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ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 19, 2017Martin KaymerAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Q. 66, nice start. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, very nice start. You never know what you're going to get the first tournament after such a long break, especially if you only practiced a little bit. Your expectations are high, but you don't know how much you get out of your practice in your very first tournament. I had a very good start. I made a long putt on 10 and that really started the round in a very positive way. I was standing on the seventh tee box and I said to myself, you know, it would be nice to get to four, so maybe if I can pick up one more birdie; managed three birdies. Q. What is it about this golf course that you really like? Because it's not easy, 7,500 yards. MARTIN KAYMER: Some golf courses, you need to work, you need to work to shoot 4- or 5-under par. The golf course for me doesn't feel like I need to do a lot of special things in order to play well, because I usually putt well on those greens. Doesn't feel like a hard-working day. For me sometimes when you play golf courses, you shoot 2- or 3-under and you think, I should have shot 6- or 7-under. I just like a lot of the tee shots. They really suit my eye, and again, if you are making putts, that's always for us professionals very, very important to see the ball going into the hole. Q. Players do different things in their downtime. Dustin Johnson went skiing, Ian Poulter went skiing, Henrik Stenson went skiing. What did Martin Kaymer do? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, the last two years, I went skiing, too. But this year -- the last years, I had a bad conscience in the wintertime because since 2005, every winter, I spent in America over Christmas and New Year's Eve. And then the last two years, I went skiing. Especially after my 2014 season when I won my second major, you kind of take it a little bit easier. And then you see it the next year on the golf course, where I had a lot of Top-10 finishes, but that little bit of extra that you need in order to win was missing. Therefore, I went back to America and practiced. Q. So you had guilt. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, sometimes, you can call it a weakness, and sometimes I need to pull myself away from the golf course in order to not do too much. But it just feels right, and sometimes you have to do what feels right. Q. Reflections on yet another sub-par round at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. MARTIN KAYMER: Started well. Had a good start with a couple birdies. Made the long putt on 10. Nice birdie on 11, and that really started my round. Then didn't make many mistakes. Made a couple bogeys. Some loose tee shots. But overall, I putted really well again, which I've done in the past. Q. Do you feel that's a reward for the hard work you've put in before coming here? MARTIN KAYMER: It's too early to say. I don't really judge it by that. Success, sometimes it doesn't come right way, and I didn't expect myself to shoot great scores here right away. You know, if it happens, it happens, but it was not what I was expecting. It's more like a long-term journey that I'm trying to start. That's why in the wintertime, I didn't take much time off. I practiced. So I think it will pay off during the year, not only one or two rounds. Q. Lovely way to finish. Talk about that and the mental attitude. MARTIN KAYMER: I was standing on the seventh tee box and I was thinking, it would be nice to finish with one more birdie maybe to get to 4-under par. I think that's pretty much the average score they shoot on the golf course, and then all of the sudden, you find yourself making an amazing birdie on 8, which could have been a bogey, as well, and you finish with another birdie. Sometimes the birdies come very unexpected and you almost can't help it, and then you have days where you just keep making bogey. So I take that, and don't feel bad about it, because sometimes you get more negative on the golf course than you should. Q. Par 3s were kind to you today. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I hit good iron shots today. I think I feel very good when I'm standing over the ball, very confident with my distance control, and that is obviously a major thing on par 3s. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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