Q. What is the comfort level when you come to a place that you've had success?
PAUL CASEY: That's funny. Obviously I've won. That's four other guys that have won around here. I know what it takes, but it doesn't necessarily make it any easier. This has always been a tough test of golf. When I won, it was the preparation for the next week, and the setup was extreme. There was a lot more shaved areas back then. But this is no less fierce now, even though we're a few years on. This golf course has teeth, and just because I've won doesn't change anything. I guess I know some lines off the tees, and maybe I'm wary of or I'm familiar with certain things on the golf course, but I've got to beat 53 other great golfers.
Q. It's kind of a different course anyway, but there's been a few changes --
PAUL CASEY: A few changes, and with all the rain we had on Wednesday, Thursday, whatever, it's made it target golf off the tee. But the greens are -- I don't know how to describe them. There's no friction on the greens right now. They're like Teflon. You know when people play golf and you lean on the putter and it slips out from under you? They're all like that right now. The ball sometimes doesn't take the break because it just skids over the surface and other times it does take the break. They're very, very difficult.
Yeah, it's a tricky setup right now, but that's what we want. That's probably the difficulty with LIV in a way is you play so many different places, we're in so many different countries, we've not seen a setup like this yet this year. So when you come off a Singapore or something like that, you can't compare this.
Q. Are you surprised it's a bunched leaderboard?
PAUL CASEY: I've not looked at it much, actually. Four of us on 10 --
Q. 15 guys within four shots.
PAUL CASEY: It doesn't surprise me. Doesn't really surprise me. I don't know what to tell you. What does that mean for tomorrow? It's difficult to pick the winner. Obviously if I was picking it, I'd pick myself. But I wouldn't stray too far outside of one or two shots off the lead. But who knows, somebody just could shoot a -- what's the lowest we've seen this week, 7-under?
Q. Yeah.
PAUL CASEY: Who knows. Maybe somebody just comes from the middle of the pack and shoots an 8 and puts the pressure on the rest of us.
Q. I think last year you played mostly in shorts; is that correct?
PAUL CASEY: Yeah, you noticed that.
Q. You haven't played in shorts this year.
PAUL CASEY: I have not, and I won't.
Q. Why is that?
PAUL CASEY: I like wearing trousers. Don't know why. Big boy pants, I don't know what it is. I don't know. By the way, I've got really good legs, and as good as my forearms are, my calves are equally impressive, okay. Phil doesn't have a monopoly on good calves. He might be bigger calves, but mine are pretty good.
I don't know what it was. I like the -- I wear two caps out here. I like the tradition. I respect the tradition of the game, and I like the -- look, I've got two alpha kids who are nine and six. When you talk about the world moves quickly when you've got kids of that age. People scratch their heads with Bryson when he talks, but I'm very familiar with Mr. Beast and Preston Plays and all that kind of stuff, as well, but I can wear shorts with the best of them. But for whatever reason I wanted to wear pants this year, and for me I thought the look was good, as well.
Q. Where is Johnny?
PAUL CASEY: Yeah, where's Johnny?
Q. Have you won with Polly on the bag?
PAUL CASEY: I've never won with Polly on the bag. Polly has only been on the bag once before. That was in Saudi. We finished fifth, I believe, Saudi Invitational. Johnny is kind. We know Johnny has got his health problems, but Johnny planned many, many, many months ago, he wanted to go to France to pay his respects for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, so he sent me some amazing photos. He's been down there wearing his kilt and his McLaren tartan. He's very, very proud to be British, so I think it's been amazing to pay respects for those commemorations. It's quite a thing. We're very lucky to do what we do. We're very lucky to live in the countries we live in. This year he wanted to go down being maybe one of the last times that those who fought and were on those beaches are still alive now because it's 80 years on. That couldn't be cooler. I'm proud that he went, and he's happy that he went. I'm obviously doing my best to make him feel a little bit under pressure like he's not got a monopoly on this job.
But in all seriousness, that's the coolest. We play golf for a living, and there's much more serious things than what we do, and I thought what was a great moment at the ANZAC -- what would you call it, not celebration, but the ANZAC day, there were some speeches made, and there's a line that stuck with me, and I don't know the exact words, but it's something along the lines of you need to live a full life, and that's the best way to pay respects to those that have given their lives. So that's what we're doing out here right now. I'll play my heart out tomorrow because why wouldn't I? That's what Johnny would want, as well. I'm trying to get a win for Johnny who's not here.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports