RYDER CUP HALL OF INTERVIEWS
TODAY: AVATARLEE
" You can look at all the stats in the world, but until the final round is played and all the scores are reported… they mean nothing!"
Q: Welcome to the Ryder Cup Hall of Interviews. We’ve already had the chance to talk to the two Captains so now let’s have a chat with a few of the key players. Thanks for coming, Lee.
A: Hi Seve, Thank you for having me!
Q: When did you join WGT?
A: My profile says October 25, 2008 but it’s been longer than that. I was around in the old charity challenge days, but unfortunately I missed out on the closed BETA portion of this release.
Q: And had you reached the Top Ten on any other golf game before?
A: Aside from the Charity Challenge, no. WGT is the first on-line golf community that I’ve joined.
Q: If you ask anybody on here who are the best two players, most people would say “Tibbets and AvatarLee”. How do you feel about always being second best?
A: It’s a blast! Always something to strive for, I relish the competition and seeing someone above me just makes me work that much harder knowing that if he can do it… so can I! I’m still at awe though on just how consistently he performs. I’ll probably never reach that level, but it’ll be fun trying!
Q: Is there really a big difference between you and Tibbets? Does he always win when you play him?
A: I’d have to say the biggest difference is consistency in tournament play. He is a true master at the one-play tournaments. I find that sometimes I just try too hard and end up making some key (aka stupid) mistakes. But in multi-player I think it’s a pretty close matchup, I’d have to give him the edge, but I do catch him on the odd off days. =) Big difference there though… no pressure! The other thing I have to mention is how astonishingly quick he is on picking up on new courses, conditions and features. He is always the best out of the gate, and everyone has to play catch-up.
Q: Despite Tibbets you’ve won a few prizes on here. What is the best prize you’ve won at WGT?
A: I’ve yet to find out really, I have a couple of trips coming up in the early fall, one to Arizona to play with Parker, and the other to Wolf Creek. Those, I’m sure, will be great fun as I’m not really able to get out and play the real thing as much as I’d like to these days.
Q: Score weren’t as good as expected in the U.S. Open and it could have been a great chance for you to win the first ever WGT Major. Was your 70 a big disappointment?
A: Yes, I have to say I did disappoint myself in that performance. A couple of things caught me by surprise during the round, but the fact that I was not able to adjust is by far the most disappointing to me. I felt I should have done better, but in the end I’d say it was nerves that got to me. I have a great deal of respect for NASAGolfer for keeping his cool in the final round, my hat is off to him, Congratulations NASA! As well to those who were able to shoot under par on the final round as well, it’s a great accomplishment! And of course thanks to WGT and the USGA for bringing this dream to life (well virtual life anyways). I now have a much greater appreciation for what the real guys go through on the final Sunday. And yet the pressure we felt in this round is just a micro-fraction of what the pros feel in real life, I could see how that could get to some people.
Q: Lots of people look up at you guys at the top of the leaderboards and say: how do they do it? Is it a matter of having good reflexes and hitting the white line on the swing meter or is it more important to know the course and know where and how you’ve got to hit the ball to get a perfect result?
A: Hmmm about 60%-40% in favour of course management. The real key is knowing all of your shots and how each club/shot type is going to fly. It is important to be able to hit the mark a lot of the time, but more important is knowing your own tendencies. Are you a late clicker or are you an early clicker? Are you dead on with slower meters or do the fast meters mess with your timing on the slower ones. You’ve got to know your own game and constantly improve on it through practice. If you know you hit late with fast meters adjust your aim accordingly, it’s all about the probability of where the shot will end up. But of course you need to know where you want to put it first, and what club/shot type will get you there. After that it’s all execution, but if you don’t know what it should do, how on earth are you going to execute it? Of course all of that gets thrown out the window when outside factors come into play… but that’s a different debate. When that happens you just need to shrug it off and recover, it can be really frustrating when it happens at key times, but you’ve got to remember it happens to everyone else too, maybe not at the same time or in the same way… but it happens.
Q: Many people have probably been surprised when they found out you were playing for Team World. What would you say to those Americans who expected you in their team?
A: “Sorry guys, but I have to even the field just a little bit!” LOL, no disrespect intended to either side, it just turns out that I am somewhat of a hybrid when it comes to nationality. I was born in the US, raised in Canada, my career started in the US, and now I find myself back in the Great White North working and raising a family. So where do I really belong? You’re guess is as good as mine. I figured I’ll keep it easy and just chose based on where I call home at the moment. But don’t think for a minute that that lends to any sympathy for the other side…. I assure you, I’ll have my game face on!
Q: And if the Ryder Cup was played again next year, would you still be on the same side?
A: I guess that would depend on where I’m calling home at that time, but the way things look right now… I’d say yes, I’ll still be around.
Q: You’re supposed to be Team World’s best player and, I must say, you’re expected to win all your games. Will the pressure get to you?
A: Pshhhh… Not at all! (hands… shaking………. can… barely… type…)
Q: And, finally, how do you see Team World’s chances of winning?
A: We have a great chance! You can look at all the stats in the world, but until the final round is played and all the scores are reported… they mean nothing! The only stats that count are the ones after everything is said and done. I think Mr. Lucas Glover and Mr. NASAGolfer proved that point without a doubt.
Q: Thanks very much for coming and good luck with the qualifying.
A: Thank you very much for having me, and good luck to you and all those qualifying as well.
Honestly though, there will always be pressure to live up to how you’ve performed in the past. It’s the nature of sport, and it’s how you handle it when everything is on the line. Win all my games? Idk… maybe, maybe not. There are a LOT of good players trying to make the US team, and they have a great captain who I actually consider to be one of the most clutch players on this site. So it’ll be hard, but I assure you this…. I will come to play!