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MAYAKOBA GOLF CLASSIC AT RIVIERA MAYA - CANCUNFebruary 21, 2007Carlos FrancoRIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Welcome, Carlos. We're very happy to have you here. Have you had a chance to play the course? CARLOS FRANCO: Yes, I've played my first 18 holes yesterday. It's a gorgeous golf course. It's just a few months old, but the conditions and the shape the golf course is in is just spectacular. The beauty and the images you see here are out of this world. Q. Is this a very large turning point for golfers from Paraguay like yourself? CARLOS FRANCO: Yes, we're very fortunate. But golf is Paraguay is growing very fast and we have to take advantage of the opportunity God has given us in a special talent to be able to go all over the world playing golf, which is a very difficult game to play. It's not like football or soccer which has thousands and millions of players and a team sport. But this is a very tough, personal, individual game. Q. Along the same lines, golf in Ecuador, having played in other tournaments in México and Latin America, how do you feel coming here from Paraguay? CARLOS FRANCO: Well, as I always said, Paraguay has very good golfers, and we're trying to improve our game day by day. We have very good representatives of our country in other sports like soccer, and now we're having some good representatives in the game of golf. But we're sorely lacking in facilities, golf courses, equipment. We don't have a tour within our country. We only have four golf courses in the capital city and very few others scattered around the country. So this makes it very difficult. I consider myself fortunate and lucky and very good at playing golf because with such limited facilities at our disposal, I've been able to play very well in many tournaments around the world. Q. What were the difficulties that you faced with such limited facilities to be able to learn and play as well as you do? CARLOS FRANCO: Well, because of the fact of my life, I have been brought up in a very humble home, and I have been very fortunate that I was lucky to join a family in good economic standing that adopted me in certain terms and gave me the chance to play golf since an early age. It has been a great sacrifice for me. I've had great needs, economic; I've had hunger for the sport; I've had hunger for food, and all of this has made me strive to become even better. Q. Can I ask you about this golf course, what do you think about it? Is there anything like this in Paraguay, and also can you talk about the humidity and temperature and the wind? CARLOS FRANCO: Well, I've had lots of experience playing in golf courses all over the world. This golf course is very windy and it's quite warm. The sun really burns. But this golf course is open for everybody and whoever comes out on a good day can win this tournament. Everybody has a good chance. That is why we're all here because we know that any one of us on a given day, we can win this tournament. But the golf course is in excellent condition; even though it's a very brand new course, only a few months old. Greg Norman has done a fabulous job in designing and building this golf course, and we're all very happy to be here. Q. Is there any significance for the Latin American players to be in this first-ever PGA TOUR event in México? CARLOS FRANCO: Yes, it's very, very important. There are three of us from Paraguay, and this is a very important stepping stone for us to have a PGA tournament in a Latin America country, particularly in México. We're fortunate to be -- very fortunate to be here. We don't know when we would have a PGA tournament somewhere else in South America, but it's good to know that we already have one here in México. Q. Is this a big dream for many South American golfers? CARLOS FRANCO: Yes, it certainly is. You have to be mentally and physically prepared. You have to be on top of your game and you have to be very eager to make the sacrifice to come and play here. This probably already is or is going to be the biggest tournament, the most important tournament, in Latin America. Q. What do you think about the 64 players that could be here but are not here? CARLOS FRANCO: The top 64 are playing at the WGC Accenture Match Play in Phoenix, and we're sorry they are not here, but it makes no difference. We're still here to do our best job and we're all going to try to win. I would like to win here so I could get my card for the next two years, and I have a good chance. JOEL SCHUCHMANN: Carlos Franco, thank you very much. End of FastScripts |
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