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WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIPFebruary 22, 2011Martin KaymerMARANA, ARIZONA PAUL SYMES: We now have world No. 2, thanks for coming in, Martin. In previous years you've slipped under the radar at this event, but now you're up there to be shot at. MARTIN KAYMER: I'm looking forward to the week. My record is not great here in match play, but, you know, obviously what happened last year and at the Ryder Cup and the tournaments that I've played, especially after the Ryder Cup, winning a few more, winning Abu Dhabi three or four weeks ago gives me a little more confidence and a little bit more motivation and belief that I can play well and win here. PAUL SYMES: Your first round opponent, a young Korean. He's going to be a handful. MARTIN KAYMER: Yes, definitely. And to be honest with you, seriously, I mean maybe 10, 15 years ago it may have made a difference if you were No. 1 or No. 64 in the World Rankings, but these days I don't think it will make any difference. If you play against No. 1 or against No. 64 or in our case this year, 65th, it doesn't make any difference. And if he's from Korea, from Sweden, from England, from America, it doesn't really matter, I think. PAUL SYMES: Your mindset this week, did it change because it's match play? Do you play the opponent rather than the course? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think it's always the same. Every year you come here, you say you can play a little more aggressive, you have to play your own game, you shouldn't get distracted away from your game. But at the end of the day, you play your 18 holes. Hopefully you only play 15, 16 or 17 holes. But I think my strategy is not really changing, you know. I just try to play as normal as possible. Of course, if he hits it twice in the water, I'm not going for the green, those things are very obvious. But I just try to play, you know. I'm not hitting a different club on the hole because of the match play, because of the format, you know. I mean I think 18 is a good example, here. You can hit the driver over the right side over the bunker to have a wedge into the green. But you put a little risk in there, if you miss the tee shot a little to the right and you're screwed. And you give the hole away. So those things, yes, you can play a little more aggressive. But I won't. I'll play my normal game. I know I can make a birdie with a 7-iron, I know I can make a birdie with a pitching wedge. So it's just a matter of you should not change at all. Obviously when something happens, something special happens on the golf course, then you have to and you should, but besides that, I just try to play a normal stroke play round. Q. You spoke about playing well and your confidence rising as a result of that. Is confidence always a function of something outside yourself? Is there a way in your experience for you to generate confidence no matter what's going on? MARTIN KAYMER: I think confidence is, I think, the most important thing that you need in golf, I believe. If you are -- I think if you're a good player, but don't really score well, it doesn't give you any confidence. And if you play tournaments okay and you still win -- you know, Abu Dhabi, I played fantastic golf, I probably never played that good before. But other tournaments I played only okay and could still win, that gives me so much confidence that I don't have to play my very best golf to win a golf tournament. But the confidence, you don't only get that on the golf course, you get that from the outside, as well. How people approach you, how they talk to you, with a lot of respect and I think it's the total package what makes me at the moment feel very comfortable on the golf course. Q. How much match play golf did you play in your early years as a golfer and do you like the format? MARTIN KAYMER: You mean as an amateur? Q. As an amateur, yes. MARTIN KAYMER: You know, some really little tournaments in Germany, some Club Championships, but nothing really serious. Besides that, I mean, my record in match play as an amateur was very good. I won a lot of matches. I won the really, really good, as well, always high, like 7-6-5, because I knew I was a little better than the other players. It was just how it was. And obviously these days, yes, I'm ranked No. 2 in the world at the moment, but, you know, in the end of the day everybody can shoot 7-under on the golf course, and I can shoot three or four over, as well. But I think it's a great format. And I have been very good in playoff situations and tomorrow or the rest of the week is kind of like going into the final round, head-to-head with somebody, try to win a golf tournament. It's pretty much the same thing. And I've been, when I was leading tournaments, I was doing very well in the past, to bring home the trophy and to win the golf tournament. I was successful in the playoffs that I had to play in order to win a golf tournament. So if I approach it the same way tomorrow then I think I will be fine. Q. A couple of questions. Where are you living? MARTIN KAYMER: In Germany. Q. Did you ever live in Arizona? A. Well, I have a place here to practice, yeah, to get ready for the tournaments in America in Scottsdale. Q. That was not my main question, I was just curious. Do you sense any type of a buzz or a little more energy this week? We've had pockets of the world's best players in different tournaments this year, and 1, 2, 3, apparently in Dubai, but just a sense that everybody from all the Tours are here this week, can you speak to that? