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BMW MASTERS

November 11, 2015

Sergio Garcia

Shanghai, China

PAUL SYMES: Many thanks for joining us. Your first time here at the BMW Masters, and you played the Pro-Am today. What did you make of the course?

SERGIO GARCIA: The course is great. Very good condition. Fairways are wonderful. Greens are running nicely. It was a little bit breezy today, so there was some holes out there that were quite challenging. Played quite long. But overall, it was nice. It's a little bit cooler than I would like it to be but it was a really nice Pro-Am.

PAUL SYMES: You here on the back of a decent weekend at the WGC-HSBC last week. So I guess just looking to build on the momentum and keep the form going?

SERGIO GARCIA: Hopefully. I didn't have a decent week last week. Obviously first day didn't play that great but I got better as the week went on. Sunday I got going a little bit and fortunately, just a couple shots here and there.

But yeah, overall, been okay after quite a lot of rest. You know, hopefully we can keep going in the right direction this week and see what we can do.

Q. Obviously everyone is talking this week about The Race to Dubai and who can catch Rory and all that. Do you feel it helps that you come in a little bit under the radar to make the challenge this week?
SERGIO GARCIA: No, I wouldn't say so. I think my goal at the end of the day is the same. It's to play the best I can every single week, and give myself the best chance at winning the tournament. So no, I wouldn't say that it does. At the end of the day, I'm still trying as hard as if I was first or 60th in The Race to Dubai.

Q. What I mean is, does that mean the pressure is a little bit off you and you can just go out and play your golf?
SERGIO GARCIA: Like I said, I'm still going to, my goal is still going to be the same no matter what.

Q. What made you decide to play the BMW Masters this year for the first time?
SERGIO GARCIA: I think that obviously I have a good relationship with Marco and with BMW. He's always wanted me to come and play here, and unfortunately I haven't been able to do it. But this year, I have, so you know, I'm happy to be here and he's happy that I'm here. So it's win/win.

Q. What are your thoughts about being in the Olympics next year?
SERGIO GARCIA: I haven't qualified yet but I'm excited about it. I'm excited about having the chance of representing Spain in the Olympics. I'm excited to be considered as an Olympian. Excited to get there and see some of the other athletes and some of the other sports and everything.

So yeah, for me, it's a thrill and I would love to be there and have the possibility of winning an Olympic medal for my country and for myself.

Q. Have you been to the Olympics before?
SERGIO GARCIA: No, I've never been to the Olympics. I mean, I've watched it on TV many times, but I've never been to the Olympic, no.

Q. How is it different for you if you're a participant the first time in a tournament or if you have experience from the last few years?
SERGIO GARCIA: I guess it's a little bit of both. I think that sometimes it's good to not know a course too much. That way you don't know too many of the problems that are out there.

At the same time, if you've done well on a golf course, it is nice to go back to some of those good experiences that you had.

So I guess you can take it both ways. If you had good memories on a golf course, I think it's good to have experience on it. Maybe if you haven't enjoyed playing on the golf course that much, it's probably not as good.

Q. I just wonder what you made of Haotong Li's performance last week in the WGC and how impressed you were by him.
SERGIO GARCIA: It's not the first time I've seen good golf from him. Obviously he's a young man coming out from China, but he's a good golfer. He's had some good tournaments.

So yeah, I mean, it is nice to see a young guy from China coming and doing well like he did last week at a big event like that, maybe a little bit surprising. But at the same time, if you have the game, you can do it anywhere. It was good to see.

Q. We know the selection system next year for the European Ryder Cup Team was changed by Darren Clarke. The Europeans already win many times in a row. What do you think of the change, flipping the World and the European points.
SERGIO GARCIA: I don't know, I think to be honest, I think we have done both, if I remember correctly, in the past, and we've been successful with both. More than anything, that's a captain's choice. Whatever he feels he can get the strongest team, either way.

I know that Darren is going to be a great captain. He's obviously a wonderful Ryder Cup player and I'm sure that whatever he's doing, he's trying to make the strongest or get the strongest team possible, so I'm sure we'll be fine.

Q. Do you feel more pressure now to win a major now that others are --
SERGIO GARCIA: More European players are winning majors here and there. So do I feel more pressure? I mean, I guess every year that goes by, it feels another chance that has kind of gone by.

But like I said, you know, if I get to 45 and I haven't won any, then I will probably feel a lot of pressure then. But I still feel like I'm young enough to be able to do it, hopefully several times. And I'm still -- you know, if I keep playing well, I'm still going to have a lot of majors to come, so a lot of opportunities there for me. So we'll see.

Q. Do you think that Tiger or you will be the first to win a major?
SERGIO GARCIA: At the moment, it looks like I have a better chance (laughter) but we'll see.

PAUL SYMES: Thanks very much, Sergio. Good luck this week.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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