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Post by djdavefl on Jan 5, 2015 10:36:03 GMT -5
51 year old tour rookie Dave Mills is a surprising name near the top of the early first round leaderboard.
Dave, congratulations on an opening round 62. Thanks, all I can say is how glad I am to get started on the right foot.
You came into the tournament after qualifying 203rd in the Q-School, so what were your expectations this week? Honestly, my expectations were very low coming in. My goals for the entire year are just to make the cut, and maybe if the golf gods are smiling, make a top 30. But for this week with so many crossovers from the PGA Tour getting a start here, the cut will be a much higher bar to reach. So I knew I needed to get off to a fast start.
You got a lot of practice rounds in, what did that tell you about the course? I got here quite early and logged a lot of practice rounds, nearly 12 rounds I believe. I shot anywhere from a high of 73 in really high winds, and a low of 61. But I was averaging around 66, which I found was close to average for the field's practice. That told me that everyone would be going low, and I would have to find some low rounds. Eagleton is a very fair set up, not a lot of tricks, very straightforward.
62 was your lowest competitive round, is it not? Yeah, I think I shot a 63 once during Scott Doyley's fall tour.
What were some of the highlights of the round for you? Well, after starting with a par at the first, I got the jitters out. I was out very early and only four other players were on the course at the time. One of them was pre-tournament favorite Chris Bird. I know I am not even close to his level, so I didn't really care that much about the leaderboard. But after finishing the front 9 in 31, I caught a glance at the big board over at 18, and Chris was also at -5 near the turn.
I thought I might actually be doing something here. Pars at 10 and 11, lead to 5 more birds in the next 7 holes to finish the second nine in 31 as well.
I think the key for me today was my ball striking. I was able to get reasonable looks at birdie in the 5 - 15 foot range, and my putter was working well, and I was able to make almost every real birdie attempt I faced.
So what are you looking for in round 2? Well, looking at the board now I am seeing quite a lot of really great scores posted early in round 1, the cut line may be a lot lower than I originally had thought. Before teeing off today, I thought -12 might be enough to make the cut, but seeing the scores today, it could be closer to -18.
Thanks for your time Dave, and good luck in round two.
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Post by fuzzymayonnaise on Jan 5, 2015 12:04:17 GMT -5
Q. It's the start of a new season. How does it feel to be teeing it up with some of the best in the game? A. I am excited about getting on the course today, but to be honest I'm a bit nervous. It was a surprise for me to even earn a tour card, since I only started playing golf 4 months ago.
Q. 4 Months, that is quite impressive! How do you explain your success in such a short amount of time? A. I played professional volleyball for the last 12 years, so I think that has helped me from a competitive standpoint. It goes without saying though that this is a totally different game, so I can attribute a lot of it to time practicing and studying the game of golf.
Q. With such little experience, what kind of expectations do you put on yourself? A. Actually it's a lot more than you would think. It's really important that I am able to make a few cuts early in the season and bring home some money. My wife thinks chasing this dream of professional golf is.....well a dream. So all the practice time has really taken a toll on her, and I need to prove that it will all pay off. Also, the travel cost add up quickly without a major sponsor, so it is imperative that I have a few good finishes.
Q. Well I wish you the best out there, Thanks for your time. A. Thank you
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Post by simodinhio on Jan 5, 2015 13:45:42 GMT -5
Q) So Simon, you just played out all 4 rounds back to back, how did you do?
Indeed I did, once I started I found it tough to stop. I shot a very average 63 off the bat, lots and lots of missed putts, so wanted to try and make up for it straight away. I managed to string together 3 more rounds of 59, giving me -48 overall.
Q) How did you find the course?
It's a very fun course to play, every hole is a birdie hole. The greens are just tough enough to make it fair though. Can be very frustrating at times, as its easy to lip a lot of putts, but overall very enjoyable. As players have already proved, its possible to go very low out there. I'm fairly certain the winner will be around -55 at least.
Q) How do you reckon your -48 will hold up?
Currently lying joint second on the PS4 leaderboard with Chris, but it's very early days and theres still PC and Xbox players scores I'm unaware of, plus lots of great players still to play. Therefore I may sneak into the top 20. Il be happy with that. If not, it will only inspire me to get better. But I hate practising!
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Post by Brighttail on Jan 5, 2015 16:30:45 GMT -5
You don't look happy after your first two rounds, anything to say?
Shooting -8 and -7 on any course shouldn't be considered a failure but considering that there was almost no wind and I left probably a dozen shots on the course when it came to putting, I'm highly disappointed.
So do you think that there was NO wind was a factor?
It definitely was different. All the previous practice rounds were in 7-10mph winds, this was 0-4mph. It plays differently. I'm not making excuses, as I should have been able to play better but I found myself in the rough a few times when I had never been in the rough.
