BRETT RANKIN:  It was 12 months ago I needed a good week here just to keep my card.  So end up having to go to Q‑School a couple weeks after this event last year and just been doing a lot of work with Richard Woodhouse and things have just come together.  I’m just in a good space technically.  I feel like I can work the ball both ways at will at the moment, and I’m just starting to get the putter going again so it’s been a really consistent year.  I’m really happy with the year.  I won a couple four‑day events.  I won Darwin in the year as well.  It’s been a year of firsts and I’m definitely happy with where the game is at the moment, for sure.

Q.  I know we spoke about the value of winning the pro‑ams and the confidence that you get from that.  What about winning NT PGA and getting that on the resume?

BRETT RANKIN:  Yeah, winning NT PGA just sort of gives you that confidence you know you can do it, your best golf can win on this tour.  It’s a tough tour, there’s so many good players out here.  So you gain that confidence from winning multiple pro‑ams and you take that to the next level, you win a tour event, and the next you’re like, okay, I belong here.  You gain confidence just from doing that. 

It’s also just a bit of a stress relief, to be honest.  You question it, you think about it and you’re like, am I good enough to win, and you finally do it.  You sort of tick that box and you’re like, all right, let’s go to bigger and better things.

Q.  Yeah, have you thought that far ahead?  Did you look at any Q‑School this year?

BRETT RANKIN:  I did go to Europe and actually had my only poor week of the whole year at first stage, didn’t get through.  So the goal now is to try to have a really good week this week and if that can sort of punt me up in that top‑10 Order of Merit, that kind of opens the door for a few other Q‑schools later next year.  Kind of just want to focus on this week, get this week done and then see where I stand.  I’m might look to go to China or I don’t know, maybe go back to Asia, I don’t know yet.  I just want to go through this week and see where I stand.

Q.  Talk us through the round starting at 10, that’s the harder of the course.  How do you feel you got through that and then obviously you catch quite a bit of momentum?

BRETT RANKIN:  Yeah, definitely off to a good start.  I hit like a 9‑iron to about a foot on 11, so it was a little tap‑in there.  Just drove the ball really well on the back nine, so I gave myself plenty of looks.  Had like a three‑footer for birdie on 12, so all of a sudden I’m 2 under through three, feeling pretty comfortable.  I know my game’s good and I just sort of cruised along.  Then I got hot towards the back, or the front nine, our back nine today.  I missed a couple short ones out there, too, so it could have been really good, to be honest.  I’ll take 67.

Q.  How was 7 playing today and what did you hit in there?

BRETT RANKIN:  I hit driver, sand wedge into 7 today.  I hit a good drive down there to about nine and a half meters I think I had, then that makes that hole pretty easy with a wedge in instead of 6‑ or 7‑iron, because I was driving the ball really well.  Normally I would only hit 2‑iron, maybe 3‑wood off there, but I was driving so well.  Like stay aggressive, you’re driving it well, let’s take advantage of the opportunities.  I hit a really good drive down the last there, too.  I only hit 9‑iron into the last so it makes that hole easy, makes the rest of the golf course easy when you’re hitting short irons in.

Q.  Did you play short of 8?  Obviously a tricky pin there.

BRETT RANKIN:  Yeah, just 2‑iron off that tee, just put it in position, take the water out of play.  Actually hit a really nice shot in there to about 15 feet.  I saw the hole and it just dove off at the end and just lipped out.  It could have easily been 6 or 7 under.  It’s been a good day, I’m happy with the way it’s been.

Q.  Take me back to Q‑School again going there and having to do that again.  At that point do you ever kind of question what you’re doing and whether you’re, you know ‑‑

BRETT RANKIN:  You do.  I wasn’t really questioning at the end of last year because I knew I was playing well.  It was a weird situation, I was going back to Q‑School to improve my status to try to get in Vic Open and Perth and stuff like that, but I had a backup category so I was kind of, I finished top‑5, you have status, pretty good status.  If you don’t, you’re not worse off.  So I probably ‑‑ turns out I didn’t have to go. 

But yeah, I’ve sort of been in a situation where I was like I can only improve my status this week.  I’m not going to lose a card or don’t have a job next year.  I just knew I was playing well, it’s just a matter of time really.

Q.  And you managed to do that?  Did you improve ‑‑

BRETT RANKIN:  Yeah, so winning Darwin cemented my card for this year and next year, so I’m in a great situation.

Q.  Did you get Vic Open and stuff?

BRETT RANKIN:  Next year I will, yeah.  This year I didn’t.  I finished sixth at Q‑School so I missed by one spot.  I think I managed to keep my card on the Order of Merit by two spots or something like that.  It was a tough end to last year, but it’s all worked out for the good.