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think it's great for golf. I think we have a good chance to become a world Tour with the guys talking about. I think Tim Finchem and George O'Grady, I hope they can find a solution for that. I think if you go down the World Rankings -- I don't know how many nations are playing this week, how many different nations, but I think last year there were as many as -- as there has been before. You can see it's getting bigger and bigger. And more Asians are winning, especially on the European Tour now. Over the last few tournaments that we've played a lot of first winners, so I think it's fantastic for the game, and especially here I think is great for America, as well, that a lot of foreigners come here and play in America. Q. I also wanted to ask: Of all the great things you did last year, your star power is certainly stronger than ever. Are you comfortable with that? MARTIN KAYMER: My star power? Q. Just being recognized more often, winning the first major and the race in Dubai, and all the things you've accomplished? MARTIN KAYMER: Just my success on the golf course. And obviously that's my goal to be as good as possible on the golf course, to play as good golf as I can. But does it really make me a better person if I win two or three Majors, if I win more tournaments on the European Tour? For me, it's nice to win those tournaments, but it's not the most important thing. Of course, I try my very best and that's why I'm out here to play as good as I can to win here, otherwise I wouldn't come. But at the end of the day, you know, yes, it changed my life a little bit. But I hope it doesn't change me as a person. But it's just nice to have that success at the moment and just enjoy that. Q. If I could ask that with better English, are you comfortable with the increase in attention you're getting? MARTIN KAYMER: Yes, very. Especially in Germany. Sorry. In Germany it's been nice to follow some great athletes, you know. I get a lot of -- we have a lot of media interest in Germany, and especially here in the U.S., as well. And I enjoy that. That's part of the job. And it's always where I wanted to be one day. Everybody wants to have some recognition for their success and for their performance. And for me I enjoy it, but, you know, you should never forget there was a reason why you get there. So you have to keep working on things in order to keep playing well. But at the moment it's a lot of fun. And I learn a lot about myself, as well. Q. Do you think results like your 8-shot victory in Abu Dhabi should get an additional bonus in the World Rankings, a margin victory? MARTIN KAYMER: No, a win is a win. I think if you win by one or by ten. Tiger won by 12 or 15, so, I mean, a win is a win. I think it shouldn't change anything. Q. Over the years it seems as if every year a new youngster cracks into the Top 64, Rory a few years back, Ryo, and now Matteo at age 17. Can you touch on this new group of youngsters breaking in? MARTIN KAYMER: I think it's so nice to see, to see the young guys, especially the way -- I'm talking about young guys, I'm not that old, but it's very nice to see them playing golf. I never played with Ryo before, but obviously I've watched him hitting golf balls. And Rory, you know, I think it's just great for the game of golf. And for me, as well, to know that I can play or I will play against those guys for probably for the next 15, 20 years. It's nice to have that challenge every week and every year knowing that they are very difficult opponents on the golf course that you have to play against. And I think it's fantastic. But I'm surprised, as well. 17 years old, my goodness, I was -- yes, I was thinking about golf, but I was never thinking about a World Golf Championship to play against Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and those guys. Q. I wanted to get your thoughts on kind of the new look at the very top of the World Rankings. If you think it's a good thing to have that position a little bit more volatile, and to steal Doug's words, are you comfortable having Tiger and Phil chase you for a change? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I think obviously it's a great situation that I'm in, I think. And I don't really see it as chasing me, you know. And I'm not worried about my World Rankings at all. I think if you play good golf, you don't have to worry about it. If you play bad golf, yeah, then you should worry about your World Rankings. But if I'm No. 1 -- it will change from No. 1 in the world. But it doesn't change anything for me to No. 2, No. 3, No. 6, No. 8, for me it doesn't change anything. And when I played with Tiger and Lee in Dubai it's just the, I think the challenge that you see between the three of us, you know. We don't want to see the other person doing bad. And it's not about playing better, it's just the challenge that you have between the best three players in the world. And that is what is fantastic. And I'm not really thinking about Phil and Tiger. Yes, maybe they're chasing me, but I enjoy that. For me, it's nice to be up there that early in my career and hopefully I can get -- one day I can become No. 1 for a little bit. But at the moment I'm pretty happy with where I am with No. 2. Q. Getting back to being recognized, how much more recognized are you here in America? You walk through the airport and get stopped? You walk through the mall, do you get recognized or are people not really picking up on that? MARTIN KAYMER: No, a little bit more than before, I think. I think the Morning Drive on The Golf Channel helps, too. I like the Morning Drive. They're talking about the international players. And I had that interview on Tuesday last week when I was in New York. So those things help me. And I get more recognition, yes, I do. But in a very nice way. It's always -- it's a cool feeling, you know, when people recognize and say nice things about you and wish you luck. And they say, we come down to Tucson to support you. It's a very nice feeling. Q. Have you been recognized at any unusual places in the U.S., department store or anything, any awkward places? MARTIN KAYMER: Not that I can remember, no. Q. Just a follow-up, Martin, about the recognition. How much has your life changed back in Germany since you won your first major title and became world No. 2, could you give us a couple of examples of that? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I haven't been in Germany a lot since my PGA Championship win. I know we've done a little bit more media in Germany. When I won the Laureus Spirit of Sport award in Abu Dhabi, it was huge in Germany. It gave the people there -- really gave me a lot of respect for that. In Germany, it's very difficult to get their respect. And the recognition, especially in golf, because we have only soccer and Formula 1, which is pretty big. And as a golf player, you barely don't get recognized at all. But those things, the PGA helped a little bit, but the Laureus Spirit of Sport award helped a lot. So it's getting bigger and bigger, and I like that fact because the last 10, 15 years golf was not really big in Germany. And I'm trying what Steffi Graf and Boris Becker did in tennis. If we can do the same with golf in Germany, that would be very nice. Q. Prior to Abu Dhabi you were talking about the dynamics of you and Lee and Tiger playing. And you reminded me of that today because you were talking about how you didn't want to see anybody do badly. And you