VOLVO MASTERS ANDALUCIA

October 30, 2003

Fredrik Jacobson

GORDON SIMPSON: Well, Freddie, great playing today. Great round of 64, you seem to be specializing in low scores this year, 60 at the Linde and 64 here; which was the better round?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I mean, both are great rounds in a way. I've been coming close to 59 is something special and to actually have a chance for it. I have to look at having a chance at a 59 as a special moment.

GORDON SIMPSON: This round, how would you regard this one?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: In these conditions with this course, a little bit more can happen than at the German Masters, especially with all of the trees around this one that I see quite a bit. I mean, the wind was quite strong today. I never expected such a low score today. If you were under par today, I think it was a very, very good score.

GORDON SIMPSON: What did you think seeing Anders at 6-under when you set off today?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I thought he really took advantage of maybe the greens are a little better when you're teeing off first. But at the same time, it is a little bit earlier in the day, and I thought he must have played great and I thought he was going to have a few shots lead after today.

Q. You say you've been in the trees a lot before, can you give us -- is there one incident in your mind when you were thrashing around in the cork trees?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: No, it was more in a fun way. I'm not all of the way up there in the fairway percentage on the statistics, so it does happen on this course I think to everybody through the week.

Q. But you've not had a particular nightmare here?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: No, I only played last year. That's the only time I played here before. I think I played very well up until the last day. I played with Bernhard the last round, who turned out to win the tournament. He had a very good last round and I had a poor one. So I didn't finish that great, but I was at least in the position to have a chance.

Q. What was the key today?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I must have -- I didn't miss too many greens in this wind to keep the ball in play all the time. It's a great benefit. Obviously, a few of the shots ended up really closer than you might expect, within a couple of feet.

So, I mean, when you get a few bonus birdies like that where you don't have to pick the line out and don't have to make a great putt to make it, it's a good bonus on a tough course, I think.

Q. Have you always felt confident playing in the wind?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I don't mind a bit of wind. Circumstances like this, I think I tend to like it. I've always liked playing in a bit of wind, but it's a certain level of wind where it starts getting too difficult. But like this, I don't mind.

Q. Was it difficult to play after the 60; you had a problem holding on to the position, as you were saying?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I think I played well the first nine the second day, as well. I shot 4-under in Germany on the second round for the front nine, but then it just slipped away a bit. I wasn't -- I had a couple of bad tournaments, actually, before that with three weeks off. I had not been playing great the last and I was a bit tired after the summer I had and a bit maybe too much traveling back and forth between America and Europe. So, I mean that one at the time when it came, I was a little bit surprised, but it was also a nice thing when you're at a break when you can get straight back into it. So I was happy anyway with that week. I tried my best and it didn't work out as good as what I did the first day.

Q. The course record is 9-under, was that something you were aware of today and was it in your mind?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: I think the course is different now. We've got a par 5 on the seventh hole --

Q. Preferred lies?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Let's forget about that. (Laughter.)

Q. Do you actually need preferred lies?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yeah, the ball is at the moment still picking up a lot of mud. It's still certain spots that are very wet and definitely if you've got a lump of mud on the ball it can take off anywhere. So far, it's necessary, I think.

GORDON SIMPSON: Let's get the details of all of these birdies starting at the first.

FREDRIK JACOBSON: The first hole, I hit 9-iron up to a foot and a half.

Then I hit sand wedge to one foot.

7, 7-iron, pitched it up to seven feet.

Then I hit a wedge to a foot and a half par.

GORDON SIMPSON: Great run on the back nine, just broken by one bogey.

FREDRIK JACOBSON: On the 12th, I hit 7-iron and probably a 30-footer. Then it was a sand wedge to maybe 20 feet. 14, I laid a 5-iron into that hole after hitting in the tree, my tee shot was superbly lucky there. I hit the 5-iron up to 25 feet. 15, I went in the right green-side bunker. 16, I hit 8-iron up to ten feet. Then 17 I hit the wedge to a foot and a half par.

Q. From how far out?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: On the 17th? That was 99 meters.

Q. Not possible to reach?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Not for me, no.

Q. Not today, anyway.

FREDRIK JACOBSON: No.

Q. What was happening to Paul early on; he had a terrible start.

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yeah, he started off bad off the tee and took a 6 on the first. And I think it was the third hole he got in or fourth hole, the par 5 he got into a lot of trouble. He caught a flyer on the third shot and it flew over the green and ended up in those bushes behind and a 3-putt on top of it didn't help. A horrible start.

Q. How high do you set your golfing ambitions?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: How high do I set my golfing ambitions? I've tried to improve all the time, that's the main thing for me.

This year, I've achieved everything apart from -- I had an attitude thing about the majors. So every time I play a major now, I want to have the ambition to win it instead of just being really happy to participate, which was a little bit of the case before when you only had one a year and it was a big thing to be a part of. So that's the only thing that hasn't happened.

But I had Top-50 in the world for this year and Top-50 in Europe and two wins, and I've achieved it all. And a score lower than a 73, as well, I set up to keep me going any shoot a low score. So I've achieved everything apart from winning a major so far, but it came pretty close as well at the British Open, I think, three shots away.

So I've done well, but I'll sit down after this year and set new goals for next year. So those are my goals for this year.

Q. When does your year end?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: It ends after the World Cup in three weeks.

Q. Will you start early on the U.S. Tour next year?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yeah, I'm going to start over in America.

Q. Right through to Augusta?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yeah.

Q. Was today pleasing after not being able to show off your best at Wentworth a couple of weeks ago?

FREDRIK JACOBSON: Yeah, I mean, of course I wasn't really sure I didn't get to play as much as I was hoping at The Match Play. I only got one day, so in the three weeks off from regular tournament, I only managed to get one tournament day in three weeks at The Match Play. So, of course, it's nice then when you have a good run.

GORDON SIMPSON: Thank you very much. Well played today.

End of FastScripts.