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ALSTOM OPEN DE FRANCEJuly 5, 2015Bernd WiesbergerPARIS, FRANCE SARAH GWYNN: Bernd, congratulation, the Alstom Open de France Champion. How does that feel? BERND WIESBERGER: Yeah, thank you very much. This tournament is very special to me. One of the biggest events we have on Tour every year and probably the most tradition, the oldest one on Continental Europe. And very proud to be on the winner's list now on this trophy, dating back to 1906 it says here. It's amazing and it was a great week. I really enjoyed playing in front of these crowds here and performing the way I did. SARAH GWYNN: You looked very calm and assured out there. Was that always the case in the final round? BERND WIESBERGER: I tried to be. Obviously the start, the restart after the weather delay, four birdies couldn't have been any better for me. So that really got me in the right direction and got me quite confident. It was nice to get another one in before the turn to get a bit of gap in between me and the guys. I have to say, James Morrison who I played with played great golf, as well, and gave me a good run which made it quite tight at the end. But I was quite happy with the way I finished with the birdie at the last. Yeah, it was a great way to finish this week. Q. How have you managed the interruption? BERND WIESBERGER: Well, it's always a bit‑‑ you know, we try to stay in a kind of rhythm when we are out there on the golf course. You get called off for an hour and a short warmup, doesn't really help. The good thing was I came back to the course and I knew my yardage. I hit a great shot in there at the restart. Made the putt and that really got me some momentum. Yeah, I was riding the wave from there. It was really quite calm up until maybe when I saw the lie on 17. But I scrambled well this week. Made only one bogey on the weekend and shot what was I think a fantastic score, even though the conditions were slightly easier. But it was special golf for me out there today. Q. Did you dedicate your victory to Markus Brier, the Austrian golfer? BERND WIESBERGER: Well, it's funny, because he was the first guy on Tour that was on the Tour when I was an amateur and somebody to look up to and was very supportive of not only me but the other young players. Funny enough, it's his birthday today, as well, so happy birthday to him. I just saw that on my phone. He has definitely helped us young players believe that we can achieve great things. I've been good friends with him and I hope he was watching. So yeah, he's a great role model for us Austrian players. Q. You've had a few disappointments this year, especially in Malaysia and Ireland. How did you manage this? What did you learn from this experience? BERND WIESBERGER: Probably not thinking of it as a disappointment. You know, you play those big events and you finish second, which is a great week, actually. The way I tried to look at it was that I for most of the week played great golf. I had the opportunity to win but couldn't quite take it.  You learn from it. But it wasn't a disappointment because I played great golf, and at the end of the day, maybe it didn't sometimes quite go my way. Maybe sometimes somebody beat me in a playoff like Søren did with a great birdie in the playoff. It's just part of the acceptance of the game. I knew my day would come, and I'm very delighted it came today at such a great event. Q. Your record on the Sunday for The French Open for the last four years, 75, 76, 75 and 77, the last four Sundays, and today is 65. Maybe you found something? BERND WIESBERGER: Thanks for not telling me before (laughter). I was in that position two years ago. I played with David Howell in also the second to last group. But as I remember, it was a bit different conditions. It was really windy and really dry, and a lot more rough. You have to say that the course was a bit more gettable with less rough than we normally have. I think the weather conditions leading up to the event were not as good for growing rough and making the course as tough as it could play. But you know, yesterday when I went to bed, I knew I was in that position before, but I kind of tried to think about shooting something in the 60s rather than the 70s. Q. You played the front nine in 10‑under and the back nine in 3‑under; is it a lot of pressure, this course, because you know that you have to make birdies very early, so you have to be focused? BERND WIESBERGER: Well, have you played the course? Q. Sometimes. But it's not a question of birdies. BERND WIESBERGER: Well, sometimes for us, it's not a question of birdies, either, on this course. If you see pins that look like they are floating in the water, you didn't really want to hit those pins and you take pars very generously. I think the back nine, if you shoot them under par for the week, you'll be