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JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES


August 21, 2012


Marc Warren


AUCHTERARDER, SCOTLAND

MICHAEL GIBBONS:  Welcome to the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
MARC WARREN:  Obviously five weeks off, so really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things, and no better place for me than Gleneagles, one of my favourite events of the year, one of my favourite courses.  Played it this morning and in good condition, as well.  Yeah, looking forward to getting started on Thursday.

Q.  What have you been up to?
MARC WARREN:  Very, very little.  I played a few times just social games with friends and stuff.  Two weeks I didn't touch a club, and then played a couple of times last week and just on the range in the last few days getting ready for this week.

Q.  (Inaudible.)
MARC WARREN:  I thought The Open would be‑‑ it was nice to have a couple of weeks where I could just reflect on things and go over it properly without kind of dwelling on it too much and playing in another tournament.  Yeah, the five weeks was too long.  Five weeks, just unfortunate the schedule happened to be that way.
Yeah, it was weird having that many weeks off trying to fill time and trying to not practise too much or too little and get that balance right.  Because normally that amount of time off, it's wintertime and just put the clubs away completely.  But this time of year, had to keep things ticking over.

Q.  Do you think you had too much time to think about it?
MARC WARREN:  No, I think I needed a bit of time to think about it, and had to make sure I learned from it first and foremost instead of trying to forget about it, put it at the back of your mind.  I watched it and so it was a good learning experience if nothing else.

Q.  For next year, many people‑‑ would sympathise, or what advice have they given you?
MARC WARREN:  I worked with people at Vision 54 who worked with Annika Sorenstam and stuff like that, so I was in contact with them straightaway after it, and they watched it on Saturday and Sunday, and the coverage, they had seen it, so it was good to get their feedback, as well.  They had been in touch, a lot of golfers, as well, surprisingly‑‑ well, not surprisingly but it was nice to get that from your colleagues.
There was a lot of Scottish guys, as well, Stevie Gallacher, Paul Lawrie, a few guys like that who I holed in high esteem, anyway, but it was nice to get a simple text message really, and obviously nice to see you back at the top of the leaderboard and stuff like that.  Things like that are good.  Take a lot of encouragement from that as well.

Q.  Straight after, you said‑‑ you spoke straight after; watching it again, did you see anything differently from what you summed up after?
MARC WARREN:  Yes, I did.  The more I thought about it and the more I watched it and seen what actually happened, I did play 15 far too quick.  The tee shot, I feel as if I was on the tee forever there.
Up to that point, the day had been moving along well and got to 15 and the guys in front just got off the tee and then I took 3‑wood out straightaway, and the more we stand on the tee and the more the wind direction‑‑ the distance to run out, I changed my mind from driver and thought I could just hit a fade, which I should have put that back in the bag, because I had five, ten minutes anyway to wait and should have put that back in the bag and used 2‑iron there.  If I had done it, I think it would have been a different story.
But still I don't think the tee shot was that bad a shot.  I was aiming right side of the fairway and it was only five yards right of where I was aiming.  I was in the same place on Friday and when I got there and seen it, I was pleased where it was lying, but the second shot was probably‑‑ putting, as well, watched the second putt, no concentration at all.
But the second shot, I feel I couldn't get the line properly.  It was blind and tried to get spectators and photographers out of the way and I felt‑‑ I think it went three or four times back, and then the fourth time, I was in the fairway and then I saw some shuffling‑‑ and I actually apologised to him.
So I kind of jumped the rope‑‑ and I just thought, you know, just kind of messing about too much really.  Hit it far too quick.  I thought standing over it, ease up on it, but had to pitch it 150 and let it run out and thought if I could just‑‑ with the flag there, it was good.
When I got there, I got a little break, but everybody needs it, and when I got there, from there on, I didn't really feel as if I hit a good pitch, had a good first putt, and you know, just didn't concentrate at all on the second one.
It was almost, I thought it just wasn't looking over‑‑ I just thought it was coming almost too easy.  And because of that loss of concentration, guys are still on the tee on 16 and we got there, sat down there and just lost a bit of the adrenaline or whatever you need to play well in those situations.

