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WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

February 16, 2010

Martin Kaymer

MARANA, ARIZONA

STEVE TODD: Martin, welcome to Tucson. It's quite a local event for you, living down the road in Scottsdale. You played here last year. What are your impressions of this event?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think it's a little bit different than we used to play every week. It's a match play format. We used to play every week a stroke play event, so it's something different and I'm really looking forward to it because it's man against man. And there are no easy matches out here. Every game is difficult. It doesn't really matter if he's No. 64 in the world or No. 3, or No. 2, Nick, this week.
I think it can be a lot of fun, especially for the spectators, as well. We will play more aggressive. You'll see a few more birdies, maybe a couple of eagles out there. It's going to be an interesting and fun week.
STEVE TODD: You come in here as one of the top seeds, is that added pressure or something you really look forward to?
MARTIN KAYMER: I think match play -- if we were to play stroke play this week, then I would expect myself to play well, too. But in match play everything can happen, you know, you can play a good round and you can still lose. Or you can play bad but the guy you play against, he can play worse and you can go through. So there's always some luck involved. But I don't really put a lot of pressure on me or myself, I just want to do my very best this week, and see where I get.
STEVE TODD: Chad Campbell in the first round. What are your thoughts?
MARTIN KAYMER: I don't really know him. He played the Ryder Cup. I heard he's a really nice guy. I talked to a few guys yesterday but I don't really know him.

Q. Do you kind of sense a different atmosphere about you now as someone who's broken into the Top 10, a different level of expectation from people outside and maybe different expectations from within?
MARTIN KAYMER: For me, you mean?

Q. Yeah.
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, yeah, probably. It could be. I can feel it in Germany, as well, the media, they're expecting a lot from myself now. They're pretty much expecting me to play the Ryder Cup. They're expecting me to win almost every week. But, I mean, it's very difficult to keep that level and to be -- to play for the win every week.
Of course I'm trying my very best, and I can't make everybody happy, and especially the press in Germany. They are really looking for someone new in Germany. After Bernhard Langer, I think I'm the only one who got in the Top-20 or Top-10 in the world. So obviously they're looking for someone and they are trying to push me a little bit. And I can feel that pressure, as well, a little bit. But that's fine. So far I can handle it well. I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I'm here to play golf and have fun and hopefully I can stay in the Top-10 as long as possible.

Q. Are you way ahead of where you thought you might be?
MARTIN KAYMER: Oh, yeah, for sure. My original plan was when I turned pro in 2006, my plan was that in 2009 that I get on the European Tour, so this would have been my second year on the European Tour. I was never expecting myself to be here at the match play a third time in a row. So I'm way ahead, yes.

Q. Did the plan go further than that? When did you think you might break into the world's Top-10?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I mean, it was probably a goal of my career. And it's nice that I could achieve it a little bit earlier than I was expecting. And now the goal is, of course, to get as high as possible or to become as good as possible and see where I'm ending up.
But now I'm No. 6, it would be nice if I can keep it to the end of the year, and maybe break into the Top-5 next year. Everything should be step-by-step. I don't want to chase anything.

Q. Is there any advantage in having somewhat of a familiarity with desert golf?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, of course it is. You can see, I always play very well in the Middle East, in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai. And I think it comes from practicing here in Scottsdale. It's very similar, very similar golf courses, similar weather. So obviously I really fancy that surrounding or that atmosphere. So this week is similar, as well. I think I can do well this week, too, yeah.

Q. As you have climbed in World Rankings, have you noticed that your privacy has been less and less in Germany when you're home?
MARTIN KAYMER: No, no, not at all. You know, golf in Germany is not as big as in America or in Great Britain. So not a lot of people know me there. I think it's good. I can still walk on the street without, yeah, there are not a lot of people coming up and hey, can I have this, can I have that, can I have a photograph. I really enjoy it. Of course it's nice to be in Germany sometimes and when people recognize your face, that's nice. And you can see that golf is growing in Germany. But so far everything has been good.

