Played a lot here as a junior and as a young professional I guess. But some of the greens, pretty severe. The 18th is one in particular, but I parred that today, so I like that green at the moment. I didn't like it yesterday. It's a tough golf course. The shapes of the holes are all very similar and they have done a great job with the bunkering. It's in good shape. Q. The greens still the course's main defence? NICK O'HERN: Yeah, exactly. 4‑under is leading, a bunch of three, I think when conditions are like this the first round, you see a 6‑ or a 7‑under there, so goes to show that it holds up pretty well. When the wind starts blowing and it dries out, it will get tougher as the week goes on. Q. How tough is it if the wind blows? NICK O'HERN: If that sea breeze keeps coming in, par will be a real good score at the end. But the weather is meant to be okay I believe over the next few days. If you get to double‑digits under par, you'd be pretty happy at the end of the week. Q. How often did you play here? NICK O'HERN: It was a lot of pennant matches and junior tournaments and thing likes that. It was quite a regular occurrence, but it's changed completely since my junior days. Changed a lot since ten years ago, as well. But the shapes of the holes are basically the same. They haven't routed it any different. Just a few greens are moved back. Used to hit 3‑wood onto the first, and now it's a 3‑wood and a wedge. Q. Is it nice coming back? NICK O'HERN: Yeah, I haven't been back to Perth in two years. So my schedule changed a few weeks ago, and my manager said, want this on the schedule and I jumped at it. Q. How is your game? NICK O'HERN: Good. Tee‑to‑green it's been really good all year. But ball‑striking‑wise, been one of the best years of my career, and I lost my card. Goes to show how good my putting is. (Laughter). I actually tinkered with‑‑ I've been using the long putter for a long time and they have got the ban coming in a couple of years. I used the short putter for one week this year in Mississippi. I made the cut but I didn't putt very well with it, but maybe I'll start tinkering with that again. But. If I hole putts, I shoot a pretty good score, it's pretty simple. Today was the same thing. Putted nicely, shoot 3‑under. It's a hard game when you're not doing what you should on the greens, and it just goes to show you how important it is. Q. So in terms of your TOUR card, what do you have to do? NICK O'HERN: Back on the Web.com next year, which is a first for me. I don't know how long my career has been, but I've never lost my card, whichever tour I play. I have a bit of work to do to get it back. I know I'm playing good enough. Just have to hold back all the young guys coming through that knock it 50 yards past me. Q. Does it feel weird going back? NICK O'HERN: Yeah, a little bit. I played ‑‑ I was kind of in that category this year. I played half on the PGA TOUR and half on the Web.com Tour. I didn't have full status. It was very interesting going back to that tour. I was still trying to keep the main tour. I probably should have focused more on the Web.com and I might have got my card back this year, but I think my ego got in the way. I just wanted to jump at every chance I could on the PGA TOUR, thinking if I played well, I could get my card back but it didn't quite work out. It's not getting any easier every year because the guys are getting younger, fitter, stronger, hit it further and all that. Standards are improving every year. But from what I gathered this year and the way I played, if I do what I know I can, I'll actually get it back, no problem. Q. In your career, brilliant striker, brilliant the way you can get it close to the pin‑‑ NICK O'HERN: I think initially when I started out, my short game and my putting was my strength and I wasn't a very good ball‑striker, and over the years it's gotten better and better and it's almost gone in reverse. The better you hit it, probably the worse you're putting I guess because you have so many more putts for birdie. So it's not so much my technique; as I've gotten older and the results are right in front of you with the hole ‑‑ with the greens become more a mental thing now. But I'm making some good strides, and today was proof of that. Q. How do you handle the switch back to a short putter? Do you start using a short putter more now? NICK O'HERN: Yeah, I've been tinkering with it all year, just practising, playing practice rounds, things like that. I had one go in a tournament as I mentioned. Just very weird, very strange, and I got a lot of strange looks from everyone because I'm so used to using the long one. When the ban comes, I might even still use a long one‑‑ against my chest. I may go back to the short one. I'm considering both options. Q. How long has it been since you've had a short putter? NICK O'HERN: 18 years. Initially I went to it because I saw a short stubby guy using it and winning all these tournaments as a senior‑‑ don't tell him that, though. I was going through a bad patch with my short putter and I putted really good with it straight up. So I thought, this is the way to go, and I never looked back. Q. You're one of the few Australians in the hunt, it would be nice if the Australians‑‑ NICK O'HERN: Yes, it would be nice if a left‑handed Australian did it, as well (laughter). No, it's good to see the boys out there. There's a lot of good Europeans here, some American fellows that like their chances. But I think it would be a very important thing ‑‑ and I'm sure one of the Aussies will pull it off. OLIVIA McMILLAN: Thanks very much for joining us. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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