THE MODERATOR: We would like to welcome the defending champion of the RBC Canadian Open Ryan Fox to the interview room. Ryan, a lot of great memories here last year. Can you talk us through this week and what it's like coming in here as the reigning champion.
RYAN FOX: Yeah, it's always great coming back to a course that you've got good memories at. I love the golf course. I love the fans here last year. They treated me really, really well. I'm just seeing that plaque on 18 for the first time and that brought back a lot of memories that have shot. I still think it's the best shot I've ever hit. Yeah, I've seen my face in a few different places this week than I would normally and that's pretty cool.
THE MODERATOR: When you think back to last year, is there, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the shot on 18 and the playoff, is it the endurance to win in the four-hole playoff, what stands out?
RYAN FOX: Yeah, I think it's the shot on 18. Then the other one that comes to mind was I distinctly remember standing up there waiting to get this trophy and I seen my kids in the background not caring, just throwing sand in the bunker on the back of 18. I've got a lot of memories of that, and I've had a few people say that to me as well that they really enjoyed seeing that. That's a big memory for me of last year too.
THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up to questions.
Q. You touched on this a little bit, but how big a difference does it make when you get to play at the same course year after year and maybe learn some of the nooks and crannies of it?
RYAN FOX: Yeah, it's good. I think that's, it's a really hard thing when you first get on tour trying to compete against guys that have done that week in week out. We play so many events where you go to the same course and you're trying to learn a golf course while other guys are just going, Oh, I want to see how it plays, I played it 25 times. I think early on, coming here last year was nice, it was everyone's in the same boat, no one's really seen the golf course, everyone's trying to figure it out. Now we're coming back to the same place and going, I know all the shots, I kind of know how I'm going to play the golf course. Obviously it might be a little bit different depending upon the wind, but I know where I'm trying to hit it on every tee. It makes the week a little bit less stressful trying to figure it out.
Obviously, I've got good memories around here, I hit a lot of good shots so I can look back at those and go, Yeah, I remember that hole, this is what you are supposed to do. I hit a good shot here. And that hopefully brings you a lot of confidence.
Q. Was there something that you were really looking forward to seeing again when you returned to Canada and this course?
RYAN FOX: I think the thing I was looking forward to the most was seeing the plaque on 18. I've never had one of those before, so that was a pretty cool novelty today. And today was the first time I saw it, literally 15, 20 minutes ago. So to see that and also look at that second shot again and kind of try to relive that memory. Yeah, that was pretty cool.
Q. Is there anything different when you come to an event where you're the defending champion, whether it's media obligations like this or seeing your face that changes your mindset heading into the event?
RYAN FOX: Yeah, obviously this is different for me. This is the first one I've done in a year so, yeah, there's a few more obligations with everything there. Also you kind of know you're going to be in a marquee group as well. Obviously I've got Nick Taylor and Brooks, which is a pretty big group Thursday Friday. So you kind of, I guess, are up for everything a bit more than what you are on a normal week. There's just a bit more intensity there. Obviously I've got pride in my performance and I want to have a good defense. I don't know whether there's more pressure there or not, but I do really want to play well this week because of it. I think that there has to be a little of that for everyone as defending champion.
Q. On that note, how do you feel with your game coming into this week?
RYAN FOX: The game's pretty close. I feel like I've said that a lot this year. There was a lot of good signs last week at Memorial. I played pretty decent for the most part at the PGA. I've just not really put everything together this year. There's always something been wrong, whether I struggled with the putter, or last week I didn't drive it great at Memorial. So a week's a long time in golf and hopefully I can figure out how to put it all together this week and as I said I like the golf course. I think that helps a little bit where you feel comfortable around a place and it makes it easier to pick shots and commit to shots. So hopefully that helps me a little bit this week.
Q. You won two tournaments in five weeks last year. What did that mean to your career?
RYAN FOX: I mean, it was kind of everything out here. Obviously I played a lot of golf in Europe before coming to the PGA TOUR and I had a nice career over there for a while, while I was over there. But I think winning on the PGA TOUR is a bit of a different beast. I kind of always felt like I could compete out here, but it's a bit easier to believe it when you actually do it. That five-week period last year was kind of what I had dreamed of since I took up golf full-time. Still crazy to think -- I've just looked at a few of the names on the trophy here and thinking that my name is part of that history is pretty amazing to think of, to be honest.
