THE MODERATOR: We'll get started and I'll ask Tommy and Paul if you both could just give a little update on what it means to be here for the Olympics here in Tokyo.
Tommy?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It means a lot. I was like so, so happy when I made it to the Olympics. I think from the moment I put a shirt on in my garage at home to getting on the flight to arriving here to being around the village, I think all of it is a, for one, it's a very special experience, but I think being surrounded by all the athletes that put so much into this on a daily basis throughout their lives, I think it's inspirational. You're both a competitor and like one of the biggest GB fans because, you know, you're in and amongst it and you're with everyone. And so far I've loved every minute. It's great to spend it with friends as well, and it's really, really cool. Obviously, you get to the golf course and it's, you do everything that you normally do. But just what goes around this event, it being the Olympic games, it's something that we have never done before and it's amazing.
THE MODERATOR: Paul.
PAUL CASEY: Yeah, I reiterate what Tommy said. I was a massive fan of the Olympics as a kid growing up and loved watching it during the summers. Never thought I would be sitting here as an athlete in the Olympic games until seeing golf's inclusion back in Rio and then Justin's brilliant performance. I guess, we got a lot to try and live up to. We're defending gold, technically, Team GB. I couldn't be more proud, and to be included in this great Team GB team. Yeah, it's honestly, even this week I feel kind of invigorated and I feel passion and pride to be wearing this shirt and to be competing and I couldn't think of anything greater than winning a gold medal as a golfer.
THE MODERATOR: You mentioned Rosie. Do you feel an extra motivation or extra weight to keep the medal with Great Britain.
PAUL CASEY: I don't feel, Tommy might feel different. I don't feel extra weight. I'm going to go out there and give 100 percent. There's, at no point so far this week have I felt any pressure from Team GB. It's just amazing support from everybody in our camp. At our performance lodge down the road, within the village, I think they realize as athletes we put so much pressure on ourselves and we have great expectations and we want to always do our best to represent Great Britain and our friends and our family and ourselves. So I think we have got more than enough motivation behind trying to play well this week and trying to win a gold medal or any medal.
THE MODERATOR: Agree?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, totally. I think one of the things that is apparent when you're at the games is every athlete of every sport is on their own journey. Some guys are unbelievably excited and happy to have even just made it to an Olympic games, to be an Olympian. There are others that are expected to win gold. There's others that know that if they do well they can win a medal. So I think everybody's got their own agenda. And that is one of the amazing parts with so many things going on about the Olympics is that as big as it all is you're part an of a nation and part of a team but everyone is also on their own quest to get here and the journey is not over until your Olympics is over and we'll see what we can do.
Q. Tommy, a couple nights ago you tweeted out -- pardon my language -- but I bleeping love the Olympic. I'm curious if there's any context you might be willing to provide for what was going on in that moment.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I've just been very, very excited since traveling out here. And we're having a great time. There's various -- you can talk about so many things that go on on a daily basis at the Olympics that either inspires you as a sportsman, either make you happy, either make you proud. There's just so many things going on. I love the attitude of everybody here. I love sport. I love how many things are going on. We were looking up yesterday to meet Matty Lee, who had won a gold, and Lauren in the Taekwondo. Is it Lauren Williams, Paul?
PAUL CASEY: Yeah.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: She had won a silver and you're watching those guys and you're talking about it to them and just how they are about it, their emotion, how they feel. It makes you feel really, really good. And there's not -- yeah, I think there's not much more you can say about it, really. For all the, whatever's happened in the world over the last 18 months, for all the debate on whether the Olympics should be on or not, if you're inside that village, without a doubt there is nothing that means more to these people than competing this week and I think it's very special.
Q. Wondering if either of you guys could just talk about any particular memories you've got watching the Olympics when you were younger and any particular moments for Team GB that stick out and maybe the opportunity of contributing to that as well while you're here.
PAUL CASEY: Honestly, as a kid, there's so many memories, ones that stick out. For me, I went to a school where rowing was big and the Searle brothers were a couple of years ahead of me. The school was Hamilton, a big rowing school in the U.K., and I think it was a year we had multiple Olympians, from students to staff. I want to say it was Barcelona. And that was the first time I kind of can say I knew an Olympian, which was something absolutely amazing.
