|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
SHELL HOUSTON OPENApril 2, 2014Steven BowditchHUMBLE, TEXAS DOUG MILNE: All right. I'd like to welcome Steven Bowditch to the interview room here at the Shell Houston Open. Steven, obviously been quite a few busy days but in a good way, to say the least. With that, I'll just turn it over to you for some comments and, you know -- STEVE BOWDITCH: Thanks, Doug. It's been a pretty exciting time. It's been a little crazy, as you said, you know, just all the congratulations and it's been really overwhelming and, you know, it's a wonderful experience. DOUG MILNE: Here at the Golf Club of Houston, you had mentioned you hadn't had a whole lot of luck here in the past. Do you think maybe you can ride the wave of momentum from last week at Valero? STEVE BOWDITCH: I'm hoping to. I really love the golf course. It sets up well for me, my -- off the tee, I love the lines that I see. I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully, I can just keep playing well and get out there and have another good showing. DOUG MILNE: With that we'll take a few questions. Q. Just saying looked like yesterday didn't have much time for practice because everybody wanted to shake your hand. What has that feeling been like? STEVE BOWDITCH: It's been wonderful. It's been overwhelming. I always -- you know, never really experienced anything like it. Not just from my fellow competitors and my friends, it's been everyone, like from you guys in the media through the crowd and signing a lot more autographs and stuff like that. It's been a great experience. Q. What are some of the text messages, have you received any sort of special stand-out messages? STEVE BOWDITCH: Yeah, there's been a couple, but, you know, probably leave it at that. DOUG MILNE: Did you hear from Norman? STEVE BOWDITCH: I was lucky enough, Greg called me after -- after I finished and he was -- I'm not sure where he was. He was in another part of the world, and it was wonderful to hear him. He sounded thrilled and happy, and it was great. What he's done for Australian golf, he's basically the biggest part of putting it on the map and growing up, you know, pictures in my bedroom and dreaming to be like that and went through all these highs and lows on the couch when I was a young kid. It was great to talk to Greg. DOUG MILNE: On a Greg Norman course. STEVE BOWDITCH: That's right. Q. You probably gotten to know him a little bit over the years, though. STEVE BOWDITCH: Little bit. One of greatest experiences still to this day, what I really remember about growing up as a junior, I was lucky enough to play with him in the Australian Open in the second to last group on a Sunday in 2000, and that was one of my -- still one of my greatest memories growing up as a child wanting to play golf is playing with him in the Australia Open. I think I shot 75 and he shot 75 and finished sixth in the tournament. Q. He was as nervous playing with you as were you with him? STEVE BOWDITCH: I wouldn't think so. DOUG MILNE: How much is next week on your mind? You had mentioned a little while ago you played Augusta 28 under on the video. STEVE BOWDITCH: Played Augusta a few weeks ago on the PlayStation, 28 under. Yeah, I'm super excited. I'm sort of still haven't quite got my mind wrapped around it. Growing up as a child, you know, 4:00 in the morning obviously because of the time difference in Australia, take my pillow upstairs and watch it with my dad and listen to the Masters music and, you know, I think that's a big part that stands out in my mind is the music for some reason that's on TV. Really looking forward to making that little turn-around the corner at the first tee and looking forward to that feeling. Q. Watch the end of a round in Australia, about what time would it have been? STEVE BOWDITCH: Normally it starts over here about 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning, yeah, finish up about 9:00. Q. Lot of guys spend some time out here, scuffle a little bit. Needless to say, success probably feels better for you than it does for guys who always seem to be winning? STEVE BOWDITCH: No. Success is success. Everyone comes through different paths, and, you know, I wouldn't have -- it feels great. Q. Do you know Jimmy Walker at all? STEVE BOWDITCH: I know him to say hi to. I don't know him personally. Pretty good golfer. Q. He's a guy that played seven, eight years without a win. He's got three in the last eight months. Things click? STEVE BOWDITCH: Momentum. Not just in golf, in any sport. He's obviously taken up -- taken it up to another level. For me in the past it's always been a two, three week deal and tapers off for about, what, ten years? (laughter) You know, he's taken it to another level. He plays believable golf. Q. What was your reaction to the news yesterday that Tiger won't be one of the people with you next week? STEVE BOWDITCH: Yeah. I mean, you know, Tiger in any golf tournament creates an unbelievable atmosphere. I did not have him -- to not have him at Augusta, it is what it is, and unfortunately I hope he gets better and gets back out here. What Tiger has obviously done for the game of golf is unbelievable. To not have him there this the Masters, is not the greatest. I wish him well getting better. Q. Have you time to sort of organize for next week? STEVE BOWDITCH: Yeah, everything is done. Lucky enough my wife sort of took the reins there and really got everything settled down and all day Monday and hadn't been anything today or yesterday, so we got it all out of way Monday and we're all prepared, ready to go. Q. What about practice rounds? STEVE BOWDITCH: Practice rounds, Scotty texted me so I got -- obviously Adam Scott the defending champion on Tuesday with John Senden and Oliver Goss, amateur from Australia, as well. I think he was second in the U.S. Amateur. Can't wait for that. Mind you the text was sent out yesterday, so I'm hoping it wasn't an April's Fool (laughter). I can't wait to pick out his brain and have a good time and, you know, with Stevie there on the bag, maybe I can -- at least I'll feel the comments they talk about. Q.If you had known you were going, would you almost prefer to already be