Q. How close were you to joining the PGA TOUR this year? Did you give it serious thought?
MARTIN KAYMER: In the middle of last year, I really thought about it. I talked with my manager already what I had to do to qualify for the PGA TOUR. Yeah, I really thought about it. But after my surgery I had in September, I felt like that I really missed to play on the European Tour. I played a lot of tournaments in America the last two years, for me, I thought I played a lot of tournaments, because I didn't play a lot in Europe anymore. I always played in America from February until May. And then I got back to the European Tour in Wentworth. So I thought -- I didn't really feel comfortable with it this way.
So I thought I'm going to play one or two more years in Europe and play like this, like I played the last two years, play a little bit on the PGA TOUR, the big events, a little bit in Europe, so that worked out very well for me. And 2011, maybe next year, but I would rather say 2012, I would join the PGA TOUR then.

Q. You mentioned that golf wasn't as big in Germany as it was in America. Where does golf rank in Germany as far as everybody's favorite sport?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think that the main sport we have is obviously soccer, that's the biggest sport we have. Hand ball got really big with the World Cup that we had. I think golf is probably third or fourth. Our winter sports are huge. Right now you can see that we've got a few medals already in Vancouver. Yeah, I think golf is going to be No. 4. But I'm there to try to get it up there (laughter).

Q. Any prediction on that German bobsled team?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, they did well, huh? First and second, right?

Q. I'm not sure.
MARTIN KAYMER: What was it, two days ago, when they won the gold and silver medal, the Germans?

Q. I think it was the luge?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah?

Q. Have you been back to the go-cart track?
MARTIN KAYMER: I was.

Q. When?
MARTIN KAYMER: Last week, but I drove like I was seven years old (laughter). I was a little bit scared, yes, but, you know, I went down with some friends. They said, hey, we're going to go go-carting today, do you want to come?
I said, yeah, I'll come with you, but I'm just watching. I just want to hang out with my friends, they were driving, and we can have a good time there. After the first race, I thought I can give it a try, and see how it feels. It was empty, not a lot of people on the track. I was driving very careful the first two or three laps, and then the next laps I saw myself chasing it already. I thought, okay, back up a little bit, be careful. I think Mr. Montgomerie, he was giving me a little hint that I should be careful and shouldn't do that.

Q. Have you had enough match play experience to know how to change your game?
MARTIN KAYMER: I think you should play your normal game plan, it should be the same, you shouldn't change anything. When it comes down to the end, when you're maybe four or five ahead, or when you're two or three holes behind, then you have to change your game a little. But before that you should just play your normal -- just your ball, and don't focus too much on your opponent.
Of course when he hits it out-of-bounds, you shouldn't take the driver and play aggressive, but that's pretty normal what you're going to do then. I think it's a great format, you can play a little more aggressive earlier. And I really enjoy those weeks where there's something different.
As an amateur I played really well in the match play, match play already. And I think it could be good preparation for the Ryder Cup, too.

Q. Do you think Europeans do have an advantage in match play?
MARTIN KAYMER: The Europeans? Do they have an advantage?

Q. In match play, because you guys play it.
MARTIN KAYMER: I don't know how it works in America, but when you're an amateur -- as an American I don't know how you do it on the college here, if you play a lot of match play tournaments, I don't know.
But in Europe we -- I can remember when I play on the German national team, we went to Spain a couple of times and played match play against different countries. Yeah, maybe we have an advantage there, but at the end of the day, you know, it's man against man. And you just have to make a few more birdies than the other guy.

Q. Going back to your jump into the Top-10, what would you attribute that to? A change in your workout regimen or is it just the result of the preparation you've been doing all this time is finally paying off?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think the time, my practice time in the winter was very important. I came to Scottsdale every December and stayed there for four or five weeks and just practiced as hard as I could, like every day for many hours. And then I went to the gym almost every day. I just took the Sunday off. So my week pretty much was from Monday to Saturday, it was pretty packed of my training schedule. And I think what made a big difference last winter, I got the -- I changed my manufacturer to Taylor Made, and I think the products that I got there with the new golf ball, that helped me big time in Abu Dhabi when it was quite windy. The new Penta ball helped me quite a lot. Because the golf ball I played before was not as good in the wind as a Taylor Made ball. So those little things, you know, if you can combine all those things together, that probably helped me big time then.
STEVE TODD: Thanks a lot, Martin. Best of luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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