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EMAAR-MGF INDIAN MASTERS

February 7, 2008

Jyoti Randhawa

NEW DELHI, INDIA

SHENTON GOMEZ: Jyoti, congrats, great round out there, and you must be very pleased with your first round performance.
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, thanks a lot. Delhi Golf Club, what can I say, it doesn't leave me alone. It keeps me under pressure all the time. Yeah, I played well. You can't ask for a better round the first round. Very happy with it.
SHENTON GOMEZ: What a finish with the eagle. Can you run us through what happened?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, well, with the new bunker, it becomes a very narrow hole because you really can't hit your driver, because if you hit it a little right, it's going to go in the bush. And I saw Mark and Adam hit the ball to the right and I thought, I think it's better to lay up short, and I did that.
I laid up with a 3-wood, hit another 3-wood, hit a perfect second 3-wood to about 15, 20 feet, and luckily Mark was putting before me so I saw the line. I knew it was going to break right-to-left, and after seeing his ball, I knew exactly how it was going to break. It was go to school and learn from others and I made that putt spot on and perfect speed, perfect putt, great.
SHENTON GOMEZ: Earlier on, you were up there after your eagle on the 14th.
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, eagle, 14th hole, I hit a good drive. I just had a 6-iron to the green. I wanted to start it right of the hole and bring it back in, and when I started it back on line, it didn't draw; I wanted it to draw well, I should say. I pitched it five yards right of where I wanted to, but the slope helped me and it came in, and I came perfect next to the hole, and after that, it was just a matter -- it wasn't a very long putt, so I was happy to make that putt.

Q. How do you find the course now?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: No, I guess it's good. The 7th hole is a bit too long. I think the way the green is set up, I hit a 2-iron into that hole, and I'm long enough, I'm quite sure all the guys must have hit 3-wood there, and so that hole with the 2-iron in hand doesn't look very good. It's a good hole to try anyway, but other than that, I think it's all right.
I wish the greens were a little better but I think the greenskeeper has done a good job. I think they are rolling very true. They are a little patchy.
But all in all, the course is in great shape. They did a good job of what they had, so it's good.

Q. How do you prepare when playing here?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Well, I think past performance helps a lot. I've played well here in the past. I've won a few tournaments. I just thought of what I did a few years back or a few months back, and that always comes back to me.
So I think any time you have a good performance, I like to remember that, so I like to remember what I did good. That's what I did, I thought of what I had to do and I kept bringing the thought of what I needed to do before I hit, so it worked out very well.

Q. Is there any pressure being in the lead here?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Well, the pressure is always there, even today, and it's going to be there for the next few days. After all, it's your home course, your home -- you're playing in Delhi Golf Club and you're playing with the best in the world. Yeah, I guess the pressure is always there.

Q. This course penalises aggressive play. But you seem to be aggressive out there and coming in with a solid score?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: I think for me, more because I know that, you know, you can't shoot a 7-under and be happy about it and sit on it, because it's The European Tour and people shoot really low numbers here. Whenever you get a chance, I'm going to get aggressive.
I'm not saying that the Asian Tour is any less or the Indian Tour is any less, but there you can get away with making -- not making as many birdies, but when you get on The European Tour, you have to make a lot of birdies. So unless you're not aggressive, you have to take a risk, and today it was a reward and I'm happy with that.

Q. Higher level of competition means higher risk?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yes, definitely and the higher the level of the game goes up, so you have to perform better, take more risk and hopefully putt and chip well, too.

Q. You were smiling a lot out there. Were you very relaxed?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: You know, I've played golf over 15 years now. This game, it gets you very hyper or anxiety comes in very quickly so you have to learn how to relax and you have to learn that it's just a game and you have to enjoy it.
Whether you play it good or you play it bad, you might as well enjoy it, so the guys that are not enjoying it I'm quite sure are the guys that are in trouble.

Q. Did you hear about Muniyappa's hole-in-one?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: No, I didn't hear that. Whenever I think of a good up-and-coming player, I think of Shiv. Shiv, this is his home course.
We as a golfing country look at the youngsters coming up and doing great things for the country and hopefully he keeps up the form. It's good that Indian golf is doing well.

Q. Is it yoga that helps you on course?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: I wouldn't say that. I think it's more about experience. You know, kind of exposure and experience that I'm getting now the last three or the last two years has really helped playing on The European Tour and playing with the best in the world. You learn from your experiences. Of course, yoga helps, but I would definitely put it on experience.

Q. On the last hole, you pulled back on your putt. What happened there?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, he was cleaning his shoes I think. I could hear that sound and I thought it would stop, and I heard it again and I thought, I'd better back off. Because you know, I was quite sure I'm going to make that putt so I wanted to be sure when I go on the putt, so that's why I backed off.

Q. You had birdie chances on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes. What happened on those holes?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Yeah, as I said, I could have birdied 15 and 16, they were pretty close. 15 was a great putt, and 16, I just didn't make a putt. I saw the line I needed to and I didn't commit to that putt, so that was a bad one.
Even 17, I thought was a good chance of making birdie but I think I took too much line and it never turned. I saw Mark O'Meara's ball, his ball turned.

Q. Shiv said yesterday that golfers are a greedy lot always wanting a better score. What do you think?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: Oh, definitely, I could have been much better. I could actually count the putts I missed today, the 1st, the 9th, 15, 16, 17, I mean, they are all within eight feet putts, so you could say I could have made four more putts.

Q. Thoughts for tomorrow?
JYOTI RANDHAWA: You know, I think as long as I can keep doing the same things and handle the pressure and handle myself the way I did today, I think I'll be all right.
SHENTON GOMEZ: Thank you, Jyoti and good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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