KATHIE SHEARER:  A great finish.

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Thank you.

KATHIE SHEARER:  The pins were in difficult positions out there.

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Yes, of course, tough position place so I want to be aggressive today but difficult the pin place, just little bit safety today.

KATHIE SHEARER:  And tomorrow, will you be more aggressive or the same?

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Yeah, I want to be aggressive tomorrow, but in position every time.  I will do my best tomorrow.

KATHIE SHEARER:  It’s very important on this course, the position.

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Yeah, your position for every time.  This is important.

KATHIE SHEARER:  This evening, what do you plan for this evening?

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Yeah, I keep rest, keep energy.  I will do my best tomorrow.  I want to win.

KATHIE SHEARER:  What would winning mean to you, if you won?

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Yeah, I want victory tomorrow, I hopefully.  I will do my best to keep going, hopefully.

Q.  Matt Jones, four shots, too much?

TAKUMI KANAKA:  Yeah, Matt Jones very great player I know, but yeah, I have little bit chance.  I keep in position every time I want tomorrow.

 JAMIE ARNOLD: “It was great. Nice to finally hole a few putts and come in with a great score. It was a great round.”

JAMIE ARNOLD: “I pretty much hit it in the same spots, just on the back side I made some nice putts. I got a couple of bonus putts – one on 18, another one on 15. It was just making a few putts was the difference. It was just nice to see a couple drop.”

JAMIE ARNOLD: “I’m probably just going to have the arvo off because my brother’s out there playing. So I might flick it on and see if I can watch a bit of him. I’ll take it easy, hang out at home and spend some time with the family.”

KATHIE SHEARER:  A good day out there today, tough greens.   You really fought your way around today.

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, it was pretty tough conditions.  It was a tricky wind and I didn’t get off to the best start, a couple over through 10 but fought pretty hard, made a couple of putts there on the back nine. To shoot under par, I was really happy with that.  It would have been pretty easy to shoot one or two over and be out of the Tournament, but I feel like I’m still in it.

Q.  What’s it going to take tomorrow?  A lot of guys have been going up and down in the one spot today.  Are you still within striking distance do you feel?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, definitely.  I think the course is getting firmer and tougher, especially if the wind stays like this, it’s really hard to pick.  You’re hitting good shots and airmailing greens and leaving them short.  I think it’s the same for everyone.  It’s tough.  I’ll need to play really well, but I feel like my game’s there, it’s ready to do that, it’s just a matter of making the putts.  So, hopefully I can get the speed of the greens, make some putts and put some pressure on them at least.

Q.  Golf’s always a sport where players have prided themselves on honour and honesty and everything.  Did you see Patrick Reed, what happened overnight?  Have you got any thoughts on that?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, I did see it and it looked pretty ordinary, to be honest.  That’s probably all I’ve got to say about that.  It didn’t look too good for him.

Q.  Do you expect he’ll get a roasting from the crowds when he gets here?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yes.

Q.  There’s a bit of banter on Twitter and stuff like that with kids digging sand out of holes and stuff like that, would you like to see fans turn up with shovels and that to try to stir him up a bit at the President’s Cup?

MARC LEISHMAN:  There are opportunities there, put it that way.  Maybe not shovels, but I think he’s definitely opened a door there, that he’s brought on himself.

Q.  Would you encourage fans to bring out the passion in this regard?

MARC LEISHMAN:  As long as it’s not disrespectful, I think.  You never want to cross the line, but I think there is some pretty good ammo there, isn’t there? 

Q.  Would you like to play him?

MARC LEISHMAN:  I don’t really care who I play, to be honest.  Whoever Ernie puts me up against I’m happy to play. 

Q.  You’re hoping for Tiger, aren’t you?

MARC LEISHMAN:  No, I’m not really.  I don’t want to give anyone any ammunition to want to beat us anymore than what they already do, so I’ll just hopefully play good golf, beat who I’m playing and hopefully we’ll have a successful week.

Q.  Just back to the task at hand tomorrow, how far back do you hope is the minimum at the end of the day today?

MARC LEISHMAN:  I think if I’m within five or six.  Obviously, I’d like to be closer than that, but I think six is gettable.  I think the course will firm up a lot tomorrow.  The conditions are hard.

