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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, DUBAI

November 15, 2016

Alex Noren

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

STEVE TODD: Alex, many thanks for joining us. Congratulations on your victory last week. Just give us your thoughts on coming into this season-ending event in the run of form you've been in. I know you spoke about the British Masters about want to go play well coming into Dubai, and you've certainly done that with your performance the over the last few weeks.

ALEX NOREN: Yes, well it's still a new tournament, new grass, new challenges. So I think as a golfer, you're always focusing ahead and obviously it's nice coming in with a victory last week. I always thought it's easier if you have a good week before and you're a little bit more relaxed and enjoying it a lot.

But yeah, it's a new week and you always have your preparation and you are used to preparing in a certain way. I'm not focusing too much on results. Just trying to get your game in shape.

STEVE TODD: How excited about the position you find yourself in, third in The Race to Dubai and in the top 10 in the world. At the end of the year it's nice to sit back and reflect, and it's a fantastic achievement to do what you have done this year.

ALEX NOREN: Yeah, thank you. Overall I'm always more happy if my game is good. And for the future, you know, I always try to see what the biggest tournaments, what you have to do to compete in them and be able to win them, and so I look at a lot of that; and obviously winning is unbelievable and it's the best thing in the world.

But I look a lot more at where I'm at playing-wise than maybe result-wise.

Q. Have you sat down and looked at the numbers, the permutations, about what you have to do this week? Have you looked at the numbers closely at what you have to do, Henrik has to do? Do you have any idea or do you just take it as it comes?
ALEX NOREN: No, I take it as it comes. I've never really been into looking at numbers like that. I usually don't know what the purse is, what the numbers are. But obviously here it's easy to know the purses.

But once again, I think that kind of takes a lot of energy and kind of useful for me, because if somebody has the week of their lives, it's quite tough for me to beat that.

I don't look at that. Now the biggest question between me and my coach is how we're going to hit that certain shot, kind of what did go well last week and what didn't go well, and keep that going. It's more about the preparations than the numbers.

Q. A couple of Scottish Open questions, if that's okay. When you look back to Castle Stuart, how important was that win that sparked the great run that you've had? And secondly, no doubt you'll be defending the title, but it's going to be a $7 million event next year, so I think that will definitely make you go back to defend the title, as part of the Rolex Series.
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, and it was huge for me to win The Scottish Open, and especially coming down the last hole, last two holes there. It was quite tough wind, and being able to par those two felt like I could stand my ground under pressure, which is always a confidence boost.

That made it a lot easier the next time I had a chance to win, because I was a lot more nervous those last few holes than I was yesterday. Although I was quite nervous yesterday, as well -- or Sunday, as well.

No, it definitely helped. And yeah, I mean, Scottish Open has always been a big purse, and I think it will be even better, yeah, with the $7 million. I think that's fantastic, yeah.

Q. Less than about 15 hours after winning in Joburg, in the morning when we came over here on Monday, you went out there on the driving range with your coach. You were working on your game again, despite I think, what, eight-and-a-half-hour flight. Is that normally you? Is that your work ethic normally, or are you especially motivated for this week and you wanted to sort something out on the range yesterday?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I think I always try to see him as much as I can, and last week he wasn't there. You know, maybe Sunday was the best round I've ever played, but I hit a little bit of fade on every shot on Sunday.

You know, the driver was pretty good but I also had some trouble with the driver all week. I know around here, that the driver is key. Although, these fairways are a little bit wider maybe than last week and some other weeks, you've got to hit it quite long to get the right shots into these tucked-away pins. And if it gets windy, I only have that fade working. Some holes are quite difficult.

So I tried to work on that and work on a little bit -- like a lot of mechanics on a Monday feels easier than working on the same things on a Wednesday when you want to, when you're closer to the tournament.

Q. Can you just give me the name of your coach, as well?
ALEX NOREN: Matt Belsham.

Q. On a similar theme to your work ethic, Rory was saying it was no surprise to him to see you win because you've played together a lot at The Bear's Club. He said probably a big thing for you is that you don't work quite as much since you've become a family man. Is that probably true? Do you have a better balance?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I do. I try to work a little bit more at home with the swing off the driving range, because I kind of beat myself up before. You want to hit good shots, instead of maybe working on the technique, on the movements.