talk -- back then you talked about playing with love in your heart. Can you say more about that in terms of how you play the game in joy and love? MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I think golf, you know, you should play for the right reason. You should not play golf to make dollars. And, for me, the nicest thing is just to get up in the morning -- for example here, to get up in the morning 6:30, 7:00, get on the range and see the sunrise, that is the best moment. Those things, I think, that is life quality. And for me it doesn't really get better. And to play good golf, all those things play a big part of that. And, yeah, I have fantastic people around me who always support me in the things that I have to do and I want to do. We always go the same direction, even though sometimes it's hard to make decisions that I don't want to do, but they kind of like don't talk me into it, but they give me the advice and then -- and it's always good advice. In the last decisions that I made, important decisions that I didn't really want to do, but at the end of the day they were good for me. And that is -- everything plays a big part of that of me being happy on the golf course. It doesn't really get better for me to play golf. I just really like that challenge. I want to go out and win tournaments. I want to compete, get myself in the last group on Sunday and feel that heat, preferably against the best players ever, that I can compare myself. And if I compare myself, I can see my weaknesses or strong strengths that I have, and I can move on and work on that. But it's always the vision of getting bigger and win more tournaments and those things, you know. That is what keeps me going. And that is what I love to do. Q. In that same vein, you spoke about how Bernhard Langer was very helpful to you prior to the Ryder Cup and I think you've quoted him as saying something to the effect, you're a good player, you deserve to be here and nobody wants to play you. I think that was the quote. When someone like that says that to you, that's kind of a transformational moment, can you look back on that and talk about how it's added to the foundation of who you are as a player now? MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I think it was two weeks before the Ryder Cup, I called Bernhard and asked him for some advice. Obviously he has been there a few times more than me. But to hear those things -- I was not calling him to hear that I'm a good player, you know. I know that Bernhard is a very honest person, very fair and hard but very honest. And if somebody like this tells you so many positive things about you and you can trust him that this is really what he believes, it's difficult to believe that a legend, you know, talks so well about you. And I don't know if I really realized those things right away. Sometimes when I sit down and think about it and people came up and said, how was it to talk to him? I sat down about Gary Player a little bit and those things, it's amazing if you look back where I was three or four years ago. And now I'm kind of like hanging out with those people, you know? And all those things they add to my confidence and that obviously I can bring out on the golf course and play well. Q. Just going back to the No. 1 question for a moment. If you were to move up to No. 1, how would that impact you or change things? Would you feel more pressure at all? MARTIN KAYMER: It would be more work for my manager, but besides that, for me, it doesn't change, honestly. I can tell you that that's my goal, but it is not my goal, it is a side goal. Maybe it sounds crazy that you have a side goal to become No. 1 in the world. But why should I put that pressure on myself? I just don't see it. If it happens this week, of course I would take it and go on. But for me, playing-wise, practicing-wise, nothing would change at all, because it doesn't make me a happier person. Of course I achieved something that not a lot of people achieve in their life and I can say that no one in the world plays that sport better than me, it's cool to say. But besides that nothing will change. Q. In a World Golf event like this, are you here more representing Germany or (inaudible)? MARTIN KAYMER: Representing myself. And I belong to both, obviously more to Germany. Yeah, I would say I'm playing more for Germany. Q. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions about a couple of par-3s here. The 6th hole, sort of wedged in between two difficult par-4s, what's your approach and how do you play that hole? MARTIN KAYMER: No. 6? I haven't been out there this week yet. I will play later. But is that the uphill par-3? Q. Slightly short, 183 yards. MARTIN KAYMER: Obviously it depends on the pin. But I think the middle of the green is always pretty good. There's a little false run on the left side, I think, so you should definitely avoid that because that's a difficult up and down. The bunker is not too bad on the right side, when the pin is on the right side and the back. I think you can be pretty aggressive. Behind the green is an okay up-and-down. But the most difficult pin is probably left short, because it's kind of there's a ridge behind it on left and obviously in front of it on the green. For me, that is for me a hole where you give yourself a chance for a birdie, but avoid the bogey. You made your par, and I don't think that you will win too many -- that you will lose too many -- or that you will lose as many times if you make par. So this is a hole where you play, I think, middle of the green, give your yourself a chance for birdie, if you make it, fantastic, if you don't, move on. That's the way I would play it. Q. How about the longer par-3, downhill, between the two par-5s? MARTIN KAYMER: The 12th. Yeah, that's the same thing, they probably put the tee forward when the pin is on the right behind the bunker. And yesterday I was chipping around a little bit and I think the putt -- if you hit it in the middle of the green, if the pin is on right, if you hit it on the middle of the green, that putt is more difficult than the chip behind the green. So I will be very aggressive with the shot when the pin is on the right side because I know that chipping on the right side behind the green is okay, it's an okay up-and-down. It's a good chance. When the pin is on the left, you can go straight at it as well, there's a lot of room around the left side. PAUL SYMES: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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