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HNA OPEN DE FRANCE

July 1, 2018

Alex Noren

Paris, France

BRIONY CARLYON: Congratulations, Alex Noren, our 2018 HNA Open de France Champion. What a day of golf. Can you give us your thoughts on that last round?

ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I knew I had -- this golf course, it's very tough but there are also birdies out there if you hit the greens and if you hit the fairways. It there's any golf course that's tough to be in the lead, it's probably this one, and coming from behind, I thought I needed to get to 8-under to have a chance for a playoff but it's so many tough holes. It goes quickly away I think.

BRIONY CARLYON: Second Rolex Series Event for you last year, you won at Wentworth last year, coming from seven shots behind, as well. How do you feel right now be to back in the winner's circle?

ALEX NOREN: It feels amazing. I've been close this year in America and then like two shots off Francesco's win at Wentworth. When you're out there, you really want this win, and it felt unbelievable to get it today. It's what I was putting and practising for, maybe a playoff, it was unreal how it went, and I didn't expect that.

Q. Coming from behind, seven shots back, twice, and you finish 7-under and everyone kept thinking 7s. What's your lucky number?
ALEX NOREN: It's not 7. (Laughing).

Q. When you came in and you were watching it, as you said, you saw it, but as it unfolded, did you think it was going to be good enough, and at what stage?
ALEX NOREN: I thought just when I missed that putt on 18, I thought that was my only chance to get into a playoff. I thought they had a good chance on 14 and then 15, 16, 17, 18, it's possible to make birdies but it's also tough if you miss the fairway. So the greens are somewhat, you know, receptive and you know, they are not super firm, so you could make birdies.

I really didn't think I was going to win at all. I thought I was going to miss the playoff by one, but as it unfolded, I thought it was going to be a playoff, and I got very fortunate, you know, the way it turned out.

Q. I know you were called out there to come back in. Are you somebody who is very comfortable if you're not in the lead thinking you still have a big chance?
ALEX NOREN: Well, again, you have nothing to hold back. Being in the lead, you know, it's a different feeling. It should, you know -- I learned that in the past. First time I was leading after three, I thought I -- because I've been watching Tiger the whole time winning, and then I wasn't in the same league as him, so I lost it the first time I was in the lead.

So you expect so much by being in the lead, and then now, you know, it's over 72 holes; it's not over 54 and trying to hold onto a win. So that's, I think, the approach I've had in the past, and with coming from behind, you obviously have nothing to lose. And it's easier, also, when you've done it before, yeah.

Q. How tough is it to win on such a tough golf course in such windy and tough conditions all week?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, you've got to be on your -- have a good mind-set the whole time. You will miss shots. You will hit in the rough. All you've got to do is kind of let go and try that the next time, the next time, the next time.

I was playing with Sergio the first two rounds and he hit so many good shots, but also a couple bad ones. He made a triple on the second hole of the tournament, and, you know, he kept going. If he can do that and win as many times as he's done, you look at guys like that and learn. Just because you make a double or triple or something for if you hit a bad shot, just keep going because it's so tight and everybody will miss fairways and everybody will hit in the rough. You just have to be very, very patient.

The good thing is the greens are receptive, and you can make birdies if you start hitting good.

Q. It's very likely now that you will come back here for The Ryder Cup in a few months, even more likely than before. How do you think this victory will boost your confidence for The Ryder Cup?
ALEX NOREN: Well, it boosts a lot. If I would be on the team, it would mean a lot. You get good memories from here. The first two years I came here, I thought, you know, I could never win around here, and the last three years, I've had good results and you know, it's just -- it helps a lot.

I think all of us golfers works that way, and we like places that we played good on before it.

Q. What is the toughest golf course that you have played, what number would you give to Le Golf National?
ALEX NOREN: I think if you make these greens firm, it would be one of the hardest in the world. Now it's very tough. You've got to hit great shots. The greens are rolling good and they are medium-soft.

Q. And the most important skill to play well on this golf course?
ALEX NOREN: I think ball tracking. Just hit the fairways. Hit enough fairways and just in the rough, like a little bit, but you need to be quite straight off the tee. It helped this week when the fairways were very firm. They were rolling, so you could hit a little bit less club off the tee, and you get a 20-, 30-yard roll sometimes and you don't have to hit that many drivers, which helps, because the fairways are narrow.

Q. Do you have a coach?
ALEX NOREN: I have a swing coach and a physio, and yeah, I've tried to work a lot with them.

Q. Did you feel you had to play aggressive today?
ALEX NOREN: For me, I had to be very aggressive. I had a good chance on 10, 12. 13, I tried to be quite a aggressive and didn't hit a good shot but I hit the green.

14, I had to be really aggressive. The only hole I was not super aggressive was 15. I tried to hit it seven metres left of the hole, and with that, I had an 8-iron in that little area out there is a little bit tough to hit. You know, make sure you get a putt for birdie because 16 is a little bit shorter.

17, you can go for it. It's all water there.

18, the pin is approachable. I had to be really aggressive. Looking at it like I played, middle of the green, really -- ball ended up in the middle of the green on three of those holes but close on 16.

Q. Everybody agrees that Le Golf National is a very good stroke-play event course, but do you think it's going to be a good match-play course?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, I think for us, it's almost a better match-play course because, you know, with all this rough, I think when you play here, you lose a lot of shots if you just hit one bad in the rough. It's not always possible to get out of it. So I took one penalty shot. I found it in the rough but I couldn't hit it.

So it just -- yeah, even better, maybe, for match play. I think more ball-striking because it's tough -- yeah, overall game, I think -- yeah, overall game.

Q. If you had been given minus 11 this morning, would you have played minus five, do you think?
ALEX NOREN: Yeah, well, I don't know. I hope so. I mean, Marcus, it's the first time he's been in the lead I think. It's tough. Sergio, I mean, he didn't play that bad. He was probably 7-under, went to 6-under or 5-under.

It's not an easy course. So I mean, a few guys -- I think it's easier to come-from-behind. You have nothing to lose. You just play. It's like going off early on a Saturday. You see a lot of guys moving up the leaderboard because conditions are a little bit easier in the mornings usually, and yeah, it's tough to explain.

Q. How well do you know Marcus, and was there any words between you threw out the week this week?
ALEX NOREN: I know him -- I mean, I know him quite well now. He's an impressive guy and I've always thought he has such a strong game. I don't know, I think he was like second in the world as an amateur, so that means a lot.

You know, you can see that, and you know, he finished quite a good result at the BMW at Wentworth, and then obviously had a chance to win here. So I mean, I don't know how old he is, but he's very young, and that's a lot better than I was at 21.

Q. Is it easier to play when you come-from-behind when you have no crowd around following the game, or do you feel pressure when you have a lot of people around you? Can you stay focused the same when you are alone or when you have a few people around you?
ALEX NOREN: I think you get used to it. You get used to having people around you. I mean, if you play with really good players or if you play with less-known players, not a lot of -- you know, I have more experience than in the past. Maybe in the past, I thought it was a bit tough, and now I'm more used to it, more experienced.

But it also gives you more, you know, possible energy.

BRIONY CARLYON: Thank you, Alex, and congratulations again.

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