Media Center Interviews

April 22, 2016

Interview With Stuart Appleby

Q. Stuart, 2-under, 70 in Round 2. An interesting start to your round. Why don't you talk about it?

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah. I was doing like when Seve had a four putt many, many years ago, I asked him, "How did you have a four putt?" "I miss, I miss, I miss, I make."

I was swatting at it. A golf ball got in the way. I guess I finished five birdies yesterday and so it was just -- you know, I'm a good putter when I focus well. When you don't focus you don't put. I'm hitting it good enough.

I've had like everything is coming out of the middle, really, which has been rare for me to hit not even 9 holes of good ball-striking. Felt nice. Hit the middle. I could club myself properly. Try to peg that back.

That's a handicap straight away given to the field. I got it back and some moreso. I'd love to just keep, nurture all the good things going on in my game and get past a bit of nervy starts and just get -- make 17 holes of 18 which is what I managed on the whole. The course is in great shape. Really wasn't blowing much. Just seems hard to get a real multiple rounds low around here.

Q. Was your focus that good on the front-9, you made four birdies there?

STUART APPLEBY: Yeah, I just -- again, I was hitting it out of the middle. The little inner confidence you get from that when you know you're going to strike it and there's the distance. I wasn't obviously hitting it too wide, either.

I think as a player you would like to know you can hit the club face and hit it straight. Sort of nothing happens if you miss the club face at all. It's fat and straight.

I think I'm getting -- the ball seems to be traveling well. We're going to have some nice warm-ish weather. Sunday, we're not sure yet. I'm hitting the club face and rolling -- on the whole I'm rolling the ball well. We all work hard and it's frustrating when you give away shots so easily when you spend too much time trying to perfect it and move on. You got to take a slap in the face and punch in the you know what and move on.