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SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPDecember 17, 2008James KingstonPAARL, WESTERN CAPE MIKE GREEN: James Kingston, currently sixth on the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit and defending champion here. You seem to be getting to grips at your game at Leopard Creek but you are not quite there yet. How did it go today? JAMES KINGSTON: I feel my preparation is pretty decent. I've been playing nicely over the last few months. Leopard Creek, I just didn't start off nicely and I didn't have a good Saturday and messed it up a bit. Really played well on Sunday and walked off with 66, which was really disappointing the way I hit it. Other than that, I feel like I'm playing quite nicely. MIKE GREEN: Clearly this course appeals to you a little bit. How did it feel today, some of the changes? JAMES KINGSTON: Yeah, I think the course is in great shape, first of all. It plays a little different in the fact that I think that it doesn't run as much on the fairways, it plays slightly longer, but then I see that they have made some good changes in bringing some of the par 3 tee boxes up forward. I think the course is playing beautifully and in really good shape. MIKE GREEN: And the trees they planted around, will it make a difference with the wind? JAMES KINGSTON: I imagine so, over the next few years, obviously a new course and trials and errors and people try to improve all the time. Trees like that, it just takes a little while longer to really settle in and have an effect. MIKE GREEN: And the field that you're up against this year? JAMES KINGSTON: Obviously a really good field with all of the top guys playing; I don't even want to start mentioning them all. It must be one of the best fields we've ever had in South Africa in a normal Sunshine Tour event, and it's great to see the support. I think that when we are over in Europe, it's the same as us going to Portugal. You sometimes ask Portuguese players about some of the events; in Europe, we try and promote the guys to come out here, and a lot of them, once they have come to Leopard Creek and they come down here to Pearl Valley, they realise what tough courses they are and how great these events are. A lot of the guys that played last year are all back this year and they will go back and tell some of the other players, and that's why you eventually get the guys to come over here. It's obviously not a great time of the year for a lot of the Europeans; they are trying to take some time off. But I must say, I'm really impressed to see the quality of field that we have got here this year. Q. (What has the win done for you)? JAMES KINGSTON: Obviously opened so many doors, and I've had an incredible year. I got into some extra special events that normally I might not have gotten into, like the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which is an awesome experience. So from my point of view, not just the events that I've gotten into, but the confidence that it gave me throughout the whole year has been incredible, and I've actually played nicely after that for basically the whole year. I feel it's done a lot for me as a golfer. Q. (Thoughts on where that win can take you)? JAMES KINGSTON: I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. I was happy last year; could I after that event hang up my golf clubs or shoes or whatever, but I could hang it up and walk away from the game and feel like I've achieved what I really wanted to do. So I'm not going to come out here and say, well, I'm going to try to successfully defend it. Obviously I'm going to give it my best shot but I'm not going to put that extra pressure on myself. I'm not expecting to do that, but I'll definitely give it my best shot and see how it goes. Q. (Regarding new trees on course). JAMES KINGSTON: It works on any golf course, but on a course like this, more so, because there are quite a few tough shots, tough holes out there, and some key holes, and you've got to avoid making numbers on them. MIKE GREEN: James, thanks very much. End of FastScripts |
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