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PORTUGAL MASTERSOctober 13, 2010Miguel Angel JimenezVILAMOURA, PORTUGAL GORDON SIMPSON: Maybe start by telling us, when you went home, what has the reaction been like to Celtic Manor back home in Spain? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: The reaction, I think all of the TVs in Spain have been on for The Ryder Cup, and all of the people are so happy and proud of what happened there. You know, for me, it's amazing, all the news and things. GORDON SIMPSON: Did you have many interviews to do. MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yes, we have many interviews. You see there (pointing to his right ankle), I sprained my ankle on the 17th there when everything is done. And I've been icing all Sunday and Monday night and for two or three days, now I've got to put my feet on the ground. The telephone never stopped. Q. So did someone push you on the green? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: There were so many people there that you cannot see the ground, and I hurt my ankle. Q. When did you do this? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: On the Monday - on the Monday afternoon on the 17th when Graeme won and when everything is done. Q. When everything is won? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yeah. Q. Too many people. MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, and you cannot see the ground and I hurt my ankle there. Just there's a hole(in the rough) there you cannot see because there's so many people there. And the Monday night, I cannot put my foot on the ground. Q. Is it very painful now? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: It was very painful. Now it's fine. It's a little pain still the same, but it's good. Q. How did you do? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Ice and anti-inflammatories are helping. Q. Have you ever experienced anything like that, the 17th green at Celtic Manor, so many people? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: It's unbelievable. A great experience. It's amazing. Nothing compares really. You cannot compare that. Q. And I did hear that when you went out for a meal the other night here in Vilamoura, people stood up and clapped? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: The restaurant -- my favourite restaurant, yeah, full of people clapping there, and I can't have dinner because they want photos signed. It happens. Q. Spanish restaurant? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: No, it's a Portuguese restaurant that I know the owner for years. Q. Still like to play on the team for Medinah in two years' time? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Well, when two years' time is coming, we think about it. No, at the moment, what I try to do is enjoy myself, every time you go on the golf course, that's the main thing. Q. Did you play any golf last week? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I play only one round on Friday, to see how my foot is working. That's the only thing I do this week. Q. Still tired though? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Still tired, yeah. Q. Is it more mental tiredness? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, I cannot believe how these guys are going to play after The Ryder Cup. I can't understand how they managed it in Scotland.. Q. At the Dunhill? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: At the Dunhill, and a good victory for Martin, he's playing very well and he's only 25 years old. It was a good performance. Q. Were you very pleased for Montgomerie? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Very pleased for Montgomerie and all of the people on The Ryder Cup. They have a very hard job, all of the people surround there. Q. It was a great backroom team this year? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, very nice, very nice. Good harmony, very sympathetic things. Q. You think that's the right way to go, with a big backroom team so everybody knows what is happening on the golf course? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, it's good, very good. Q. And you want to do it (captaincy) one day do you, maybe? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Whatever happens, happens. I would not mind. Still learning. Q. You were Seve's assistant. MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I was Seve's assistant '97 in Valderrama, yeah. Q. Did you speak to Seve? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: We speak when we had a conference call on Tuesday night before the start of the tournament, you know. Q. Being mentally tired, could it affect your play this week? Do you feel ready? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I'm ready. I'm looking more for my right ankle. And of course still my head is still tired, you know, but when you go out there and concentrate on what you have to do, you go out and do what you have to do, even if you're tired. Tomorrow after the round, I will tell you how it was on the golf course. Q. How did that moment in The Ryder Cup when the team won rank with all of your successes over the years? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: No, it's nothing can reach that level, nothing. Q. Even your own wins? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: No, even every single day, any tournament, with any major, anything, nothing compares. And when you finish there, it's you know, the most amazing. You cannot describe that. Q. Can you or other people pass Martin Kaymer in the Race to Dubai? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I don't know. Kaymer is playing very well and he's playing very well the last few tournaments. You know, he win in August, he won in September, he win now in October. The first one he won was in the desert, right, Abu Dhabi. And hey, he's very good. And you can see on the range, you can see -- I am realistic, if I play well, I can win a lot of tournament and things, but it's very difficult to pass him on The Race to Dubai now. He's around 3 million now, something like that. Q. Nearly a million euro ahead. MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I think it's -- and he don't want to stop playing. He is not going to disappear. We are realistic, we know what we are talking about. To me, he is going to be the one who is going to win The Race to Dubai this year, looks like it. He doesn't want to relax himself. Q. World No. 1, as well. MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Maybe. Maybe. I don't know. You never know what's going to happen. Anything can happen, he deserves. Q. It's a great time for European golf, though, isn't it, with McDowell and Kaymer winning majors and The Ryder Cup? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Yeah, we see we can -- they are still going to play with us and see how we can grow and make stronger here in Europe. Q. George O'Grady was in recently talking about the one extra tournament in Europe, 13 going forward. Do you think that's a good move? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I think that's perfect. I think that is something that's very good. We have to look for Europe; we have to look out for the sponsors. Now we have eight tournaments with the majors and World Golf Championships. I think it's supposed to be not a pain for any people playing four tournaments here on the main Tour in Europe especially. It's what we have to look at, not only for sponsors, you know. We cannot forget one thing, all of the players that play now in America and other parts of the world, but this is their roots, and this is the cement, their home - and then you are not supposed to throw stones at your own house. We have to grow and we have to make those things and force the players to look in his own house. Q. This is their home? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: This is something people know how to forget. I've been playing during the Tour in America in 2001, 2002, and I played in both places. It's easy when you're in the Top-50 in the World Ranking. I lost that category in 2002 and I finished very bad. When you are not in the Top-50, you have to commit in one place. You have to look for your roots. Q. You won the Portuguese Open in the Algarve some years ago? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: In 2004. Q. Does it make it more special when you play in the Algarve? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I love this place. This is very similar to where I live in Malaga. People are the same, very nice people. I feel like home here. I like it. I have got some friends here, too, and I enjoy coming to play here. I come with my girlfriend, with my compañeros and we have too many things. Q. Did you bring your Ferrari with you? MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: No, I could not bring because I brought my girlfriend and my friends and we have too many things. Q. And you got a special car that you brought -- MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: No, we did not bring the M5. Q. Last year you missed the cut.... MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: I made the cut last year. Q. This year you are the favourite to win the tournament. MIGUEL ÃNGEL JIMÉNEZ: Well, you make me favourite -- whenever I enter a tournament, I always consider myself the favourite, because you have to have some kind of illusion where you go, okay, you have to have some kind of motivation. But on the media and the people, it's what they make this escape. I will try to make the best I can. The Ryder Cup is something that you are looking at all the year. When the Ryder Cup is finished, now you are finished; nice and relaxed. End of FastScripts |
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