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ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 17, 2015Martin KaymerABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MARTIN KAYMER: Well, nice to have the lead, that was important going to tomorrow. That was the main goal, to still be leading the golf tournament going to the first tee tomorrow morning and that's what I did. It was a little bit of an up‑and‑down round, especially around 10,11, 12. So therefore, 65 is a great score. Q. We talked yesterday and I said you had the tournament record at 24‑under. I said, could you emulate that score, and you said, well, I'm hoping to get to the 20s. You're already in the 20s. Can you beat your record tomorrow? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, hopefully I can stay in the 20s. That's the first goal. I don't really think about the record. If I shoot another good score tomorrow, fair enough. Then most likely I will win the golf tournament. If not, hopefully it's going to be enough. But I just really enjoy the golf course the way I played golf over the last three days, it was very solid, I didn't make many mistakes, only two bogeys and that was the first round. So overall, very little mistakes. Q. You've had a lot of time off and said that you came here, you didn't think that you were properly prepared. Have you surprised yourself? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, a little bit surprised the way I play. Feels like I didn't really have a break playing‑wise, because I still played the same way I played in Dubai, the Nedbank and in Thailand. Yeah, I didn't have a little bit of a bad conscience coming here because I didn't practice as much as I wanted or the way I did in the past. But the first round showed me, I did the right choice of taking it a little bit easy in the wintertime. Q. We have a golf course here, I can't speak highly enough about the condition of it, what the curators have done here. Tell us what you feel; you're putting the eyes off it, so how good are these greens? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, especially I'm very surprised, especially those new areas, they are brand new, and last year they have not been here and they are rolled very, very nicely. There's nothing different really to the rest of the greens, which is always a little bit difficult to do to make them similar and you don't really feel like or see any differences. When I play it on Thursday afternoon, the greens were almost perfect. This afternoon, they were not many spike marks, nothing. So the condition of the golf course, there are no complaints. Q. Being a frontrunner, it is an area that you specialise, isn't it? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I enjoy it. I'm not scared of leading a golf tournament. I really enjoy the challenge, because it's a challenge against yourself. You challenge yourself all day long and it's about really trying to minimise the mistakes and the bogeys, and fortunately I could do that yesterday and today again. A little unfortunate on 10, I got a little unlucky. I don't know even know if it's a tree or bush or like that, and I holed the bunker shot. That was important to me to stay in control. Q. The importance of the 10th hole, the bunkers you absolutely love, you're two‑for‑two from them in the last couple days. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I enjoy bunkers more than‑‑ yeah, more than anything else, really. So therefore, if I hit it in the green‑side bunker, I feel fairly comfortable of giving myself a good chance to get up‑and‑down. You can't make it all the time but I'd rather be in the bunker than anywhere else. So on 10, that was a big, big bonus. It was a long bunker shot, too. Got the right spin, the right yardage, and I think it was more lucky than skill. Q. You talk about the need to eliminate mistakes when you're front running, but also as I remember at the U.S. Open, you had that desire to stretch your lead at every opportunity, as well. Is that part of the mind‑set and will that continue into the final round? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, of course you ask yourself, how low can you play that golf course. A few years back, I shot 24‑under par. Now I'm 20‑under par. To match it, I need only four birdies. But on the other hand, you have to really take care of not making bogeys. I know that that sounds a little bit negative, but it shouldn't sound negative. It's more like that you play smart and wait for your chance and not try to force it and not force to get to that record. The record is not that interesting for me tomorrow. To me it is important that I win the golf tournament; if it's by one shot or by six shots or by ten shots, I don't really care as long as I win. Q. And sleeping on a handsome lead going into the final round; do you sleep well? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I've been in that position before, especially after days like this. It was very hot out there. I have to do a little bit of media after the round, maybe go to the gym, and there's a players' barbeque tonight, so I'm sure by 9.00, 9.30, I'll be tired. Q. Would you applaud yourself after three days like this? MARTIN KAYMER: Might say a little tap on the shoulders. So far, so good. What I said earlier, I didn't make mistakes the last couple days, which is important on that golf course. Even when I missed the fairway, I managed to make up‑and‑downs. I used a lot of birdie chances that I had. I didn't miss many putts, so therefore, very, very pleased. Q. And then, you had the 10th. You'd better talk us through it because that was a hole that most people would have dropped a shot and you keep it rolling. MARTIN KAYMER: Actually the tough part is to hit the fairway, and I managed it really well. Hit a really big drive down the fairway, and it's a fairly simple shot, the second one, like a high cut towards the middle of the green. But after the second shot, I found myself in a bush, needed to drop. And from the bunker, holed the bunker shot to make five. So that was big for momentum where easily you can bogey, double‑bogey. Q. Is that the kind of occasion when you say, special is happening here. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I said that to Craig, a few years back when I won here, I can't remember if it was 2010 or 2011, I pulled my tee shot on 9, I think it was the third round, and hit the stones in the water and kicked back on the fairway and made birdie. You save two shots there. Usually you make bogey, double‑bogey from there and similar today on 10. Q. I know you've been keen to say things have not always worked out here, but there must be about this track that you have an affinity with. MARTIN KAYMER: What I said yesterday, I just know that I have birdied every single hole on the golf course, so it doesn't matter which hole it is. I stand on the tee box with a very positive thought, and I just hit the ball really well. The last three days, I didn't miss many fairways. I made a lot of putts, and if you read the greens well, you will make putts, and that is what I enjoy the most; that I barely read the wrong line. Q. And what is the approach with such a healthy lead? MARTIN KAYMER: It's a tough one. Right now, it's difficult to answer the question, but it feels a little bit like the U.S. Open lead. It was very similar. Obviously a different golf course. The U.S. Open, you are happy when you shoot level par. Here, I think in order to win, you need to shoot another at least 4‑ or 5‑under par, because I'm sure there's going to be one guy, if it's Thomas, if it's Bernd Weisberger or Rory, they will come, and you cannot prepare, or just to hope that they are not going to make birdies. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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