Q. Curious, what would you say about the strength of this field this year?
RYAN FOX: I mean, for me it seems like a stronger field than last year. Obviously it's a major for all the Canadians, all of the top Canadian guys are here, and it's great to see. But having Brooks, Justin Rose, Tommy, Aaron Rai, Matt Fitz, his brother's playing great as well. Yeah, I think this event holds -- it's a tough place in the schedule, there's going to be guys just not want to play the week before a major regardless of the event. There's going to be guys that will play an event regardless the week before a major that they want to play. But I think it speaks to the history to this event. I think everyone came out of this golf course last year really enjoying it. I think we've got a stronger field than last year because of that, that everyone did enjoy themselves, that there's such a great history at this event, and it is a pretty good warm-up for next week. You still got to hit some shots around here, but you also feel like you can score. Coming from Memorial last week and heading into Shinnecock next week it's kind of nice to know that there are some birdies out here if you do play well.
Q. Last year you became the second player from New Zealand to win this tournament, joining Bob Charles. What do you recall last year from the New Zealand football team and the support they showed you as you were coming down the stretch?
RYAN FOX: That was really cool, actually. They played a game, a warm-up game in Toronto, I think on the Saturday night. And a few of the guys, I sort of got in touch with someone who knew them really well, and they wanted to come out and watch the golf Sunday. And Mark Williams from the PGA TOUR, who is a Kiwi as well, he ended up going to the game, meeting the press guy for the All Whites and got them all tickets and managed to get them into the CBS box at the end of 18. So to have a bunch of New Zealand accents out there cheering me on on Sunday was pretty cool. And then obviously to get off 18 and they're all there and they were all buzzing, it was great to be able to share that with them. And actually they were in Jupiter a couple of weeks ago for -- they're in Boca, I'm in Jupiter, not too far away -- and I actually played golf with a few of the guys and a few of them had said that that was the best sporting experience they had ever had. So to hear them say that was pretty amazing. And they've got a pretty big few weeks coming up as well with the World Cup obviously. Unfortunately, they're not on this side of the world, I would love to have been able to watch them. They're over in Vancouver and L.A., so I'll be watching from afar, but hopefully they can replicate a little bit of my form from last year.
Q. You said something interesting earlier that, yeah, you've got one rep in last year on the course, and that was your second time, so you have a bit more familiarity. But you said the wind and weather could change that. Curious to hear your approach, let's say the wind comes up or there should be some weather on Friday and possibly on Sunday. Is that something you strategize and think about beforehand as how you're going to flight the ball on certain shots or is that kind of a hole-by-hole decision that you come up with on the fly?
RYAN FOX: It's kind of a hole-by-hole decision. The only thing that I might do is I've been messing around the last few weeks with a 7-wood, and I've had, I've normally just carried a 2-iron in my bag. So I did it last week as well at Memorial. When it got windy, 7-wood kind of became obsolete and I put 2-iron back in the bag. And I think that potentially will happen this week again. I feel like 7-wood's potentially a good club into a couple of par-5s here, depending upon the wind direction. But if it gets up it becomes quite important off the tee on a couple of holes, too. So, yeah, that will probably be the only change.
And I think the golf course, this golf course especially changes quite a lot in the wind. The prevailing -- compare 18. Today, I hit 6-iron into 18 today with a decent drive. And I hit a great 3-wood in there last year in the playoff just with a different wind direction. It's quite exposed up here and I think you just got to get on the tee and kind of make good decisions based on what the conditions tell you. And there's some holes that you can take on with a different wind. 6 is one of them. If that's down wind, you can knock it on the green. If it's into the wind, there's nowhere to hit driver and you kind of got to lay back with a 4-iron and hit a wedge in there. So it's a good course like that, strategy-wise. I think it will play a little different this year, that we're going to have maybe some tougher conditions than we did last year.
Q. When you made that putt last year on 18, when you hit it, did you kind of like just like hold your breath for a second?
RYAN FOX: The one to get in the playoff? Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I thought it was low the whole way. It was kind of one of those ones that I started it just a shade left of where I wanted it to start, and lucky I hit it kind of dead weight. I was surprised it hung on that left edge and went in. At that point everything's going, your mind's racing, my hands were shaking a little bit. Like I was quite happy just to hit it somewhat the right speed and a half decent line, and to see it go in was awesome. And then I think I got a little bit lucky in the playoff there. That first playoff hole, Sam missed a short one, which you're not expecting. But, yeah, it's fun to be in that scenario and actually be able to pull it off and hopefully I can put myself up at that point again this year.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports