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BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

May 23, 2006

Jose Maria Olazabal

VIRGINIA WATERS, ENGLAND

SCOTT CROCKETT: Jose Maria, welcome, as always. Welcome back to this championship, and indeed to tournament golf. You've had a little break. Talk about the last five weeks just being at home.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, there's not much to tell. When you're home, you're home.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Give it a go.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It's the first time I've taken five weeks off during the season. I have played ten weeks out of 12 and, well, we decided that it could be a good idea just to take a longer break. Exercise the first three weeks, I spent most of the time in the gym, and then just practice a little bit the last couple weeks. I'm feeling a little bit rusty. It's like starting all over again, but we'll see how it works.

SCOTT CROCKETT: How is the game? Have you played this week yet on the course?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I played today. Yeah, I played today. The golf course, well, it's wet, but I have to say that the changes are I think they are fair. They are good. You have to obviously you have to play better golf. The golf course is longer. It demands a higher level of accuracy now than before. We're hitting more drivers off the tee. There is a lot of bunkers well placed in position, and we're still hitting some some of the holes we're hitting longer irons, too. It's going to be a tougher golf course and a tougher challenge.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Thanks for that. Some questions for Jose Maria?

Q. And the idea of the long break was because not only have you played a lot of tournaments, but you've got a busy season coming up?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, the thing is that, you know, I wanted to play the Irish Open, but if I had played there, the U.S. Open would have been the fifth week. So I that was out of the question.

And then I had a few things to do, a couple of openings of a couple of golf courses, and those had to be done the week of the British Masters. So that was it.

Q. What's your view of how the European Ryder Cup Team is shaping up at this stage?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I haven't kept much of an eye on it. I think we are still quite far away from how the team might end up. And I'm saying this because now we have the very longest stretch of great tournaments, and, you know, players that are not on the team at the moment, they could be even quite far away, they might play two or three good events and get on the team. So I think it's too early to say.

Q. What have you made of the changes to Wentworth?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It's what I said; the golf course is playing much longer. There is a lot of bunkers now that are really in play. And once you get in those bunkers, most of the time you're not going to have a chance to go for the green; they are quite deep.

The conditions otherwise are good. The greens are fast, they are soft, and that might be at the end of the week or during the week, it might be tough for us. Because being soft greens, those footprints might affect the ball a lot more.

Apart from that, the golf course is in excellent shape. No complaints. I think Ernie has done a pretty good job at it. You know, no complaints at all. I think holes like 18 that he has really narrowed like that, to get to the green, there's no chance anymore.

And a lot of bunkers are spot on. No. 1, you have a couple of bunkers there, and well placed. 4 now is a really serious par 5. You really have to hit a good tee shot now. 5, I hit a 4 iron to the front part of the green today, even though the breeze was hurting a little bit. But if you're playing from the back, it's like 220 back there, so it's a long par 3.

6, huge change. I hit a driver and 7 iron today. Compare that to a 4 iron and a 9 iron. That gives you an idea of how the golf course has changed.

No. 9, you have three bunkers there off the tee and now you really have to put the ball in the fairway, simple as that. If you hit the ball in one of those bunkers, you're not going to get home. That's all the way around, it's like that.

Q. When you left here after the tournament was over the last couple two, three years, have you kind of thought to yourself, "that place needs toughening up?"

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: What they have done the last few years, they have toughened it up by narrowing the fairway and cutting the fairways in a different shape. So it was harder to keep the ball onto the fairway. Now, with the lengthening of the course, they have widened the fairways, which is fair. But still, you have all the bunkers in play.

I think now as I said, I think now it's a much better golf course. At least it's a tougher test, that's for sure. Now you have to really play good golf if you want to really score well. You have to hit the ball straight off the tee, and long, and, you know, you have to be as accurate as you were before with the irons.

Q. Along the same line, are you able to get on the 17th or 18th today?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, we had a downwind 17 today. I hit a pretty good drive, and I had like 275 to the front of the green. Obviously I had to draw it, but we teed off all the way back there. So if you move the tee, you can still use the back tee and move it 15 yards forward.

It depends on how the golf course is playing. You have to consider you have to take into consideration over this year, the golf course, at least today, is the wettest it's been for the last bunch of years. I mean, you have to take that in consideration, because if you get a little bit of run on the ball, like we did last two or three years, the same driver will go maybe those 10 or 15 yards longer. You know, it's something that you have to play with.

Q. What did you use for your second shot, nonetheless, today, on the 17th?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: 3 wood. Could have reached it.

Q. And 18th?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Driver and a 3 wood.

Q. Cabrera said there's less chance of going out of bounds on 17.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, maybe for him. Maybe if you're hitting very straight. I mean, with the new tee on 17, for the average hitter, not for the long hitter, but the average hitter, it's going to be probably a little bit harder to, yes, because you don't get that sharp corner.

But on the other hand, if you hit that tee shot left, you might not go out of bounds. But from where you're going to end up, you're going to be in two where your tee shot should are have been. You are only going to be able to just chip it sideways. So you're going to have a 3 wood, at least, for your third shot.

