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BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN

June 22, 2011

Matteo Manassero

EICHENRIED, GERMANY

GORDON SIMPSON: Let's make a start. Well, a very warm welcome, Matteo. You played last year at the BMW International Open, played all four rounds but maybe you would be looking for a little higher finish this time around.
MATTEO MANASSERO: Absolutely, yeah. I'm always glad to come here. It's a nice place. I enjoy this week. It comes after a major, so I try to recover my energies to have a good week here.
But as I said, I always have to thank BMW. I like it here, and I always enjoy to come here. So obviously, yeah, I hope for a nice finish. That's what I like, every week I play, in European Tour events, I try my best to win the event, and obviously, hopefully this week will be a good one.
GORDON SIMPSON: And are you feeling a little fatigued after the travel from Italy to America and then back again?
MATTEO MANASSERO: Well, obviously it's not far off -- yeah, Italy actually was quite a busy week. It was a bit tiring. But Majors are big weeks and they tire you, it takes a lot of energies out, mental energies and pretty much everything. The travel was very easy obviously with the jet; you come here in seven hours and then you can rest. So it was actually very good, and as I said, try to recover my energies. But I'll be ready for tomorrow absolutely.
GORDON SIMPSON: We heard from so many people already what happened at Congressional, maybe it's time to get the Matteo Manassero take on what Rory achieved. How do you feel about that victory?
MATTEO MANASSERO: I was really, really happy. I'm delighted to see Rory winning, and the way he won after people spoke, even not too good about him, even a bit too harsh sometimes. He didn't deserve all that after Augusta. But he took it as a great experience, and you know, he performed like that on a tough course that was playing long, wasn't easy to make birdies, and, you know, made a lot of birdies and didn't make many bogeys, three bogeys.
GORDON SIMPSON: Could you see 16-under winning at the start of the week?
MATTEO MANASSERO: No, not at all. Especially the beginning was playing firm and then became softer and softer. But still, you couldn't see going double digits on that course. He went double digits after 30 holes probably. Unbelievable.

Q. Everyone says you are the shooting star in the world of golf, young star; how do you handle it?
MATTEO MANASSERO: Well, it's an honour for me to be recognised as a good player and a possible future major winner or whatever. So I'm glad of it, and you know, I'm really working on to be always as good as I can and always improve. So it's a motivation more than something hard to handle.

Q. You did pretty well at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth for three days, but it was only just. Can you tell us what was missing this time in this experience, and is it an appointment -- do you have an ideal memories or what is your take?
MATTEO MANASSERO: I missed a bit of experience obviously, which I took; I learned a lot from that week and that is going to help me next time.
But certainly on the course, I missed a few situations that didn't go that way, but probably I didn't play enough good golf that day to have some chances to take. I only had pretty much two makeable birdie putts, and didn't make them.
So when you don't make any birdies on Wentworth, tough to get a score, because you're usually going to lose shots. Especially that day; it was a bit windy, firm greens. I missed a few putts and a few situations didn't go anyway exactly.
But, I took a great experience out of it.
GORDON SIMPSON: Just like Rory at the Masters.
MATTEO MANASSERO: Exactly.
GORDON SIMPSON: You will probably learn the same way.
MATTEO MANASSERO: And hopefully next time, I'll do what Rory did, even if I -- even if I don't think so.

Q. You mentioned that you travelled directly from the U.S. Open to unique with the BMW jet I guess. Was it possible to rest after that flight? Because Martin called us yesterday that he suffered from jet-lag and he woke up at 3.00 in the morning and came here before 6.00am. I think to practise.
MATTEO MANASSERO: Yeah, everybody took it different. It certainly was a long day. Monday we came here at 10.00am. And didn't want to sleep much on the jet to be able to sleep at night and get the jet-lag.
But I'm taking it different from Martin. I'm struggling to wake up, so I'm a bit flat during the day for these days past, but I'm okay today, and tomorrow I'll be ready.

Q. A simple one, but not that simple, but you'll take it in the way I mean. When do you think you can go out and play, when you're not trying to learn, but just go out and play? Do you know what I mean?
MATTEO MANASSERO: I know what you mean. I always do that. I always go out and go out and play for shooting the lowest round I can to see what my improvement, to see a good game from myself. That's why sometimes I take it not very well because I expect a lot from myself.
And you know, taking an experience, it's the way of not being too disappointed out of some bad days like it was at Wentworth, like it's been one a year ago, The Challenge Tour in Geneva. Learning experiences; obviously I played well during learning experiences at the Masters and everything. But right now, I'm playing to win this event. All the time that I go in Italy, I was playing, I want to win the event. Because I feel like I'm playing good and I feel like now, I feel part of this work and part of this tour and things are going well.
So I'm not always playing for learning experiences, even at the U.S. Open. It was a first experience for me, but I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about playing good.

Q. The success of the Molinari brothers and your success, did it change anything in Italy? And where do you see yourself in five years?
MATTEO MANASSERO: First of all, yeah, in Italian golf, it's certainly changed a bit, because media are speaking much more about it and there's much more interest, but still, the Federation has to do more for the young guys to be able to build another strong and powerful trio as we are right now.
So to have many more players, they still have to improve and do some more work. But certainly, things have changed, yeah, much more interest. Many, many more young kids approaching golf.
In five year, I really don't know. I didn't think more short term -- I think week-after-week. I never expect myself to be Top-30 in the world after a year and three months right now. I never expected that, so I'm not setting many long-term goals, like five years.
But if I keep concentrate and keep thinking that the week I'm playing, it's that important, very important for me every week, it is; so if I think like, that I'm sure I'll be able to play really well every week and perform well and in five years, maybe be Top-20 or Top-10 in the world.
GORDON SIMPSON: Did you notice particularly at Royal Park how many youngsters were out in the audience watching? I certainly noticed it, and I think your sponsor to the junior programme, Kinder.
MATTEO MANASSERO: Yeah, exactly, Kinder, it's more of a kids' developing kind of programme that they are doing.
Yeah, it's great. Obviously Kinder is helping the Federation and helping young kids to get interest into golf, and you see that's important, as you said. Obviously there was a massive crowd that The Italian Open never had, so certainly has changed. But many, many more, much more interest, much more crowd, many more people, but still work to do to be able to find out and to take out other great players.

Q. After the question, where do you see yourself in five years where, I ask, where do you see you on Sunday? We have an event here, and everyone says, who will win on Sunday, I want to say, Matteo Manassero, can you confirm it?
MATTEO MANASSERO: Thank you. I hope I can confirm it Sunday.
GORDON SIMPSON: On that note, right, we'll see you Sunday afternoon sitting here.

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