|
 VIJAY
SINGH: Yeah. I mean, you just don't want to put yourself out of the
tournament the first two days. That's the key. If you go ahead and
shoot good numbers the first two days, that's a different story, but
you just want to play consistent the first two and see if you can get
in the lead going to Saturday. It was a little different this week,
but that's what I try to do.
When I come to a golf tournament I feel like I should win the golf
tournament the way I play. It doesn't normally happen, but that's the
mind thought that way.
Q. Six down going into today, how did you feel your chances were?
Sergio had been playing well all week.
VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, I told my wife, she kept asking, "What do you
think?" I said, "I think 12-under is going to be the number." If
Sergio went on and played the way he did yesterday, then obviously he
would have blown us away.
You know, when I started off today, I saw Phil, and he was 8-, 9-under
through 14 or 15 holes. That told me that it was out there, that the
score was out there if you played decent enough. It kind of lifted me
up and got me fired up.
Still, you need to post it. That's what my intentions were.
Q. What was different today? There hadn't been a lot of low numbers
shot, and today all you guys, pursuers, really lit it up. What was
different?
VIJAY SINGH: Well, the pin placements were not over ridges, so you
could actually attack your approach shots and your putts. That was one
main thought. And there was a little less wind, as well. I think the
wind was a big factor.
Q. First hole of the playoff, you guys all sort of chuckled after you
rolled the green. I guess you left your putts short. What was so funny
out there?
VIJAY SINGH: I told the guys, "Good, good, good, let's go to the next
tee box."
Q. I believe this is four playoffs for you this year.
VIJAY SINGH: This year? Is it? I think three, right?
Q. I've been to two of them I know.
VIJAY SINGH: I screwed up in Bay Hill.
JOAN v.T. ALEXANDER: Not Bay Hill, you had a playoff at Honda and a
playoff here, and Houston.
Q. Anyway, you've been in enough playoffs this year to last a career.
Is there some different attitude you have toward playoffs?
VIJAY SINGH: I mean, you've got to just go ahead and just play it. You
know, you shouldn't be disappointed that you can lose. Of course
you're going to be disappointed, but playing playoffs is just like—I
don't know, it's a coin toss. You just have to go out there and just
play and hit the best shots you can. If one beats you—straight away
it's a match play. Whoever gets one up, that's it. That's how you've
got to play the playoffs.
Q. Do you have an extra gear when you get into a playoff? Like at
Whistling Straits you seemed to be able to turn it up there, hit the
shot on 17, and you hit the shot on 17 today.
VIJAY SINGH: I don't know, you have more focus. In a playoff you only
think of that one shot at a time. You're not even worried about
anything else that's going on, just one particular shot, and probably
that's why it's a little bit easier to go ahead and play it. Maybe I
should do that all the time.
Q. Did you enjoy being paired with a Tour rookie like Trahan, and kind
of what were some of your impressions of the way he played out there
today?
VIJAY SINGH: I've played with him before. He's a really good kid. He's
really laid back. He didn't play as well as he wanted to, but he
learned a lot today. It's not just pull a driver and hit it whenever
you have to. I guess you learn from experiences like this. You've just
got to show up. He's got a lot of talent, and he's a good player. His
name is going to be up there many, many times.
Q. You said you thought 12 was the number. Did you seem to think that
Sergio couldn't really go any lower, or where did you sort of feel
that?
VIJAY SINGH: Sometimes it's harder to play with a big lead. I've found
that myself. If you're five, six up, for some reason you don't want to
lose the golf tournament. Instead of trying to win the golf
tournament, you don't want to lose it. So that's a big factor there.
If guys are catching up, you know, you've got a six-shot lead at the
start, and within four or five holes, you've only got three or four,
you kind of start to get a little nervous. I don't know why, but that
happens. Guys are getting closer.
That played a little bit, I bet, in his mind. And also, I'm thinking
he was a little bit nervous himself trying to go out there. I guess
anybody would be. He played well. You can't go out there and shoot low
numbers every day. It's just a tough golf course.
Q. For the past couple years your rise to No. 1 was kind of your
motivation. I mean, other than winning, is there anything that
motivates you right now?
VIJAY SINGH: Just winning, I guess. I just want to go out there and
win golf tournaments. I've done away with trying to be No. 1. I mean,
it seems like I've got to win five times to get up there. I totally
forgot about that. That does not cross my mind anymore. I just want to
go out there and win golf tournaments.
Q. Did this golf tournament have kind of a major feel the way that the
week went?
VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, I said that earlier on. It's incredible. I mean,
the golf course is so good. All they need to do is grow rough over
here and it would be a U.S. Open golf course. The greens were hard and
firm like we normally play the U.S. Open, a major golf tournament, and
it's a demanding golf course. You've got to hit fairways and you've
got to hit greens, and if you're on the wrong side of the greens it's
difficult to get a two-putt going. And the fans were incredible, plus
the weather.
Q. You said that there was tension in the playoff. When Jim hit his
drive on 18 left, does that change things? Does that loosen things up
a little bit?
VIJAY SINGH: Well, everything was still okay until he laid up. And
once he laid up, I said, I don't know what kind of lie he had or if he
had an option to go on the other side of the creek. I don't know why
he chose to hit it from the other side. Maybe it didn't cross his
mind. But I think he could have got a better lie from the other side
of the creek.
