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SHELL HOUSTON OPEN

March 31, 2009

Alvaro Quiros

HUMBLE, TEXAS

March 31, 2009

An Interview with

ALVARO QUIROS

MARK WILLIAMS: Alvaro Quiros, welcome to the Shell Houston Open Media Center. We appreciate you coming in. Just talk about your experiences in the States so far this year, three tournaments and then I understand you went back to Spain last week, and played nine holes with Sergio this morning?
ALVARO QUIROS: Yeah, I played 9 holes with Sergio who played similar set-up that they make here for the Masters, too, and being in the States it's been very, very good. It's been grateful. And inside the golf course, it's really difficult to improve the facility that we have here, I think, and everybody trying to help you.
You need something the day after or the same moment, you got it. Everything is perfect. The weather condition normally are good except today, looks like, and the shape of the golf course are really good, too. This is very important step for me.
MARK WILLIAMS: You've been very well received here in the United States by the galleries.
Has that surprised you?
ALVARO QUIROS: Well, I have to be honest, don't look like it's very big reception, you know. Of course, I think I'm one of the others that comes from Europe but probably because I'm a long hitter, that people knows a little bit more about me. I'm not sure, you know. But, yes, I'm very happy here.
MARK WILLIAMS: Good. Questions?

Q. Do you get tired of being known as the guy who is the long hitter? Do you enjoy that? Do you enjoy seeing the reaction of fans, even other players a lot of times seem to kind of --
ALVARO QUIROS: If I have to be honest, it's very difficult -- a different situation from the European Tour. Here, for example, I hit a good driver and the people helps you to believe that it was a great driver.
It's a very -- it's a very good thing, yes. I like the feeling that I have when the people push you. In Europe we got very little bit of noise, hear it. Here, you can hear every kind of noise. This is nice. I like it. It's more spectacular.

Q. Is there a buzz among European players about this course and how similar it is to Augusta? There's been a lot of talk about the -- kind of word has spread about how closely this resembles Augusta.
ALVARO QUIROS: I was speaking with Sergio. He was the only player I was speaking about. He told me that Houston is a good tournament for many reasons but one of the more important ones is the set-up, you know.
For example, when we arrive to the second shot on the first hole, Sergio told me look, "Can you see the grass is cutting against you? It's typical of The Masters."
Normally we have the grass cut in our favor or to the green and here it's against. It's a good thing the mowing of the greens and the speed of the greens are very close. It was raining. After three, four days of sunny -- this is very good. The shape of the rough is a little bit lower. I heard about last year it was a little bit higher or thicker so, yeah, it's a good test for me especially for this one.

Q. Do you like to play on the fast greens? You like putting on fast greens?
ALVARO QUIROS: Well, yeah, yeah. The thing is for example in Europe we have two, three weeks in a row with a good speed on the greens and suddenly the fourth is very slow, windy or wet so it's difficult to keep the speed.
But the good thing that you have here or the PGA has here is that the speed of the greens normally is very similar so helps to make the touch easier and, yeah, personally speaking, yeah, I like to play in fast greens. It helps you a lot to roll the ball correctly.

Q. Have you had a chance the stop by Augusta at all?
ALVARO QUIROS: No. If I have to be honest, I don't know Augusta. All I know the 16 par 3 from the back camera, yes. Second shot of 15, par 5 because it was famous for the Spanish after Seve lost the tournament over there, and the 18th hole. I couldn't tell you anything more about Augusta.

Q. So you're not one of those guys who watched every Masters?
ALVARO QUIROS: Well, for a Spanish guy -- well, in Spain, all the Majors and follow the golf by TV, you have to pay. You have to buy satellite. Before I arrive to the European Tour, and my father didn't buy it so if I have to be honest, no.
You know, another thing is normally when -- it's a very strange feeling but for the last two years I want to see, I want to follow The Masters but, you know, sitting over there watching like guys that play very close to me is like I'm very jealous, you know, to don't be over there. I think it's a normal reaction.
I could be over there but he's playing, playing well and I'm sitting on my sofa. So it's miserable a little bit, more or less. I follow by Internet, the news after the round and all the things, but no more.

