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OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUPNovember 25, 2008Ross FisherIan PoulterSHENZHEN, CHINA RODDY WILLIAMS: Thanks very much for coming in and joining us and welcome, Team England, to the start of the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup. Well, let's start off with you for a couple of initial comments if we could, Ian, because you were obviously here last year, and good to be back again. IAN POULTER: Yeah, great to be back. I think it's a good, solid pairing. Ross is a great player. He's had a very, very solid year, and I'm looking forward to going out with him this year and going a few places higher than we did last year, so pretty excited. RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, could we get your thoughts on being here as well? Obviously first time, how much are you looking forward to the week? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, obviously very excited to getting on with a guy like Ian, and representing your country, it's a massive honour and massive thrill, and I was delighted when I got the phone call and had a good old chat about it. Yeah, exactly what Ian said. Just looking forward to getting going and hopefully if I can bring in a few more shots, then who knows, we might finish a bit higher than last year. Q. There's a good field this year; do you expect it to be more of a challenge than it was last year, obviously with Sweden, and Scotland again? IAN POULTER: There's always going to be strong pairings in this format. Yeah, there are obviously a couple which stand out, Sweden being one of them. If you look at their World Ranking position on paper, they are very, very strong. Robert winning the Order of Merit and Henrik being Top-10 in the world, they are going to be a very strong pairing. But there's a number of them. I'm pretty confident that if we go out there and have fun this week, then we are going to be in the shake up on Sunday afternoon. I'm happy with my golf game right now, and Ross has been playing exceptionally well. I think it will be a great pairing. We are probably one of the favourites, as well, this week. We'll be a strong pairing. Q. What would the two of you talk about, the top three things of conversation outside of golf? IAN POULTER: Cars. Q. Thought so. IAN POULTER: I think we bought Petrolheads. And Ross has just treated himself to a Lamborghini, and I've always got a couple of quick cars in the drive, so I think that will be quite a big topic. ROSS FISHER: Maybe a bit of football in there possibly. IAN POULTER: Chuck some football in there, provided we win tonight, Saturday. Otherwise we won't be talking about that. Q. What's your team, Ross? ROSS FISHER: I don't really have one. Can't go too much into detail on that. I'm sure he might try and convert me into an Arsenal fan, but we'll see. Q. Subject No. 3? IAN POULTER: Don't know yet. ROSS FISHER: We will think about that and get back to you. IAN POULTER: Kids, family, movies. Q. Are you friends before you come here; do you know each other well or not? IAN POULTER: I haven't known Ross for that long. You know, obviously I didn't play any amateur golf, so I wouldn't have met him there. But the last couple of years, I got to know Ross, and we'll be pretty chatty on the golf course for four days. ROSS FISHER: We'll have fun. IAN POULTER: We'll have fun. It's going to be great. Q. How difficult will it be to play foursomes together for the first time, and do you think the obvious strengths of your two games, do you think there's a meshing that could go on there? IAN POULTER: Personally, I like the way Ross plays. Pretty aggressive; one, hits the ball a long way off the tee, which I think is great in foursomes. The holes that I've looked at right now, certainly with some of the par 5s, it will be an advantage with Ross teeing off on those holes. I'm happy with hitting 3-wood, 5-wood into some of those holes. And he's an aggressive player. That's great in four balls. And I think how straight he hits it is a big bonus in foursomes, as well. That's why when it come down to me to pick, I looked at Ross as a guy that's been very, very steady, and someone that hits the ball a long way; that's a great mix. That's why I'm excited to be out there. Foursomes is a tough game, and I think it's going to be a good pairing. RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, could you say a few words to Ian's game and the compatibility for foursomes, in particular? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, like Ian was saying, we are both very aggressive players. Ian is very steady off the tee. I mean, I'm sure he'll probably back me up, but he's obviously not quite as long as myself, not meaning to sound big-headed. Yeah, I think it will be a good mix, because if I get out there on the par 5s and I can bomb it long and straight, then he's going to have a good chance at getting up on the par 5s in two, which around here is a key factor I think. If we can put the ball into play, hopefully hole a few putts, we can put ourselves into contention come Sunday and have a chance to win. Q. When was the last time you played foursomes, Ross? ROSS FISHER: For me, it probably would have been, say, maybe 2006. Obviously when you turn pro, you don't get many opportunities to play foursomes, unless obviously you play Ryder Cups or this week at the World Cup. So, yeah, a few years ago, but like I was chat to go Ian about, I enjoy foursomes. It's good fun. I find it makes you concentrate and focus a lot more, because you want to hit a good shot, not only for yourself but your partner, as well, and obviously this week, representing your country, England, it's a massive honour, and I want to fulfill my potential and show justice to Ian for picking me. Hopefully I can perform well this week and back him up when I need to. Q. Last year, we saw the England team with matching outfits, Poulter, and your partner, Justin Rose, in red and black; and it seems like you were a bit conservative compared to when you were in Shanghai, and now playing a little more conservative in your fashion state. Are you still doing matching outfits in the next few days? IAN POULTER: It is Tuesday and I haven't even had a shave. (Laughter). And the laundry is being done from last week, so there will be some matching outfits this week, and I'm looking forward to being a team that way. I think it's good to gel as a team, and we will be wearing outfits which coordinate, which I think is a good thing to do in this format. It shows you're trying; it shows you want to be part of the team; and we'll be trying hard. RODDY WILLIAMS: Ross, have you had any say in what these outfits are going to be, or are you leaving it in the hands of Mr. Poulter's fashion sense? ROSS FISHER: To be fair, we had a good old chin wag at HSBC. I was trying on some gear, and I actually really like it. So I think we're going to try and keep it under wraps for as long as possible. So, yeah, be wary come Thursday through Sunday there will be some funky outfits, that's for sure. Q. And it's your clothes, Ian, is it? IAN POULTER: Yes, it is. Q. Ross, this is the first time you're playing in the World Cup. Have you played the course and what do you think about it? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, I played nine holes this morning. I played the first four and the last five. Yeah, so far it seems like a very good golf course. It seems to fit my eye very well. It kind of reminds me a little bit of my first event in, I think it was Shenzhen, the Volvo China. So I've obviously got good memories of playing golf in China, so hopefully this week will be one more to add to that collection. Q. This year do you have a goal or objective? ROSS FISHER: Yeah, the main goal or objective, I think I can speak on behalf of myself and Ian, we turned up here to win. I feel very confident in my ability, and likewise, Ian, he's very confident. So, yeah, we are definitely not turning up here to make up the numbers and try our best and take the trophy home. RODDY WILLIAMS: Ian, Ross, thanks very much for coming in and joining us, and good luck for England this week. Enjoy the rest of the week. End of FastScripts |
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