there? STEVE BOWDITCH: I only ever played one Major before. The only way I know how to prepare for a tournament is just to turn up and have a practice round or practice round and a half and go play. Q. I guess what I'm saying, all things being equal, maybe now would you prefer not being playing in Houston? STEVE BOWDITCH: No, I love this golf course. It's a wonderful spot. Q. Why do you think it's given you problems here? STEVE BOWDITCH: It's not just -- if you look at my record, most golf courses give me problems (laughter). It's not just here. So, you know, I just really like how it sets up for my eye. I think in the past I haven't quite -- I haven't quite driven it the way I like to drive it where I think, because I feel confident off the tee, around here how it looks, I haven't been able to drive it the way I think I should drive it around here. If I can drive it pretty good, hopefully I'll be around Sunday. Q. Of course, you should obviously come in with as much confidence as you've ever had, right? STEVE BOWDITCH: Yes. Kind of funny, I had the question asked a few times about "your confidence must be sky high" and all that. Last week was the first week -- I've won, I don't know, five, six times through Australia and on the Nationwide and Web.com and every time I've played that -- every time I've won, I've always been able to -- my game has been firing on all cylinders. It's been quite easy to form and win when that's happening. Last week I was putting so bad -- now it sounds silly, I was 64th out of 70 in strokes putting. I was putting so good bad that it was really hard to keep going and going, going because I didn't have all the things, you know, flying on all cylinders. It was a great experience for me to not just be in contention but win when it's not going that well. Brought a new belief in me there's different ways to skin a cat, and so it was a great experience in that way as well. Q. What have you thought now your story is documented in a lot of different ways, but the average golf fan may not have known about it and you win, it's brought up and it's all over the place what you've been through. What have you thought about the attention it's getting and how are you dealing with that? STEVE BOWDITCH: I'm grateful that depression is a part of me and a part of my past, part of my future. It's a part of me. It's got me here where I'm sitting today talking to you guys. You know, as you said, it's blown up way -- in my eyes, way out of proportion. It's not even -- really looking forward to this week so the next guy can sit up here and have questions about them. It's a very personal and private matter in my eyes. Q. The fact that what you've been through could help others who have been where are you, see that you're having success, you fought through it. What does that mean to you? STEVE BOWDITCH: If I can help anyone out, not just with the issues I struggled with, whether guys with autism similar or cancer and other things close to my heart, if I can help in any way just to give someone a little bit more motivation or get out of bed with an extra step and, you know, bounce around a little bit, you know, I'm all for it. Q. Did you surprise yourself by winning? Were you ready to win going into San Antonio? STEVE BOWDITCH: No, I was not ready to win. I hadn't even thought about it. Obviously, you know, you sort of -- I know from me, anyway, a lot of people talk about, well, you go into each week I'm here to win. So, I wasn't going in there to win. I was just going out there to -- you know, I just started seeing a sports psychologist last Wednesday, and so I was just going in there with a few different ideas, few different movements in what I was doing. And I don't know, call it coincidence, is that all of a sudden I'm there. I was sort of going in there more of a learning curve of how I'm going to implement this new process I was going through into my game. Q. Was your sports psychologist, where is he based? STEVE BOWDITCH: She's actually in Dallas. Q. How much do you sense that may have helped you in some ways? STEVE BOWDITCH: Tremendous. A lot. A lot. What she told me was breathing techniques that I've never been accustomed to that helped me like you wouldn't imagine from day one, from practice rounds to the whole way through. Q. You started to work there last week. Do you mind sharing her name? STEVE BOWDITCH: No. We'll keep that out. Q. She will be a millionaire (laughter). You like helping others, it may help her. Give it up. What made you decide to go see -- STEVE BOWDITCH: I've been playing really well all year like how I felt on the golf course. I've been playing really well. I haven't gotten anything out of it. You know, sort of struggled -- I've been always struggling with one different thing every week, you know, sort of work on it, and something else pops up. Game of golf, obviously. And I just thought maybe there's just something else out there that I'm missing go, make the wheel turn a little easier. So, I just, you know, I love the game and love studying and watching golf swings and sit up all night, I love golf. So if there was anything that I thought is out there that could help me a little more, let's give it a go. Q. Did you call her after you won or did she call you? What was the reaction with you two after you won? STEVE BOWDITCH: It's great. Q. Did she congratulate you? Take credit for it? STEVE BOWDITCH: No (laughter). Q. Steve, last week you admitted that your putting was a problem. Yet you chipped the ball so well, and most people when they're struggling with their putting, it affects their chipping because they feel they have to get it so close. You just kept getting it close. STEVE BOWDITCH: I had no option (laughter). If I wanted to win the golf tournament or stay around, I had to chip it close. Actually, you know, I chipped great, I did and it was unbelievable. I think I was like 11th or 12th in ball strike for the week, too. Played really well. What Scott Hamilton my coach has done and the process to get to this point has been amazing. DOUG MILNE: All right. Steve congratulations again. Hope to see a lot of you this week. STEVE BOWDITCH: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|