And then also on the rowing front, great moments for a Brit like Sir Steve Redgrave. Athletics was always a big one, watching, for me, one of my heroes was Daley Thompson, sort of in the decathlon with his, as an all-arounder I was a kid who played lots of sports, so somebody who was just multi-tasking kind of multi-talented. But there's so many. We're very lucky in the U.K. I mean, we don't win, necessarily win the most medals, but we have got our heroes. Every nation has their heros. And, yeah, I mean, and sometimes it's, even in the winter Olympics sometimes it's the Eddie the Eagle moment as well, isn't it? So, yeah, there's no shortage of great memories that I have watching the Olympics.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: For me, I think the Olympics has just always brought out, I spoke about it a few times this week, sitting on the couch watching the sport, I have no idea what the rules are, I have no idea how you score, and I'm like really nervous, I'm like jumping out of my seat, but like supporting whoever is in that event for Great Britain. And that's what the Olympics has always done, and it continues to do that, really. I have no massive individual who I followed, but it just, you see so many people stood on the podium and achieving a dream and that's what it's always done for me, really.
Q. If they were giving out Olympic medals for hairstyles, who do you think would win gold out of you and Cam Smith?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Probably Cameron. I'm not very competitive about it, but he seems to be putting a lot of effort into that hairstyle, so he's probably up for the gold. But maybe if I train as hard on a daily basis, I might have a chance.
PAUL CASEY: Well, we're sharing an apartment with Tommy. Yeah, there's, Tommy doesn't work hard. This is natural. Natural talent.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I've been asked twice this week. The first thing that I got asked when I arrived on Saturday was by our team physio. He said, Tommy, do you have a hairdryer? And I'm like, No. He's like, What do you mean you don't have a hairdryer? I said, I don't carry a hairdryer. And then Jodi arrived yesterday and Nigel Edwards, our captain, he said at lunch, he says, Tommy, I've just had a strange request. He says, Do you have a hairdryer? And I'm like, No, but I've been asked that twice now. And he texted Jodi, and he says, Jodi's just replied and he said, I thought Tommy would have one, at least. And I'm like, No, I don't actually do that much.
Q. Paul, you made no secret that this was a priority of yours coming into this year. Have you ever had anything in your career that was as rewarding as that? And I know that you've had some highs and some lows, but the fact you made it such a priority and you pulled it off.
PAUL CASEY: Yeah, Ryder Cup 2018 was a similar thing, having been away for such a long time. Yeah, that one's very different because I knew what it was like before. I had sampled it. I wasn't able to compete, not being a member of the European Tour for a couple of years, and then missing a few, injury and all the rest of it. But that was incredibly rewarding after, what was it, maybe, was it 10 years away? And I set that goal. Sat down with Thomas, made the goal, accomplished the goal, put the, wrote out the plan, achieved the, achieved it.
This has been longer and different in that watching the guys who were in Rio and what it meant to them and especially Justin, I mean, he pulled that gold medal out of the bag every five minutes, didn't he, to show us. Brilliant. And I was a little, I was disappointed I didn't make the team and knowing that the window of opportunity that I've got was rapidly closing. I was actually in a position, I was on outside looking in if the qualifications had ended last year, and so strangely, Tommy's probably the other way around. You were in last year and then the pandemic, if anything, helped me because it gave me a little, it gave me an extra year. And I was nervous at Torrey Pines. I thought I had missed the cut and was angry and upset and then realized I made the cut and I had a great weekend and I honestly went out in that final round at U.S. Open only thinking about this. And then to be here, this is, it's interesting, my priority has now shifted from I just want to be an Olympian and go to the Olympics to now I'm here and I'm taking this, and I was always going to do that, take it incredibly serious and perform at my best and try to win a medal. It's, very few things in my career have been as rewarding as those two achievements.
Q. To follow on from that, then, really, guys, put you on the spot. If you could only win one, would you prefer a major or an Olympic gold medal?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Which major?
PAUL CASEY: Which major? (Laughing.)
Q. A major.
PAUL CASEY: Which major?
Q. Well, I know you would love to win the Masters or The Open Championship, but --
PAUL CASEY: They're different things. I don't think you can compare them.
Q. I mean, in the light of how Justin was. He's won the U.S. Open, yet the gold medal meant more to him than that, even.
PAUL CASEY: As to Tommy and I, if either one of us has a gold medal on Sunday evening, ask us again. But we can't answer that because we haven't won a major. The only person that can answer that --
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: If we have one between us we'll talk about it.
PAUL CASEY: Ask Justin.
Q. It hasn't been too, too long since you guys arrived here, but would you point out some of the Japanese culture, Japanese food that you've enjoyed the last few days?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I've ate a lot of pizza in the main designing. (Laughing.)
No, we have been. You know, I've always enjoyed coming to Japan. I love how friendly everybody is. I love the friendliness way more than the food. But what have you been eating, Paul?
PAUL CASEY: Sushi. I've been eating sushi.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Paul's had a lot more sushi than I have. Pizza is the first thing that's there in the main dining and then like it's an effort for me to like move past.
