WGC EMC WORLD CUP

November 18, 2001

Thomas Bjorn

THOMAS BJORN: Yeah, we did a lot of things right out there today and have done all week. We actually haven't made a bogey all week, and all of a sudden it came in the playoff and that was unfortunate. But we're very happy with what we did. We came in here and knew there were some good teams here. Really, what we had our sights on was the playoff and we did fantastic today to shoot 65 in foursome. That's a really, really good job done and it was just -- when you go out in a four-way playoff, it's really a bit of a loss, really. I hit one bad shot on that second playoff hole and that cost us a chance to win the tournament. But we are happy with what we did. It's obviously disappointing when you are in there, but for Soren, it was a great week. It was a taste for him of what he looks to in the future. He's got a huge talent and he's a great player and it was nice for him to go out in a playoff with players like Tiger and David and Ernie and Retief and it was nice for him to get a taste of that.

THOMAS BJORN: I saw Tiger and David birdie 17. With their length, I thought they had a chance. But I must say, when I saw David hit it down there on the right, I didn't see them having much chance. But Tiger is a different person than the rest of us and he does things on the last hole that probably only Nicklaus has done throughout time, and that's something special. And he seems to come up with it every time and that's why the game of golf is great at the moment. And Retief, he has been fantastic and to see him hit that shot on the last, you are now starting to expect him to do things like that. I was more impressed by the shot Retief hit in the playoff on the first playoff hole out of the bunker, which was just an unbelievable golf shot. And to say for us, to be in there with him, it's a great experience. It adds to everything that we do and it's good for Danish golf, too, to see guys up there. We have done really well this week, but I had my sights setting on really a playoff with us and New Zealand; and if New Zealand had birdied the last they would have won the tournament; and they must be the ones that are feeling probably the most devastated about what's happened out there. They certainly had their chance today and they let it slip a little bit. We shot 65 in a foursome and you can't expect anything more than that. We did really, really well. And any time you go into a playoff, well, it's down to one shot. It's down to the guys that have a bit more experience and you don't find much more experience than Ernie and Retief.

THOMAS BJORN: I always fancied somebody else -- I really looked at the scores yesterday and I always fancied that 24-under had a chance of winning this tournament. But everybody played well today. That just goes to show that some of the best golfers in the world are here and you can't expect -- you can't expect anything, no matter how well you play. I thought we had a chance at 24-under, but when we came in the clubhouse it looked like 25 (-under) should win the tournament, so we can only be happy with what's happened out there, and to play 72 holes without a bogey is really, really good golf.

THOMAS BJORN: No, not at all. We kind of got rushed off the golf course and I think we are both disappointed, being in that situation. But I think more than me, Soren will go away from here with the feeling that he's achieved something, he's done something right, and he can take that further on in his career; that he's been out there playing with the big boys, and there was a lot of good players in that playoff. The more times he gets out there and try and feel the heat from them, the more he's going to realize how good of a player he really is. He's done tremendous this week. He's played some fantastic golf and he's got a great future ahead of him. Obviously, he's disappointed right now, but I don't think he will go away from here feeling that it's been a bad week. I think he'll go away from here with a lot of confidence in his own abilities as a golfer, and that's really what he needs. He just needs to have a little bit more belief in himself and he'll be fine.