THE MODERATOR: Charlie, welcome to LIV Golf Promotions 2026. Had a strong rise in your young career thus far. You're out here competing for LIV Golf Promotions this week. How are you feeling and how would you assess the state of your game right now?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Yeah, no, I'm feeling good, feeling good. It's nice to be in some warm weather. Beats the English weather right now. It's good to be back competing. Been a bit of a long, rough season I experienced from being in college in America the last couple years. There isn't really an offseason. It was nice to get some much-needed resist.
Yeah, ready to be back and compete and looking forward to the week.
Q. You've competed collegiately in the States; obviously this event is over here. LIV is really focused on being a global league, right?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Uh-huh.
Q. Thinks of itself as "the" global league. The U.S. is a major market. What is your take on the importance of golf and some of the biggest stars in the game having a platform to play in markets all over the world?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Yeah, no, it's awesome. Just getting experience playing in different areas of the world refreshing your recollection different grasses, different courses I think is huge. Especially for someone like me just starting off their career, being able to experience different grasses and courses and playing with some of the biggest names, too, in the game, it's a bit of a different vibe from the amateur game.
So far it's been really fun and just looking forward to getting started really.
Q. What's your familiarity with LIV Golf? Have you spoken with anybody that's played in the league previously?
CHARLIE FORSTER: I had a bit of help from one of my old teammates Max Kennedy. He's played in this event I think the last couple years. I actually volunteered at the London event a couple years ago, too, so that will be cool to be on the other side of the ropes. Just as a marshal or one of the guys that holds up the thing.
It was awesome. That was my first time really sort of feeling the awe of the event, and it's awesome. I love the relaxed side about it, the music in to the background. Very different take to sort the traditional professional game.
But it's really, really cool, and, yeah, it will be a dream to get one of those three cards. Yeah. Kind of do anything I can to do that really.
Q. If you don't mind, we would love to learn a little bit more about what that experience was like as a volunteer. Was that at Centurion?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Centurion, yeah.
Q. Which year was that?
CHARLIE FORSTER: '22 I think [correct year: 2023]. I was on the 18th green just holding up the "be quiet" signs. It was awesome just seeing those guys out there, and especially I may never get to play with -- if it wasn't because of LIV I may not be able to tee up with some of the names just with how the career was sort of playing out.
It's cool to have the opportunity to potentially be able to tee up with them. Yeah, it was a really cool vibe and feel. Yeah, no, it was really fun.
Q. When you were there as a volunteer, could you envision yourself being in the spot you're in today?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Not at that point in my career. A lot happened in the last couple years. Now I can definitely sort of envision myself there now. It was always a dream to be competing against those players and just are being -- having a chance to win one of those events too is really cool.
Yeah, having the opportunity is a blessing really. It's good.
Q. On the note of opportunities, not only do the Top 3 earn spots with LIV golf but top 10 and ties also earn cards on the International Series on the Asian Tour.
CHARLIE FORSTER: Uh-huh.
Q. What do all these different opportunities mean to you?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Yeah, it's huge. Like I said earlier, just playing in different countries with some of the biggest names in the game is huge. It's kind of what we dreamt of as kids, being able to play and compete against those guys.
Yeah, obviously the International Series takes to us Asia, too, and it's cool playing on that continent because not many tours go over that way.
So, yeah, being able to have that is a really cool thinking and, yeah, really looking forward to it. Hopefully it all plans out.
Q. This is a pretty unique format this week with multiple rounds where it's survive and advance. What's your perspective on that and does that change your approach at all just round to round?
CHARLIE FORSTER: Yeah, it's a really cool format I think. Obviously I've never really played in something like that before. It's nice that everyone has a sort of even -- if you shoot the lights out in the first round, you're not guaranteed to be in a good position going into the last round.
Likewise, you can maybe scrape through in the first round and have a good last three rounds and get in. So it's a really cool format I think.
Yeah, it will be interesting. I'm kind of struggling to envision the scores or predict the scores. I only played nine yesterday. Going out to the back nine today.
So, yeah, I'll have a good feel of it. Yeah, again, never really played this sort of format before so it will be good fun. Yeah, looking forward to it.
Q. What was your impression of the nine yesterday and takes on the course?
CHARLIE FORSTER: It was very nice. Very demanding off the tee I thought. A lot of out of bounds pretty tight off the fairway, so definitely a ball-strikers' golf course which plays into my hands a little bit just being pretty comfortable off the tee.
So, yeah, if you get it in play there's chances. I mean, depending on where the pins are, too. There are a couple tricky pin positions on a couple holes.
Yeah, depends how you guys set it up for us. Yeah, no, it should be a good test, and it's a fair test, too. If you golf your ball around you can get a score going. If you hit a couple loose tee shots you can get punished pretty fast.
Yeah, no, I really liked it. The greens were amazing. Course was amazing. Spoke to the assistant superintendant yesterday, Jesse, and just seeing him out there doing all the work just made us appreciate what they're doing for us an what you guys are doing for us, too. Yeah, no, appreciate it all and course is lovely. Just looking forward to it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports