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

THE RYDER CUP MATCHES

September 20, 2006

Sergio Garcia

STRAFFAN, IRELAND

SCOTT CROCKETT: Sergio, thanks as always for coming in to join us. Welcome to warm and sunny Ireland. You must be enjoying the balmy, almost Spanish temperatures out there.

SERGIO GARCIA: It was actually a good temperature. It wasn't cold at all, just a bit rainy and a bit windy. It was fun. We got out there this morning and played nine holes. We had a nice little match going. As tough as it was, it was quite enjoyable.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Good fun with the crowds again.

SERGIO GARCIA: Definitely. Crowds, it's just unbelievable how many people get out there, and even today with the problems we had with the weather, you know, the hurricane coming and everything that is going around, still, you know, we're just looking outside the window before I came into the media centre, it was just packed. It's unbelievable to see. It's quite impressive.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Good atmosphere, good interaction between yourselves and the crowds.

Q. Any question of anybody being concerned about their swings in these conditions?

SERGIO GARCIA: About their what?

Q. About their swings being sort of ruffled in the wind or not.

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I guess that's why we decided to only play nine holes. We had scheduled to play 18 today. But unfortunately with everything that was going around and the weather not being as good as we would like to, we all decided to take it a bit easy today, play nine holes, don't focus too much on trying to practise too much today. You can easily get out of rhythm in this kind of wind.

Q. But not in nine holes?

SERGIO GARCIA: Sorry?

Q. But not in nine holes?

SERGIO GARCIA: It was good. I think the important thing is we're playing a couple little matches to keep us away from thinking too much about, you know, about the shots, just kind of trying to get it somehow done and hopefully beat the opponents we're playing with. So that made it a bit more fun to play in this kind of weather.

Q. Can you tell us a little bit about the team talks you've been receiving from Captain Woosnam this week, and what are the leadership qualities you feel he's bringing to the team?

SERGIO GARCIA: I think he's doing great. He's definitely stepping up and, you know, saying everything that he feels like it's great to say to bring the team spirit and bring our confidence up. So no, he's been quite chatty, he's been quite funny. So it's been a very good experience so far, and I'm sure he's just going to keep doing great.

Q. Could you talk about the satisfaction of winning the Ryder Cup compared to winning an individual tournament?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, it's just different. First of all, I mean, Ryder Cup is that, it's the Ryder Cup. There's no better word, no better phrase to describe it. It's just a special event. We only play it every two years and that makes it even more special because you don't get to play it too often. It's quite difficult to qualify for it, to get into the team.

I think if you add everything and you kind of mix it up, put it all together, it just makes for an unbelievable week. I've been fortunate enough to win two of them, and just the experiences I've had in the Ryder Cup has been great, how close you get to your playing partners, how much you share in that week.

Even the one we lost at Brookline was great, too. For me it was really nice, it was my first one, I was just out on Tour and I really got to know a lot of the players, a lot of the top players. So that for me was one of the best experiences of my life. Even though we lost that Ryder Cup, it was that good.

Q. Is it more satisfying than winning an individual event?

SERGIO GARCIA: Definitely, yeah.

Q. A couple of things. Tom Lehman was saying that Tiger is becoming more of a leader in the locker room. Now as you're Europe's highest ranked player and three Ryder Cups behind you, do you find yourself doing the same thing? And Tiger, I have heard that you quite fancied playing him a few times this week, basically said, "bring it on." Is that something that you'd relish as well?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I haven't said anything like that, not even in the team room or anything. I'll play whoever, whoever I can and whoever I'm supposed to.

The only thing I can do is hopefully play my best and help the team get some points. I don't care if I play Tiger or whoever I play. You know, I think that the important thing, it's not about beating an individual here. It's about beating a team and that's what we want to do.

About the first question, I think that we're all pretty comfortable. We kind of chitchat and we just have fun talking to each other. I'd probably say if there is a leader in the team, probably Monty, but we're pretty much all the same. We just try to make everybody feel comfortable on the team. So, you know, just having a good relationship with each other, within each other, and just spending some nice quality time and some good laughs there helps a lot.

Q. How about the rookies? Have you taken it on yourself to speak to the rookies, again, as the youngest player?

SERGIO GARCIA: It's been great. Both Swedes, they are good. I know both of them. I have a good relationship with them. You know, it's been you know, they have been very open. They have been very chatty and, you know, quite good fun. So it's been easy to talk to any of the guys on the team. It's just been very simple.

Q. Sergio, there's a lot of talk about four rookies on the American team. You actually had a very good rookie year when you played your first Ryder Cup. How difficult is it for Europe to play well and what sort of pressures will come on them?

SERGIO GARCIA: I guess it's not easy. Mainly at the beginning, first day, if you play, you hit your first shot at the Ryder Cup, you feel quite nervous.

But, at the same time, you kind of get into it a little bit as the day goes on, and you start feeling more and more comfortable. I think it's important to have a nice partner that knows the way you're feeling and kind of grabs you a little bit and compliments everything you do and, you know, doesn't give you any weird looks if you miss a shot or miss a putt or anything like that. You know, that always helps.

I was fortunate, I played with Jesper the first Ryder Cup, and he was great with that. He was, you know, just all over me all the time and just keeping me happy. He knew that was the way he was going to be able to get the most out of my game, and he did great, as it turned out.

Q. Do you feel that this is the deepest European Team in terms of talent that you've been on, and secondly, can you embrace the title favourites and turn them into an advantage?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, we are all very happy about the team, definitely. We feel like we're playing nicely. We feel like we're bonding nicely, too. So that is important.

What was the other thing?

Q. People are saying that Europe are favourites for this week. I'm just wondering, can you take the Tiger favourites and turn that into an advantage?

SERGIO GARCIA: I wouldn't say we don't feel like we're favourites. We do feel like we're playing well. We do feel like we're going to have our chances. I still feel the Americans have an unbelievable team.

You know, the way they qualify, it's probably a bit tougher than the way we do. You know, I'm not saying that you don't have to play well to get into the Ryder Cup, into the European Ryder Cup Team, but you play two or three tournaments where you finish 50th, you're still adding points to at least get into the team.

The only way you can get into the American team is finish in the Top 10. You probably have got to win at least maybe once, almost twice to get into the team. So that shows you that it's a strong team they are bringing here, and we definitely don't want to give them a chance and thinking, you know, we're favourites here, we're going to win this easy and it happens, the opposite.

We want to stay and keep our feet on the ground, realise how strong the American team is and just do what we know how to do receive.

Q. Seve, the Ryder Cup

SERGIO GARCIA: Seve?

Q. My question is about Seve. Sorry, Sergio.

SCOTT CROCKETT: That was a Freudian slip.

Q. Watching the Ryder Cup growing up, did that add to your passion for the event and have you had many conversations with him?

SERGIO GARCIA: Definitely, I definitely did have some conversations with him about it. I remember '99 when I was going to play my first and he told me all about it, he told me how amazing it is and it was a totally different feeling. So that was great for me to get to know a little bit of the Ryder Cup by a man that has played so many and done so well on it.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see many Ryder Cups growing up because in Spain, you really didn't get to see many of them. They never really showed them on national television or anything like that.

But it's been an unbelievable experience. I mean, I wouldn't give it back. It's just definitely I'll probably say my favourite event. I'm really happy to be here.

Q. Don't want you to shoot me because I'm only the messenger, but going back to what David was talking about earlier on, it was said in a press conference this morning to Tiger that you had said at some stage or other that he had not performed as well as he should have done and that you wouldn't mind taking him on two or three times. I'd just like you to confirm that you never said that because it may well have acted as a spark.

SERGIO GARCIA: No, I've never said that. I definitely don't mind playing him. I've played him before in the Ryder Cup and I've been fortunate enough to do pretty well against him. I guess I've had some nice partners.

But, no, no, I've never said that. I think that he's a wonderful player. He's playing really nicely, and as we all know, he's won five in a row until last week. So I think that it's important, as I said before, to keep your feet on the ground, and whoever you play, just do your best and hopefully get some points for the team.

Q. One of the aspects of the Presidents Cup, a similar competition, is that the captains match the games by hand. Do you like that kind of a system; would you prefer it? And if so, would you fancy yourself as the guy who would be kind of the No. 1 guy to take on whoever the big gun is on the other side?

SERGIO GARCIA: You know, I think the Ryder Cup is great the way it is. That's why it's different. I've never played a Presidents Cup. I don't think I ever will let me think about it (laughing). I don't know. I don't know if the guys that play the Presidents Cup get the sensations, get the feelings we get in playing the Ryder Cup. I think it's quite difficult to match, and I think that everything that the Ryder Cup has, it makes it special. So it shouldn't change at all. I don't really think it would be good for it, and you know, I guess that answers your second question.

Q. This event has sort of a patriotic turn to it. How much is patriotism a part of your own motivation, whether it's defending your European identity or just the joy of beating the Americans?

SERGIO GARCIA: Well, I think that of course playing for Europe, it's something that you can never say no. So that is important. I think for me the most important thing, of course, I am all playing for Europe and we are all playing for Europe. When we get out there, you know, we're thinking about our teammates, we're trying as hard as we can for our teammates, and you know, I think that's important to make sure that your teammates feel that, you know, you really care about them and how you're trying your hardest.

It just a great feeling that you get when you get out there and see all of the people pushing and cheering for you, and it's something that, you know, you don't get to see too often throughout the year. It definitely gets you going a little bit.

Of course, the main goal is beating the Americans so we can win the Ryder Cup, so that is involved there. But as I said before, I said it before and I will always say it; I will go five losses and zero wins playing five games if that means we're going to beat the American team. I would rather go that way than have five wins, zero losses and we lose the Ryder Cup.

At the end of the day, it's about that. I don't care about, you know, of course I'm going to try to win as many points as I can for my team. But if I have to choose between those two, I know which one I'll choose.

Q. José Maria is back on the team again after seven year absence. What kind of role is he playing in the team room, what does he bring to the team do you think, and how would you describe your relationship with him?

SERGIO GARCIA: Oh, it's great. We have a great relationship. You know, we're good friends, coming both from Spain. Of course, he's got a lot more experience than I do in these kind of situations. But, no, he's been great. He's been very open, very funny. I had the pleasure of playing with him also at Brookline in '99, and you know, as Monty said the other day in the team room, any team without José Maria Olazábal, it's a weaker team.

So we'll take him any time, even if he's not playing his best. He's just that good at match play and at getting the ball in the hole. It's just impressive how well he can do. He's actually playing nicely. We played today and he's hitting the ball very nicely. So I'm looking forward to seeing him have a great Ryder Cup.

Q. You played very well when big storm blew through Muirfield at The Open Championship. Would you say that these sort of wild conditions suit your game?

SERGIO GARCIA: I've always enjoyed if I could choose, I'll take the rain away, but I've always enjoyed these kind of conditions, kind of windy and you get a it's not always hitting the same shot. You know, you're hitting I don't know, you're hitting some drives that are going 340 yards with no roll, and you get to the next hole and you're hitting a 140 yard 7 iron. So it just changes dramatically.

I think it brings a lot of, you know, your feel into play, your creativity. So I've always enjoyed that, that kind of play. I've always felt like when the wind has been blowing at the British Open, I've always felt like I could move up the leaderboard a bit easier than if I had to play just normal golf where it's pretty much just hit it close and put it in.

Q. Buenas tardes.

SERGIO GARCIA: Buenas tardes. Qué tal?

Q. If the weather conditions continue like this, does it favour more to the Europeans or to the Americans?

SERGIO GARCIA: I would probably say it gives us a little edge. Of course it's going to be difficult for everybody. But I'll say we're more used to playing these kind of conditions. I wouldn't you know, as we're talking about it, I wouldn't mind having these kind of conditions. As I said before, hopefully no rain because that makes it a bit more uncomfortable.

I think we've always enjoyed these kind of conditions, but pretty much because we grew up in these kind of conditions, and maybe the Americans are not so used to it.

Q. Can you just give me your thoughts perhaps on the influence of the crowds and the spectators, particularly for The European Team and for the Irish players?

SERGIO GARCIA: I actually can't wait to start and see how it develops. But already in the practise rounds, it's been a lot of fun. The crowd is getting quite into it already in the practise rounds. I just I can't wait to see how it's going to be as soon as the matches start and you get some birdies going, some winners and some losers. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and the crowd is definitely going to be huge depending on which way we go.

I know we're going to got a lot of help from them and we're going to need it. So it's going to be important.

SCOTT CROCKETT: Sergio, as always thanks very much.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297