But I'm also trying to play more, play more golf, and score with what I have on a week off. Before maybe if I didn't play well on nine holes, I went to the range and tried to sort it out and then play another nine.

Now I kind of put myself -- I'm going to play 18 holes; I'm going to shoot a good score, even though with no warm up or the body feels like that or swing feels like that.

So like I try to, whatever feeling, I try to get around somehow with a good score. I think that's helpful when you get to a tournament and something feels really bad, or the driver goes there and there and how to fix it while you're on the golf course.

Q. Next year with the new Rolex Series, you've got two links courses before The Open. Can you see yourself playing in both The Irish Open and The Scottish Open?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I don't know exactly the schedule. I think is there --

Q. One follows the other.
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I mean, I actually love links golf, so I think I'll play all those three, yeah.

Q. One of the reasons behind the Rolex Series is to try and keep young players in Europe and not have them go to the PGA TOUR. What effect do you think it will have going forward?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I think if you have all those tournaments in the future, and they said they are trying to get even more tournaments 7 million; and then you have the WGCs and then you have the majors, that's a great schedule.

I think with all of us Europeans, we love playing in America. We love playing in Europe, and we are used to going to Asia and Africa and play. But it would be great to be able to have a competing schedule living in Europe, because I think the Tour is great and I love where the Tour is heading.

And there are so many good players in Europe. I think a lot of us wants to have a chance to, if you want to live in Sweden, you can live in Sweden and have a great schedule.

Q. I remember you told us at Archerfield during the Paul Lawrie that you didn't change your schedule to get in to have a better chance at The Ryder Cup. Are you still comfortable with that decision, and how important has that decision been to where you are sitting now today?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, all I'm trying to do is get a game that can compete with the best players in the world, and I think I have a good plan how to do that. And I think that will take, you know, a few years to really feel that I can beat -- and especially at some courses.

I've come to U.S. Open courses and thought I have no chance to finish high here because the fairways are too narrow or this and that, and I'm trying to sort all those questions out. And I don't think playing -- changing my schedule one or two more tournaments before maybe getting a pick for Ryder Cup, I don't see that as a consistent plan.

Q. What do you think has changed the most during this run for you in the last 11 tournaments, winning four times, and how have you re-assessed your goals for the end of the year? What are your now realistic aims?
ALEX NOREN: Well, as I said, I've got so much confidence by pulling a victory off at The Scottish Open and helping me to achieve the one in Crans; that the belief that you don't have to play -- you don't have to hit every shot perfect to win, I believe I thought that was the case before.

You watch TV and you see the amazing players not missing a shot, but that's not actually true. As long as you manage your game and miss it on the right places and hole enough putts and chip good enough, you've got a chance. When you've done that, then you see yourself actually being able to win without feeling maybe that you have every shot -- that you have to hit every shot perfect.

I think that's been the difference. And as I said, I tried to play a lot more golf, so I'm more used to being on the golf course than on the driving range or on the putting green.

So I kind of enjoy the golf course a lot more and enjoy hitting an 8-iron to ten yards and making a par with a tough pin position and not just, oh, I need to hit it really close. That's what all the best players are doing. Just get a good round in and learn to get good rounds in in practice to get good rounds in in tournaments and not trying to be perfect.

Q. And your aims, have you reassessed your goals for the year now, No. 9 in the world?
ALEX NOREN: Well, I think during my golfing life, I've always seen a strong link between where my technique is and where my game is. I've never been really good on practice and then not good in a tournament.

So I just need to -- if I can get better technically, you know, then that's my goal. If I can achieve the shots I want to hit: If I can hit a strong draw off the tee; we're trying to get my swing in a way where it's closer to kind of zero, I can choose between a draw and a fade.

Now I've got to kind of play with what I have, which has worked great. But that's my goal, to kind of get the technique better in the whole game.

STEVE TODD: Alex, it's been a terrific season. Good luck for the final week.

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