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RBC CANADIAN OPEN


July 25, 2012


Stephen Ames


ANCASTER, ONTARIO

Q.  Is it just frustration after not playing well?
STEPHEN AMES:  Are you putting words in your mouth?

Q.  No, I'm asking.  Is it frustration?
STEPHEN AMES:  It's frustration after the whole year, to some extent, and this week's another week.  And we have nine weeks off after this.  We're going to evaluate everything altogether and go from there.

Q.  You said when I talked to you earlier, finding time with Sean wasn't as much Sean's schedule as yours.  Is that a fair characterization?
STEPHEN AMES:  Very much so.  It is.  I have to look at the fact of going down to see him more often or him coming to me and stuff like that.  So that's basically the way things have to change a little bit that way.

Q.  Is he tougher to get ahold of these days than he was?
STEPHEN AMES:  Well, he's on a different schedule now.  Yes, he would be.

Q.  But if you wanted to get ahold of him, you could get ahold of him?
STEPHEN AMES:  I'll have to go down to Florida to see him.

Q.  Whereas before he'd come to you?
STEPHEN AMES:  Before, he would be on TOUR with me.

Q.  So he would be out and about and it would just sort of work out that way?
STEPHEN AMES:  Right, yeah.

Q.  So it's just a timing thing?
STEPHEN AMES:  That's exactly what the comment was, it was a timing thing, too.  It wasn't an issue of him being ‑‑

Q.  How things are characterized in newspaper stories are often ‑‑ that's why I asked the question again.  The context is different.
STEPHEN AMES:  It's a timing issue.  He's playing a different event, then I'm playing a different event.  It's a timing issue.

Q.  But you still see eye to eye despite the fact you're not playing well?
STEPHEN AMES:  Oh, yeah.  Of course.

Q.  It's not a personality issue.  It's not a problem with timing.  It's just a question of not getting the time with him when you are around?
STEPHEN AMES:  Because he's on a different schedule than I'm on.

Q.  Would you change your schedule to fit him in?
STEPHEN AMES:  I wish I could if I played better.  Then I'll play the World Golf Championship events and all the majors.

Q.  So how many times would you have seen him this year?
STEPHEN AMES:  I think we looked it up, it was seven.

Q.  What would the normal?
STEPHEN AMES:  Almost 13.

Q.  So almost double?
STEPHEN AMES:  Almost double.

Q.  Would you realistically, your comments about shutting it down for a year, would you reasonably do that or I can't imagine how you'd stay competitive going into the Championships Tour if that's what you wanted to do.
STEPHEN AMES:  I have all year next year to go.

Q.  The quote read like you were going to shut it down for a year, but you meant to the end of this year?
STEPHEN AMES:  Correct.  To the end of this year.

Q.  Are you getting a bit burned out by everything?
STEPHEN AMES:  I'm not burned out.  I'm just frustrated about the whole play.  The last two years have been frustrating in that respect.  I've put a lot of effort and time, and I've stuck to a lot of my routine, still working out, still staying fit.  Body's not breaking down but the mind's completely shut off, done because it's thinking of 9,000 different things than it should be.  And I'm hitting a lot of golf balls.  I go home and I'm still practicing a lot and not getting anything out of it.  So it's like, shit, what do I do.

Q.  Has it been ball striking or putting?
STEPHEN AMES:  The ball striking has changed quite a bit.

Q.  Has it?
STEPHEN AMES:  It has.

Q.  Just not the way you're normally hitting it?
STEPHEN AMES:  I get some loose ones in there.  As soon as that happens, I go into focusing on that rather than what I should be doing, just playing golf.

Q.  Do you think your motivation's been waning at all?  No?
STEPHEN AMES:  No.  I still enjoy standing on the range and beating thousands of golf balls because I love the feeling.  Motivation wise.  Just on the golf course I'm having problems with it.  That's all it is.

Q.  And when you see Foley here, can he identify‑‑
STEPHEN AMES:  Oh, yeah.

Q.  What's he point to?
STEPHEN AMES:  A lot of it they're trying to change the aspect of setup being that side of the golf ball rather than that side of the golf ball which is more target oriented.

Q.  That's easy when you're not hitting it well ‑‑
STEPHEN AMES:  But that part's been very good.  That part is what's killing me.

Q.  Really?
STEPHEN AMES:  Yeah.

Q.  So he thinks the swing is okay?
STEPHEN AMES:  The swing is very good.  When you put it on camera, it's solid.  But through the ball it's different.

Q.  Wow.  That's a tough one.
STEPHEN AMES:  It is.

Q.  So are the expectations low, then, this week for you?
STEPHEN AMES:  Hard to say.  I don't have any expectations.  Put it this way.  Playing well.  Monday and today I played really well.  The golf course is a great golf course.  It always has been.

Q.  How did you play here in '06?
STEPHEN AMES:  I played nine holes.  I withdrew.

Q.  In '03?
STEPHEN AMES:  I'm the same as you.  I can't remember that far back.  I don't remember.

Q.  Nine years ago.  Nine?  Is that all?
STEPHEN AMES:  Nine and three is 12.  I can't remember.  I think I was 14th.  I don't know.  I can't remember actually.

Q.  You think you played well here.
STEPHEN AMES:  I do remember playing well.  Yeah.  I can't remember.  You have to go look.  Let me know.  Please.

Q.  I mean what's the key, then, for you this week do you think?  Can you turn off the head?
STEPHEN AMES:  Yeah, to some extent I have to turn off the head.  That's what I'm trying to achieve here.

Q.  Isn't that the story of your career?
STEPHEN AMES:  Whoa.  Very good.  Turn off the head.

Q.  And I mean that in the nicest, most positive way.
STEPHEN AMES:  You, nice?  Okay.

Q.  I'm so hurt.
STEPHEN AMES:  Yeah.  I'm sure you are.  Yeah.  That's always the case.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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