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OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSICFebruary 4, 2010Alexander NorenDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES MICHAEL GIBBONS: Alex, thanks for joining us. I suppose you finished with a bogey today, but that was one aberration in an excellent round. Give us your opening thoughts. ALEXANDER NOREN: It played tough, and I understood that, and that's why I got off with a good start. I was -- well, with a birdie on my third hole, and it got me really motivated, because I like playing in this weather, because you know it's tough and you've got to hit better shots than normal. And all of a sudden, I was 5-under after 12, and it felt really easy. Well, it didn't feel easy, but everything kind of went my way. Q. What is it about OMEGA that you like? ALEXANDER NOREN: I don't know. Well, Switzerland and OMEGA are my favourites. Q. You say it felt easy. Have you started the year swinging easy, or just it really made you work and then you relaxed? ALEXANDER NOREN: Like I said, it made me work really hard in the beginning, and then when you are 3-under after nine and it's playing tough, you know that if you keep a good attitude and since it's going well, you've got a greater chance. If you don't play well in this weather, it's tough because the greens are firm. I experienced that on my last hole. As soon as you're out a little bit, it's tough. Q. What happened on 9? ALEXANDER NOREN: I hit it way right and came up short of the green and tried to chip on. But the rough is really, really tough, and especially when it's this kind of dry, windy -- it's sticky grass. It's easier if it's wet almost because it slides through. Q. How many times did you get in the rough today? ALEXANDER NOREN: Well, 10, but doesn't really matter because you lay up, anyway. In the rough on the 5th, after the par 3, in the rough, and then 9. Q. So that is quite an achievement out there, isn't it? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, that's why it felt easier than it should have been. Q. How would you say your game has been since Crans? Has it progressed as much as you feel it should? ALEXANDER NOREN: My fighting spirit and my attitude has been better. I understood that I have a game that can win, so now -- because I've always believed if I just get better hitting balls, if I get a better short game, that's all I need to do. But since I could win with what I had, I understood that if I just keep improving a little bit at a time on my game, and also in my head, because I had a few good finishes after that, even though I didn't feel at the top of my game. Q. You always had that fighting spirit, and a good attitude since you started playing golf, or did you have to acquire it? ALEXANDER NOREN: No, I've always found it pretty challenging, the game. So it's always been like -- I think that's what kept me going when I was younger, because I was choosing among other sports, and they came easier to me than this. Then I just had to fight; I had to fight, and you know, I had a fair amount of balls in the trees. Q. What other sports did you play well? ALEXANDER NOREN: I played like, football, and we call it floor ball, indoor hockey. Q. So you were good at them all? ALEXANDER NOREN: They came easier to me, fast-moving sports, and golf is a little bit tougher. Q. That's why you chose it? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, I think so. I was too young to remember. Q. Have you got your eye on The Ryder Cup this year? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, I think I'm in at the moment. I haven't looked, but that will be amazing. I'm trying my hardest. Q. You and Charl put up 4-under on a tough day. Do you think that will be a leading score at the end of the day? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, four or five, maybe somebody gets to six. Q. But you feel that's very competitive under demanding conditions? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, I'm very happy. Q. You just got ask about the Ryder Cup; has Monty spoken to you since Switzerland? ALEXANDER NOREN: He was the captain at the Royal Trophy, so we had a lot going on there. And yeah, nothing specific. Q. Just that he's got his eye on you? ALEXANDER NOREN: I hope so. Q. What impressions did you have of him at the Royal Trophy? What did you learn or see close hand? ALEXANDER NOREN: First of all, I've never really spoken to him before, and I thought he was really easy to talk to, very funny, and sarcastic guy. (Laughter) To us he was really good because he gave us a lot of examples of his experience, and you know, it's nice to hear stuff from a great player. And also, you know, my biggest struggle is I'm always trying to improve. And at the tournament, I'm facing it the same as a practise week, so I'm trying to improve and improve and I tire myself out. He's kind of the opposite, he goes with what he has. So I saw that at the Royal Trophy. I don't know how much he practised over the winter, but I beat balls every day, and he came there and he played probably better than I did. So it was pretty nice to see that. Q. And he was telling you what a great player he was, was he? ALEXANDER NOREN: No. (Laughter) He was giving examples of The Ryder Cups and you know, I asked him in the practise round, I asked him, "So, when you were ..." and he says, "When I was good, you mean?" (Laughter). I said, "Yeah, when you were at your best, you hit the fairways in the regulations all the time," and all these questions, but it came out a little wrong. Q. The experience of having played the Royal Trophy and that interaction with Monty, does that whet your appetite in some way to be in Wales in October? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, because that was a big deal, the Royal Trophy, for us. Not to the media over here maybe, but it felt very important to us. And it was great, big crowds, and it was a great tournament. I haven't played a team event since I was an amateur five years ago. So I thought it was great. Q. I was just going to ask you that. We heard from afar that the atmosphere in The European Team at the Royal Trophy, at the start of the week you just had dinner once together, and then you dined together every night. It must be great to get that real team feeling. ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, it was just like -- how many guys were we at dinner at night, 14 guys or something at dinner, it was great, all the caddies, all the players, it was great. Q. Can you imagine what that would mean on The Ryder Cup stage? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, I think that's how it should be; we're a team, we're going to eat together. It was great and talk about something else than golf. Talk about the good shots maybe and have a laugh. It was good. Q. You've got Colin on the bag still, haven't you? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah. Q. How is that relationship maturing? ALEXANDER NOREN: It was good. We are getting more comfortable with each other. In the beginning I was kind of more nervous than he was I think, because he had been on a great bag for five years and taking me under his wing, it felt like it, and now it's great. I read over his book, which I thought was fun and see what he does besides the course, off the course. He's an easygoing guy. Q. Did you read the books? ALEXANDER NOREN: I read most of the second one and some of the first, but his language is too tough. He uses words that I've never heard. (Laughter). Q. And on the golf course, the same? ALEXANDER NOREN: Yeah, and my English gets worse and worst more I hang out with him. (Laughter) I feel really bad every time I try to open my mouth. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for your time. End of FastScripts |
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