PAUL CASEY: Yeah. I'm all into sushi. In fact, the best, one of the best tournament days I've had in the last few years is when we had the typhoon roll through in the ZoZo and we got to spend the day down in the eatery there.
But it's interesting how the dining works and how people gravitate toward certain cuisines in the athlete dining. And I'll be honest, the local cuisine is, because it's so good and it's what the chefs make the best when we're here, that's incredibly popular, isn't it, Tommy.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, yeah, that's right. After you get past pizza, I promise.
Q. (No Microphone.)
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Paul did yesterday. She said have you been in the souvenir shop.
PAUL CASEY: Oh, yeah.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I haven't been in, but Paul has. Got some nice hats.
PAUL CASEY: I got stuff for the kids.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: What's our little mascot called this week? The Olympic mascot?
THE MODERATOR: Do we know the name of the mascot for Tokyo 2020.
Q. Miraitowa and Someity.
PAUL CASEY: There you go.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I like that.
Q. We just had Justin Thomas in here talking about being with Team USA basketball last night and them all being massive golf fans and asking him lots of questions. Have you had that in the village at all? Have people been coming up and if so who and which athletes outside of golf would you like to meet and sit and have a chat with?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, quite a few have. I think golf -- I guess, we obviously live in golf, so we do that every week -- but I guess it's probably one of the most multinational sports that's going, you know. And I certainly don't -- it's funny really, because when somebody talks to you and they ask something about golf, I'm like, you know, I don't expect them to ask. We're kind of in awe of all the other athletes and respect what they do so much and kind of supporting them the whole way. So it's been great, really. And again, one of the things I've enjoyed most is either sitting on the bus to the Team GB Lodge or sitting in the dining and just rattling off conversations about what they're doing and how they're feeling. And then you see in some other sports training, how they train, and then they're asking you questions. And I think that goes on and on, really, doesn't it, like everybody's just got such an interest -- everybody loves sport. They love their sport and they love other sports and everybody just shows a massive support into what you're doing.
PAUL CASEY: We were lucky, on the plane over we shared it with predominantly the track cyclists and a lot of the, I don't know, steeple chase runners, marathon runners. My caddie was the most excited person on the plane by far because Johnny Long Socks is a massive cycling fan, so he's already exchanged numbers and training tips and FTP numbers and all the rest of it. Yeah, he was probably, he was probably -- he was probably frustrating them.
For me, I mean, there's a lot of, there's actually a lot about sports that I don't -- there's a lot about sports I don't know. Shared a bus yesterday with our hockey team, women's hockey team and got the full rundown now, I'm an absolute expert. Did they beat India? Yeah? Good. I mean, it's just, for me, yeah, we always get a lot of golf questions, but I think we probably, you and I, we spend a lot of time asking questions. The BMX lads by the way --
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: We don't let them get a word in basically, so they don't get to ask us anything.
PAUL CASEY: To us it's the dynamics of how certain teams operate and the energy levels and the amount of chat. And the boxers in our camp are pretty funny. The BMX lads are, they're always out on the bikes, aren't they, around the village. Yeah, strong as well.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah.
PAUL CASEY: What was that kid? 19?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: 19.
PAUL CASEY: He's gotten 250 something kilograms. Just ripping it. Madness. It's amazing. It's so cool to be in that environment. I've never -- you know, I see a little bit of that stuff when I was at college, but I've been out of it for so long it's just amazing to be surrounded by the world's best athletes.
Q. For either of you who wants to answer, but I presume you're going to Memphis next week?
PAUL CASEY: I am.
Q. That's going to mean -- I mean, probably America to England to Japan to America, you've been all over the place and your body just doesn't always feel like it's in where it actually is. Do you have tricks that you use for making your body feel like you are where you are and for sleeping and making sure you get enough rest to play?
PAUL CASEY: There's lots of tricks. Certain types of glasses people wear to block out certain light rays and people talk about certain supplements that help. And exercise and sleep is really the only thing. We don't have the luxury of preparing a lot, we spend our lives sometimes arriving from maybe the U.S. to Dubai with mega time changes it will be a mega time change next week. Just getting on with it. I've talked a lot to some other sports where they have studied it a lot, but just get on with it. We have been lucky this week, Tommy and I feel -- I don't know how you feel -- I feel great because we have been here since Saturday and that's just a luxury that normally we don't have. So we have seen guys arrive yesterday I think, seeing the golf course for the first time. It means nothing, we don't know the results that are going to be, but we feel like we're in a good spot because we have had great prep. So next week we'll be back to the usual. Late last-minute prep.
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