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PORTUGAL MASTERS

October 18, 2007

Martin Kaymer

VILAMOURA, PORTUGAL

SCOTT CROCKETT: Martin, many thanks, as always for coming in. Fantastic performance.
MARTIN KAYMER: The weather was perfect and for this day I was waiting a couple of weeks already because I was playing really well last couple of weeks and my putting was good and right now every putt went in, it was just a perfect golf day and that's how it is. We'll see how it ends up.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Can you manage to remember all your birdies?
MARTIN KAYMER: The third, I was on the green with my second shot and had a really good eagle chance actually from four or five metres.
Next one, I hit it four metres close and made the putt.
6, I hit a 5-iron four metres behind the flag and made the putt.
10, that was a huge putt, it was like ten metres down the ridge left-to-right.
12, chip, putt, nothing special, from a metre.
16, one metre putt. Tee shot was 4-iron.
17, chip, one metre close and made the putt.
18, I didn't expect it, it was a tough pin. I just wanted to hit it down the ridge. It was an uphill putt, it went very long but made the putt, five, six metres.

Q. Is this your lowest round ever?
MARTIN KAYMER: I made 59 last year when I first turned professional and it was the round of my life. It was even more than today.
SCOTT CROCKETT: That was on the Challenge Tour?
MARTIN KAYMER: That was on the EPD Third Level Tour in Germany.

Q. How does that course compare to this one?
MARTIN KAYMER: It was very -- it was just hit it as long as you can and putt.

Q. What was par?
MARTIN KAYMER: 72. That's why it was a real 59.
This course, we had a good draw, good partners, Grégory Bourdy and Sandy Lyle. It was a lot of fun. Grégory shot very well, too, 7-under. Yeah, it was just a great day.

Q. What do you know about Sandy Lyle?
MARTIN KAYMER: I know that he's won the Masters a few years ago, and -- no, I mean, I was talking to Alexander Noren, and he played with him in Wales and he was standing with him on the driving range and he said, "Do you know Sandy Lyle?"
And I said, "Of course."
And he said, "I've never heard that name before."
And I said, "Yeah, he's won the Masters and a couple majors; he's a really good player."
"All right."

Q. Are you surprised to be so far up the Order of Merit after missing six of the first seven cuts?
MARTIN KAYMER: I had a really good feeling after the Asian. I didn't feel comfortable then. It was new and I was on my own and I didn't know anyone. I just felt a little bit alone during this time, and that's why I didn't play very well.
Now I feel really comfortable and I'm used to it, to the process, to travel all around the world and Europe. You meet all new people and right now I'm feeling really good and looking forward to the World Cup, highlight at the end of the season and I can't wait.

Q. You were close to winning in both Wales and Sweden. Can you take pointers from those tournaments?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I was in Wales, I was in the lead going into the final round and a couple things from this tournament in Sweden, I was really close but the last holes were horrible. I made the wrong shot, or bad shots on the wrong hole. Yeah, I learned a lot of things how to handle that stuff and yeah, I can't wait to get into the same position soon.

Q. Chance for Rookie of the Year?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I just heard about it. I think I have a good chance to make it. We'll see how it ends up, though. I think it would be nice.

Q. Have you been in America because your English is very good?
MARTIN KAYMER: I go to Arizona every winter to practise. My friend has a house there and I can stay there and perfect facilities, beautiful girls, everything.

Q. Where in Arizona?
MARTIN KAYMER: Scottsdale.

Q. Tell us about your father's sporting career?
MARTIN KAYMER: He was playing football, ten, 15 years -- somebody wrote that he was a boxer but I never said that. Maybe after I came home -- because he read this article in Houston and he came out -- (laughter). But my dad, my grandfather was a boxer.

Q. Was you dad a good footballer?
MARTIN KAYMER: No, nothing special. I don't know to be honest. He was just a professional footballer.

Q. Was he good?
MARTIN KAYMER: He played all right. He played in the second division in Germany, but it was actually nothing special where you could write something about it.
I had to decide what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to play golf or football. I was in good football and I played in the second division and the coach told me, you have to decide what you want, because I was always missing every game on the weekend when I decided to play golf, it was not too bad.

Q. Do you know Bernhard Langer very well?
MARTIN KAYMER: I met him for the first time in Munich this year and we played a practise round together. I was talking to him a little when he played the tournament but I don't know him very well. He's mostly in the States.

Q. Didn't you play with Ernie Els in Munich?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, Ernie Els and Thomas Björn, that was good. I mean, from these two rounds, I learned so many things, it was unbelievable how relaxed, especially Ernie Els, how relaxed he is on the golf course. Doesn't matter if he's making birdies or bogeys, and it's really impressive.

Q. How popular is golf in Germany?
MARTIN KAYMER: I hope it's getting more and more and I hope it's going to bring more young people and children that are starting to play golf.
In general, I would say golf is getting more and more popular in Germany.

Q. And didn't you play with Dan Quayle in the Dunhill Links?
MARTIN KAYMER: He was the ex-Vice President of the United States, a couple of years ago, but I heard his name and it was unbelievable. I was expecting a guy who is a quiet guy that everybody has to know him, but he was so relaxed and very nice guy, very friendly, great guy. Yeah, maybe I will see him in Arizona because he's living there right in Scottsdale and maybe we can play together.

Q. Did you call him "Vice President?"
MARTIN KAYMER: He said, "Yeah, I'm Dan, don't call me that."
SCOTT CROCKETT: Did he call you Mr. Kaymer? (Laughter)
MARTIN KAYMER: No, just Martin!
SCOTT CROCKETT: Many congratulations today well done.

End of FastScripts

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