Q.  You’ve got form in that regard too, haven’t you?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, I’ve come from a long way back before.  Whoever wins is going to have to play well.  It doesn’t matter if you’re four in front or four behind, you’re not going to win a Tournament of this calibre against a field like this without playing really good golf.  I’ve played decently so far, just probably left a few shots out there on the greens, just not getting them to the hole, but yeah, I’m hoping for a big day tomorrow, get off to a fast start and put some pressure on the leaders.

Q.  Still in it?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, definitely.

Q.  You were on the other side of the course away from all the action and here you are leading the Australian Open.

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Yeah, yeah, just creeping my way up the leaderboard.  It’s good.

Q.  It’s a happy Tournament for you, isn’t it?

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Yeah, I love just being in Australia.  It’s obviously the fifth Major this week, so it’s good to be home and playing this.

Q.  The fifth Major?

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Yeah, absolutely, for me it is, anyway.

Q.  It is, it’s an important Tournament for you.

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Yeah, for sure, as an Australian playing back at home, yeah, it’s massive.

Q.  You came close last year.  Did that teach you a lesson for what’s expected over the weekend?

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Yeah, last year was a bit of a surprise and I played well.  I better take something from that and know that to get that close you surely can be able to go a little bit better one day, so maybe this week.

Q.  Are you going to go over there and hobble Abraham Ancer over there so you don’t have those same issues?

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  No, it’s all good.

Q.  What was the best part of your round out there?  We saw a nice putt on the telly.

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  I was putting good.  Yeah, the putting was good today.  I didn’t actually hit it fantastic, but with the conditions, you didn’t need to hit it too good out there.  Because of the wind, it was pretty still, so there were a lot of wedges in there.  But I putted really well today, which was good.

Q.  What do you do for the weekend differently to last year?  Not that you did anything bad last year at all.

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Same thing.

Q.  Same thing.

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Just keep going yeah, just try and win.

Q.  To get you where you need to go, well and good.

DIMITRIOS PAPADATOS:  Yeah, see where you finish up from there.

KATHIE SHEARER:  Terrific to have you sitting here, leader by 1 on a course that you know very well.  You must be very pleased with yourself.

MATT JONES:  I am.  Any time you get to lead is fantastic.  It would have been better to be more in front, but I’ll take 1 in front.  Still a long way to go.  I’m sure the wind is gong to pick up the next two days, which will make it a little tougher.

KATHIE SHEARER:  Did you feel that you left a few out there?

MATT JONES:  I would say when you combine both rounds, no, I think I’m exactly as good as I could be.  I made a lot of par putts yesterday, made some good birdie putts today, maybe missed one or two, but it’s evened itself out, so I’m very happy to be where I am.

KATHIE SHEARER:  You said when we were walking in that there was quite a lot of ash out there and you just feel a little bit throaty.  Was that the whole of your group, do you think they were all a big coughy and throaty?

MATT JONES:  Yeah, I would definitely say there were some big leaves out there that were burnt.  It’s not the easiest to breathe, our eyes have definitely been stinging quite a bit.  I’ll be happy to get inside and get in the air conditioning.  I won’t be doing anything else for the rest of the day.  Hopefully rest and get a good night’s sleep.

Q.  We know you play here a lot, but I’m sure it doesn’t play like this most of the time.  How much of an advantage is that?  You’re obviously comfortable here, you’ve won one here before, and how much of that plays into what you do going into the weekend?

MATT JONES:  I wouldn’t say I play here a lot.  I play an Australian Open here, that’s the only time I play here.  I never come back to Australia and play golf here really.  If I do, maybe once or twice, but I’m in America full time.  With that said, I’ve finished second and first here, so I should feel pretty comfortable.  Knowing where to miss a golf course I find is very important to me, so I kind of know where to miss and the types of shot you’ll need in certain areas if you do miss a green regulation.  I do rely on my short game a lot.  This week it’s not as necessary, you can putt from everywhere, so chipping is not a huge necessity this week.  I’ve got a lot of experience around here and I’m going to have to use that the next two days.