But once he laid up, I said, well, hit it to the right of the green
and try to get up-and-down and try to make a 4 that way, and there was
no guarantee he was going to get up-and-down for a 5.
Unfortunately once his ball hit the flag I knew he was going to go
backwards. It didn't matter anymore. I was going for a 5 and I hit
that bunker shot.
Q. Can you talk about your game being in better shape than a year ago
at this time? Where do you feel that most?
VIJAY SINGH: Just the whole swing. You know, I'm not fighting my golf
swing anymore. I'm setting up over the ball and putting a good golf
swing on it. I think my golf swing has gotten more and more consistent
from last year. Last year was the start of it and it's gotten better
as the weeks went by. Right now I feel very comfortable with my golf
swing. My driving has been decent, the whole game is pretty good.
Q. Ten years ago would you have thought you'd be enjoying this much
success at this time?
VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, why not (laughter)? I don't know, ten years ago,
gosh, it's hard to go back ten years. My intentions were always to
play good golf. I don't know if I could have dreamt that I'd be
sitting here winning 27 times on the Tour. I don't know if I thought
about that ten years ago. It's pretty hard to win one golf tournament.
Q. Sergio tied a record with losing a six-shot lead today. As a player
do you sympathize with a guy when he's going to get kind of hung with
that title now?
VIJAY SINGH: Well, yes and no. He didn't play badly. He didn't shoot a
high number or anything. I mean, he did go in the playoff, and we
actually caught him. He didn't go out there and shoot 5-, 6-over to
lose it. We won it. That way I don't think he's going to—he may feel a
little bit—I don't know what he's going to feel, but he's got to feel
pissed off for sure. He's going to feel it a little bit, but not as
bad as what Greg did during The Masters.
Q. Could you run through the 17th hole in the playoff, your tee shot,
and talk about the putts both you guys had?
VIJAY SINGH: I hit a pretty decent shot and Jim kind of topped me with
his good one. His putt actually fooled me because he did hit it past
because it didn't break as much as I thought it would. I gave myself a
good two cups out there. Maybe I came out of it. I thought I hit my
line, just missed. That's all you can do, stand over it and try to hit
your mark. If it goes in, it's fine, but it just missed.
Q. You say you're not fighting your swing. Is that simply a product of
hard work?
VIJAY SINGH: Yeah, hard work of a long time ago; but getting all the
mechanics together, I think that's more important. You can work on
your golf swing and not know what to do. You can work as much as you
want. It's not going to help.
But I think knowing your golf swing, knowing what to work on and
getting all the mechanics together and firing in one sequence, that's
what my golf swing is right now. Everything is in sync. My shoulders,
my hips and my legs are all going together with my club head. Once you
do that, you're going to hit good golf shots.
Q. Even when you've won as much as you've won, do you still learn
anything on a day like today?
VIJAY SINGH: You do get nervous. Patience is one. You always go out
there knowing that a good number is always going to—like I was six
back. If you go out and post a good number, it's going to show up on
the leaderboard and the leaders are going to watch it. That's a great
thing to do. But you've got to go out and post it.
Unlike Phil, when he went out early and he was 8-under or 9-under, it
got all our attention. You should never give up. When you go out there
with 18 holes, you never can tell what can happen.
Q. How will you celebrate this, take a day off?
VIJAY SINGH: I don't know. I was thinking about going home for one. I
haven't seen my boy in a week. I don't know, order some pizza and go
to sleep. Wake up tomorrow and it's another day. I don't know what I'm
going to do tomorrow; I haven't decided yet. Just take it easy, I
guess. Stay around the house and get ready to go to Dallas on Tuesday.
Q. Do you and Jim spend a lot of time on the range together in Ponte
Vedra?
VIJAY SINGH: We see each other. I don't think we spend too much time
together. You know, he's always working on his own golf swing and I'm
always doing something else. But we talk and sometimes we have good
conversations, but we never go out and play or practice together, but
we're always around there.
Q. What's different—what's come together in your game at age 42 for
these multiple win seasons that you couldn't make happen at age 30,
age 28?
VIJAY SINGH: You guys are better. You guys have molded me a little bit
better. That's why, I think (laughing). Consistency, I guess, and
working out, also. That's a big part of my success right now is being
healthy, being fit. When you go out there, when you're walking, you
feel strong. You go out there and people notice that. People tell you
that, "Hey, you look really in tune with your body." That kind of
gives you a little bit more confidence, I guess. I'm hitting the ball
as long as the young kids out there, which makes a big difference.
I guess that's a big help. Look at Nicky Price now. He's 46 years old.
He looks like his weight has gone back to where he was some 20 years,
10 years ago. So he's beginning to get—I mean, he's watching us and he
gets the message. I mean, he wants to work out, he wants to play good
again. I think that's it. Working out is, I guess, the key to
everything when you get old.
Q. How did you like the bagpipe music coming up 18? Are you a bagpipe
guy?
VIJAY SINGH: I've heard it many times. I think it's great music no
matter where you are. It's got that unusual sound to it that gets your
attention. I've played a lot of times in Europe and I've spent a lot
of time in Scotland and you hear that a lot. I love the country, to a
point (laughter).
|
|
