Interviews

An Interview With: JOSE MARIA CANIZARES

MARTY PARKES:  It's my pleasure to welcome you to the interview room, Jose Maria Canizares.  He had a 68, 3-under par.  If you would, to start, take us through your round a little bit, especially the birdies and the bogeys.

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  I hit the ball pretty steady.  I missed 17 and 18 only, I made very good pars.  I had many chances for birdies.  I make three birdies, no bogeys, I'm very happy with that score.

Q.  Did the course play like a typical U.S. Open course?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  Well, the greens, yes, the bunkers, yes, the rough, yes.  I think the fairways were big.  I think the course also is longer.  That course is a very nice course.  I like the course.  The problem, you know, for a man like our age, it's too hard to walk.  But I think -- for me it's okay.  I like it, that course.  But I think it's a good course for the Open.  I think, normally, for the Open it's a more difficult course.  I think this is more -- it's so much more difficult.

Q.  If you saw the score earlier, there was somebody at one point at 8-under par.  Did that inspire you maybe that there were a lot of birdies to be made out there?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  Well, the score board, when they start to play, I look at 7-under par, 8-under par, and say, "Why?"  I don't think the course is that easy.  But that guy played super golf.  I think it will play three or four under par on that course, and that is a very, very good score.  I think that guy may have played very super golf.

Q.  When you look at the leaderboard, does your name -- do you go to the top and say, "That's the score I have to shoot at," or do you go to the players who are the most accomplished and say, "Tom Watson is at 4-under, that's who I have to stay with?"

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  Well, I think -- I look at Watson as one of the best players in the world.  Also I try to -- you play to win every week.  I, just myself, I need to play good golf.  If I play good golf, I maybe beat everyone.

Q.  R.W. Eaks came sailing in here with 8 birdies and an eagle.  And on almost every one of the birdies he said, luckily it went in.  Is that the biggest predominating part that a man who has a good game has to be lucky on this course?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  You're talking about -- when you play on Tour, I hit many birdies.  When my game is good, I make a lot of birdies.  But I think that, yes, when you make that many birdies and one eagle, it's not that easy.  But maybe 30 years ago, maybe 25 years ago -- --.

Q.  How would you characterize this golf course, then, is it a putters golf course or have you got to have the driver working most, what carries the big load?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  On this course, I think it's very important that you put the ball in the fairways, it doesn't matter -- the more longer drive is more easy.  But you have to hit a good iron shot.  And then you need to putt the ball in the right line, because sometimes you have many down hills, it's difficult to make birdies.  Sometimes -- it's not easy to make birdie.  I think that it's important that you hit a good iron shot and very good putting.

Q.  Did the length -- could you -- how long were the birdie putts?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  Well, I make on the second hole on the par-4, I think my putt, maybe two yards and a half.

And the par 5, the 3rd, I think my birdie, six yards, it was a very difficult putt, I'm a lucky man.

And No. 10, I hit a good tee shot, it was very difficult, and then 6 yards on the greens, very difficult putt, also, I make it.

I made two good putts on 17 and 18.

Q.  How difficult is the 18th hole?  Now we saw Isao Aoki play 17 holes, 5-under par, came to the 18th, triple bogeyed it.  And he's a steady, strong player, not as strong as you are?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  He's a strong player.  I think the 18th hole is not easy hole.  Because the green is down too much to the left side.  But I think the 18, it's big fairways, and bunkers on the left and right.  I go to the bunker on the left.  I don't know -- it's very difficult to chip and putt.  But I think it must be -- I don't know, I think it's not normal for him to make 7.  It's okay to hit 5, but a 7, I think must be Aoki played terrible that hole.

Q.  What about the rough now, will that play a part, and tell me a little bit about the sand, were you in the sand at all today?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  Only one time on the 18th.  But the sand is not really good for the Open.  It's heavy and soft.  You hit it, the ball is never stopping, the ball goes a crazy shot.  I think the sand I like is more thin.  It's thicker sand.  The bunkers too much slope.  Sometimes you put the ball in the bunker, and it's down here, and it's nearly impossible to hit it out of the sand for that ball.  It's looking beautiful, but sometimes it's no fair.

Q.  You had a 68 today, would you settle for three more 68s and stay in the clubhouse?

JOSE MARIA CANIZARES:  I'll try.  I'll try.  It's my job.

MARTY PARKES:  Thank you very much.

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