Q.  Just looking at your results this year, it looks like you started the year quite solidly and the last two or three months have been quite good as well.  Is that how you see it and how would you describe the way you’ve been playing of late?

MATT JONES:  Yeah, it was good.  Playing out of the category I was from Web finals to get your card wrapped up and get the following year’s, it’s never easy to do.  I’d say on average 10 guys to 15 guys get their card out of the We category, so to be able to do that was fantastic.  I played very consistently all year, had a few top 10s which is nice, because it had been a long time since I’d had a top 10 on Tour, but to start the year, the 2020 season in the US I think the way I have, to be like 50th in the Fed Ex Cup is fantastic and gives me confidence this week and going into the rest of next year.

Q.  You’re a famously fast player, I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone play faster.  Why is that?  Why do you feel like you need to do that and also, the second part of that is, have you ever played with anyone faster?

MATT JONES:  It’s nothing that I’ve ever tried to do, it’s just how I play golf.  I get a number, I know the shot shape I want to hit and I’ll hit it.  The less time I have to think about things, I’ll have a couple of swings before I hit a shot to get a feeling and I try to go as fast as I can to keep that feeling into the golf shot.  But, I’ve always been fast and it’s just my routine.  I’ve tried to slow it down, but the mind starts to wander for me when I start to think about things, so the less time I have to take – I could probably play quicker if I wanted to – the less time I have to take, the better.

As for playing anyone faster, maybe Chris Riley back in the day, he was literally talking in his golf swing, he was that fast. He was unbelievable.  There’s a couple of fast guys out there, but I’d be top three on Tour, I think.

Q.  Does it bug you not to be in here until Friday?

MATT JONES:  I was in yesterday, you weren’t though.

Q.  You know what I mean, before the Tournament, does it bug you to not get any kudos?

MATT JONES:  No, not at all. I actually prefer it that way.  I just do my own thing.  I’ve never had to do pre-Tournament media and I don’t know any different.  It doesn’t make any difference to me whatsoever.

Q.  Gary Barter, I imagine, is still your coach, isn’t he?

MATT JONES:  Yes, he is.

Q.  How regularly do you deal with him from here?

MATT JONES:  He’ll come to America anywhere from five to eight times a year, but we do a lot of work over the phone.  During a golf tournament I’d be Facetiming him two or three times a week just keeping things in check.  We text.  During a Tournament we’re in touch every day, I would say.

KATHIE SHEARER:  Thank you very much for coming in Matt, hope to see you tomorrow.

MATT JONES:  Thank you very much.

Q. Tell us about the 11^th hole.

CAMERON SMITH: It was pretty interesting. I’ve actually had trouble with that hole in the past with that left pin. Those bushes have got a bit of a magnet for my ball. It was a bit of a dud hole, but I managed to get through it and kind of got over it and get on with business.

Q. Is it possible to make a good triple bogey? That was a really good putt you hit above the hole.

CAMERON SMITH: I guess if there is such a thing it was a good putt. That’s probably the only positive I took from that hole. I got up on the next hole and hit a good drive and forgot about it.

Q. How’d you get your mind back in the game?

Release a bit of anger. I think I hit the bag and then took a drink of water and kind of got over it. That’s about it I think.

Do you still feel like you can make a run at this tournament?

CAMERON SMITH: It’s just a big weekend. I just have to make no more mistakes like that. I actually played really solid on the front nine and missed a few opportunities. It kind of wasn’t my day with the putter. If those putts go in and we’re standing here one or two off the lead. It is what it is.

Q. Do you feel you’re playing better than the score indicates?

CAMERON SMITH: I think so. Having a triple doesn’t help, but even before that I felt I left four or five shots out there. I feel like I’m playing good. Like I said, I just need the putts to go in.

Q. Is it the sort of course you can go really low?

CAMERON SMITH: It’s obviously dependant on conditions. If it is like it was this afternoon, for sure you can go out there and have a good one if the greens stay quite soft. We’ll see what they throw at us tomorrow. 

ABRAHAM ANCER:  It was a nice finish for sure.  Again, another slow start but stayed patient.  I was hitting the ball well.  I felt really good all day and actually yesterday as well.  Like I said, stayed patient, putts weren’t dropping and thankfully they started dropping at the end.

