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PGA CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 15, 2009Alvaro QuirosCHASKA, MINNESOTA Q. Although 69 is a very good story, you looked disappointed. Was that a bogey at the last? ALVARO QUIROS: The bogey at the last and like the six putts that touched the hole, I didn't hole in. I mean, it was a good day. The score today is not enough. I played very good, many good chances, par 5. I didn't make any birdies on the par 5s, hitting all of them in two. And at the same time the last bogey was a little bit disappointing, because the ball was a little uphill, was waiting to turn left, and the ball came very good to the right. And I'm not confident with this and it was a bad shot. Q. How are the greens today? Are they a little better with less traffic on them? ALVARO QUIROS: They are, of course, better than yesterday afternoon. But not as good as Thursday morning, if I had to be honest. I think there is a lot of spikes. So it's not easy to hole putts. Q. You seem to be enjoying the crowd out there and interact with them. How much do you enjoy being in a major championship? ALVARO QUIROS: I have to recognize one thing, that is, I made the cut, which is something important after to see the three majors before that that I play. And about the crowd, well, they like the action. Once I make a birdie, it's something positive. Q. Do you see a really good number out there if you hole a number of putts there? ALVARO QUIROS: Yeah, if the long game is still in the sand, for sure. I should see under, but it looks like a first cut for me today with no -- I mean, nothing important, it will be 5-under easy for sure. Q. You've been in the United States quite a bit this year. Talk about being here, what you've learned about your game and just what you've gotten out of being here. ALVARO QUIROS: Well, in general, the thing that I can say is the length of the golf courses are completely different from Europe, and the speed of the greens, too. Normally here they are quicker. It is easier to put it like this. And at the same time the length of the golf courses is something to help me a little bit to feel a bit more comfortable here. Q. A bit longer? ALVARO QUIROS: Yeah, longer. Q. Are you farther along than you thought you would be? ALVARO QUIROS: Excuse me? Q. Are you farther along in your development than you thought you would be? Talk about where you are in your career right now. ALVARO QUIROS: No, I'm okay. This is like -- I have to be thankful to be where I am right now. Q. Do you have ambition of playing here regularly? What do you see -- ALVARO QUIROS: I would like to play, yeah. But positively, yes, I would like to play here. But I had to come here to go to qualifying school. It's very important for the fans and for me, too, so I'm not going to come here to play the qualifying after a long year. So if I qualify through the majors or what champion event next year, I will come for sure. Q. What do you think when you watch Tiger? What kind of player do you think he is? Why is he good? ALVARO QUIROS: I think he's the strongest man, mentally speaking, of course, in the field for sure about the game. It's good. Obvious. He's number one by far, I have to say. Even everybody's saying right now it's not the same Tiger five years ago. I still think he's the one -- he's the best by far. He's the only thing that matters. But I think his strength is of course in the mental thing. Q. What effect did he have on you growing up? Where were you? ALVARO QUIROS: If I had to be honest I didn't grow up with Tiger. I grew up more with [Inaudible] and these kind of players [Inaudible] is an American one. I mean, he changed a little bit the point of view to see the golf. Completely different point of view. He's more athletic, more a sportsman, which is very important to make this game a little bit more professional. Used to be a little more -- like all the sports, I think all of them, they make an evolution. And both has a good evolution after Tiger arrives. Q. Do you think you could ever beat him? Do you think your game could grow into that? ALVARO QUIROS: The thing is -- I mean, I have to fight against the golf course. I don't mind having him beside me. The most important thing is the scores. You can see I'm far away from Tiger. So right now I think I'm in a long way to him, to try to beat him. Q. Who do you think is the closest to him? ALVARO QUIROS: The second player. I don't know who it is. Q. Doesn't have to go by the rankings but -- ALVARO QUIROS: I think the most important thing is the ranking. The scores are over there. And the main thing is the ranking, is the way they are doing and that's all. I think the best players close to him should be the second one in the world ranking points. It's as simple as that. I think all of them -- I mean, from second to tenth, I would say or to eighth position in the world ranking, they're all very close, all of them, between them but still being a long way with Tiger and the rest. Q. What are you doing when you're not golfing? ALVARO QUIROS: I couldn't say. I couldn't say to the media. I enjoy being with my friends and the good weather where I live. I like surfing a little bit. I play soccer, basketball. I mean a little of all. I like sports. Q. When you reached the par 5 when Tiger was on the green, he was impressed. Did he say anything to you? Have you spoken to him much? ALVARO QUIROS: I spoke to him yesterday, two days ago. Q. Did he say something? ALVARO QUIROS: He told me that I should try to show him how to do it. But I think he used to be a little bit like me, wild. I need to improve the rhythm and control of the ball. It's something that Tiger improves with time, too. I think Tiger about seven, ten years ago hit the ball further than now, but probably don't have the same control that he has now. Q. Did you seek any advice from him? ALVARO QUIROS: No. Q. A lot of people like to watch you on the range hit the bomb. Has Tiger ever stopped and watched you? ALVARO QUIROS: No, I don't think so. If I had to be honest, I don't think so. Q. How do you like that, that people -- you're kind of a spectacle on the range? ALVARO QUIROS: It's a nice thing. It's better to be something -- it's better to be a little bit important, even for your length only. I think I'm a good player. I'm top 50 of the world, so I have to be happy to be in top 50. I have to improve a lot of things, that's for sure, but it's a great advantage the length that I have it and I know it. Q. What's your best long drive story? Tell your best long drive story, whether it's on the range or -- ALVARO QUIROS: The 11th hole of the first round here was a good, one of the good ones, moments, because I never tried to hit the driver from the ground. And I made it. Q. The first time? ALVARO QUIROS: It was the first time. I made it. And I reached it. So it's a good moment. Q. What's the loft on your driver? ALVARO QUIROS: 8.7 degrees. I don't know. Should be between 8.5 and 9. Q. What did you hit at 14 today? ALVARO QUIROS: 14, I hit a 3-wood. Q. Did you think you got it right? ALVARO QUIROS: No, I was trying to hit it straight. The ball started to open a little bit. This is why I thought I'm not going to reach the green. The people said it was far right. So the only thing I couldn't do is missing the right. So when I saw the ball cut a little bit, I thought, hmm, not a good side to be. But at the end kept the line pretty well and I was in the middle of the green. Q. When you first came over here, a lot of people here weren't aware of who you are. Were you sensing that out there? What's it like? ALVARO QUIROS: What I sense is people love action here in America. And they love spectacular things. And I think I can put a little bit of myself in this action with the drivers. Of course, even if I play -- when I play more here, I think the more they're going to know me, that's for sure. Q. From the bunker at 15, first you hit an iron and then you decided -- what was your thinking? ALVARO QUIROS: The thing is I knew -- everything comes because I was putting well, but the ball doesn't want to finish in. So I was a little bit frustrated. I went to the birdie is on two of the green. So that's why I took a little bit of risk to the 5-wood and I hit it and that's why I hit it against the lip. Q. Sounds like you felt you could have scored a little better today? ALVARO QUIROS: I mean, if you see my stats today, you will know. I mean, I hit six putts that touched the hole and didn't finish in. And this is illustrated, I mean, with the level of my long game right now I should shoot easy 5-under. But golf is like this. I think everybody is going to face every day thinking actual thing's lower. So the only thing I can try is tomorrow, a lot's changed, probably hole more putts. Q. 16, when you finally made one, it was not a real celebration; it was like: Finally I made one. ALVARO QUIROS: That's it. It was a celebration. It was. It was. It was the same, I holed a putt on 16 for par. It was like a celebration. It's very frustrating to see that this course is just out of the current. You can see that the day is not simple. If I shoot 5 or 6-under, I will be in the top spots. After to shoot 3-under and, okay, I'm in a good position, of course, but at the same time far away to make something big. Q. You are a spectacle, but how important is it for you to be known for more than that? ALVARO QUIROS: What can I say? Everybody really loves to be something important. Here in the States the American faces is a little bit more important than European, but quite normal, quite natural. I mean, like I told you. I'm coming to play golf. I'm not playing to receive the applause of everybody when I don't play well. If you play well, it's a pleasure to have you for sure. But it's the only thing that you can wait. Q. Do you feel you're ready to win here yet or there's more work to be done and what's the work you need to do? ALVARO QUIROS: I can feel it, yes, I can feel it, for sure. I think any players top 50 of the world can win anywhere. If I speak in my case, I think with this kind of golf courses fit me. So I'm ready, yeah. Q. What do you need the most work on? ALVARO QUIROS: Short game. No doubt about it. Probably this week I'm chipping, I'm putting -- putting poor but chipping bad, really bad. Normally we don't have this thick rough in Europe. So with my 58 I can handle the situation in Europe. Coming back here, it is more difficult. I have to learn to play with six degrees, which is a great help in this thick. Q. Is winning in America -- does it matter? Does it make a difference? ALVARO QUIROS: I think winning is difficult in every places. If it is in America, Japan, Asia, Europe, it doesn't matter. It's important. But I think winning in America I would say is the same thing as winning in Europe. You can feel probably the golf courses are difficult here, more difficult, just for the greens because they are quicker and tougher. So you have to be able to manage with the different situations around the greens is the only difference, I think. Q. At 12, you put your driver in the rough right short of the bunker. Looked like you were talking to your driver as you were walking toward -- you're holding the driver like you were talking to it. What were you doing there? ALVARO QUIROS: The thing is, I hit a driver 3-wood on the 11. Very easy chip shot. I was unlucky because one meter more right in the middle of the green, easy 4. I don't make 4. When I arrived at the 12th, I thought hit it a good driver. I was waiting. I expect the wind a little bit from the right. I hit just a little fade and the ball never came back and I was thinking come on, is nothing working correctly or nothing working like I want. It's completely the opposite is the only thing. Q. What did Tiger say to you about when you reached that green, driver, driver? ALVARO QUIROS: He didn't say nothing at the moment. I apologized to them on the following tee, but he didn't even turn his head. He was focused. But after the round he told me, "You don't have to apologize." I told him, I apologized because I thought I'm going to reach it. Q. What were you thinking when that ball rolled up there? What were you thinking? ALVARO QUIROS: The first time I didn't see the ball reaching the green. Even when I was working, I saw the ball in the middle of the green. I thought, oh, it's not a bad thing. The group in front is still being putting. Q. Today you thought you hit it on the green but -- ALVARO QUIROS: It was just feet from the front. End of FastScripts |
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