You said you had a hard time putting today, any particular reason?
Sometimes it is there and sometimes it is not. Both times I felt good coming through the front nine, -7 each time. Not being able to improve the back nine by only one to two strokes really is unacceptable and it all boiled down to poor putting. If you can't make an 8 foot putt, you aren't going to win.
Do you think you have any chance at winning?
None. I would be happy to make the cut for the next round with a -15 over two rounds. That is 9 or 10 strokes back and even if i shot two 58's I don't think that is enough to bring me back. Right now i'm going to go drown my sorrows and if i make the cut, try and come out to make the top 20.
Good day.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2015 21:48:39 GMT -5
What was the highlight of your round/tournament?
That would have to be after a disappointing 2nd round I came back and played a little better in the final two and hope round 2 didn't kill me so much I miss the cut. I've got some Christmas credit card debt and she who must be obeyed is really on my back about making some money this week. What was the low-light of your round/tournament?
Round 2... left so many shots out there and really gave some back to the field unfortunately What did you think of the course?
I've always liked Eagleton and really have nothing to say other than perhaps #18 green... I'm of the belief red lines have no business on any greens and it killed me in round 2 since I got on the other side of it and couldn't hit the putt hard enough to get up the hill How did you fare on the leaderboard? Who were you trying to beat?I'm happy with how I played 3 out of 4 rounds and overall pleased with my performance. If I had played Q school this way I'd have made the pga tour card I so desire. This hagis stuff and warm beer is gonna be the death of me out there. It's rumored you work for TaylorMade how did the new clubs treat you first tournament out of the blocks?I'm still tweaking the new R15 and have a ways to go with the new TP irons but was able to hit my customary draw on about 95% of the shots this tournament which is good. Had a few 95% shots that hurt me but I blame the caddie for those (gave me bad yardage). Your 4 rounds are done... get back in the designer and finish that new course!Yes Erin Andrews I will now do that!
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Post by acidflashback on Jan 5, 2015 21:48:55 GMT -5
Q) Hey, may I help you? Caddies are not allowed in here!
Umm I'm Acid.
Q) Acid?
Flashback. Im here to do an interview...
Q) K. Well I serve the drinks. So how did you play?
I'll grab a lager. Round 1 I was 7 under after 9, then my prescription kicked in and I couldn't see the hole. Couldn't putt a thing. Got peanuts?
Q) Sure. How about round 2?
My caddy went AWOL. But he left the putter at least. I battled 0 mph winds and pretty soft greens. Nice views though. Scraped through for the weekend I reckon. Know a good place to grab a steak?
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Post by woodie2727 on Jan 5, 2015 22:56:12 GMT -5
Mark Wood is now stepping to the podium
How was your round today? I had a few jitters early knowing I needed to get off to a good start. Started with a couple of pars. I started to knock it close and made some putts and finished the front nine at 7 under. In my practice rounds i tended to score better on the back nine so I started thinking hey this could be a really low round today. Needless to say I only managed to put one more birdie on the card and finished up at -8. I missed 2 putts on the back I wish I had back. -10 would have made me a lot more comfortable going into tomorrow.
What were your expectations coming into The South African Open? I can put together some low rounds as I shot a 59 in a practice round but I have trouble consistently scoring. With this being an off week on the American pga tour I decided to jump on a jet and visit somewhere I'd never been. My expectation was to make the cut. Nothing more nothing less. I'm treating this as a warmup for back home and it helps being in a competive environment to work the bugs out. I don't think I shot myself out of missing the cut but with this large field you never know.
What do you think it's going to take to meet your goal of playing the weekend? There's lots of good scores going up. Looks like it's going to take at least 16 under and even that may not make it. I'd take my chances with another -8 but I think I'll need at least that to stick around. I need to pay for airfare so I'll be taking some chances tomorrow. I'm going to go and work on my putting to try and get that dialed in for tomorrow. Thanks for the questions guys and hopefully I'll be talking to you again tomorrow.
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Post by braveheart on Jan 6, 2015 6:09:57 GMT -5
44 year old Tour Rookie Scott Nelson finishes round 2 with a -8(64) and faces an agonising sweat to find out if he has done enough to make the cut.
Q. Well Scott can we have your initial reaction to that round?
A.Euwan what can i say,Frustrated and slightly dissapointed is my first thoughts although in a few hours after a beer or 2 i might not be as hard on myself!!
Q. Surly shooting (65) (64) in your first professional tournament and at your age there must be encouragement there for you to take forward?
A.Yes its the wait now that im not looking forward to as -15 is going to be very close to the cut line i think and it may be a few too many im afraid to see me into the final 2 rounds! I just left too many shots out there again and had the chances to shoot really low!!
Q.Can you single out anything in particular that you need to work on to improve?
A.Just practice and more practice especially on the putting green as i missed 5+ puts inside 15 feet which you just cant do at this level Euwan!My par 5 scores were really disappointing and thats where the birdies should have came .
Thanks Scott and good luck in your wait to see if -15 is enough to see you through too the week-end!!
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Post by djdavefl on Jan 6, 2015 11:03:00 GMT -5
We see Dave Mills stepping out of the scoring tent after his second round. Let's see if we can get a few words in.
Dave, after your second round, what are your impressions? Ha, wow, I might be dating myself when I say this, but remember that Alfred Hitchcock movie, where the woman is trapped in the phone booth in the middle of nowhere?
Uh, "The Birds"? Yeah, that's the one. Birds are attacking all over the course, BIRDIES, EAGLES, Hell, I wouldn't doubt there were some ALBATROSSES out there.
It was kind of a perfect storm for scoring, soft greens, and little or no wind.
This course can be had, some recent rains have softened the greens, approach shots were sticking like velcro, and with the winds being down, you could really attack the pin.
It is kind of ashamed that there wasn't a little more wind, because if you find any of the fairway bunkers, you aren't going to make the green in regulation.
Seriously though, what about your round? After a 62 in round one, I thought even with an average round in the second, the cut would be easily within reach. Then I see the leaderboard after the first and saw the low scores, so what I thought was a decent round may not turn out so good.
I think I was a bit nervous in this round, as I put a less than solid swing on my approach at 1, and a bogie right out of the gate. That jarred me back to reality, and I bore down and finished the front in 32. Usually I have done most of my best scoring here on the back, so I came to 10 with some renewed confidence. Pars at 10 and 11 followed by three straight birdies at 12-13 and 14. A terrible wedge shot at 15 led to another bogie, and finished with a 66.
Where do you think -16 will leave you for the weekend? If you were to have asked me on the first tee in round 1, if you could sign for -16 at the halfway point, I would have said 'Hell ya' see you on Saturday. But right now, I am beginning to think that -16 will leave me on a flight to the U.A.E. Saturday to prepare for the next event. Looking at the board, I will be in some good company as there were some big names that are right there with me.
I just wanted to thank the organizers here in South Africa for a great event, the fans have been fantastic, the TGC Tour staff have put on a great show. I would also like to thank my sponsors, the makers of CENTRUM SILVER multivitamins, METAMUCIL, and the AARP, there support is so valuable to me.
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Post by NCFCRulz on Jan 6, 2015 12:24:14 GMT -5
Congrats on making it through to the weekend Rob. How do you feel you fared? I felt confident of making -20 for 2 rounds and achieved -22. Was very pleased with this although I left many shots out there on my 2nd round and am disappointed I didnt hit -16 on 2nd round.
You are currently sitting tied for 12th though! You cant be too disappointed? No but when you consider I was -17 with 10 holes still to play I feel I could be closer to the lead than I am... I had 2 Hole In One attempts lip out on my 2nd round and missed 2 very achievable puts also! Make them and I am tied for 1st!
Yes but you are still in very good shape? I am, but I feel it will take a couple of -14 rounds to have a chance to win this, especially with Smithy playing as well as he is in practice.
Finally, 2 bogey free rounds? Very happy with this. I expect to make the cut and I expect -20, but to do it with 0 bogeys is always a nice bonus. The aim now is to consolidate a top 20 finish over the weekend and hopefully push for top 10.
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Post by justamush on Jan 6, 2015 12:48:24 GMT -5
PGA Tour member Jason Rosol walks in after shooting a surprising opening round 59.
Q. You shot -13 in round 1 after only shooting -13 for the entire qualifying school. What was the difference in your approach?
A. One word. Practice. I played 4 practice rounds in South Africa anticipating this tournament, and the practice payed off. I steadily improved during each practice round, shooting 72 during the first practice around and improving all the way to a 57 during the final practice round. During qualifying school I was playing each course for the first time.
Q. What was the highlight of your round?
A. I would say the chip-in for birdie on #2. After only getting a par on #1, I needed this chip-in to get my round started the right way.
Q. What was the low-light of your round?
A. Going for the green in 2 on #17. I told myself after my 2nd practice round that I would lay up on my 2nd shot on this hole, but as soon as the wind shifted I decided to go for it. I managed to salvage a birdie despite this lack of discipline, but I made it tougher than it probably should have been by going for the green in #2.
Q. What did you think of the course?
A. I love the course. Eagleton Bend is the main reason that I decided to make the trip to South Africa. Well, the snow in Pittsburgh and the fact that I wasn't invited to Hawaii may have also been a factor, but the course is beautiful.
