	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP

September 19, 2007

Stuart Appleby

VERONA, NEW YORK

DOUG MILNE: Thank you for joining us. Can you just chat about your play this year that's helped you play into your fifth President's Cup. Just a couple of comments on the year and assess your game as you head into this week's Turning Stone Championship.
STUART APPLEBY: Well, I had not planned on being here. I was planning on playing the Tour Championship last week. But I guess I didn't play well enough, didn't play well through the FedEx format or even earlier to qualify to get a better ranking. But certainly didn't get the job done in the Cup chase points. And left me needing a little bit more of a high quality golf. And that's basically why I came here.
I need to have some form going, get some scoring form for next week. And just, you know, temperature-wise could be some really good preparation. Because it's certainly cool here in the mornings and hitting the ball shorter distances could be great preparation for next week which is supposed to be at least this and cooler.
DOUG MILNE: You had mentioned on the way in nine birdies today. That's got to leave you feeling pretty good going in.
STUART APPLEBY: Yeah, the course was playing pretty easy. There was no wind, and it was generous so it was certainly out there to be had. But making birdies is good for anyone's confidence. And certainly next week, ultimately, you want to be making birdies. That's how you're going to probably need to win holes.
But certainly if I talk about them now, you'll need to make birdies this is week. I'd like to see the course dry out and get firm and fast and get the greens firm and fast. This course definitely needs that to make it more competitive.

Q. Just talk about what you've experienced?
STUART APPLEBY: It is very soft. Hopefully they won't water the greens or the tees or the fairways very much at all for the remainder of the week. They need to let this place bake out a little bit.
It did play firm last year. Some of the course has been lengthened a bit from what I can tell, and it's made some holes, obviously, a lot longer.
I think to keep this course with the respect up, because it's very generous off the tee, to keep our attention, the greens will need to get to some of the quicker extents we've ever had on tour.

Q. We know that the President's Cup is a good-natured rivalry between the American and International Team. Do you guys rib each other and give each other some grief in the locker room that kind of thing?
STUART APPLEBY: Not really, no, we don't. We understand what we're going to try to do next week and what's ahead. And as an international player, we really need to grasp a few victories back. We've had some close ones and we've had some not so close ones. And certainly last year was very, very close. So we need that.
The Americans obviously have had a lot of satisfaction in victories from the President's Cups, but haven't managed to find that with the Ryder Cup. We've got our own troubles with us trying to get our version of the victory. The Europeans are the ones who seem to be the most happiest certainly with the oldest tradition being the Ryder Cup. But I think it's great.
We've got Mike Weir who is playing pretty good recently. Canada, obviously, they're behind him. But it will be a very interesting week. I'll look forward to it. If we can walk away with a win, which my first year was '98, it's been a long drought since then.

Q. Is there a particular part of your game you'll work on the most this week in preparation?
STUART APPLEBY: Not really anything the most. Probably nothing more than any other week. It's just trying to dial that in more.

Q. You mentioned the course playing kind of easy right now. Can you give me a range? If the greens get a little firmer if the fairways get a little firmer what the win score might be? If it stays the way it is what it might be?
STUART APPLEBY: Well, last year was a different time of year. And I don't really know. The course is playing a lot shorter, because it was a shorter course and the ball was running a bit. So with this extra length and soft conditions and some tighter pins could make it a bit trickier. The course is long off the tee. You're not getting a huge amount of run, so that makes the hole longer, but the greens are more receptive, so it equals out.
I think to get the players attention will be a firm and bouncier course, which potentially would put the ball near the rough. It is probably a little generous off the tee. But the greens will be a bit that will bite back and keep the score balanced.
The leading scorers will have to shoot probably three to five under each day. But if it stays, if we can get nice weather and not get any water, keep the Tour away from the sprinklers, you know, I think the winners will be happy to take three under each day.
Because the greens, I think they'll get some run at Augusta speed. Keep them firm at Augusta speed, that will make us stand up and pay attention. At the moment they're soft enough and they're not too quick and they're good enough that you can make six birdies a day comfortably.

Q. They said they were going to grow the are rough a little bit. Did you find it to be tough at all?
STUART APPLEBY: You've got to drive it pretty wide to get in the rough. On most of the holes you've got to hit it pretty wide to get in the rough. The rough is very severe if you're in it. It's pretty severe. If you're down grain, it's okay, but it's generally pretty severe. If they don't cut it, it's going to get thicker longer. Probably the growing conditions aren't hot so it won't grow a huge amount. But yeah, if you're in it, it is definitely, definitely. But it's pretty generous off the tee, so you want to keep away from it.
DOUG MILNE: Post President's Cup schedule still up in the air?
STUART APPLEBY: No, I'll be back in Australia by the middle of the week after the President's Cup. And I'll be there until -- well, I've got to win this week to get in the Mercedes, so obviously this week decides for me if I win, gets me into the President and the Mercedes. So if I don't win this week, I'll be pretty much back in Australia for about three months.

Q. What is the word of mouth you had heard about this course before you got here?
STUART APPLEBY: Didn't hear much. I wasn't too concerned, I was looking for somewhere to play before the President's Cup. I heard it was firm and fast. It was nice, it was great. The Lodge was fantastic, which it is. I've heard nothing but good things. So it was obviously the last thing you want to hear is, Oh, gee, it's not much of a golf course.
And how much is this relevant to next week? I don't really know. But I'll say it certainly is a good choice by me to come here and make this preparation. Because I think we've probably got a somewhat similar golf course in Hawaii.
Greens are in good shape, little generous off the tee, so dictates how well you're driving the ball. But certainly mentally I'll be getting in the best habits I can. And going to the match play style format next week is going to be weird anyway. So it will be an interesting transition from going here to there mentally, but you'll still have to develop some mental habits that are positive this week to drag to next week.

Q. Given the conditions you described, is there anybody that the conditions would favor that you worry about?
STUART APPLEBY: Well, long hitters would have to have a big advantage. Anyone who is considered a Top 10 length player on the Tour is definitely going to eat up a lot of holes out here. There's just so much room. And if they've got their putting game going, they'll be in the game for sure.
The shorter hitter, if it gets firm, can do okay, too. Because he'll probably, you know, run the ball a bit. But the shorter hitter has the disadvantage here, again, is that the longer hitter can get away with more here. So it's tough.
There's a lot of holes that aren't that long, there are a couple a little longer. But there are not too many -- I think 18 is probably. I think 9, 9's a good finishing hole. I think 9 needs to swap with 18 as a finishing hole. I'm not quite sure why they lengthened 18, doesn't serve as a climactic finishing hole. Versus 9 is a pretty decent finishing hole at 479.
DOUG MILNE: Stuart, thank you for joining us. I appreciate it.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297