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ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 20, 2008Martin KaymerABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SCOTT CROCKETT: Martin, thanks, as always, for coming in and joining us and many, many congratulations. You were close last year in Wales and you were close last year in Sweden, and now you're a European Tour champion. You must be absolutely delighted. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, unbelievable feeling now. Especially the back nine, they were really tough to play. I noticed that Stenson and Westwood were chasing me the whole time. I was struggling a little bit the first nine, but I just tried to stick to my game plan, hit fairways and greens. And these guys, they have to catch me and I don't have to make birdies. But it was really, really tough, especially between 12 and 15, it was tough to make pars. I was always trying to be patient and just make pars, and they have to catch me, and I was always thinking like that way and it worked out. SCOTT CROCKETT: Presumably you had a start in mind last night when you were thinking about today, but this wasn't the best of beginnings for you, was it. MARTIN KAYMER: Definitely not. It was a little tougher today. It was a little windier than the days before. Yeah, I mean, especially six shots is a lot, but right now, four shots ahead, it doesn't feel like you have that many shots in front of the other guys. They were chasing me the whole time and there was a lot of pressure, especially the back nine, but right now it's an unbelievably good feeling. SCOTT CROCKETT: Presumably you are doubly proud the way you responded to that start and went on to win. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, just tried to stick to my game plan. My caddie noticed that I was a little bit nervous and he was talking to me and that was really nice. That helped me to be calm. I made a nice birdie on 10. That was really important for me, because I noticed that I'm only two or three shots ahead, and this birdie gave me a little bit of confidence for the next eight holes. SCOTT CROCKETT: Thanks for those opening comments. We'll take some questions. Q. Do you think your idol Ernie Els would be proud of the calm way you held yourself together? MARTIN KAYMER: I don't know if he noticed it. But I did a good job and my caddie, my family, they were supporting me the whole time. I've got really good management, they are supporting me how much they can, and that's actually the most important for me. And if Ernie Els knows, that would be nice, if I can see him next week or in Dubai, maybe he will say hello. Q. Have you ever played with him before? MARTIN KAYMER: I played with him in Munich last year, the first two rounds in the BMW Open. So I think he still knows my face but I don't know. Q. How important is it to you personally after being so close in Wales and Sweden to cross this bridge? MARTIN KAYMER: I had a huge lead, actually, and I was trying to just stick to my game plan and I didn't want to play defensive. You know, I just want to be aggressive like all the other days before. And I did it, but still, you feel the pressure and you are still thinking about a victory. You're thinking about different things. But it was -- I mean, it was a great experience. I learned a lot of things about myself. Q. It said in the handouts you are the youngest German winner in history on The European Tour, beating Bernhard Langer by 14 days? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I think I still have a long way to catch him. He won a lot of tournaments. He did a great job for Germany. I mean, it's nice to win this kind of tournament. Actually, I feel more comfortable in Europe because of the good setups on the golf course and the greens and all this stuff. But I got used to it since last year. Q. What was going through your head out there? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, sometimes I was -- I left a lot of putts, short, actually. My brother, when he caddied for me last year, he said just be aggressive and try to make birdies and don't try to defend your score. Try to be always aggressive. You're an aggressive player. Try to be like that and try to stick to that. I was thinking about that when I left all my putts short. I thought, oh my gosh, he's watching on television and he thinks probably like you're an idiot. Just go for it. Q. What's his name? MARTIN KAYMER: Phillip. He caddied for me a couple of times last year and was always nice. Q. What is worse, to see someone like Lee Westwood start with a couple of birdies or to drop three shots of your own early on? MARTIN KAYMER: I mean, I think it's worse to drop shots because that is my own fault. I mean, he played really well today. But I think the worst case, if you are dropping shots and giving other guys the chance to catch you, that's your own fault. Q. You said you were nervous at the start of the week, was it a different kind of nervousness today? MARTIN KAYMER: I think the most important round this week was yesterday, because I was very nervous when I played with Henrik the first four or five holes. But yeah, I don't know, it was -- it's a special feeling. You can't describe it. On the first day, it was a different kind of -- I was a different kind of nervous. I was playing well and the last three days, today, I was struggling off the tee or my irons or my putting wasn't working very well. But the bad shots were still okay that I could play and make a couple pars. Q. You had to keep playing well? MARTIN KAYMER: I mean, especially today, I didn't play well at all. I will take one day off on Monday and then I will practise on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially on my short game, because it didn't work out very well like I wanted. Q. You said earlier that you learned a lot about yourself today. Could you elaborate? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I played -- I said already that I was nervous when I played with Henrik. But it was positive for me because I was starting very well. I made birdie, birdie the first two holes and that gives me good motivation and a lot of confidence for the next tournaments when I'm playing with better players. Like I play with Henrik Stenson, he's a Ryder Cup player and that was a special draw for me. But I learned a lot of things from him, as well and from his caddie, Fanny Sunesson, like how they work on the course. They are always pretty calm. There was a nice atmosphere between them. I mean, there was a good atmosphere between my caddie and me, as well. I think you can learn a lot of things from these kinds of players. Q. After three successive bogeys, what were you thinking when you were walking to the seventh tee? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, it's not easiest hole on the course. When I made a bad shot it was always left and left was a good miss on this hole and I missed it left. But there was not a sure par. Still, I had 5-footer for a par and it was a huge putt. But you feel always the pressure that you don't make bogeys, don't make bogeys, just try to make pars and maybe you get a bonus birdie, but try to avoid the bogeys. It was really tough for me to stick to this mental part of it and just go for it and just stay calm. Q. Do you have new targets now? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, of course, I have goals. I want to win more tournaments, and everybody is asking me if I want to play The Ryder Cup. Of course I want to play The Ryder Cup. But I'm not really expecting it yet. If I can play, that would be unbelievable. It would be awesome. But the goal for the next year to be always to win tournaments now. Q. Talking about caddies, how did you hookup with Justin? MARTIN KAYMER: I met just in on Tuesday and asked me do you want to play, do you want to practise. I mean, everything was new. And especially yesterday when I played with Henrik, he noticed that I was nervous. And he was talking to me the first nine holes, like he was asking me a lot of questions and that way I'm not thinking too much about had I my game and that was really nice from him that I was not thinking about my game. Because he knew that I'm playing well and I'm hitting the ball pretty well. I mean, he's just a nice guy and I'm really looking forward to work with him the next it two weeks, and maybe longer. Q. Getting your first win, Abu Dhabi must be a special place for you; will you be back next year? MARTIN KAYMER: Definitely. You should see our hotel where we are staying, it's huge. It's unbelievable. You can get everything, whatever you want, it's perfect. I mean, seven-star hotel, it's unbelievable. But it's always nicer to come back here -- when I came here last year, it was my third tournament on the Tour so everything was still new for me. But now feel really comfortable over here and looking forward to go to Qatar next week. Q. Because Anthony was making bogeys, as well, did the two of you, was it more that you both were bringing each other down, instead of playing with somebody that was making a lot of birdies? MARTIN KAYMER: I noticed that it was tough today. When I saw Stenson and Westwood, how they played, they were 2- or 3-under the first nine and I thought, wow, that's pretty good, actually, but I'll just try to avoid the bogeys. Anthony, we were talking on the par 5 on the eighth hole and he said, don't worry about your game. Just let it go. Just try to make pars and then you will be all right. They have to catch you, so don't have to worry about it. He was actually already six or seven shots behind me because he made a couple of bogeys as well. But it was very nice of him and it was good to play with him. Q. You should be now in the top 35, certainly you'll be able to get into the Accenture and the Masters; how does that feel? MARTIN KAYMER: I don't know yet. My goal was actually -- I was talking to a couple people, to my family and to my manager, that my goal is to play well the next three events so that I can play the Match Play in Arizona. I think I've got a good chance now to play there. Yeah, it's a nice feeling to play all these tournaments now. SCOTT CROCKETT: You are in the top 35. MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, it's just a nice feeling. I'm really looking forward to these tournaments. Everything is new for me so I can just learn. Yeah, we will see how it works out. Q. Beating such top-ranked golfers must give you confidence? MARTIN KAYMER: It's my second season on Tour and everything has worked very well so far, and there will be some parts in my career that are a little weak and I know that. But these guys are good for many, many years and I'm on the Tour since two years, you know. We will see how I'm playing the next years. Q. Marcel Siem was out there - did you notice him? MARTIN KAYMER: I noticed him. He came up to me after nine holes and he said just stick to your game plan, keep going and make birdies and they will come out automatically, just be patient. Yeah, he was supporting me the whole round. It was really, really nice that he joined me. It was a good feeling for me, as well, that there are a couple Germans around me and that they are supporting me and joining me. Yeah, he said, "Just stick to the game plan. The other guys, they have to catch you." Q. Are you friends for a while? MARTIN KAYMER: I met him two years ago and since then -- yeah, he's a really nice guy. I like him. I like to hang out with him. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to play with him on Tuesday. It's always a lot of fun. Q. Did you have special words from your girlfriend in Spain? MARTIN KAYMER: Special words from my girlfriend, she said, "If it happens, if you win it would be nice and if not, it will be fine, as well." She just said, "Don't feel the pressure too much. Just go out and try to enjoy it." That is what my family said, as well, just go out there and enjoy it and you will see where it ends up, so there was no pressure from home. SCOTT CROCKETT: Any plans for the cheque? MARTIN KAYMER: I don't know yet. We will see. Q. Were your family here? MARTIN KAYMER: My family, they are in Germany. They didn't come over. Q. Does your girlfriend usually give you advice? Does she play golf? MARTIN KAYMER: No, and I hope she will never start. (Laughter). Q. Did you use driver much today and are you looking forward to playing in Dubai with Tiger Woods? MARTIN KAYMER: On 18, to answer the first question, there was no doubt about it to take a driver. It was always a driver, and today was a driver, as well. There was no doubt about that. I have to say, I was really, really happy to be on the fairway so that was actually the key shot on that hole. The second question, I mean, Tiger, I think he's playing in Dubai only. Yeah, I will see him for the first time. I haven't seen him before. But it's always nice to play these kind of tournaments when these kind of players are participating. SCOTT CROCKETT: Martin, many, many congratulations. End of FastScripts |
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