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ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

January 23, 2011

Martin Kaymer

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

SCOTT CROCKETT: Martin, many, many congratulations. That truly was, not only today, it was a fantastic performance all week, an exhibition of golf, you must be delighted to sitting here again as champion.
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, especially the way I played golf today, and actually the last four days. I made only one bogey the entire week, and yeah, I think it really doesn't get better than that; obviously if you make no bogeys but I'm very happy yeah.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Did you have a plan when you went out today? Obviously the two early birdies helped, but was there a thought in your mind of what you wanted to do?
MARTIN KAYMER: The most important thing for me was today that I have fun, and if I have fun, then I play good golf. I played with Rory today and we definitely had a lot of fun on the golf course. He struggled a little bit on the first nine, but you know, after nine holes, I think I was leading by seven shots and then I pretty much knew if I just keep playing the way I do, I'm probably going to win.
SCOTT CROCKETT: As well as your third victory here and another European Tour success, you've obviously moved up to world No. 2. Just talk about what that means to you.
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, it's quite nice to overtake somebody that you think -- or who you think of, he's probably the best player in the world, or the best player that ever lived. To be in front of him for a little bit, we'll see how long it takes him to overtake me again, but you know, it makes me very proud to be better in the World Rankings than, for me, the best player in the world.
SCOTT CROCKETT: If you keep going like this, you'll be a hard man to catch. We'll take some questions.

Q. As you said, you pretty much had the tournament won coming down the back nine. Was the fact that you didn't want to incur another bogey inspirational to you, and made you work even harder coming in?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, that was very important. If you saw how I played the back nine, I played it a few times just for the middle of the green, made my two putts. I got lucky a couple of times that I made long putts.
But for me, it was important to avoid the bogeys. I really wanted to have three rounds in a row without a bogey. I never had that and I think I never played as good golf as I played the last four days. My caddie, Craig, and me, we really managed to play the golf course the perfect way. And obviously you have to hit good golf shots, as well, but our strategy was really good.
We are avoiding all of the big mistakes. The only bogey I made was a shank. That was on the first day. But besides that, we played the golf course the way that you have to play.

Q. I guess apart from the US PGA last year, a lot of your wins lately have been by increasing your lead the last day. Are you conscious of really rubbing it into your rivals?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I think you have to set yourself some goals going into the last rounds, and if you lead the tournament, I think it's the wrong attitude to go into the last round just defending your lead. I think you have to keep playing, keep trying to make birdies.
What I said earlier, my goal was to avoid bogeys today. I just wanted to give myself plenty of chances for birdie, but obviously secure my par. I had an okay start. I was 2-under after nine holes, but then I had good back nines.
But even on the back nine, even there were some putts that I didn't -- of course, I want to make every putt, but if you're leading by six or seven shots on 18, it's not really that important, but the putts, all of a sudden they drop again. So it was just one of those tournaments where everything goes my way.
I think you have to set yourself some goals going into the final round when you lead.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what it means for European golf, the fact that you and Lee are up at the top, like Faldo and Langer a long time ago?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I think it was 1993 when Langer and Faldo were leading the World Rankings. I think for Lee and me, it's a very nice position to be; to be No. 1 and 2 in the world, you can see how strong European golf became the last few years. And not only through The Ryder Cup, just if you have a look at the major winners last year, Graeme McDowell, almost every week he had a chance to win the tournament.
It's just a matter of time that Rory wins a big, big tournament somewhere. He won in Quail Hollow last year already, but I think he will win plenty of Majors in his career, so you can see at the European golf, it's getting better and better, which is just nice to see; that there's always a great challenge. Of course, the PGA Tour in America is a fantastic tour, but I think our tour, we don't have to hide anywhere.

Q. Given all of your success the last 12 months, do you view yourself as the best player in the world right now?
MARTIN KAYMER: No, I think Lee Westwood; the play he played golf; the way he played The Ryder Cup; the way he played the Majors last year, I think he got really, really unlucky a few times that he couldn't really pull it off and couldn't win the tournament.
But for me, Lee Westwood, it says in the World Rankings that he's the best player in the world. It's about consistency in the World Rankings, and he played as consistent as you can imagine. So that's why he's the No. 1 in the world and for me he's the best player in the world.

