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CANADIAN OPENJuly 24, 2007Stephen AmesMARKHAM, ONTARIO THE MODERATOR: Stephen, welcome. Thanks for joining us. Just a couple comments about the year, being here. Top 10 in the US Open, top 5 Matchplay, top 10 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Just, how are you feeling? STEPHEN AMES: Good. THE MODERATOR: In a word, good. STEPHEN AMES: No, I'm fine. Good start for the year, I guess, to some extent. Just came off a month off before British Open with a new wonderful schedule. We have to look for somewhere to have a break, and that was my break. Now I'm four in a row, two weeks off, and then, hopefully, the last four days. So, that's a hard schedule for the players, unfortunately. THE MODERATOR: How about a couple of comments about being here. STEPHEN AMES: Obviously, nice being back home. Well, home, Canada, especially last week after being cold and wet. For those over there, you know what I'm talking about. Here, obviously, this is obviously another major for me, being a Canadian at a Canadian National Open. So it's an important event for me this week, yeah. THE MODERATOR: Okay, we'll take a few questions. Q. How much easier does it make it to grab a little break, to grab at least a little bit of a break on the travel? STEPHEN AMES: Oh, obviously, that's the biggest part, makes life a lot easier. Are you kidding? Without a doubt. It was just a good show, getting on the plane there, getting us here. It was a little late, but other than that, it still made a big difference rather than getting in the Monday afternoon. We got in Sunday evening about 12:30. I mean, we're now in bed at 2:00 o'clock, so it's perfect. We didn't lose half the day or most of the day. We could have come up yesterday if we wanted to. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, it is. But unfortunately, we're not contracted, but we have to play so many events. And we're individuals, and we have to pick and choose the ones that we have to play in some certain senses, that we'd like to play. And with the FedEx Cup on our schedule at the end of this year, there are certain events that are going to suffer. Obviously, with the fact the British Open, Canadian Open, World Golf Championship, and then the PGA Championship, yeah, the Canadian Open's going to be the one that suffers in the stretch of four. And I guess the same for Greensboro, yeah, Greensboro being the one in between after the PGA. That's going to suffer as well. So it's unfortunate, but I think it's a scheduling issue at this stage, maybe. That is, obviously, things that we have to look at in our policy, and our board has to look at to see if we can have the events for the future, especially with the FedEx Cup and everything else. So hopefully, the Canadian Open will be enough. We can move our date and make it a more feasible date for bigger name players, or bigger players. We've got some big names here, Jim is playing and so is Vijay. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Oh, all those things will help, without a doubt. Everything, anything for the future is going to help the Canadian Open. Playing better golf courses, just the fact that you look at this week now, you've got to think back at which event do we drive 740i's and X5's in a similar class? And that would be Wachovia. We're all driving those kind of class cars, which is Mercedes. In this week we're driving BMW's. All of that will help, without a doubt. Definitely. And that's the right direction that the RCGA is going in to help the event. It's a good direction. Q. (Inaudible) the ability to spend a weekend doing something else, were you? STEPHEN AMES: I was practicing, by the way, yeah. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, definitely. The second round I played very well. I had two birdies, one bogey, and it was a tougher day than Thursday. Which was something else I look at, the scoring averages, and I actually shot in a half higher. And that was in the midst of the afternoon, so I was playing in tougher conditions. It wasn't so much golfing. It was more mind than anything else. And I knew where I fell off the edge there, as they say, and already talked about it, and we're going to talk about it this week again, and work it from there. Some good parts all week, unfortunately, the weather was the way it was on Thursday, but that's all playing golf. That's playing the British Open, that's the way the weather is and that's what you have to expect. Especially playing in Scotland, you're going to get all four seasons in one day. It's going to happen. It's going to happen. Q. When you play after a long layoff (inaudible) -- STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, definitely, I was hitting the ball fine, going into that. Preparing myself and everything else. But, like I said, I've prepared certain things, but not the right things, which is upstairs I didn't do properly. I knew I fell off the edge there. So you sit down, you write those things off, and you work towards the future, and try not to make a mistake again. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, that is an extent of the mistake that I made. The other night I was focusing more on the elements than focusing on what I needed to do, which was to play golf and focusing on anything, basically. That's why I fell off the edge there. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: I played the back nine. I played the back nine at 1 o'clock. Great conditions. Favors a lot narrower. Probably the only thing since Tuesday, probably had some rain, a little. But if it was firm, it will be really nice. Very nice, great conditions. Davis, I think he changed a couple tee boxes on the back nine. I think more on the front than he did the back though, I'm not sure. Q. Are you surprised you didn't make the trip after doing all the work and kind of hinting that he might be playing? STEPHEN AMES: I'll let Davis answer that. You guys can write whatever you want. (Laughing). Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: What, and not come to the event? I wouldn't do that, sorry. I'll do the politically right thing. Q. How conscious are you of the FedEx Cup playoffs? Is that foremost in your mind as the season winds down? And do you sense the same thing with the other players as well? STEPHEN AMES: You know, it depends how you look at it. Two different scenarios. There you are, you've made $3 million, I don't have to play the Tour Championship, technically, I don't have to play the Tour Championship if I really am playing that well, and you've been out here for so many years. Yeah, the $10 million is a lot. It is a big extra burst. But at this stage, I don't see a need to live off of. That's one way of looking at it, that's how I look at it. The other way is if you don't play well, and you don't get into the FedEx Cup, and the Tour Championship, and you have seven events after the Tour Championship finish, and you win two of those seven, you go, oh, yeah, I had a terrible year. You understand my point there now? Which way do you look at it? There is a balance somewhere, and that is the way I've looked at it, scheduled it, yep. If I play well and get into the FedEx Cup, always to the end of the championship, yeah, I'm going to take a month and a half off, because I'm not going to play. If I don't get into it, I can go and play other events, win one of those, two like I said, with two of the last seven. And I look back and sit down and go, well, I didn't make the FedEx Cup, but at the end of the year, I've put $3.5 million dollars in my bank account. Hard. Very difficult. Q. A lot has been said that the FedEx Cup is going to help get players to tournaments like the Canadian Open and Greensboro, like you said. And you're not really talking the marquis players though, are you? You're basically talking to the guys who are trying to get in from the other end of the FedEx Cup playoffs? STEPHEN AMES: I don't think I've seen Tiger or Phil play four in a row ever on tour. So, I mean, that's going to be -- I would probably guess they might miss the first one or the second one as well, especially, the first one. They don't need to play. I don't need to play the first one, and I'm 73rd, which is off my list right now, not to play the first one. So, there goes the scenario of ways of going through and picking and choosing the ones you want to, so. It's a difficult thing. It is very difficult without a doubt. And being the first year, these are the things that, as players and as the Tour itself goes through these changes, we're all going to see which way that we need to change things to make things better and work it out. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, of course, things are still being worked out at this stage, with the Fedex and the situation. You have to remember, the reason we did this was to make the Tour Championship as it should be, which is a $10 million event. Well, a $10 million event and the ratings were so bad because of how far down at the end of the season, the fact that we were competing with football and hockey and everything else we were competing against. Now that we've moved it up in that situation, our ratings are going to go up, because we're going to have the viewers, which is what it's about. So different ways of looking at it. Sponsors are happy, we're playing for more money, everybody's happy. It's a win-win situation. Just the heart of the schedule. Q. To switch gears just a bit. Is it strange for you to be here only ten months after the last Canadian Open and be here in July, getting ready for this event, just because it's been so long in September? STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, guess what, we're going to be back in 12 months. Yeah. It's tough. So it's there, yeah. Q. Would you rather see it here where it is or in September, which would then be after the Fedex thing? Personally, what do you think would be better? STEPHEN AMES: Tough call that. With help -- oh, I don't know. You might get a strong field in September compared to this one, because of the fact that all of the elite players have taken the time off to relax to play the next two, which are big events, World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship. Being in September, where all the majors are gone, yeah, you'll probably be getting a stronger field there than you would now. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: You want to call Vijay and ask him if he's going to play? He's going to play, yeah. I'm planning on playing. I'm not going to take five months off again. I'm going to play. I'm going to play golf, yeah, definitely. Especially when you consider the fact that it's going to be a $5 million purse, why not? Definitely. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Of course, yeah, which is what happened with me last year. Yeah. It disrupts your game. You want to continue playing and you want to have a full year where you've got a couple of weeks in between, you take off and keep going, yeah, that will be nice. That will be an appropriate scenario. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Of course you do, always. Q. You forgot to mention the President's Cup? STEPHEN AMES: Oh, yeah, President's Cup will be in there. Q. I presume you're in the player's lounge or something, watching what happened, the way The Open played out, and you're probably in a group of guys watching this. What do the pro golfers think when they watch first Sergio with the putt, and what are you guys saying and doing when this is happening? STEPHEN AMES: What's that? How they played the holes or? Q. Are you commiserating with them? What are you guys doing? STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, basically, we're doing the same thing. We're just killing ourselves, going, I can't believe he pulled right on that hole, which is basically what we said on the 18th, the first time. I was a bit shocked because I remember walking by on the Thursday or the Friday rounds and going by his ball, which was on the 17th fairway, and I was playing there, yeah. I was a bit shocked to see that again. I think he made double from that situation, also. He obviously didn't learn from the first six rounds. Maybe it takes him a few times. Q. (Inaudible) . STEPHEN AMES: No. What is he, about? 5'5", 5'4", 5'5? Good player. Very good player. Q. Imagine never making par in a major championship after the 7th hole. STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, yeah, that can happen. Especially that week, yeah, I could see that. How about making 10 birdies, also? How about that? That's even more phenomenal. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, that too. That's phenomenal, too. Q. Did you meet with Gary Player last week? I know you had some -- STEPHEN AMES: No, I had another engagement. Couldn't make it. Q. What is your feeling at this point about -- I mean, do you think he'd take both of you guys? Do you think he'd have to move up a little bit? How much do you want to be on the team? STEPHEN AMES: If I was the captain of the President's Cup Team or the International Team, I would be looking at him doing the same thing. I'm going to pick my strongest team, and that's going to be the players that are playing well at the time, without a doubt. And that is the way that he's looking at it right now. If having a Canadian on the team playing in Canada is going to be that much of a boost, then that's another way of looking at it. But if somebody can bring me those figures and tell me if it is going to make that much of a difference, in a sense towards having the crowd behind the Canadian playing, I don't know. I don't know what the statistics are, if they work or doesn't work. Q. You think you'd probably have to move up maybe a little bit? STEPHEN AMES: Oh, yeah, sure. Both of us, Mike and myself, 15th, and 16th now? Something like that. Yeah, there you go. 17 and 18. You know, the International Team is a tough team to make. A lot of good players in that field, a lot. Tough teams to make. Q. Just looking ahead to the PGA Championship, Southern Hills coming up. Where does that rank? I mean, we've had some pretty tough venues with Southern Hills, Oakmont, Carnoustie and others. Where do you think Southern Hills ranks among that? Where do you think the strengths will play out? STEPHEN AMES: Oh, right up there again, I'm sure. Yeah. Depending on the weather, it's probably going to be the easiest of the four that we've played this year. I mean, Augusta was freezing and windy and cold. The US Open was the toughest golf course in the United States, I think. I mean, I think Tiger said that, it's a tough play, and then on top of that you're playing US Open set-up. And then we went to Carnoustie, which got the nickname of Car-Nasty, and it was that, to some extent. Then of course, we went to Southern Hills, which is renowned for being a tough golf course. The PGA, I think, did a very good job set-up-wise for a major, So I don't think it will be anything like it was when they played the US Open there. I think it would be a fair test, but, you know, it would be nice to be -- it will be the easiest level of play, which is tough to believe as it is. Q. Everybody was talking about the set-up at Carnoustie, and the green speed. They said the course was fair, but they pretty much criticized and were critical of the relationship between the green speed and the grounds (inaudible). Did you have any kind of view on the relationship between green speed and contour, and whether in your career so far, it's gotten out of hand? STEPHEN AMES: To some extent, yeah. Maybe it has. At Augusta, for those who have been there, you know there are flat spots where the pins are put on and you can putt. If you're on that flat spot, you have a relatively easy putt. But the case of