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PORTUGAL MASTERS

October 15, 2008

Steve Webster

VILAMOURA, PORTUGAL

RODDY WILLIAMS: Steve, welcome back, defending champion, Portugal Masters, an emotional win for you last year, what sort of memories do you carry from 12 months ago and your first win here?
STEVE WEBSTER: I played with Sam walker the first two rounds and we were both hitting into the rough, and I managed to shoot 66 and I think Sam was 66-68 and we just really played good together. So when he birdied, I wanted to birdie, as well.
I think the rough is going to be a tough test this year, the rough in places is like the U.S. Open and so I don't think 26-under will be the winning score this year. But also I remember playing with Robert Karlsson the last day and I just think it was meant to be. My mum had passed away and Garrett was there for me and visited quite a lot with me in the hospital as well, so as soon as I saw the draw, I think me and Robert and Garrett, I thought, well, maybe this is meant to be.
And we both played great. He got off to a good start and we just -- you know, if he made a birdie, as well; it was a bit like that. I made a great eagle on 12 and birdied the next and I was really focused all week and I was not really, really in the zone until Sunday I suppose. It was an amazing victory and I don't think I'll ever have another one as emotional as that.
RODDY WILLIAMS: And the emotion of the last putt dropping?
STEVE WEBSTER: Yeah, I thought to myself with about four holes to go, if I don't do it today, I'll never do it because I felt I really controlled my swing and I was putting good and I felt good. I thought, well, if I don't do it, I'll never do it but it was a great victory.

Q. The eagle was 4-iron?
STEVE WEBSTER: 5-iron.

Q. Best five iron you have ever hit?
STEVE WEBSTER: Under pressure, yeah, definitely, I probably pulled it three or four yards but it was perfect.
It was just a really enjoyable week. The weather was very good and the course was in great condition and it's nice to play well and I played good after that and I kept the run going. Then at the HSBC, I finished seventh there and that was nice, as well. So it was a big, big victory for me.

Q. Did you feel it was coming?
STEVE WEBSTER: The start of the season, no, but when I started hitting form and I finished seventh at Loch Lomond and had a few good Top 15 results. I felt something good was going to happen, and I did well at the Dunhill as well, I think I was starting to think ahead at St. Andrews and really lost it and finished about 15th.
I was determined you know not to do that again. I remember watching Nick Dougherty, win and Nick is a good friend of mine. Coming up the last and his emotions, I thought, right, I need a bit more of this. And two weeks later, I won, as well. It was great. I think he definitely spurred me on.

Q. Do you read any psychologist books and things like remembering one shot at a time?
STEVE WEBSTER: I think that's the problem with golf is you've got so much time in between shots that you need to think about everything or what you're trying to do or forget about it and then focus on your next shot.
So yeah I'm getting better at it but there's still a long way to go, yeah.

Q. Do you start out with a song in your head and hum anything?
STEVE WEBSTER: No, not really. If you get a bad song in your mind, it's a terrible day out there.

Q. Your thoughts on Seve?
STEVE WEBSTER: Well, Seve, he's my hero. Growing up, he was my favourite. I remember first meeting him in South Africa and it was a really funny story. You grow up as a young lad loving Seve and I'm on the first tee, straight off the bus from the airport just had a 12-hour flight and not even hit a ball and we're hitting a practice round and Seve walks around the corner and says, "Can I join you?"
We are like, oh my God, we have not hit a ball, we've been travelling for a day, my hero is coming around the corner and he wants a game of golf. True story. Seve picks me as his partner, he says, "I'll pick you." I said -- well, I knew I had won anyway, seeing as I was playing with Seve, no problem.
And Mark Mouland, I always remember it, puts the ball down, Seve is front right of us and has a practice swing and takes a divot out of the tee, and it hits Seve on the chest, the divot did. And none of us knew where to look because we just -- and he just brushed it off and started smiling. It was just one of them moments, I'll always remember it. It was one of my first years on Tour and we beat him anyway, 3 & 2. But from then on, Seve always come to me no matter where he was and asked me how I was doing, how I was playing or if I wanted a practice round or needed any help. He was always my hero and always will be.

Q. What year was that?
STEVE WEBSTER: I'm guessing it was about '96 or '97. It was at Houghton, I always remember that on the first tee at Houghton, he just walked around the corner and I thought, oh my God.
He's just amazing, everything he did, and how he talked. I've had a lot of practice rounds with Seve. I've really enjoyed his company. I was really sad when he retired, because I'm sponsored by Hugo Boss, as well, and I've chatted to him a lot about Ryder Cups and about his shots and everything like that, and he just inspired me. I would love to win this week and give him a pat on the back, because he held my career -- when I won in Italy I got a letter off him out of the blue and I've got it hanging up at home, and he signed it saying: Congratulations and a lot more will come out of your career.
I saved a voicemail on my phone when he phoned me up after winning this, as well.

Q. When did he call you?
STEVE WEBSTER: Within a week, yeah. He's always been very special to me. My fingers are crossed that everything goes well.

Q. They say don't meet your heroes but he is a very approachable man?
STEVE WEBSTER: First time I met him, I was very nervous obviously and I didn't really know what to expect but you're in a practice round with him and straightaway, you feel like you -- I was partnered with him and straightaway, you feel like you can beat anybody no matter how you play, with his attitude. Who dares wins really. From the first day I met him, I knew we would get on great.

Q. It must have been sad when his game started to fall?
STEVE WEBSTER: Yeah, I didn't like watching that because that's not how I remember Seve struggling. He always struggled to hit the fairway but his second or third shot was always going to be a birdie putt maybe or a chip-in or whatever, things like that and he just made things happen, where nobody else can, I don't think.
Tiger is an amazing golfer, but Seve just had that maybe something just a little bit special about him. He didn't care where he hit it but he knew the next one was going to be good. Growing up as a junior, you look at that and that's what made golf.

Q. Did you go and watch him when you were growing up?
STEVE WEBSTER: I watched him at The Belfry, this is another true story. It was at The Ryder Cup, I don't know how old I was, I was probably about 15, and he walked into the practice bunker. He played with OlazÃ¡bal in the fourballs against, I think it's Davis Love and maybe Fred Couples.
And he holed two bunker shots on the practice green after each of them and walked off, and there was two Americans in the bunker next to him and they seen him walk in and he got in the middle of them, did his coughs, holed two bunker shots and walked straight off and they just thought, what -- they just couldn't believe it, and he holed both of them. It was just amazing to watch what he brought to the game and around it was just incredible.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Steve, thanks very much.

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