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BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN

June 23, 2019

Andrea Pavan

Munich, Germany

THE MODERATOR: After the first round, you were top of the leaderboard, and things changed a little bit. You started today four shots behind. How did you feel this morning before you teed off?

ANDREA PAVAN: I felt okay. You know, just I didn't have a great start of the season. I guess I didn't have many good -- I had okay results. I just had a lot of like not-very-good first rounds, so was always out of it.

So this week, I started well and all of a sudden I'm in it. So it was nice, and obviously today, I was I think tied ninth, four shots off. I thought, you know, I didn't have that many guys in front of me, but I thought, if I can get to 15 maybe, if the leaders don't do too well, I could have a chance.

But then I was playing and I was just like, you know, just trying to make birdies and playing my way through the golf course. We actually decided to lay up on 16 and play a little safer, and then be aggressive on the last just because I thought, you know, with an eagle, I had a good chance to win and ended up being good enough on 15 to put myself in a playoff.

Yeah, it's never easy when you're way in front because you never know what's going on. I feel like it's almost easier when you're in the lead. Obviously it's more difficult to start in the lead because you have more pressure, but you want to be aggressive when you're having a good round but at the same time, you don't know exactly what's going to happen. So I knew I just needed to post a good number.

The playoff, it's difficult, all the rain after, and it's not really a tee shot I'm very keen to hit driver on. So I thought, good two 3-woods and it was enough and obviously I didn't hit very good two 3-woods.

Yeah, could have gone both ways. Matt had a break and his ball stayed out of the hazard. The greens are never easy after you get so much rain. You don't know how they react, and there is obviously the pressure to win.

So yeah, I was just -- when I hit that wedge shot, I thought it was going to be so good. Just heard the crowd roar, and it was good. I think at that point, after I hit my bad second shot, you know, it was Matt's advantage. It's not an easy bunker shot, those 30-yard bunker shots. I feel very blessed, lucky to have won. But it could have gone both ways.

Q. Second win on The European Tour in the space of a year. Has it sunk in yet, now that it sort of happened?
ANDREA PAVAN: No, not yet to be honest. I don't know, it takes a long time. The first win was unreal because I was in the lead, tied the lead. I was behind and then I had a good back nine and ended up winning and that was really satisfying.

This one is a lot different, and you know, I won on The Challenge Tour. Every win is special. But this one, with the year I was having -- with the year I was having result-wise, it was -- I felt like something good was going to happen, but you just -- it's not easy. I think to have a very good year like last year, and then not start the season very well, you can get frustrated. But you know, my coach, Corey Lundgren and I, we sat back, and before the coming year, we had a lot of good preparation.

It was tough missing the U.S. Open in the playoff, similar to this, you know. So you're here, like didn't want to go out in that playoff, but this one felt a little easier that way in that it was only two guys instead of five.

Q. Not your first playoff win, either. You won on The Challenge Tour in a playoff.
ANDREA PAVAN: Yes, I did. I was thinking about it while I was playing; that I had -- you know, it took me a few holes to win that one. And yeah, I mean, I didn't feel like I produced my best golf in the playoff, but Playoffs are never easy, and it was a long day, so yeah, really proud the way I hung in there.

Q. Tell me more about your college career. You grew up in Italy and then you went over to Texas?
ANDREA PAVAN: Yes, I lived in Italy until I was 17 and then finished high school. Finished high school a little earlier. Got a scholarship. Went to Texas A&M. Did my studies. I felt like I was too young. My game was good, but not like to the top guys. I felt like I needed to compete well in amateur events in order to then take the next step and it was a great experience to play in America. I mean, I met my wife, and now we have two kids. I feel very blessed.

Q. You still live over there?
ANDREA PAVAN: Yes, we moved there three years ago after I lost my card here. We decided to move there because we wanted to start a family. My wife is from there and it's a little easier for her to be near her family. I really like America and I really like Dallas and Texas. It's very easy to live there. Obviously I love traveling, too. My dad was a pilot, and my mom was a flight attendant, so I grew up traveling a lot.

So you know, I don't feel like -- I mean, obviously now when you have kids, it's a little harder to leave, but I really enjoy traveling the world. Yes, it would be a little easier playing, living in Europe and playing The European Tour, but it seems to make it work because the last two years, I was living in the States and playing on The European Tour, got two wins. When I was living in Italy, I didn't do so well.

Q. Do you still feel like when you won, I was watching Filippo (Bergamaschi) standing next to the green and he took his cap off. You played together today. How much is there a connection between the two of you?
ANDREA PAVAN: Yeah, we know each other from amateur golf. He's a little bit younger than myself, but he has had a tough start to the season. He got his card at Q-School, so it's never easy. But he's a good player, and he -- you know, I thought -- obviously I was focused on my game and I thought he played nicely. He had a lot of chances, but I think he finished just outside the Top-10. It was a good week. Good boost of confidence.

Also, sometimes it's nice to play with someone, like who started the same. You think he could probably have easily shot as low as I did. I think you just need experience. For some guys, it just comes up and it takes off immediately. Other guys, it takes a lot longer.

Q. And then there was that beautiful scene with you and your caddie, which I absolutely loved.
ANDREA PAVAN: I expected it. I thought, he's going to jump, because he did my first win.

Q. But you guys did a good jump -- what was it, you said 145 yards was the last shot? Was that a good number for you?
ANDREA PAVAN: No, it wasn't. We were like really in between. But in the practice round, we hit a lot of like three-quarter shots, and even when we had like a full number, we would hit one ball like a full shot and then we would take one more club and try to club it down.

Yeah, it was pretty much a little more than that because I thought gap wedge wasn't going to be enough, and it's never easy to hit very controlled shots under pressure, but yeah, I mean, my iron game is the best part of my game.

So I felt like this week, I also putted well and I drove the ball pretty well. So I mean, it kind of went all together. But I relied on my strength and that's what you do under pressure. You kind of have to trust it.

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