Q. And the water around the left of the 8th green?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yeah, the water is in play on the right, especially for any pin position on the left edge of the green there. Before with the long pin position left, the water actually was not in play, but now it is. As soon as that ball kicks off that bunker, you're going to hit in the water.

Every hole is tougher now, without question. Even 11, before off the tee for long hitters, they could hit a driver and fly the ball all the over the bunkers. Now they won't be able to do that. Even for us, we're going to have to have a good tee shot off the tee with a driver just to carry. It puts more pressure off the tee.

Q. Bearing in mind your own experience as an architect, and thinking of Augusta which was very lengthened and the changes here, is this the future of tournament golf courses?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, the future I think that's what they are doing. I don't think we are going to go much longer than whatever we're getting now, 7,500 yards; anything on that range is long enough. Doesn't matter how long you hit the ball.

But, obviously, that's the trend. There is less and less golf courses like, let's say, Hilton Head or Colonial or places like that where you don't really need to hit the ball that far and you have to position the ball. There is less and less golf courses like that.

I think we're going in that direction, yes.

Q. How well did you have to play at Augusta to score what you did?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Much better than I did before. I mean, it's a different golf course. When I first put foot on that golf course, obviously, I was an amateur in '85. But even the first few years as a professional, and when I won in '94, there was no first cut. The fairways were 40 yards wide. You know, the golf course was much shorter. It's a different golf course.

Now, they are putting a premium on driving and they are keeping the premium on the rest of the game. So that's why it's so difficult.

Q. How do you feel about that?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Well, I have just a few more years in me to play, so, you know, I feel sorry for the boys behind. (Laughter).

Q. Did you enjoy it less?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Enjoy less? The enjoyment is there. It's that it's more demanding, as simple as that. Obviously you're not going to enjoy it as much because you know a shot that was not close to perfect before, you could still, you know, play the course. You could still have a chance to go for the green. You could still hit a good shot on to the green. That doesn't happen anymore.

So I guess in a way, the enjoyment is less. But the enjoyment is still there. The challenge is there. Anybody that really loves a challenge, you know, should enjoy it.

Q. On a different subject, do you think every prominent member of The European Tour should be here this week?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I don't know what to say. (Laughter) Is somebody missing here this week?

Q. There's one notable. Would you feel there's a responsibility of the top players to play in the flagship event?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Responsibility? Up to a certain point. Let's face it, the season is long. You know, there is a lot of tournaments to be played. You have to choose your tournaments. Sometimes even if you make quite an effort it still might not work your way.

I don't know who is missing, but, you know, I've always said that we have to respect whatever the decision is. You know, I've always tried to play here. One year, it might not fit, I don't know, especially next year, we're changing well, it's going to be a tough year with all of the changes in the U.S. Tour. It might be even more difficult to come here and play. And we're going to have TPC is going to be in May. So, well, it's something to really I think the tour should keep an eye on it and see how it can match the week so it can fit for everybody.

Q. How much thought have you put into next year already, as to where and when you're going to play?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I have enough time of a job thinking about what I have to do this afternoon on the driving range, and that's telling enough. So I'm not thinking about next year.

Q. How rusty is rusty?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It is rusty. Really thick. (Laughter).

No, I played the last two weeks, and I haven't hit the ball well to be honest. I'm really concerned about that. But, you know, all I can do is just try to play good golf and try to find my swing again. I didn't hit the ball great today. I didn't hit it bad. But I didn't like what I saw on the last two weeks, let's put it that way.

Q. Even though it's two weeks, how do you play when you go out and practice? Do you hit four or five balls off every tee?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: It depends. Sometimes I might play with a few friends. Sometimes I go on my own, and as you said, I might try to hit different shots on the golf course. It depends. It's not one way to practice. I think you have to sometimes I take half of a set. You know, different ways. All of those three possibilities I think cover all.

Q. Just to go back to the golf course, someone who hits the ball as far as you do, can you still win here?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: As far as I do? Are you telling me I'm a short hitter?

Q. No, I didn't say that.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Get out of here, stay away. He's not coming in anymore.

SCOTT CROCKETT: He won't be back. (Laughter).

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: Yeah, if you are really a short hitter, a really short hitter, you're going to have a harder time winning here now, that's for sure.

But as far as you far enough what is far enough? Let's say average hitter, I mean.

Q. What's that?

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL: I don't know, 270, 280, that's pretty much average. If you hit it 240, you're going to struggle, but I don't see anybody hitting 240 yards these days on Tour. You know, I think you can win, no problem. Depends on how the golf course is playing. I mean, the faster the golf course, the better chance the shorter hitter has. You know, the harder or faster the golf course, the more difficult to putt a ball on the fairway. I mean, today, for instance, as far as the ball was going towards the fairway, the ball was pitching and stopping. But that same ball, you know, is going just to the edge, and if it takes one bounce, it can end up in the bunker.

I think anybody can win still around here.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Jose Maria, go knock some of that rust off. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.

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