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PORTUGAL MASTERS

October 14, 2015

Alexander Levy

Vilamoura, Portugal

PAUL SYMES: Many thanks for joining us. Bit of a strange week last year with the weather, but you must have very fond memories of your time here.

ALEXANDER LEVY: Yeah, it's nice to be back in Portugal. I have a lot of good memories there, one last year, and one in 2011 when I won The European Team Championship. Last time I won a tournament. It's very nice to be here and I'm very happy to defend this title.

It was a funny week last year. I played only four shots the weekend and I managed to win the tournament like that.

PAUL SYMES: I had a look at your scorecard last year, and you had 18 birdies and no bogeys over the first two days. I think it's fair to say you were playing pretty well.

ALEXANDER LEVY: Yeah, it's what I say, I play one of the best golf of my life. It was a very good week for me. The week after was China, I was playing good, too. It was a good mood for me, and it's nice to play like that. It's very good memories for me. I don't think this week I'm going it make 18 birdies in 36 holes but I don't think about that, but it's nice.

PAUL SYMES: And how have you been treated as defending champion so far? Have you enjoyed coming back and the responsibilities?

ALEXANDER LEVY: It's nice. It's nice. The hotel is fantastic. The food is good. I'm really happy to be there -- and it's always nice to defend a title. I do that in May in China Open, and I'm really happy to be there this week.

Q. When you played the course, good memories came back?
ALEXANDER LEVY: I don't play so far but it's nice. I see some few holes, I ask a few question. I heard a little bit more rough than last year. I think it's nice and I really enjoy to be here.

Q. Do you have memories about a certain shot or hole?
ALEXANDER LEVY: Yeah, sometimes I dream about the shot I do here, because during -- when you struggle a little bit, you think, ah, I can't do this shot, okay. It's nice, I have some great memories about a few shots there, yeah.

Q. How do you feel defending the tournament, is it extra pressure or is it motivation?
ALEXANDER LEVY: No, I think when I defend my title in China, I finished third this year. I was close to playing the tournament the last four holes. I think it's not the pressure. It's just you like the golf course, and no, I don't think I feel the pressure. It's nice, I go to play with some good players tomorrow, the first two days. Nice field and nice golf course. It's nice to defend the title.

Q. Your assessment about this week's field?
ALEXANDER LEVY: It's good, some great players, and I think it's nice to play a tournament when you have some big names. It's a really nice tournament.

Q. Does it concern you the weather may come by the weekend?
ALEXANDER LEVY: No, I see the forecast and I see Sunday will be not very good. But it can change a lot here, too. No, I hope the weather will be good for the tournament, for all the sponsors, because last year was a little bit shame for the sponsors, 36 holes, and that's not good. But I hope this year, the weather will be good and we can play 72 holes.

Q. Is this a special part of the world -- playing in The European Team Championship --
ALEXANDER LEVY: It's the golf course I like. It has some water and some design of the golf course I like, only that I can say. You know, when you have some good memories, it's nice to come back because you enjoy when you play, and that's good.

Q. What memories do you have from The European Team championship?
ALEXANDER LEVY: A lot. I have one, we lost 2-0 after the foursomes against Ireland in the quarterfinal and we won all the games in the afternoon, that I remember. I remember against Germany, it was a fantastic moment, because every -- all the players was down. And I remember Gary Stal was there, holed a 30-metres putt on 17 to go on 18, and he won his game, and we go in final with that. That was good memories, and the last day we won.

Q. Inaudible.
ALEXANDER LEVY: Yeah, I think a lot of players give me some joke about that. You I think when you -- it's special, when I won last year, after 36 holes, I say, okay, yeah, I was surprised, but it's nice because in two days, you play 18-under and that's a good thing.

Q. Golf is becoming more and more popular in France, do you feel that?
ALEXANDER LEVY: Yeah, I think, and it's nice. It's nice for us. It's going to be bigger and bigger and bigger, that's for sure.

Q. Is it because of The Ryder Cup?
ALEXANDER LEVY: I think both. I think we have some very good players coming, The Ryder Cup coming, and the thing is a lot of people play golf now, some very important people in France, and after I think it's a global thing and it's nice for us.

Q. Do you have any favourite holes?
ALEXANDER LEVY: Yeah, I love the 18th. It's a really good hole. I like the par 3, No. 13, and No. 7 is a beautiful hole, dogleg-left.

PAUL SYMES: Merci, Alex, and have a great week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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