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COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS PRESENTED BY DOLPHIN ENERGY

January 21, 2009

Sergio Garcia

DOHA, QATAR

RODDY WILLIAMS: Thanks very much for coming in and joining us and welcome to the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. You're world No. 2 highest-ranked player in the field here, and one of the strongest events ever assembled for a European Tour event. Nice to be here amongst so many good players.
SERGIO GARCÃA: Definitely. I think it shows the strength of the European Tour and the European players these days. We were talking about it just before in the Pro-Am, and one of the reasons is these days we have -- when we usually used to have maybe two or three European players on the Top-10 in the World Rankings, I think this year we have probably about six or something like that, five or six.
So I think it's great. It great for the tournament and it's great for the Tour, and hopefully we will put on a good show this week.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Obviously you're leading The Race to Dubai and got off to a great start with that win at the HSBC Champions, and now another event; feeling good about your season so far?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Well, it just started. I had a good weekend last week. I feel like my game is coming along.
So, I'm looking forward to it and looking forward to getting off to a good start this week and have a good, solid chance of winning. I think you know, like we talked about, it's a good, solid event, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Q. How does this course compare to Abu Dhabi?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I'd say it's playing harder, mainly use it's usually windier here. But I think the firmness of the greens here is usually greater than Abu Dhabi. The greens, even though we have good weather in Abu Dhabi, the greens are grainier and because of that, it's harder to make them true. So this week, I think it's definitely a little bit tougher.

Q. Pleased with your results last week; is that fair to say?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Pleased with the results -- pleased with the weekend last week. I wasn't happy with the way I played the first two days. But I managed to find my game on the weekend. I had a good, solid weekend and finished in the Top-10. But I'm looking forward to keep going the same, in the same way and the same direction, and hopefully have four good days here and have a good chance on Sunday.

Q. You've seen this tournament grow over the years, coming here for a few years now; how important is it for a tournament of this stature?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I think it's great. I think the course has grown up. It's a much better course and it's in better shape than I've ever seen this year.
So I think everything together is making this tournament a wonderful event to come and play. We are looking forward to hopefully doing well.

Q. You mentioned the wind?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yes, it can get very windy here. It's supposed to be windy on Friday. It's the type of course that you have to be very patient when the week comes around, because some holes are playing very soft and then you're going to have some birdie holes. And with the way the greens are at the moment, being quite firm and a good speed, it will be a very good test.

Q. What do you think about Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker joining the Tour?
SERGIO GARCÃA: No, it's great. Like we've been saying for the past year, any good players coming and playing in Europe, they are welcome. It's good for the Tour. It can only help with sponsors and strength of the fields and things like that.
We know it's a tough time but any effort that the good players make to come and play on The European Tour, it's always a good thing.

Q. Lots of world ranking points on offer this week?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yes, at the end of the day, yeah, it's about playing well. Fortunate for me, I don't play many tournaments where there's not a lot of World Ranking points. Usually the strength of the tournaments I play in are quite strong. This week, like we are talking about it, it is very strong and it would be nice to do something very good here.

Q. What do you like about Boo Weekley?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I think he's a great ball-striker. Probably his putting is the worst part of his game. It's just, I don't know, he's very -- I don't know what you call it, like middle-American, I guess. He seems to be very, how can I say it, kind of loose and kind of relaxed and stuff.

Q. Your wrist is strapped up - do you have an injury at all?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I had it last week, just a little tendonitis I had since last year. I've been feeling it a little bit and it's a little bit sore the week before I went to Abu Dhabi, and treated it a little bit at home in Spain, and then I've been treating it last week. The physios have done a good job. It's been getting better every day, and it's almost pain-free.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Thank you very much.

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