Q.  Can you talk about some of the changes that have been made here?
MARC WARREN:  Yeah, very good, I like the run‑off areas on golf courses.  I think if it's done properly, I think it can be‑‑ on the first, taking the back bunker away there, because it's almost an easier bunker shot.  There wasn't a bad place to be there.  Changes like that, and 9 and 18; 9 I think is great hole.  I've always really enjoyed that hole, especially to play off the old tee, the back tee I'm not so much of a fan.  I think it takes away from the hole.
And 18, I think is great.  The tee shot, I didn't realise that shot‑‑ I played it a couple of weeks ago.  I came up and played and I didn't realise how much of a difference raising the tee would make.  It's totally changed how the whole works with the bunker on the right as well, and just been that little bit shorter, it makes it a much more playable par 5 and makes for a more exciting par 5 as well.

Q.  Just to go back to Castle Stuart briefly, you've been in pressure situations where you've won before; is there any different feeling you had coming down the stretch there from the times you've won?
MARC WARREN:  It was definitely calmer in that situation than I would have been before.  And on 16, I felt as if I lost‑‑ I just felt really in control of what I was doing, and because of that, I think I lost a bit of concentration.
Whereas other times, there I had a two‑ or three‑shot lead as well, and other times, I had always been behind and I didn't have an opportunity to lose concentration.  Everything was in front of me and I had to go and capture the whole thing‑‑ which I did do, to birdie 18; so I've always felt as if I had to do something to get in a playoff or to make someone else do something.
Even as an amateur on The Challenge Tour, I've had to do that as well and done it every single time; and then standing on 18, we have a wait there, as well and I was actually trying to get myself‑‑ it was totally bizarre.
Winning one of the biggest events of the year, all I had to do was make a four at the last to get a playoff and I would say nine times out of ten I would do it but for whatever reason, had to leave‑‑ and standing on 18, I felt like it was a practise round Tuesday afternoon.
Couldn't get up enough for it, and the same after, I played the hole pretty well and gave it a good go.  But it was bizarre sort of looking back trying to figure out why that happened because it shouldn't have happened.
Like I said, just sitting down, losing the adrenaline instead of staying up for it and keeping up for it.  Obviously learned from things like that.  Next time in that situation, just be more clinical with it be more up for the occasion I suppose.

Q.  Keep the intensity up?
MARC WARREN:  Yeah, exactly.  You know, three ahead, but still‑‑ we used to say in football, if you were 1 1/2 down, you might as well‑‑ inaudible.  Stuff like that.  Just got a head of myself to be honest but definitely didn't feel as nervous as I had been.  I feel really calm in the situation, which is a massive positive, as well, and same thing at Dunhill last year.  I felt really calm in that situation.  Calmer than I have done in situations like that before.

Q.  Did that explain the 18th tee‑‑
MARC WARREN:  I think my body language, you can see how I was standing and that's probably something I need to work on as well.  And more constant and more up, when things are not going so well internally, and definitely on 18, even the way I was standing‑‑ I was standing against the board‑‑ obviously I had the tournament pretty much in the bag and it was tough to just get adrenaline and everything going again at the last.

Q.  Your first time coming back‑‑
MARC WARREN:  The positives from Castle Stuart, how well I played‑‑ I had never played that well before; to have a lead like that on Sunday; and the guys on top of the leaderboard, as well, Molinari, etc., and so I take huge positives from that.  I feel as if my game is still in great shape, and it's getting better and better as well.  And working with Pete, it's improved and he's related the way everything is.  And I actually feel as if I could have holed a few more putts at Castle Stuart, so something I've been working on.
This week, hopefully roll in a few more putts as well.
MICHAEL GIBBONS:  Marc, thanks for joining us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




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