New York Golf Club 10, Boston Common Golf 6
THE MODERATOR: I'll start with Rickie. Just how important is it to get the win and advance to the Playoffs?
RICKIE FOWLER: Obviously that was the No. 1 goal tonight. We knew exactly what we needed to do. Not without a little bit of drama and suspense in there. We felt like we played well, but with the new setup and hammers it obviously provides for a little bit more volatility, I think it's made for more exciting matches.
Unfortunately, last week we were on the wrong side of it, but yeah, we did a great job as a team tonight, and like I said, our one and only goal was to go out and win.
Q. Cam, what have you guys learned as a team? You've been here for most of the matches. What have you guys picked up as you've been part of this?
CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, I think the more you're in here, the more you can learn how to play the game. Good golf and our regular practice, and now playing the TOUR does translate in here, but there's things you can learn in here about how to manage the grain around the greens and some of the chipping and putting. I think the more comfortable we get as a group doing that, the more naturally some of the course management comes and the more comfortable we get hitting shots around the greens and picking clubs into greens.
Q. Xander, how was it to be back with the team?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I was here for that tough match against LA, funny enough. It was awesome to be back. Fun to play with Cam and Rick. Fitzy was just texting us right after. It's fun to be back with the boys.
Q. Xander, you've been out since week 1 and you were here last week to support the guys. What was that like watching from the stands and how did that translate to your performance tonight? Was there anything you took away from being a spectator to translate into your performance tonight?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: It was a lot of fun. Being in this building is quite the experience. It's an experience from home, and it's an experience in here.
I was just trying to root them on. You learn once you have the earpiece in it is really hard to hear anything. I was yelling at them a lot, but they couldn't hear me.
Yeah, after watching that close one, we knew what we had to do coming into today, so yeah, happy to get it done.
Q. Cameron, playing for New York, beating Boston to clinch the playoffs, Jeter behind you, Ortiz the other side, how cool is that for someone that grew up near the city?
CAMERON YOUNG: Yeah, it's one of those times you pinch yourself a little bit. Watching baseball growing up, Derek Jeter is like an idol. I think to so many children, young kids that grew up in New York, he was kind of at the top of his game when I was little watching. To have someone like that in the building, never mind supporting your team and kind of there to watch us play is really cool. It's not something I would have put on a list of things I expected to happen in my life.
It's awesome to have that kind of support of our team and of the league. Just great to have people that are that accomplished around what you're doing.
Q. Xander, you've been away for a couple weeks. We've missed you but you're back. How did the golf swing feel tonight? I know you're swinging into a screen, but you were taking some rips at it there. How do you feel?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it's awesome. I missed being out, and just sitting at home, you sort of appreciate a lot of things when you're sort of sidelined. Got some juices flowing. Even though you're hitting into a screen, you're still a bit nervous, just not really being competitive as of late.
I feel good, and looking forward to getting over to Bay Hill.
Q. As golfers, you've never really been in must-win mode. What did it feel like to be in that environment tonight knowing what you needed to do to get to the Playoffs?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: You said must-win? No, I don't know. It kind of tracks back to things like Q-school, things of those situations. We're not usually on a team, and it is a do-or-die situation. It's a little dramatic, but you know what I mean. It was cool. We knew what we needed to do. As those holes started getting down to the end, we knew if we could kind of put our foot down -- it kind of reminded me of a Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup or some sort of team event for the most part. Cutthroat golf, I guess we're kind of used to it, to be completely honest.
Q. With Los Angeles and The Bay playing earlier today and knowing that the winner of that matchup might be your first-round matchup in the Playoffs, were you guys rooting either way in that one, or did you guys think at all about what might be your first-round playoff matchup?
RICKIE FOWLER: No, we didn't really see or hear anything until we got here and the match finished up. We weren't following it. We came in and played Seminole pro-member this morning and kind of a quick turnaround and get over here and get ready. I'm excited that it's LA after having just lost a close one last week, and we're ready for some redemption.
Q. Rick, sort of as the leader of the team here --
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: We actually call him "Big 'Blank' Rick"; you know what I mean?
Q. Anything special for going into the finals, into the Playoffs for this thing? Are you going to crank the screws down on these guys? Any extra training? Is there anything we can look forward to that's going to be coming out of the team going into these very important matches?
RICKIE FOWLER: I don't think we're changing anything. We continue to keep getting better and better and getting more comfortable out there. Xander passed his physical today. Yeah, we're ready to roll. It's been fun. Like I said, we're heading and trending all the right direction, especially after starting the season 0-2. It kind of became a do-or-die situation from there on out. Other than losing the close one to LA, we've played some good golf, and we're ready to continue to make that even better.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports