Q. How would you assess two lovely rounds over two lovely golf courses?
ROSS FISHER: Delighted obviously. Just played really steady.
Not dropping a shot obviously yesterday at Kingsbarns was a real achievement. 7-under yesterday was a great start. The course was kind of there but you still had to hit good shots. There’s par 5s that were playing very easy because it was a slight different wind to what we normally play.
But then flip that around, you’ve got all of a sudden easier holes that you’re used to are playing quite tricky. It was nice to escape around there with, like I say, no bogeys.
Coming around here, St. Andrews, you know the greens are going to be a little bit slower. I felt like I played really well front side. Played solidly. Unfortunately 3-putted 10 for par after hitting a really good drive there.
Bogeyed 11, obviously first bogey of the tournament but I bounced back every time I bogeyed, I bounced back. It would have been nice to have one on 18 after bogeying 17 but it’s still tough out there. It’s pretty cold.
The wind is quite tough. The front is straight downwind so it plays relatively easy although the front pin is hard to get at. And then you turn to the back and it’s all into off the left. So you’re kind of hanging on a little bit but you still know if you hit good shots, you can have birdie chances.
To shoot 4-under and get to 11, I’m obviously very, very pleased.
Q. And there have been plenty of birdies, of late. I take it it’s very nice to keep the form going after a week’s break after such a fine performance in Germany?
ROSS FISHER: Yeah, definitely. Germany, it felt like it had been coming for a long time. I missed the cut in Denmark, but I felt like I was playing well and then Switzerland, Holland, I felt like I played good. Just a few too many mistakes. But I was making a lot of birdies and giving myself loads of chances, and making them, which I haven’t been doing this year.
So still try to stay up, be positive and a few switches to the bag, different ball in Germany, and I was a whisker from winning a tournament. There was a lot of positives to take from that side; a good week’s practice, a bit of gym work, watching The Ryder Cup.
And this is always an event I really look forward to. I had a chance to have won the event back in 2008, I think it was. Lost in a playoff there with Robert Karlsson and Martin Kaymer. I just enjoy coming here. You’ve got three fantastic golf courses and it’s a great event. You always get to meet new people with the celebs around here. So far it’s been two really good days.
Hopefully myself and my partner, Anthony, can keep going and make both cuts and fingers crossed play on Sunday.
Q. When you see a lot of birdies, do you top them up? Do you go away and count how many there have been in this prolific run?
ROSS FISHER: Not really. I think I just happened to — it could even have been Denis told me, or actually Tweeted a picture of a scorecard in Switzerland. So I kind of looked at it and I was like, okay. I think it was 19 birdies and an eagle until Switzerland.
I think Holland was something ridiculous. I think by the time I got to Germany, I think I had 35 in total. But like I say, there was too many mistakes. So obviously in Germany, I think I had one bogey and 20 birdies.
So you know, all of a sudden, when you’re over 50 birdies and 11 rounds of golf, it shows that the golf is good. It’s pleasing to have made, I suppose, what, seven yesterday and seven I think today.
So it’s definitely good. It’s positive. It shows that what I’m working on is finally coming good, so just hopefully two more days and we can keep it going and fingers crossed, that will be there or thereabouts come Sunday.
Q. Plenty more at Carnoustie?
ROSS FISHER: That would be nice. All depends on the weather. Fingers crossed, we’ll get a nice day tomorrow. Carnoustie is always a course I enjoy. It’s a fantastic golf course. You’ve got to play good. There’s no getaway out of Carnoustie.
At least with Kingsbarns and St. Andrews, you can kind of get away with it a little bit whereas Carnoustie, you have to be really on your game. If I can play how I’ve played the first two days, I feel like I’ve got a good chance of going out and shooting a good score.