Q. What are you most interested to see or interested to experience?
ALVARO QUIROS: The most important thing for me is spend a week in Augusta, stay. Being The Masters, the first Major of the year in the first Major of my life. I consider Augusta probably is the more familiar of all of them, I mean, because the British Open, depends a lot on the weather conditions, normally. Looks like Augusta has more close similar during the days.
Well, the more famous shots or situation under pressure, all these kind of things looks like they are always in Augusta. For example, I have a shot in my mind 16, left chip shot from Tiger on 16. It's like what a shot, you know, what a situation. Not the shot, it's the situation, you know. You can manage the situation and this is great.
Olazabal, he won two times over there and he's one of my favorite one for me, you know. I grew up with him playing golf. That's why it's special at Augusta for me.

Q. For people on the outside it obviously looks like things have happened pretty suddenly for you. Does it feel sudden to you or does it feel like, you know, this has all taken a long time?
ALVARO QUIROS: Well, you can believe me or not, but all my life I was waiting to discover that the people should think what I have to do, all the people around me thinks that I can do great things but never arrives and suddenly the score comes or came in a short time, in a short spot of time.
For me, it's not a surprise, you know. If I have to be honest, with the length that I have -- my short game is probably the weak side of my game but even around the greens I'm good.
So sometimes could be a good score or sometimes not but in general, I think I should be, you know, here is Top 50 of the world basically because the length, you know, is a great advantage if I play well from the tee. I'm hitting always short clubs or it's easy to control.

Q. Do you want the play more on the U.S. Tour or European Tour?
ALVARO QUIROS: Well, I want to play in the States. You know, it's exciting situation for me but if I have to be honest, after playing Tampa -- and Tampa I was alone, you know, completely alone. I mean I was the only European that played. I was only with my caddy. I don't have friends here. I'm completely new.
So it was a tough situation for me, you know. I was on the bed for 7:30 every night. For me, it's too early. Waking up at 5:00 after sleeping a lot of time. Inside the golf course, yes. Outside I have to improve it.

Q. You hadn't discovered all the numerous clubs in Tampa?
ALVARO QUIROS: How do you discover anything? I'm not going to go out alone. For me, it's something strange.
I was speaking with a lot of Tour players about it. I played last round with Tommy Armour, III. He told me it's going to come. The people in the same moment I meet two, three guys I can say hello, we can go out or something like this.
I had dinner one night with David Duval but it was just for a surprise, you know. I was going out with our representative of Yes Putters, Jerry, who this guy -- I meet him in the same week and he decide, "Come on, we have to go out. You can't not be here all the week, room service and everything."
I go out and there's David Duval. I was chatting with him, a good thing, a good situation.

Q. You need an entourage.
ALVARO QUIROS: Yeah.
MARK WILLIAMS: Having said that, do you think that this week you'll be more relaxed given that there's a dozen European Tour players?
ALVARO QUIROS: Yeah, of course. You only have to see, for example, I arrived to the driving range and Andres Romero was joking for me. I'm with Sergio, the practice round with Sergio.
Everything is easier when you have people beside you, of course. Otherwise when I arrive to Tampa, practice round was alone, completely alone.

Q. Your English is good enough where you can talk with people and make friends here.
ALVARO QUIROS: Thank you very much about the English. I'm trying to improve. Yes, I agree with you. When the people don't know you, you try to -- you go to the player lounge, people are sitting around our table. If you don't know the people, you can try to sit but the people is going to say, "Who is this guy or what he's trying?"

Q. You at least made a big first step in terms of making the effort that you've made to learn the language.
ALVARO QUIROS: Of course. I think -- I know the good step is to be Top 50 of the world because I'm going to play more tournaments with the people that are going to follow the tournaments to the PGA.
But, you know, probably the worse thing to come here but, you know, like you said, it's just something to improve.
MARK WILLIAMS: And the more you play and the more you get paired in the first two rounds with new people, you meet more people.
ALVARO QUIROS: Yeah, that's it.
MARK WILLIAMS: Well, Alvaro, we appreciate you coming in. I just have to ask you before you go, you don't have the trademark hat.
ALVARO QUIROS: It's a long story. I forgot the hat. It's going to be in The Masters for me a hundred percent.
MARK WILLIAMS: We appreciate you coming in and thank you for your time.

Q. So we don't get the cool hat, huh?
ALVARO QUIROS: It's a shame. But, no. I forgot it. It's difficult. I forgot the hats, my belts. I forgot the rain gear.
Each time that I package with my girlfriend it's difficult to be in my -- in sight. But they're going to be here next week for the Masters.

Q. Why don't you shave your head this week, that would be a good trademark?
ALVARO QUIROS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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