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SEVE TROPHY

September 25, 2007

Seve Ballesteros

KILLENARD, IRELAND

Q. It needs an Irishman, doesn't it, this event?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Well, Nick Faldo is the captain and he chooses the players that he really believe was best for his team. Unfortunately it was not an Irish player.
It could be in the future, and this is very serious what I'm saying, that not a British player will be on the team. It could happen in the future. I'm not saying next year, next time, but it could happen.
You know, the new generation arrive, and if you look around the Tour, a lot of people say, well, there's no names on the Tour, no good players, this and that. No, no, they are all champions. They are all good players. The point is that, you know, it takes time to build up your name and because it's a new generation -- look at my team, you know. We have Ilonen from Finland, Hanson from Denmark, Markus Brier from Austria, and Castano, young champion from Spain.
The people in general, they may say, well, it's not a good team but that's not true. It's a good team. It's a good team. The problem is it takes time to build up your own name, simple as that.

Q. When Thomas Björn won the first time, everybody said, who was he and suddenly you get to know the players better.
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Fuzzy Zoeller, first time he played in the Masters, he won. Nobody knew who Fuzzy Zoeller is but he became a good player.

Q. How important is it that the event that bears your name, Seve Trophy, attracts big crowds?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Well, I don't have any doubts it will be full of people this week. I don't have any doubts. That's one of the reasons we are here. The Irish people never let down any competition in Ireland, whether it's the National Open or a local tournament. They always show up. Even if it's raining or snow or anything. Look at the Druids Glen where we played for the first time and it was the first time we played, there was thousands of people there.
I don't have any doubts that people will show up.

Q. Even if there's no --
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Those people are great champions. Those people are great players. Those people will bring a great show for the people to watch, no question about that.

Q. People might argue that the difference between now and when you had the tournament in Druids Glen is that there's so much more golf to be watched on television that people are saturated with golf. Does golf need another event like the Seve Trophy? Why do we have the Seve Trophy?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I'm surprised you ask me that question. I think there should be more team events. There's nothing better than to watch a team event competition, and I'll tell you why.
First of all, it's because it's match play. We need more match play.
And then second, is that when you play a team event, you allow the crowd to participate as your team, instead of you go to a regular tournament and people in groups, they choose their own favorite player. Here, you say that's Hanson's ball, that's Thomas Björn's ball, that's whoever's ball. But on the team, they say it's us, let's stay, that's the difference. People participate more in the competition. I really believe that there should be more team events and it should be more match play. I have no doubts about that.
What the people are saturated is about having, you know, how many events on The European Tour? 53. There is too much. There is too much golf. I think on the Tour it should be no more than 37 tournaments or 35. When you see week-by-week the same thing, that's when you get boring or saturated by so much golf.
Same thing happened with tennis before. You know, you can only -- it's like football. Suppose that you have football through all the year every Sunday. Sooner or later, you get fed up. That's why you need an off-season.

Q. But there is no off-season now in golf.
SEVE BALLESTEROS: That's what I mean. That's what I mean. That's the problem. The problem is not having too many team events. There's not too many team events. How many team events do we have? The Seve Trophy, the Ryder Cup, we have the Royal Trophy in China and what is it -- the Presidents Cup.

Q. And the World Cup.
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Five tournaments, that's nothing.

Q. More match play tournaments?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: No question about that.

Q. Why is that?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Because match play is more exciting than watching medal play. Medal play you have to keep the score and automatically become very defensive. Match play is very aggressive, it gives you the chance to make 8 or 9 on one hole and then you start over again the next hole.

Q. What do you think of the FedExCup running so close to the Ryder Cup next year?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I don't know about that.

Q. THE TOUR Championship is before the Ryder Cup and you'll have the top players playing into the Ryder Cup -- it looks pretty suspicious, to be honest with you.
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I don't know about that. I just know that the tournament is that date, I don't know.

Q. Did you watch it on television?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I didn't see it. I think Tiger won. That's a new idea from Tim Finchem to create more interest on the TOUR.

Q. I'm sure you saw the Open at Carnoustie. Were you disappointed?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I watched it.

Q. It's a pity for the event that Sergio and Padraig are not here.
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Yeah, but sometimes, you know, if they have their own schedule, Sergio for tax reasons, he cannot play over here and Padraig -- I remember when Olazábal couldn't play in the Ryder Cup when he was injured. Sandy Lyle, he just refused to play because he thought he was not in a good shape.
Both teams are fantastic.

Q. Will it capture the imagination of the public?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I think it will. People will show up -- we have one event, the tournament this year is over four days; before, it was three days. So it's more easy to watch and there's more golf on TV and better for the sponsors, more show, more exposure for the sponsors, which is good.

Q. Will it be good for the European Ryder Cup Team?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I don't have any doubt that since we started playing the Seve Trophy that we have become more successful in the Ryder Cup. And this is because of the Seve Trophy, I have no doubts.

Q. It's good for Nick Faldo, too, isn't it?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: Yeah, well, of course, it's a good warm-up, a good way to warm up, a good way for him to perhaps pick up a few tips, a few pairings from this week, and learn from the possible mistakes that he will make this week.

Q. And the little mistakes that you do make as a captain, when you're doing it for the first time --
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I have played under good captains, John Jacobs and Tony Jacklin, Bernard Gallacher, I pick up the experience before and it was good experience. Tony Jacklin was a very good captain.

Q. What are the ingredients of a very good Ryder Cup Captain and what do you need to be able to do?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: A good Ryder Cup Captain has to make sure that he explains to the players that everyone is equally important, and he's able of creating a good atmosphere and he has to be very optimistic, you know, and obviously he needs a good eye to make sure that he will be comfortable with the pairings.

Q. Nick Faldo was surprising people, they thought that as a player he was very much in his own and kept to himself; do you see him as the type of charismatic character that can gel a team?
SEVE BALLESTEROS: I think Nick Faldo has changed a little bit in the last few years. I think he's more open now to people. He's more approachable. I'm sure that you people in the press noticed that already. I think he will be good.

End of FastScripts

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