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VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPOctober 19, 2014Mikko IlonenASH, KENT, ENGLAND PAUL SYMES: Been a long week but ultimately a happy one. MIKKO ILONEN: That you very much. It's been a long week but a very pleasant one. Everything around this tournament has been tomorrow notch for the players. They have really looked after us nicely on the course, off the course. So I can't complain. Q. And just talk us through the final, you seemed to be in complete control out there, never really gave him too much of a chance? MIKKO ILONEN: I didn't give anything away today, which was the key. The wind that we had in the afternoon, sort of kept us from scoring really low. You only had to avoid the mistakes, don't do any bogeys. You're going to make a couple of birdies no matter what if you play solid and I didn't give anything away to Henrik this afternoon. That was the key. Q. Some great names on that trophy. How does it feel to have your name there? MIKKO ILONEN: I think they are going to look at it, what is Mikko Ilonen doing there. It's amazing. It's going to take a little while to sink in but first of all, getting into this event was a big, big thing for me. But then when I saw my grouping, I thought, you know, it was a great opportunity to qualify to the last day. And I took full advantage of that. Played a couple of Ryder Cup players in the end so it was a big week for me, definitely. Q. I'm guessing the key today was the stretch from the 8th hole, three birdies in four holes, was that the key to winning today? MIKKO ILONEN: The safe that I made on 7 kept me going. I've actually put some really good things on No. 8. It's a tricky hole. You can't really feel the wind on the tee. But I've hit some good tee shots. This morning for some reason, it went in the water and didn't feel that bad of a shot. But that was the key. The mid round, get a little bit of cushion there and keep the pedal after that, keep pushing. Q. What will this do for you now being in the Top 50? MIKKO ILONEN: It's been a goal of mine to be in the Top‑50 in the world and to be able to pick and choose your schedule. I've played the Tour long enough to see that the regular events‑‑ I've been able to play, every now and then, a bigger tournament, a major and now a couple of World events, and now I'd like to build my season around those big events. And now I'm going to be able to do that. Q. The PGA TOUR, is that a goal for you? MIKKO ILONEN: No. Not full‑time, no. Q. Did you feel that your ball was going to stay over the green? MIKKO ILONEN: Well, my caddie said that the hole is only a few from the back. So it didn't even matter if you get a little bit stuck there, it's an easy up‑and‑down from there anyway. You can putt it or chip it. I pulled the shot a little bit, should never go under the wind, and I did. That's why it went a little further than was expected. Q. You look relaxed. How can you be so relaxed and friendly yet so concentrated on your game? MIKKO ILONEN: That's a good question. I didn't get intimidated by any of the players, which was probably why I was relaxed. I believed in my own abilities. If I play good, I can beat any one of these guys. But at the same time, I'm having fun. That's why sometimes I interact with the crowd whenever it's possible, but I try to keep it to myself. So when the game is on, I keep my head down a little bit and try to, I'm actually the last five days, I've been singing a Finnish song in my head all the time. If any of you follow me on Twitter, there's been a couple of notes in there. Only Finnish people know what it means. PAUL SYMES: Are you going to sing it for us now. MIKKO ILONEN: I'll do it on the plane (laughter). Q. You mentioned beating a couple of Ryder Cup players this week. Does that increase your belief that you could be part of the squad in the next couple of years? MIKKO ILONEN: I was close this year. I talked to Paul a couple of times about it and I completely agree his picks in the end. There's no way he could have picked a rookie. So I needed to play well. I needed to get in there in my own rights, get enough points. I had my chances. Didn't get in there in the end. I didn't change my schedule because of Ryder Cup. I could have played after the PGA the next couple weeks, but that wouldn't really change the remaining schedule for the end of the year. So I had my chances, and obviously have to wait another two years, whether we're there‑‑ it's obviously one of my goals to get into it. Q. Does this showcase what you can do in match play? MIKKO ILONEN: I think one of the first interviews, maybe with Tim, someone asked me, your match‑play record is not great. I said, well have you looked at it when I was an amateur. I've only played three or four single matches as a pro. And I said then, I don't think my record is that bad. If you look at it overall, maybe we will go five, ten years from now and then see how the record is. That's a better take. Q. Is it fair to say you've had some putting problems over your career but you looked solid on the greens today. Can you talk about the transition with your putting stroke? MIKKO ILONEN: End of 2005, beginning of 2006, I made a couple of decisions concerning my putting. And from there, I've turned the page and I went forward and never really looked back. You know, the only big change has been, maybe goes back a couple years, I changed my grip. It's quite a funny grip if you look at it. It's a reverse interlock. If you interlock like this, it's a reverse one. So the left hand finger goes in the middle of that and I accidentally came up with it when I was practicing putting a few years back in Thailand. It's been helping me a lot even more than the changes that I made in 2006. But as you said, it's fair to say, I've had my problems and I never wish anyone to experience those problems that I had. Anyone who has been there, you know how bad they are. Q. How would you describe the grip? Does it have a name? MIKKO ILONEN: It doesn't have a name. Q. Does anybody else use it? MIKKO ILONEN: I haven't seen anyone else using it, no. It was completely an accident. It got locked like that, so, okay, I'll try that. I'm trying to eliminate my left hand completely. My left hand is no good. I would cut it off if I could. Q. We saw you on the phone. What is the reaction from home? MIKKO ILONEN: It will be big. There's been a lot of traffic on the social media this week. It will be even bigger because we've always been comparing ourselves with Swedes in sport and other things, as well, but especially in sports. And at home, they look at this final as beating Sweden and drawing head‑to‑head. I didn't feel like it obviously. Henrik is a friend of mine and it was nice to see him in the final but it was also nice to come on top. Last time I played with Henrik, I lost a couple of shots, and now it was my turn. Q. I think you and your caddie have been together nine years; is that right? MIKKO ILONEN: Eight and a bit. 2006 summer we started. Q. Second‑longest running partnership on the Tour. MIKKO ILONEN: Well, it depends. What's the longest? Q. I think Pádraig and Ronan. MIKKO ILONEN: Well, you could argue that. Top two, anyway. Q. Can you give his name? MIKKO ILONEN: Reggie Mokhosi. Reginald has seen the ups and downs. In eight years, you've had some good times and some bad times. And when he hit the rough patch, he never, ever thought about leaving for another player. I gave him some rope and said you can go. He said, do not ever ask me that question again. So I think we are going to retire together, whether that's next year or ten years, I don't know. It depends how much Reggie has left. Q. Why does it work? MIKKO ILONEN: It's a mutual respect. I respect what he does and vice versa. Q. Thoughts on the London Club and keeping the tournament here ‑‑ MIKKO ILONEN: I was very happy to see when the tournament came to the U.K. because I've always felt that the crowds really appreciate it and they know their golf. We have a good example playing BMW at Wentworth. But it would be nice if this tournament settles somewhere, and why not London Club. This is the perfect venue and everything works great this week. It was challenging in the beginning because it was quite a lot of rain. But the guys did a great job to get the course ready. Q. Do you think the other players have a widespread opinion to keep it here? MIKKO ILONEN: I'm not speaking for the others but I would think so. Because originally, it's been played over here, and it would be nice to keep it sort of home. Q. Have you spoken to any of the guys in the locker room? MIKKO ILONEN: No, I haven't. Q. (Regarding schedule) ‑‑ MIKKO ILONEN: Simple answer. Obviously we have the one in Wentworth, Scottish, the Open. You never know, we might see a new tournament next year. Fingers crossed. PAUL SYMES: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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