NCAA Men's Golf Pre-Tournament Quotes
May 25, 2009 | Men's Golf
May 25, 2009
Pre-Tournament Preview / Notes (PDF)
2009 NCAA Men's Golf Championships
Washington Pre-Tournament Quotes
Washington Junior Richard Lee
"This is a really tough course, but it is a course where if you hit the ball well and keep it in the fairway you can score. But, it can go either way out here. You can either have a really good round, or you can shoot a really high round. I think that once you get adjusted to (the wind), it is probably not really going to be a big factor. But, if it starts blowing harder that it is today than it definitely will. I think we will really need to pick our lines off the tee, know what the wind is doing and adjust. We are coming off three good tournaments and the guys are playing good and confident. We don't have anything to prove to anyone. We are just coming out here and going for the top prize. So, I think the guys are all in a pretty good state of mind heading into the tournament."
Washington Head Coach Matt Thurmond
"I think the course is great. Last year, I think everyone kind of got their bell rung since the course was so hard. Generally, you think the course should be pretty hard for the NCAA Championship. This course is certainly challenging, but it is not ridiculous. It is very fair and I think there are some good scores to be had out here.
"I feel like our team is generally pretty relaxed and confident - two things you want to be going into the NCAA championship. We don't talk about score much. We really don't talk about winning. We talk about the details and the guys seem pretty focused on what they need to do. They are having a good time together and they appear ready to go.
"There is a lot more focus here (than in most tournaments during the season). This is what we have preparing for all year. I know that sounds cliché, but really in every tournament we play and every practice we talk about how it gets us ready for (the NCAAs). All the things we have worked on all year will come to pass and we will really need to drive the ball well. That is something different out here. Normally, driving on a golf course that is built boring, wide-open and flat make it a bit easier to hit the fairways. Out here, you really have to approach the tee shot like they are shots to the greens. That should be good for us. It is still a little different, but it is a lot more like we play than a lot of other teams play. The greens are really small, like Northwest greens.
"There are no real keys (to winning). You just really don't want to be surprised by anything. The key, I suppose, is just knowing what to expect and being ready for it. I think the guys know what is going to happen and they are ready for the course.
"We have seven teams here from the Pac-10 - more than any other conference. And, they are all pretty good. For sure, any one of the seven has a chance to win the NCAAs. Arizona State won their regional. Oregon is playing really well. UCLA won their regional and is the defending national champion. USC is the highest-ranked Pac-10 team in a couple of polls and they have a chance. Stanford and Arizona have played solid all year."
