DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 4, 2002

Jyoti Randhawa

GORDON SIMPSON: Okay, then. Well, a lovely round of 69 to be at 9-under par in fourth place. You said out there you should have holed a few more putts to be right at the top of the leaderboard.

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, I did play well. I'm definitely, the putts that I missed were just hanging on the edge. And I just didn't hit them enough. The greens looked pretty quick, but I guess the rain slowed it down. I'm trying to play two rounds and I'm pleased with nine under. And I will take that.

GORDON SIMPSON: You said you played last year, so at least it was better conditions to enjoy the tournament this time.

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, lovely. The practice round and yesterday and even today it was quite good. Nothing wrong with the weather. Just a little windy and just a little bit of rain, which is fine in Scotland.

GORDON SIMPSON: Okay. We'll have some questions, I think.

Q. Your father was a retired general, did he want you to go into golf or the army? He was a brigadier?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, golf was never on the cards. I thought that I was going to be in the Indian army. And it just happened that I kept playing on with sports and I played golf. I started playing well in a lot of junior amateur events in India and then I represented my country going abroad. Playing all over Asia. And then I couldn't get through the exams for the army. I wasn't really brilliant in study. So I just stuck to golf and after that things changed and, yeah, I took golf as a profession. But apparently this wasn't what I intended on doing.

Q. Did you try in your exams?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, I tried once and couldn't get through. So I didn't try after that. So I just picked up golf. And in my heart of hearts I always wanted to be a soldier.

Q. Was your father very supportive of your golf once he realized that's what you wanted to do.

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, definitely. I think whatever I am today is because of my father. He helped me out. He promoted me playing golf and a lot of other sports. So definitely. It's thanks to my dad that I'm here.

Q. How many tournaments have you won on the Asian Tour?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Well I won four events on the Asian Tour. I won the Singapore Open, the Indian Open, and twice I won the Indian Masters. So four of them. And I won more than, I think close to 20 tournaments in India. We have an Indian Local Tour. So I won more than, maybe 15 to 20 tournaments there.

Q. What is your biggest paycheck?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: I think the Singapore Open when I won that it was $64,000 U. S. Dollars and change. That's my biggest, yeah.

Q. Do you still have a motorbike?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, definitely. You fall off a horse you get back on the horse, you don't leave it. It's the same bike, yes.

Q. Tell us exactly what's happened that you had an accident on this bike and when was that?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Well this was in March before the Indian Open this year. I was going on the highway and I tried to go between two cars and I had to brake. And suddenly the car came in front and I went in a skid. So I was skidding for about 25 meters. And the bike coming behind me all over it. So all I could see was no bike and sparks coming out of the bike behind me. And it took me, I think, 10 seconds to get up because I was just skidding on the road. And I didn't realize that I had broken my collarbone. Because there's no pain in the first four or five minutes. And that's when I was laying there and I realized that something had gone wrong.

Q. Has being out of golf for six months helped you and has it just given you a break from the game?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: I think definitely. I didn't realize what I was missing that I actually missed it. Six months of no golf, sitting home, doing nothing. Getting on my wife's nerves. And having absolutely nothing to do because, if I wasn't playing golf, what would I do? I can't sit behind a desk, you know, it's not me. I like to go out and be adventurous and do adventurous things. But I can't do that because I'm injured. So that made me think a lot and where I am, what I am. And it's cleared things up for me that what I want to do in my life. So definitely I think that I have come back and started working harder at my game and I'm mentally more stable than I was before that spill.

Q. (Inaudible.)

JYOTI RANDHAWA: No, bikes and guns are my passions, so I don't want to give that up. Golf happens to be my profession, but I enjoy biking and shooting, target practice more than golf.

Q. (Inaudible.)

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Trap shooting. Trap shooting. Yeah. Clay pigeon shooting.

Q. You said that coming here is one of your life's ambitions to play on the Old Course and you played two or three times now, haven't you?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, this is my third Dunhill Cup tournament here. I played the 2000 British Open here. I qualified for that. So it's been quite an experience. And this golf course, every time you play it, it plays different. So when the wind gets up, the greens get harder or softer, you know, it's a great experience. And this is a great atmosphere. The home of golf. I wouldn't want a better place to go and play golf.

Q. Did you ever think of staying an amateur as there may be money in the family background?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: I think that as an amateur, in 1991 to 1994, I had become the top amateur in my country. And I won almost everything. I had nothing more to achieve as an amateur. So I wanted to excell in whatever I did. And I thought that as an amateur I wouldn't go any further than that. So that's when I turned professional. In my country as an amateur I won two professional tournaments, so, and that's when I thought, hey, if I can win a professional tournament being an amateur as well, why not turn pro and give it all I got.

Q. Did you watch the Ryder Cup?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: A little bit. I was busy traveling. I was trying to come here. I did watch one day at least. And then I didn't -- the first day foursomes I watched and after that I didn't watch any more.

Q. Who did you want to win?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: I think America. Somehow I like Tiger Woods. While I've been playing golf, what he's meant to golf. But Europe are very strong players also out here. But I thought -- and I thought that America would win. Because on paper I think that that team looks stronger than the Europeans. But that was a good surprise. Now that they won, it's great.

Q. Is it a surprise to you to be up among the leaders this week?

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Frankly, I think that, yes, it would be. But I have played a lot of events in Europe. I played here awhile four years back and I finished eighth. I always thought I was good enough to be able to win a tournament in Europe. But links courses, being up with the leaders, it's definitely a surprise. This kind of golf course, we don't, we never play on. So, yeah.

GORDON SIMPSON: Okay, everyone. Thank you very much for coming in, Jyoti.

JYOTI RANDHAWA: Thank you.

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