	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

PORTUGAL MASTERS

October 21, 2007

Steve Webster

VILAMOURA, PORTUGAL

SCOTT CROCKETT: Steve, many congratulations, fantastic finish. Just talk about your emotions coming up the last.
STEVE WEBSTER: The emotions really hit me but I started feeling a little bit nervous on 14. I made a good par putt from about eight feet and I liked at the scoreboard and saw where I was ahead of Robert, and I made a par at the next and then I made a birdie on 16 and a great shot on 17.
Your emotions get so far ahead of you, and you have to stay in the moment and that's what I found. Just tried to take one shot at a time, one hole at a time and that's what I did. I didn't really look at leaderboards so much, just tried to have fun really.
SCOTT CROCKETT: We all know it's been a hard year for you away from the golf course; how difficult was it to focus on what was happening? Looking at the television you obviously were thinking about elsewhere.
STEVE WEBSTER: Yeah, I think it helped me in a way. It was so hard to keep my mind on my golf. I knew she was watching out for me and it's an amazing feeling to play that well down the stretch. And I made a putt on the last, amazing par putt, as well.

Q. What does this win mean to you?
STEVE WEBSTER: Means a lot to me, my second victory, first one in two years. And at start of the season, after four months ago, bottom of the Order of Merit, didn't really know if I could turn it around, and kept my head down, worked hard. I've been working hard in the gym for the last 18 months and it really affected -- went to the gym really the next two days after. Practising really hard off the course, as well.

Q. What was the key, the eagle at 12?
STEVE WEBSTER: Definitely, yeah. Probably the yardage is a 4-iron, but I was so fired up, and I said to my caddie, John, said, "I think you can get five there." I hit a ten-yard draw, it looked perfect in the air. As soon as I made that putt and we walked off, I knew we had a chance and made a great shot at the next.
It's one of those courses, there's so many birdies out there, you have to keep your foot on the pedal really.
On 17, my caddie agreed, I knew if I just hit 5-wood, I didn't want to fight for it, for a par. So it's probably a bit of a match-up but I knew I had to take it on.

Q. Best round of your career?
STEVE WEBSTER: I'm not really sure. I think the opening round at Carnoustie, the 65, that was a great start, so that was pleasing.
And really, I felt confident all week, just didn't get the results and it's all really in practise. But I just felt so relaxed out there even though my mind was, you know, racing ahead. I was trying to stay in the moment and just be positive about things and make a few putts, which is all I need to do now to move up a level. I've made them this week and made Top-10 on the Order of Merit consistently; I know I can be there.

Q. Making so many birdies, attacking --
STEVE WEBSTER: Yeah, I think so. You know, if you've got a finish like at Carnoustie I suppose, you just try and make par, and then all of a sudden you make bogey.
But if you know you've got to try and make birdies, the worst you're going to make is par I suppose, so it's a bit like that. All I was doing was trying to pretty much birdie every hole, that was my game plan, but just one hole at a time. I didn't really get ahead of myself.

Q. (About improving during the season).
STEVE WEBSTER: To be honest I had a bad year for about ten months where I didn't play well. And you keep playing which is really difficult because your mind is not on it which is pretty much impossible in this game -- but to get a break in the end, my mum was always right. A few weeks before I played in France I finished 52nd, I remember, and I started feeling better. I did come off with a bit of a smile on my face and it was the first time I've enjoyed it in two years and I thought this may be the turning point.
Then I finished 25th at The K Club the week after, played great, and then three weeks, I had a Top-10 in Loch Lomond, The Open and Germany at Gut Kaden, and so then all of a sudden, you want bigger things and your mind-set changes. But to be honest, five months ago, keeping my card, with everything going on, my mind wasn't really on golf so I didn't really know what to expect with the situation.

Q. Would you rank this as one of your favourite courses?
STEVE WEBSTER: I do now. (Laughter) I think any course you win on, it's your favourite. It's in great condition, the weather is amazing all week, and it's great to play in sunshine after such a bad year on the Tour with the weather. Same thing at the Dunhill, it was amazing, it's usually windy and raining there.
I enjoy playing golf in the sun, and any time the sun is out on the golf course, no problem.

Q. (About thoughts on the course and the low scores).
STEVE WEBSTER: Yeah, it was a low-scoring course, but the greens are good and there's hardly any wind all week. The top players, they are going to make a lot of birdies. Ma be missing the fairways a little bit -- but I love the course, I've got no problems.

Q. (About gallery support).
STEVE WEBSTER: No, no, no, everybody keeps to themselves.

Q. (About emotions after putt on 18).
STEVE WEBSTER: Broke down really, it's amazing, your mind just keeps racing ahead and I knew I was going to cry, but, you know, I lost control really.

Q. What did your father say?
STEVE WEBSTER: I don't remember -- just burst into tears.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Many, many congratulations.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297