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BALLANTINE'S CHAMPIONSHIP

April 25, 2009

Robert Jan-Derksen

JEJU ISLAND, SOUTH KOREA

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Robert, well played, I think. Maybe just give us your assessment of today and how tough it was.
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: It was very tough. I think it was unplayable, unfair and -- unfair and unplayable.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: There are obviously a lot of examples. Was there anything in particular that made you think that you shouldn't be out there today?
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: Yes, I think -- the ball moved on the greens. It rolled away a few times. I think what the tournament director normally does, if that happens, they call it off. It has happened a few times before where they have actually called it off. And today I think it happened a lot of times, at least five or six times. So I don't know why they didn't. But if you don't call it off today, why has it been called off in the past or why would it be called off in the future; there's no need for that.

Q. Do you think the decision was to call it off damaged the tournament?
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: The tournament is four rounds. This is one round. I don't know if it's damaged the whole tournament. But I always think that the best player should win after four days or after three days or however many days we play. And I don't think -- well, I don't know, but if that's the case now. That's up to you to decide if the tournament is damaged.
I think there was definitely a lot of luck involved today.

Q. You were in a very strong position when you were at ten; can you talk us through the tricky back nine?
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: I thought every par was actually great; to make a par on every hole was great. On 10 I made eagle and then I think I 3-putted twice on the back nine. But that's easily done, if you can't stand still, the ball moves. I was actually lucky on 11 my missed a short one, a three- or four-footer for par, which went about five foot and then rolled another four or five foot. So I had a bogey putt from eight or nine foot. Those things are easily done.
Missed the green on 17 on the wrong side. Had no chance. So, yeah, it's just easily done. And it's tough also being out on the golf course more than six hours doesn't help.

Q. Do you see the point of trying to get four rounds in?
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: That's the only thing, it could be a sponsor thing it, but it should always be fair. I don't see it, no.
It was unplayable. But they kept us out there, so the only thing you can do is just your best. I did that on every shot I played today, and I'm still two in front. So I guess that's the best part of the day.

Q. When did you come to the decision that it was unplayable, because that front nine, you were holding things together nicely, you were advancing and then you had that wonderful approach, got the eagle at the 10th; you were soaring.
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: I would say it had nothing to do with my score that I came to the conclusion that it wasn't playable. I think it's more that it's not fair. If it balls are moving on the green, and that happened for us on 6, I think, for the first time; and it happened on the back nine a lot more. But the back nine I guess is more exposed. But the other guys must have had the same thing on the back nine.
On 9, actually, Thongchai had difficulty standing up when hitting a shot on No. 9, second shot. So I thought that was a case where it definitely showed that it was unplayable. I find it strange that in the past they have called tournaments off when the ball was moving only once or twice, and here the ball is moving everywhere and we are still playing. So I don't see the reason for doing that.
And so in my opinion now, is that there will never be any tournament be called off, because why should it.

Q. Is it the windiest conditions you've played in for a tournament?
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: I would say yes, yeah. Definitely not the coldest it's been, but I think it's definitely the windiest we've played, because normally we would only play a few holes and then stopped.

Q. You must take some satisfaction from holding things together.
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: That's true. I'm still two in front, and of course I was a few more in front before that, but it's a very tough day.
So it can go quickly, and that showed on the last few holes.

Q. I did hear you say that you didn't enjoy it one bit.
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: No.

Q. And yet the images we were seeing, you were smiling here, there and everywhere and having a laugh.
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: That's definitely true, I had a lot of fun but not playing golf. I had a lot of fun with my caddie. We were just telling each other that it's just ridiculous actually being out here. That was more the fun than actually the golf.

Q. And you now just regroup and suffer it all for the final round?
ROBERT-JAN DERKSEN: Hopefully they are so smart not to putt it out but I think they won't. I think we'll be playing again tomorrow, and same thing. Just going to do my best on every shot, and that's all you can do.

End of FastScripts

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