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ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

January 23, 2011

Retief Goosen

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Q. Save your best for last; easily your lowest round this week. What was the difference in your play today?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, the game got a little better as the week went on. Struggled with tee-to-green the first couple of rounds. Hit the ball very poorly but my putting saved. And I practised a lot on the weekend, Friday afternoon and Saturday, and slowly got better. Today obviously I made a lot of good putts. I putted the same as I did the first couple of rounds but I kept it on the fairway and the greens.

Q. When you go into a final round 12 shots behind a leader as good as Martin Kaymer, you kind of know you're not going to win; what's your goal for the day, a player of your calibre?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, you're preparing for the next event basically. I'm just trying to work it out, I didn't was struggling so much, and hopefully you know, you can take it into Qatar feeling a little better, hitting the ball better going into Qatar and give myself a chance to win.

Q. 14 Top-10s last year, what's needed to turn those into victories?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Four good rounds. No, that's been a problem. It's been the one round that's been bad.

Q. Put into context how good Martin Kaymer's performance is this year, in how far ahead he is of this field?
RETIEF GOOSEN: I've never saw anything above 20-under around here. The course, we were lucky, we didn't have any wind really all week, a bit of rain but no real wind. So if the wind blew like it normally blows over here, I'm probably thinking 15 and under would be the winning score. But yeah, he's killing us.

Q. What are your thoughts on a final round like that?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Well, yeah, got off to a great start birdieing the first three holes, which probably are the three easiest holes on the golf course, played downwind. So yeah got off to a perfect start to get my round going.

Q. 26 putts in all, isn't too shabby.
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, the putter, the greens are beautiful. If you start the ball online, it goes in. That's what I did all week. I putted really well, but my ball-striking was poor and today it was a lot better.

Q. Did you feel that there was a round of that nature in you?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Really after I birdied the par-3 7, I thought, yeah, I can get a low round in here.
Then didn't really do it on the par 5s and got away with it on the last hole. I hit a poor third shot in and made a good putt.

Q. When you approach a final day and you are 12 behind the leader, what are your thoughts?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Obviously I wasn't thinking about the leader. I was thinking trying to get a good round in and trying to see if I can squeeze a Top-10 out.

Q. Were you aware you did reach out right second?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, at one stage I was tied second but Rory looks like he's coming in with a strong finish.

Q. The potential winner, Martin Kaymer, awesome performance around here, isn't it?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, he obviously loves this golf course. He's played some awesome golf around here in the last few years, and you know, I know what it feels like when you're in such a zone, it's a great feeling.

Q. And yet did you envisage a score of that kind of nature from him?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Not really, no. Not really. When we had the bad weather here, normally the wind blows quite a lot here and we're lucky it didn't blow the last couple of days, or really all week, it didn't blow like it normally can blow here. So I never really thought anything above 15-under was going to be the winning score.

Q. I take it a performance like this, and what's come before already this season, it bodes well?
RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I need four solid rounds to get a win in. A little bit inconsistent from tee-to-green. I need to work on it.

End of FastScripts

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