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THE RYDER CUPSeptember 25, 2014Martin KaymerAUCHTERARDER, SCOTLAND MICHAEL GIBBONS: We are delighted to welcome Martin Kaymer. Martin, welcome. MARTIN KAYMER: Thank you. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Doesn't seem like two years since you holed the winning putt in the last Ryder Cup. MARTIN KAYMER: No, actually, because I watched a few times on TV recently, too. Doesn't feel like three years ago. I have obviously very, very good memories that I will remember for the rest of my life, for the rest of my career. But when you play an event like this, it's quite nice to refresh the memories a little bit and the feelings. It was on TV quite often actually, when I was in America recently, the 2012 Ryder Cup, so I watched a little bit of that. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Give us a sense of the mood in the camp with one day to go. MARTIN KAYMER: Very fun. Today very good atmosphere. Yesterday, when we went to the gala dinner, and then went to the concert, we had a really good time on the bus. We had fun. We laughed a lot and I think that is quite important for a week like this, that you enjoy the week, as well; that you enjoy the team atmosphere, that you bond with some players that you might play with in foursomes or fourball. You get to know the vice captains a little bit better. Obviously I never really played golf with Sam Torrance or Des Smyth. They are a little bit older than me. Yeah, so far we had great fun, but the real fun starts tomorrow I guess. Q. You said that you had watched yourself sinking the winning putt several times on television. Have you been using that as kind of an inspirational tool for yourself? MARTIN KAYMER: No. I mean, I didn't use it in a way like this. It wasn't like that I was looking for it. It was just on TV quite often and you keep sitting there because it's a nice moment, you want to see it. It's not like that I pulled it out every hour when I get back to my room. It's just a very, very nice memory that you cannot put into words. Q. Apart from winning The Ryder Cup for Europe, how did that putt sort of change you? Did it revive your career in any way, or is that a bit too strong to say that? MARTIN KAYMER: What does that mean, to revive? MICHAEL GIBBONS: Brought it back to life. MARTIN KAYMER: That's a hard one, yeah. I think I was not in a deep hole, maybe a little plugged one. So it was definitely a little bit more motivation again. When you practise really, really hard, those moments happen to you. At the end of the day, if you receive such a big gift that I received two years ago, the only things I really need to make sure that I had the chance to make that putt, and that was obviously there because I was standing there and I needed to be prepared for the moment. And that's a tough putt to be prepared because you don't really know how to prepare for a moment like this. So I was a little bit surprised myself how well I handled the last hour, hour and a half on the golf course, because it's a very, very different situation that you cannot really know how you as an individual person, how you feel, and how your body and how your mind reacts to that difficult situation. So that is pretty much the part where I'm very proud of, the way I handled this. Q. We've heard all week from the European players about the mood in the camp being one of fun and enjoyment, but with the event itself now so close, is it starting to get a bit more of a serious mood, and are you detecting underneath all of the fun and enjoyment, a real steely determination amongst the European players to go on and defend The Ryder Cup? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think you can be focused and have fun at the same time, and that's the balance that you need to find, I believe. If you are too -- how do I say, too determined and too much into your goal, you lose a little bit of the -- you're not that relaxed anymore, and I think that is the tough part, to be relaxed, to have fun. But when you need to be focused, you should be 100 per cent there. I don't think if you start concentrating and focusing already by tonight, you might be done by Friday night, because you don't have much energy left. So I think it's a balance that you need to find, but I think Paul McGinley, the way he talks to us, the way he is to every individual, I think it's very, very helpful. I'm a little bit surprised how much he's taken care of every single player, which is very brilliant. Q. We spoke to Craig Connelly after you holed that putt two years ago, and asked if he had any doubt you would hole it, and he said no doubts whatsoever -- MARTIN KAYMER: Did he? (Laughter). Q. And the reason he said that was because it was almost down to a penalty shootout and Germans never lose penalty shootouts. Were you as confident as he was that you were going to hole that putt? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, you know, it's tough to answer because it shouldn't sound too arrogant. But I never had a doubt in my mind that I would miss the putt. It's one of those things that you cannot miss. It's difficult to explain. Maybe some athletes or -- yeah, some athletes, they would understand, I was trying to explain it to a good friend of mine, and he had no idea what I was talking about. Because it's one of those things that you don't have a choice of missing. It's not an option. So it doesn't even cross your mind that you might miss it. So for me, everything was so clear. I knew exactly what I needed to do, I knew exactly what the line was. The only thing that you need to do is do it. So for me it was very clear in my mind. So it never really crossed my mind that I might fail, and that is what I said earlier. It's quite nice to get to know yourself in a way like this, because I was not afraid of failure. I was not afraid of winning. I think a lot of guys -- and you see it in different sports, as well, sometimes they are afraid of winning, because it's a different situation. It can be uncomfortable. So that was very -- it was a nice situation for me. Q. Are you saying we're not athletes; that we don't understand? MARTIN KAYMER: No, not you. My friend had no idea. Q. Two questions. Can you compare at all the difference between standing on the first tee at The Ryder Cup and standing on the first tee when you're introduced at Pinehurst, the leader of a major championship on the last day, that kind of thing. MARTIN KAYMER: At Pinehurst, you have so much on your mind, what can happen, what you hope is happening. You hope to start off well the first five, six holes to show all your opponents that you're not backing off; to show to yourself somehow that you keep going where you started on Thursday morning. When you're standing here at The Ryder Cup on the first tee, in 2010, it was very intimidating for me. It was too much. I couldn't really handle the whole situation -- I couldn't use it in a positive way. It was more distracting for my mind to get to know all the crowds, to get to know -- I don't know how to explain it; but playing in the jungle a little bit without having a clear mind, without knowing what you actually have to do now. At the end of the day, 2012, I had a very nice conversation with Bernhard Langer, and pretty much the moral of the whole talk was: In the end of the day, it's just you, the golf ball and the golf course that you have to play. If the people wouldn't be there, that's it. It's pretty simple. And then we talked about, imagine now if you can use the thousands of people for yourself in a positive way; that they carry you, so there's nothing negative about it. But I didn't think that clear when I was there in 2010. Now it's a little bit different. You can use it to raise your game. It's a very, very different approach and there's so much more going on. And being in the final group in a major, you think so much about the first five, six holes, really, how you start off here, the other things you need to take care of, and I think it's very important that you get to know -- that you find a way as quickly as possible to enjoy The Ryder Cup. Once you enjoy it, then you will play your game, I believe. Long answer, I know, sorry (smiling). Q. I know you've worked a bit with Fanny Sunesson in the past, and she's helped you. Do you still do that and have you talked anything with her about The Ryder Cup and the challenges of The Ryder Cup? MARTIN KAYMER: We did work together for quite some time actually, from I think 2005 till 2012 or 2013. But we talk once in awhile. We are friends. So I saw her last week when we were in Germany for SAP day, and I saw her again for the Solheim Cup. She works for Carin Koch for the Solheim Cup as a vice captain or as an assistant. So yeah, we speak, but we haven't talked about the Ryder Cup really, I think. I know what's going on kind of. I have a better feeling than four years ago. It's not that -- I don't need her every single day. Q. Some people think Paul McGinley has too many vice captains in five, but he was telling us that Germany in the World Cup have a backroom team of 33. Is that a classic example of German efficiency? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, it worked. Doesn't matter if he wants eight vice captains and we win. I wouldn't care. I think the goal is important. It doesn't matter how you reach it. And the Germans, you know, the way they played the World Cup, the way they were organised; I think for a lot of players out here, as well, it's very, very important that everything is structured, that you know -- like today, your media is from 8.30 until 9.30, and you can practise, then you will play. So you have a schedule which is not too tight and you will have a little time on your own. Obviously it's quite nice to see that Paul uses the German, how do you say, the German way of succeeding in a sport event maybe. I mean, it worked for us in Brazil. Q. You've obviously had a lot of chances to get to know both European golfers and American golfers. Now that we are at The Ryder Cup, if I could put this to you, do you notice, broadly speaking, a difference in personalities between the two teams, like the average player, and what would that be? MARTIN KAYMER: I mean, there are so many individual players, we have so fairly calm players. The Americans have calm players. We have some outgoing people. If you take Ian Poulter, when you see him at The Ryder Cup, he's different, and maybe Rickie Fowler is a different character, as well. So it's very tough to pick one character for one team. I think we are these days so many different players. I don't think there is such a big difference to really -- that we need to talk about. I think in general, golf became so much spread out in personalities and characters, which is quite interesting. Q. You've played and practiced with Rory quite a bit, without giving too much away, is that a pairing that would excite you, and what is it about your personalities and games that might complement each other? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, pairings, obviously in the past few Ryder Cups, if you play with someone in the practise rounds, there's a possibility that you might play with them in the foursomes or the fourball. But to be honest, you know, I think after the round today, we will sit down and make a proper plan what's going to happen Friday morning at least. So far, I think it's still up to Paul. Yeah, today I play with Rory again, but it doesn't mean that I will play with him Friday morning. We get along well as people, and I think at the end of the day, it's very important, especially for the foursomes, because it's such a tough game to play; that you need to get along with the person. And it's not a secret that I get along with Rory, but I also get along with Sergio and Henrik and Ian. What was the second part of your question? Q. Do you complement Rory? Do you joke around the fairways with your partner? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, that's the beauty about The Ryder Cup, you get to know people a lot better. If you want to know them, you spend time with them. Sometimes it's nice when you get forced to spend time with some players that you usually don't spend time with because you actually get to know him and think he's actually a nice guy. That happened a few times with me in the past, in 2010 and 2012. You have dinner with guys that you wouldn't really have dinner with because they're a little bit different than you. Obviously you surround yourself with people that are more similar to yourself. And then all of a sudden you become friends, and you exchange phone numbers and you hang out maybe off the golf course, too. So that's the beauty about The Ryder Cup, the bond that you make during the week. Q. Your German coach is here, and yesterday morning I spoke with him and he said, "We will see." What atmosphere does it give to you that Gunter was on the practise day yesterday with you, and did he do any corrections for you and for the way to Sunday? MARTIN KAYMER: Just some fine tuning here and there. To be honest, I think it's nice for coaches, as well, who work so hard their entire lives and never really thought they were ever going to stand on the range at The Ryder Cup, that they can ever walk in the fairways at The Ryder Cup. That's a big reason why I asked him to come, because I know that he would never ask, but I think it's a nice thing to walk inside the ropes to get to know the captain and those things. We didn't really work much on the swing, but I told him how I played in Denver and how I played in Atlanta. We worked a little bit on very little things, I mean, nothing special. It's more like the atmosphere that I hope he enjoys as much as I do. Q. When you play foursomes with Rory, will you have to use the Nike ball? And secondly, what's been The European Team reaction to Phil's funny comments about Rory and G-Mac yesterday? MARTIN KAYMER: To Phil's comment, it's not really a topic for us. It's one of those things you read it, you laugh about it and that's it. We haven't -- I heard about it yesterday for the first time on the bus, but I think in the end of the day, we should just play golf. It's fairly simple. If things like this start, it's a little -- I don't know if that's necessary. If I play the Nike ball? What do you say, if I would play the Nike ball? Well, I don't even know if I play with him. I don't really care, as long as it's white (laughter) and not pink. I mean, I played with Paula Creamer last week at the SAP day and I struggled with that ball. But as long as it's white, I don't care. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Martin, thank you for your time as always. Good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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