home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

May 27, 2005

Peter Hedblom

SURREY, ENGLAND

SCOTT CROCKETT: All right, everyone, Peter, you just said you can't stop smiling, that's to be expected, a fantastic round of 65. You must be absolutely delighted with that second round.

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, I thought today was I thought it was playing very tough. I mean, it was so hard, especially the beginning of front nine to get any idea where the wind was, it was so hard. But I got lucky there. I made birdie on 8 and 9. I got lucky to bring the right club, hit the right club and birdie 8 and 9. That was a start.

SCOTT CROCKETT: I suppose a three shot lead after the end of the day was a long way after you bogeyed the first. What happened there?

PETER HEDBLOM: I hit a 3 wood right of the fairway and in the rough and hit a really good shot with a 7 iron. Ran over the green and hit a bad chip and missed the putt.

SCOTT CROCKETT: But then it all went right. You birdied the fourth.

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, hit a 3 wood on the fourth and a 4 iron into the green and pretty far away from the flag, probably like 15, 12 meters or something, and 2 putted for birdie.

SCOTT CROCKETT: And the start of a run; you birdied 8.

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, on 8, I hit a 3 wood and a really good pitching wedge up to about 15 feet and holed it for birdie. And that was I think that was the change. After that, I felt really comfortable on the greens.

9, I hit a good 3 wood again and great pitching wedge from, that was really tough. I hit a great wedge shot to about seven feet and knocked that in, as well.

10, I hit a 7 iron just rolled off the green, just over the green and putted it and was probably about 15, 16 feet and then knocked that in.

On 11, I hit 3 wood sand iron to about, yeah, six, seven feet.

Then 12, hit 3 wood 6 iron right of the green and chipped it up.

16, I hit 3 iron, sand iron to about 13 feet.

17, 3 wood right of the fairway, chipped it out with an 8 iron and sand iron just short of the green and holed it from about seven yards maybe.

Q. Putting or chipping?

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, putting.

Q. Four or five putts 15 feet, 21 feet, and everybody else has said the greens are difficult. Peter, why did you find them a lot easier?

PETER HEDBLOM: I don't know. I said that to my caddie, because I've been struggling on the greens the whole year and even last year. All of the sudden, you know, even if I try to miss, I wouldn't miss. It always runs right toward the hole and bang in the hole. Sometimes the thing just runs your way I guess. Today it ran my way. Hopefully it can continue for another two rounds.

Q. Most people had gone, apart from us, what was it like coming up the stretch when you're three shots clear and not many people in the galleries; is it a bit surreal?

PETER HEDBLOM: No, I thought it was I enjoyed it. It was pretty nice even though it wasn't that many people there. You know, everything felt good. So it was just, you know, it was like a nice walk, good weather, warm weather and I played really good golf. So it was, you know it didn't feel that strange actually. It didn't feel like I've been playing with a lot of people in a long time, so it felt like normal.

Q. You've had a couple of playoff losses in your career, were you as far ahead of as this at any point in those tournaments?

PETER HEDBLOM: No. I tell you what, I think this is the second time in my life that I'm leading a European Tour event after two rounds. Last time I did it, I won, so hopefully that's a good omen.

Q. That was the point I was about to make; the last time you won was a long time ago, nine years ago, but you've had a lot of things happen to you in between. Could you just briefly tell us what it feels like to be back in contention?

PETER HEDBLOM: It feels, you know, it feels great. Like I said, I had some good finishes in 2003. I lost two playoffs, and last year, I came second in Spain, but I haven't been leading for a while.

So, I mean, it's been a long, long journey since I won last time, 1996 in Morocco. My career has been so much up and down, I'm struggling, and I got it back and after I broke my leg in 2001. After that, actually my game has just been improving and even though last year, you know, it wasn't that as good as I was hoping after a good season, 2003, I was hoping to win it, get more in 2004 and I didn't.

This year, it's been feeling good, but I've been struggling on the greens. I haven't been holing enough putts, and if you don't hole any putts, I think I'm ranked 140th in the putting, if you're around there, you're not going to be in contention a lot. It's nice, I start rolling them in and I am contention.

Q. Do you still go on the ice rink at all?

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, still do. You can't break a leg two times.

Q. Can't you?

PETER HEDBLOM: No, I've still been playing games, yeah.

Q. What was the incident, a competitive game?

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, we played, when I broke it 2001, we play every year, we play a competitive game, golfers against golfers, and I got a big hit from one of the biggest guys and hit and broke my leg. I've been playing ice hockey since I was six years old. So it's like running, and you normally don't break a leg that easy in ice hockey. Probably easier to play football or play some other sports and actually break a leg. Ice hockey seems like a tough sport, but you have all the pads on, so it's not that bad actually. I broke it down on my ankle.

Q. Who hit you?

PETER HEDBLOM: That was a Swedish guy. You don't know who it is, but he was playing on the Swedish golf tour. His name was David Lindqist, a big guy, 150 kilos, right in my back. But like I said, it was probably good for me because after that my golf started to get back in shape.

Q. You should give him a cut.

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, after I win here.

Q. When did you last play?

PETER HEDBLOM: Last played? I played a game in December. I played you can play ice hockey or you can play another sport, where you don't play with that much contact. And my golf club has a team, so I'm actually playing with my home club. We call it hockey bockey. So you're playing with not as much pads, but I've been playing like five, six games with them.

Q. Where are you from in Sweden?

PETER HEDBLOM: I'm from a town called GÃƒÂ¤vle, which is a big ice hockey town, the team in the Swedish Premiere League. Like I said, there's we have a lot of cold winters and snow, so a lot of people can skate.

Q. Where is that in Sweden?

PETER HEDBLOM: It's about two hours north of Stockholm.

Q. Is it on the coast?

PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah.

Q. Any NHL players in there?

PETER HEDBLOM: In my team? Yeah, yeah.

Q. From your town?

PETER HEDBLOM: Oh, yeah, plenty. Not plenty but there's been a few, yeah.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Peter, well played. Good luck to you.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297