Q.  You’ve got a lot of support here.

ABRAHAM ANCER:  Yeah, it’s nice.  Like I said, Sydney has been really nice to me.  The people are phenomenal, they really know about golf and they get involved in this event quite a bit.  I’ve had a lot of support, which is really nice.

Q.  What’s your plan for the weekend?  Do you have to attack the golf course now and get yourself back into it?

ABRAHAM ANCER:  I think I’ve just got to do the same thing.  I feel like I have a good game plan for this golf course, I’ve just got to execute and make some more putts.

Q.  Do you feel like there’s a low score there for you?

ABRAHAM ANCER:  I think so.  Like I said, I feel good, I just haven’t really been executing my shots exactly how I want them, which sometimes you’re going to do and didn’t scramble my best, so that’s why I made those bogeys yesterday and today at the beginning of the round.  Like I said, I feel good.  Having this finish and carrying that momentum over the weekend will be big.

Q.  When you walk onto the tee tomorrow morning, do you take that feeling from today, are you still feeling that, that momentum?

ABRAHAM ANCER:  Yeah.

Q.  Do you still feel like you’ve got it?

ABRAHAM ANCER:  Yeah, you’ve got to take anything positive or something that will kind of propel you and get you going early.  Yeah, just remembering how I finished, there were a couple of birdies and an eagle coming in, definitely want to keep that momentum going for the weekend, yeah.

Q.  There was a lot going on around you, but you just sort of picked away quietly.

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, I did.  I played pretty decent actually.  Early on I couldn’t make anything and then dropped a put on 13 for birdie and that sort of got me going.  I didn’t make any birdie putts, but the par putts, if I had a few testers for par, 5, 6 feet that were hard to read and made them, so it sort of keeps momentum going.

Q.  Was it a bit hard to keep the momentum going, a bit stop start with a few waits on tees, et cetera out there?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, there were a few waits, but we’re used to it.  We deal with it every week.  Obviously, we’d prefer not to wait, but that’s part of golf and something that I’ve probably struggled with in the past, but I’m trying to improve every year.

Q.  Are you happy when you shoot a drama free 67 or would you rather it be more adventurous?

MARC LEISHMAN:  Not really, no, I’d rather it be stress free for the most part.  No bogeys is good on this golf course.  There is a fair bit of trouble out there, so to go bogey-free on an afternoon when the wind was still a little bit tricky, I know it wasn’t up, but the wind was tricky, so I was pretty happy with the day.

Q.  And well placed for the weekend.

MARC LEISHMAN:  Yeah, in a good spot, so excited for hopefully what’s going to be a big two days.

Q: You must have come late did you?

Wools-Cobb: I finished birdie-birdie at eight and nine. I hit a really good four iron into eight to about five foot. My yardage was 185 (metres). That was one of the best shots I hit all day. It (eighth) is pretty brutal.

Q: And nine?

Wools-Cobb: I hit nine iron to about seven feet. I was feeling comfortable and I hit driver off the tee. Then I hit a little fade off the water from 135 (metres). It was a little left-to-righter, seven feet.

Q: Any other highlights?

I just had a really good run on the front nine. I was one-over early, then I birdied 16, 17, 18 which kickstarted it. All three I hit wedges in.

Q: Tell me about your career as a pro?

Wools-Cobb: It’s been a year now. This time last year I played the Austrlaian Open I played as a pro, it was my second event as a pro. I missed the cut at The Lakes, really battled. This is my third Aussie Open in a row.

Q:  What else is happening with your career?

Wools-Cobb: I’ve been playing a bit in Asia. I went to Asian Tour but I only had a handful of starts, so I played Asian Development Tour. It’s tough over there. The fields are good for the amount of money you’re playing for. I was mainly in Malaysia, and the air quality’s not so good there. I’ve been getting pretty sick. I struggle with athsma.

Q: This week must have been tough then, with the smoke?

Wools-Cobb: Mainly over there it’s the pollution, and there was a bushfire as well. It was toxic. I pulled out of a couple of events so it’s nice to be back playing.