Q. What is your goal for the rest of the tourney?
A. Going into the tourney my main goal was to make the cut. After the quality of my opening round, I have revised my goals. I am now hoping for a top 15 finish, and heck, maybe just win the whole thing!
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Post by mav78 on Jan 6, 2015 12:52:52 GMT -5
What was the highlight of your round/tournament?
Well I didn’t smash up my pad after missing a number of relatively short easy putts at the start of the first round. I got it together a bit in round 2 and nearly holed in one. At that point i was looking to shoot easy double figures but lost it towards the end but satisfied with a 63.
What was the low-light of your tournament?
The missed putts early on in the first round and then letting a round third round slip due to more bad putting, having said that for all the bad putts i never hit the ball close enough to give myself enough easy birdies.
What did you think of the course?
Each hole was different which is the sign of a good design and the fairways very subtly threw your ball off what seemed a straight shot.
How did you fare on the leaderboard? Who were you trying to beat?
I was trying to get in the to p10 but failed miserably. If i can finish with a good final round then top 50 will be a small achievement. Very disappointed overall but need to get away from designing and put in more practice.
What was your overall experience?
It’s great this isn’t it? A lot of us have waited years for a good design game and also a game that has decent ranking system. Not only did we get both but full on tiers of the two main tours. Thanks to everyone who has made it possible!
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Post by MrSourNinja on Jan 6, 2015 14:47:15 GMT -5
ROUND 2 What was the highlight of your round/tournament?
Uhh probably the long birdie putt I made on 18 at the end of round one to move to -7.
What was the low-light of your round/tournament?
The way I started my rounds on the front nine. I put myself in a difficult spot both days and I couldn't make up for the slow start in round two.
What did you think of the course?
Honestly I wasn't a fan of the course. I had strong winds in the face on almost all the par fives both days which made most of them unreachable. I also didn't feel as if the par threes were very fair. I didn't really like the setup.
How did you fare on the leaderboard? Who were you trying to beat?
I'm assuming that -9 is not going to be enough to make the cut so that's a bummer. Going into the week I was just trying to make the cut and see where I was on saturday, but now I don't think I'll have to worry about that.
What are you going to do now that you're not playing the weekend? I'm going to take a plane back to the US tonight and hopefully see my coach tomorrow morning. Then I plan on heading over to the Sony tomorrow night to get a bit of a head start on the competition. I really need to scout this course well and figure out my lines as I have not seen this course yet.
Thanks for your time. Thank you.
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Post by Crazycanuck1985 on Jan 6, 2015 21:02:31 GMT -5
**Andre Quenneville steps up to the podium after his first two rounds**
Q) So, how are you feeling after two rounds?
A) Well, it was a first round of missed opportunities. The first 4 holes I could have been easily 4 under, but extremely poor putting, with a 3 putt bogey thrown in, had me sitting at +1 after 4. I picked it up a bit, but fired a disappointing 70, nowhere near the top of the field.
Q) Any reason for the slow start?
A) Well, I had just hopped off the plane after doing another exciting episode of "Canuck's Course Critiques", so my swing was a bit rusty. Didn't get much of a chance to hit the practice range but I went in cold. By the way, check out Canuck's Course Critiques! Send me your course and I will provide feedback! Subscribe to my channels!....
Q) Wow. Talk about a shameless plug..don't hijack this conference with talk about your dumb videos.
A) I guess the celebrity status has gone to my head...I once had 20 viewers watching my twitch stream!
Q) Alright.... anyway, moving on.. after the slow start and knowing that making the cut would be near impossible, how do you think you responded?
A) The best I could have in my situation. My putter got hot on the back nine and ended up firing a 62. Much better, but too little too late I imagine to make the cut. Did I mention to check out Canuck's Course Critiques!?...
Q) Sigh...yes..now stop it. Thank you for your time.
A) No problem..now where is the best place to catch the hockey game? They like hockey in South Africa, right?
**As Quenneville leaves the podium, he dodges a couple accurately thrown chairs sent his direction by some disgruntled designers/competitors**
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Post by misternic on Jan 6, 2015 23:23:42 GMT -5
Nic Zaiser comes into the press tent and he does not look happy.
How did the first round go Nic?
I am still in shock. I was ready. I was ready. No idea what happened... I was ready. What was the question?
What was the lowlight of the round?
I was Even after 12. I had a guy in the crowd giving me putting tips on the 10th hole! and I WAS LISTENING TO HIM!
What do you think you will need in round 2 to play the weekend?
I was ready. I was ready. How.. what... I was ready. What?
Good Luck in Round 2.
Yea. Probably a turkey sandwich. What? I was ready....
Nic stumbles off the podium having posted a -4 and he looked anything but ready for round 2.
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