Q. Martin, just looking ahead to the four Majors this year, and the golf courses, which ones are you really looking at?
MARTIN KAYMER: The British Open, the Masters -- I always struggle at the Masters but I'm trying to get my swing to the right direction and I'm able to shape the ball right-to-left. I always struggle with that one.
I have never played the golf course in Atlanta and in Washington that we are going to play the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship but I am looking forward to the British Open again. That was always one of my goals to win the British Open one day, and the way I played last year through my win at the PGA gave me the belief that I could win any tournament that I enter.

Q. HSBC have said their ambition for this tournament is to do what they did in Shanghai and take it to one of the Top-10 events in the world. I just wondered your thoughts on that, please.
MARTIN KAYMER: I think for us, it was already one of the best tournaments that we have on The European Tour, just because of the whole setting here, the golf course has all been great, the hotel we are staying. But to have such a big partner or supporter of the event like HSBC; they have a great event in China already. What I said, at the prize ceremony already, it's a World Golf Championships event now, and to support this fantastic event here, it just makes it better. You see the field this year has been really good. So to have HSBC is nice.

Q. Retief Goosen who played very well said that you are killing him, and Lee and Ian have said that it it's like you're playing a different course from everybody else. What is your key to success here, or what you're doing that the other players aren't here?
MARTIN KAYMER: I think I have a very good strategy on the golf course. Even if I miss some shots, I always miss them at the right side of the fairway or the right side of the green, and I always have makeable up-and-downs or makeable birdie chances even sometimes. I think it's just a strategy that my caddie and me had.
I just know really well how to play the golf course, and the success that its showed me that I play the golf course in the right way, and that's what I did this week again.
Of course, I was not expecting myself to win by seven or eight shots -- I think it was eight in the end, wasn't it? But it's just my putting was unbelievable. I was never expecting to putt that well.

Q. The course here obviously suits you, there is suggestion that the new courses at Saadiyat and Yas --
MARTIN KAYMER: No. No. (Shaking head).

Q. How would you respond to it being moved?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I wouldn't mind to stay here longer obviously (smiling).
I would suggest to have a second tournament in Abu Dhabi and that we keep this here and then play a second one on the other golf course. But I don't want to move.

Q. And you think you can maintain your period of dominance here in future years?
MARTIN KAYMER: I looked pretty good the last few, so I think if I keep preparing myself for this event, the way I did the last few years, then I think I always have a good chance to win.

Q. I know you've talked about your strategy and things, but what you just said about your putting, have you ever putted as well as you have this week, and do you know for those of us who have not added up how many puts you took, how many puts you took?
MARTIN KAYMER: I would say my average for the last four days was probably 27 putts, 27, 28.
But I don't think that I ever putted better than this week. Even at the PGA, my putting was good. But I can remember that I once in awhile hit the right line and I just didn't stroke it well.
But this week, almost every putt felt like I had a good stroke. I just had to read the greens well and the ball was in. For me, just feels very easy to read the greens here. I feel so comfortable, and when I'm standing on the first tee, I know that I just have to bring the ball on the green and I will always have a good chance for birdie.

Q. You said about the putts on the 15th and 18th today, can you just tell us about those putts, and on these four days, which was the most unexpected put which went in for you?
MARTIN KAYMER: On 14?

Q. On 15 and 18, you said you made really good putts.
MARTIN KAYMER: I made a long one on 16. That was my mistake, sorry, on 16 and 18. That was a putt from, say, maybe 25 feet. It's not normal that you make those putts. And I was leading by I think seven shots, so I just wanted to make my par, go to the 17th green. I think I was just unlucky.
And on 18, obviously when you're leading by seven, you just want to get away, hole the putt and celebrate a little bit. So it was nice.

Q. You consistently said how you enjoy your time in Abu Dhabi, how you love coming back and how you have a great time in the hotels and you consistently do well on the course. This is obviously a very lucky place for you; would you ever consider spending more time here, maybe moving out here for some time of the year?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, actually I was thinking about next year, I don't really want to change my preparation, but I thought about maybe after Christmas coming a little bit early, a week earlier, stay in the hotel in the Emirates Palace, because Hans, he always offers me to stay there. So I think I might come here next year a little bit earlier, enjoy Abu Dhabi, because I never really had time to see entirely Abu Dhabi. So yeah, that's definitely a possibility.
SCOTT CROCKETT: Martin, a sensational performance, very many congratulations.

End of FastScripts

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