Oakmont where it was, the greens were all sloped front to back, back to front, left to right, right to left. So there is one really bad hole with a lot of slopes and that's 18. The 18th green, so when you compare that, it's tough to get the speeds up as high as they did, and they did, obviously. I didn't think they were out of hand though, to be truthful. Obviously, Winged Foot was. They went really overboard, and I think that showed there with the play, and also the fact that three months later, the golf course, some of the holes are still dead. They really took it overboard there. I thought the fairways were very good. You have to hit the greens. They might have gone a little over edge trimness-wise and speed-wise, but I don't think fully, not completely over the edge, no. It was probably borderline. Q. You arrive at a week like this one, and there are 20 other Canadian golfers in the field. I'm just curious to know if you go out of your way to talk to some of the younger guys or introduce yourself to the guys that you don't know or they don't know you or anything like that? STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, I know most of the Canadian guys. I don't know all of them, yeah. But the ones that I don't know, I'm not looking to say hi. If I happen to run across them and see that they've played well, I'll go say hi. But the others that I do know, I do know the majority of the other guys. So, what else? Q. Do you feel like you have perhaps a role to serve as a bit of a mentor to some of these guys when you come here, or is that not in your mind at all? STEPHEN AMES: Yeah, I think I have something of a role, if they want it. I don't know what these guys want. Know what vision that they have. So I think in some sense, I think I'd like to see that on the PGA Tour. Some of the older guys out there, we could use a little bit of stuff. But you don't see that. There are very few of the great golfers have actually been role models for a lot of the PGA Tour players that are in the states. Canada, being a small country and we only have a few of us that play on Tour, yes, I'd probably be recognized as one of those role models, and I'd like to be, yeah. Q. Do you think you can help? There are only three regular PGA Tour players at the moment, and we're told there are all these young great guys coming up. Do you think you can help them along? STEPHEN AMES: Just the fact of us going to the week-to-week experiences that we go through, and those are the kind of experiences we can pass on to them. Those are the kind of things to look forward to. You get on the range, and -- I mean, my first experience is you get on the range and walk down the line, and you go through Europe, Nick Fowler, Nicky Price, and you go, whoa, all these great players are amazing. And you go, great. They're wonderful, they're there, but you have to get on with your work. You have to play your game and still get on with it. You can't be too focused with the fact that they're playing and what they're doing. So I mean, in that respect, probably there goes the wisdom and the sense of passing on to the younger guys that you still have to prepare for the event. You still have to get yourself organized and play your game and not somebody else's game, which is why a lot of young players get caught up. Get caught up in what the big name players are doing, and how they're swinging and going from there. Q. I know Sean Foley's had some influence on your game. What does he bring to you mentally, and, of course, with your swing and that kind of thing? What kind of guy is he with you when you guys are working together? STEPHEN AMES: You really want -- no, I'm only kidding (laughing). Sean has a lot of insights on how the body is supposed to work in the golf swing. And that part of it is where I fell off through the last couple of years. We've changed a significant amount of things in our golf swing, and the good thing about it is that I'm able to do it, swinging the golf club with a lot more ease, lot less effort and hit it further, which is a great scenario to have. And at this stage, he's actually the rookie in the fact of the Tour- wise and traveling and stuff like that. So I'm teaching him that part of it. But I think overall with Sean, he's been a major help and factor to the fact of how I'm swinging it now and probably for the future. But it's just not me to look at. You have to look at all of the 11 and 12-year-olds he's teaching. They all have phenomenal golf swings at that age, who he's been working with for probably a year and a half and two year. He has 11- and 12-year-olds hitting it 250 yards in the air, which is hard to believe, but he's that good of a teacher. Q. He's kind of a young guy as well. Maybe a little quirky? STEPHEN AMES: He's very open-minded, well-read. Reads a lot of great books, very outspoken. Much like myself. I think that's probably why we get along so well. But everybody has the right to say what they feel, and that was just -- I like him because he speaks his mind, which very few people do today. Q. (Inaudible). STEPHEN AMES: It's been really good, strong, very strong: THE MODERATOR: Stephen, thank you for joining us. Best of luck this week. Enjoy your week. End of FastScripts |
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