John Senden interview, Thursday 6 December 2012 John, thanks for joining us. You have played this golf course very well in the last few years. Tell us about your round. The golf course is in beautiful shape. We had the perfect conditions this morning, teeing off at seven o clock. You won t get much of a better day. I thought there were a lot of birdies out there and there would probably be some good scores this morning. I felt good the whole round. I got off to a hot start and it was nice to hang on to that during the middle of the round. I dropped a couple, at two and three, and then bounced back at seven and eight. It was almost a round of 65? Yes. I hit a pretty good put there (ninth green). I have been putting well all day. I felt I just did not hit the ball hard enough on that putt. If it had a bit more speed it would have held on. It was a little bit downhill so you can t really race it past. I m happy with my start but there is a long way to go. It is about putting yourself in the position come Sunday. Did you have a number in mind? No. I really tried to shoot a low number. Today was the best day to do it. It is a bit like any round in the morning. You feel you can shoot a good score in mild conditions and the golf course is in fabulous shape. The greens were perfect this morning. How was the wind, compared to yesterday? Yesterday was a west breeze, I believe, and today was more southerly. The first hole was more across from the left than straight into. It was much easier. Yesterday was almost a write-off with the wind. I don t think anyone enjoyed yesterday. It is a beautiful day today. There will be a bit of wind there this afternoon but nothing to blow you off your feet. There are some key holes to play well. The par threes are certainly playing tricky but there are some good scoring holes as well. Is it picking up? Yes. I notice the difference between coming off the 18th green then stepping on the front nine. It was fluctuating from the south to the south-west. Is your game in good shape? I am playing some of the best golf of my life. I need to believe in that and keep going forward. Is your confidence high? Yes. The results have shown in the past couple of years. I have been inside the top 30 and been consistent. I have taken those feelings and brought them home to Australia. I feel better for that. I am learning every year. I feel I can keep improving and keeping knocking on the door ion every event I play. Ian says you are ready to win a major. I said to you guys four or five years ago that I needed to get more experience in the major championships. Each year I d get in one or two, possibly. For the last three years I ve been getting in to all four. That has been much better experience for me. If I keep working hard on my game and getting this experience in the major championships, playing with the best players in the world, that s one of the goals. You did not play at Kingston Heath. What have you been doing? I went back top Dallas, picked up my family there and we came back to Australia about two weeks ago. I have been working with Triggsy in Brisbane out of Brookwater Golf Club. I play a little bit at Royal Queensland and I am also a member at Keperra. I ve been having some fun at Keperra looking at the juniors there. I ve been playing in their little competitions. I was caddying for my little fellow Jacob. How did you go as a caddie? I was good. He is starting to get to know the game of golf a bit. He has always been able to hit the ball well. Now is the time to get him on the golf course to learn a bit about walking six, seven or eight holes, learning about etiquette. He is starting to get the gist of it all. How old is he? Eight. Has he always loved golf? He enjoys golf but he is into every sport. When I first took him out to play we went out in a golf cart and all he wanted to do was drive. Now we are walking. It is fun being out there with him. I hope he will continue to play the game and enjoy it. How many holes can he walk? He has walked six, seven, eight holes this trip home. They shorten it for them all. It is good to be out there and relax at Keperra. Then I have been going to Brookwater most days to practice with Triggsy. Inaudible question. I started playing at Keperra in 83. It has always been great. I have always enjoyed it. It is where I started playing golf. Now I m taking him out there, I am really enjoying seeing him go around my home course. He is a junior member there. Hopefully he will continue to play golf there as well. What do you need to do to win a major? As I said to you before, it is about gaining the experience, being in form, winning other tournaments to handle that situation better. I have not been in contention a lot in major championships but I think if I keep improving and keep knocking on the door in the regular events, I think I can set the goals and knock on the door in the major championships. Are you now comfortable in the top company? Yes. I have played with them all. It is about standing on the stage and being comfortable. That s where it s at. I feel I am getting better at that, moving forward and keep on improving. That is where my whole career has been going. I need to keep continuing in that direction and keep everything simple and just play. Inaudible question. I think that with the experience you gain playing the Tour you get better at that.
Author: Golf Australia