in good shape. Obviously the front nine are a bit more gettable, and the back nine‑‑ if you play great golf shots, the course really rewards you. But if you are just off, it really punishes you. I think overall, no discredit to any golf tournament, but I think this is the best course that really shows the best player throughout the week. That's why I really enjoy playing it. Q. Can you explain this, your sixth Top 10 of the season, and did you do anything in particular in training? BERND WIESBERGER: Yeah, I've played well since I've won on Tour. I think I've been quite steady in the top half of the top hundred. After a good start to the year, I managed to get into the Top‑50. I've worked on my game. I've made some changes. I've had great support from my two instructors, great support from my team. It's just a matter of belief. I think at the end of the day, all of these guys out there are great champions and great golfers. It's just tiny things on a particular day that make the difference, and I think I was very, very lucky to be able to rely on a good practise and a strong swing, and the confidence that comes with it. And that's very important out there when you try and win a championship like this. Q. On 18, there was only one birdie before you arrived there. Standing on that tee, that pressure, that was a big drive. BERND WIESBERGER: It was. I don't know, last year, I hit it down the right side all the time. It's a bit less intimidating since they have taken away those bushes on the right, but I felt comfortable over it. As I said, at the end of the day, you just need to trust your swing. There's a lot of room on the right, but I just tried to do the same things. I didn't have a great yardage for my first, so I just leaked it a bit long to make sure it's safe and sound up on the green. It was nice to finish in style. We had a good read. Shane, my caddie, he's probably one of the best out there preparing for each week, and he had a look at that line before in practise. He told me exactly the speed and exactly the line, and dead center. Q. You have won already two times in France a few years ago on The Challenge Tour. Do you think you have a special connection to our country? BERND WIESBERGER: Well, I'm going to call the Chief Executive today, we are going to transfer all the tournaments to France now, so you're going to be happy (laughter). Matter of fact, I think I do. I've had my lowest round as a professional here, winning in Lyon in 2010, 62, and that was the first day, actually, Shane was on my bag. So I kind of rented him out from Branden Grace who he was caddying for back then. It's been a success story since. I've won again later in 2010 in Toulouse, and then I told the guys, the promoters, that I was exempt to the tour and that I'm going to come back and I'm going to win on the big tour in France, as well. So I'm happy I was delivering finally. Q. You are also one of the big hitters of the Tour. What is the secret of your power? BERND WIESBERGER: You know, I think I've scaled back a little bit. I've always been in like the Top 15, Top‑10, but I've realised it's not always about the big hit but more to find the fairways, especially if you come to a course like this. So maybe I scaled down a little bit on the distance, and more on accuracy. You realise that you play the majors and the big events, that it helps if you hit it long, but it's more about the accuracy. I think I'm quite tall. I have got a lot of weight to put behind the ball. I've got great equipment that I can trust, as well, and that combination, maybe with a little bit of talent, gets the ball out there. Q. Who are your coaches? BERND WIESBERGER: Yeah, it's actually two. One of them I've been working with since, I want to say, mid 2011. The golf course where I started playing has an academy and he was an instructor there. He's now actually living in Indonesia and running the David Leadbetter academies in Asia. We don't see each other very often but when we do, it's very high quality, and I trust him with all he has to say to me. He really knows how to sharpen my game at the right times, so that's Philippe De Busschere. Yeah, he's a special guy. I get along so well with him and I trust him with my game, and it's been a great success story since we have started. And Damien Taylor, who I've been working with on my short game since the last 1 1/2 years where I've been struggling, early last year, end of 2013. He really has helped me a lot, as well, believing in my short game when I was down a little bit. Yeah, I still have any up‑and‑downs but I feel very comfortable now in all aspects of my game, and those two guys are a great team to have behind me back and helping me out there. SARAH GWYNN: Thank you and congratulations. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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