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THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPMay 10, 2009Alex CejkaPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA Q. Were you surprised at how poorly Tiger played today? ALEX CEJKA: Yeah, kind of. He didn't really hit good shots. His short game is so great. I don't know what he shot, 1-over. I mean, it should have been 5-over the way he kind of played. But he's a grinder, you know. But he didn't really strike the ball well at all. Q. Just a tough day? ALEX CEJKA: You know, I kind of hit good shots, but I got bad breaks, bad lies, didn't make one putt. You know, a couple drives were a little bit off and I'm in the bunker or first cut or whatever, and then just never had it going, not one momentum where you make a birdie or something or a good shot, a lucky break. I hit good shots into par-5s and I get screwed, terrible lies, like 11, like 2. I hit beautiful shots there, I should walk off with two birdies, and I struggled to make par. Q. That was on 2? ALEX CEJKA: That was on 2 and 11 and 16. I mean, beautiful drives, nice high 3-iron. That's what happens when nothing is going your way. Q. Can you talk about the numbers and the problem on 2? You did hit a perfect drive. ALEX CEJKA: After the 2nd I hit a beautiful rescue, pitched on the green just past the green, and there is like a ridge and it's going left, then right, and my ball stays up there in the rough, downhill lie, terrible. If it's a little bit left, a little bit right I have an easier chip. It's tough. Nothing was going my way. Q. Normally when Woods is in the last group he fires. We've seen it for a dozen years. Were you surprised that there was no kick out of him? ALEX CEJKA: Yeah, we're all human. We can't play 100 percent all the time. We seen it last week already where he struggled. He somehow finished third or whatever, fourth, last week. But it wasn't his game, you know what I mean? Q. He still finishes in the Top 10 every time. ALEX CEJKA: Yeah, his short game and his mental strength is phenomenal. Q. Do you remember playing that round with him and how he hit it? ALEX CEJKA: I remember back then he really hit big hooks. Like on the first hole it's a par-3, and he hits like two clubs less than me and he starts it 20 yards right of the green and hooks it in. Like, okay, then he kept hooking, hooking. Now today, he was trying to cut the ball, I think, too much. He was hitting high shots, but he didn't strike it well. I don't know, we all are working on the long game. But the short game is phenomenal. Q. Do you feel his frustration? Did he talk much to you? ALEX CEJKA: No, we talked a little bit, but I think he was mad with himself. Q. I know it's still early, but (indiscernible.) ALEX CEJKA: As I said, it's a positive thing. It doesn't matter what I shoot. I still finished Top 10. It's good. Obviously I was leading by a couple. I played with the best golfer in the world, and I didn't play well and neither did he, but he kind of saved it. Short game, be more patient, you know? I was just unlucky. I didn't have one good break today, not one good break. Q. Four holes in when your five-shot lead was gone, what did you think at that point? ALEX CEJKA: I was grinding, I was grinding until the end, but nothing was going my way. After nine holes I was a couple back, but on the back nine anything can happen, and I hit a couple good shots, a couple good putts. But you know, until then I didn't really make bad shots. That's the way it goes sometimes. Q. How well do you know Henrik? ALEX CEJKA: Yeah, I know him well, played with him a couple times in Europe. Q. He's a little different than most Swedes, kind of a dry sense of humor? ALEX CEJKA: He's a great player. I mean, he's shown it in Europe. He won here before. He won the Match Play. He's a great player. He's long; great short game. He's a great player. Q. Given how hard the golf course was playing, did you look up at any point and see the round he was putting together and were you surprised at all? ALEX CEJKA: Yeah, if he shot 4-under, that's good. I was thinking this morning that there would be one or two guys that were going to shoot a bunch under. Q. As it turns out, you would have had to shoot 1-under. ALEX CEJKA: Yeah, I'm still happy. Q. So your best year was like in the mid-90s and you won three times in Europe. ALEX CEJKA: Yeah. Q. When you haven't won for a while, is it difficult to remember what it was then, whatever you were then, 23 or 24? Is it difficult to remember, this is how I won? ALEX CEJKA: It's not difficult to remember, but I think it's tough to get there. I still have it. I still have the positives. Even though it's 2002, it's still a couple years back. You know, it's tough to win. These days, it doesn't matter if you go to Asia on the Asian Tour. There are great players everywhere. The best golfers in the world are here. Q. As it turns out, you were joking last night with the red shirt? ALEX CEJKA: No, I was looking in my suitcase, and believe me, I have a big suitcase. I have 40 shirts with me because I'm on the road for a couple months. I didn't have one. I had green, pink, orange, black, plaid, every color, but I didn't have red. Q. But you would have worn it? ALEX CEJKA: I would have worn it if I had it. Q. You don't think that would have annoyed him? ALEX CEJKA: I can wear what I want. Q. It didn't work for him, either. ALEX CEJKA: Yeah. Q. Do you usually wear red and black on Sunday? ALEX CEJKA: No, I'm black and white on Sundays. End of FastScripts |
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