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Going Head to Head

A new weekly series which pits the Asian Tour's stars against each other through a variety of identical questions.

Ben Leong vs. Chris Rodgers

How do you warm up before a round?

Leong: Usually, I take about an hour and a half. I start with some stretching exercises in the locker room and then hit 20 chips and move on to pitching wedge, seven iron and three iron. And then slowly move on to the woods and driver. I don’t hit all the clubs as it takes too much time!
Rodgers: Stretch for 20 minutes and hit balls for 30 minutes. Start with some wedges, seven irons, five irons and a couple of drivers and then do some chipping and putting. Just those four clubs.

What do you do after completing a round?

Leong: I’ll practice again, chip and putt most of the time and then spend some more time at the range.
Rodgers: I’ll always do some chipping and putting and probably get some physio treatment as well.

It takes 45 minutes to get from hotel to golf course. How do you kill the time in the bus?

Leong: If it’s in the morning, I’ll go back to sleep but if it’s in the afternoon, I’ll talk to the guys.
Rodgers: Read a book or the newspaper. Just chill out talking about cars and girls with friends, anything except golf.

What's the worst thing that you fear when you are playing?

Leong: What is there to fear? Arnold Palmer said once that there is no safe place on the golf course.
Rodgers: Missing a few short putts early in the round gets me thinking about the fact that I’ve missed a few early on. That’s my fear.

You've just shot a 63. What will you do after the round?

Leong: Same routine. Practice, chip and putt.
Rodgers: Hit a few putts and chill out. There’s no point in changing. You do all the practice before you get to a tournament. When you’re at a tournament, the only practice I do is to warm up.

How about after a round of 80?

Leong: Spend more time on the chipping and putting and going to the range.
Rodgers: Haven’t shot 80 for a long time! But I’ve probably jinxed myself now. Probably hit some putts, get some physio and think about the positive things that I did that day and forget about the negatives. Tomorrow is another day.

You have two putts from 10 feet for par to win a title. Do you go for glory with a birdie?

Leong: Probably just lag it up there.
Rodgers: I will try my hardest to hole it. I won’t leave it short.

What do you think of when you’re faced with a downhill 5-foot putt?

Leong: I’m usually thinking of making it. If I don’t make it, I just make sure I don’t have a five footer coming back.
Rodgers: In. There’s no compromise with one of those. You just hit it in.

After posting a triple bogey, what are your thoughts at the next tee?

Leong: Back to my routine, just take it one shot at a time.
Rodgers: There’s no point in getting pissed off as you’ll spend the next couple of holes struggling. Just figure a way of getting a shot back.

There's water on the right and OB on the left. How do you approach this tee shot to a par four 480 yard hole and being in position for a top-five finish?

Leong: I will take it as just another shot. Stick to routine and swing it. Most important thing is to keep my posture after the golf shot. It shows that everything is in sync and in rhythm.
Rodgers: Stick to my game plan as how I’ve played that hole during the week. If I’ve not hit that club particularly well, then I might resort to a different club.

Will you speak to your playing partners if you're in contention on the back nine on Sunday?

Leong: Definitely.
Rodgers: Why not? It’s not going to be laughing and giggling all the way round but it’s going to be friendly. It’s like a pressure vault and makes you relax.

If you are drawn to play with Tiger Woods, how do you think you'll react playing with him?

Leong: I’ll probably get a bit intimidated. But I’ll just try to stick to my own game.
Rodgers: I think it’ll be a fantastic experience. I would make it a point of watching him at the range so that when I’m at the tee, I won’t be in awe of the situation and not watch him play too much as you can be spending all the time watching him play and forget about playing yourself.

You're playing in the Pro-am and one of your amateurs can't hit the ball. What do you do?

Leong: Hit it for him! I’ll try to give him a tip or two.
Rodgers: Try to talk to him and lighten him up. Talk about fun things. Sometimes, they get nervous playing with the pros.

August 10, 2007