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ALSTOM OPEN DE FRANCE

June 29, 2011

Martin Kaymer

PARIS, FRANCE

STEVE TODD: Martin welcome back, you were champion a couple of years ago and tied six last year, a golf course you know well. Just your thoughts coming into this week and your special memories of this place.
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I won in 2009 here, and obviously before that I've done well here already. I think it's one of the best golf courses we play on The European Tour. Yesterday when I played the Pro-Am, I think they changed only one hole, the 7th tee box is new. Besides, that the golf course has not changed at all. I fancy the golf course and it will be a great venue for The Ryder Cup in 2018.
STEVE TODD: Obviously as a German person, you would want Germany to have got it, but I think you spoke in support of France after the French bid got it, and obviously it's a course you know well. Can talk about what this would be for a venue in The Ryder Cup and the next seven years in the Alstom Open de France?
MARTIN KAYMER: Of course I would have loved to have The Ryder Cup in Germany, my country, but maybe we are going to get it in 2022.
But France, I think everything around here, obviously the surrounding area is fantastic for The Ryder Cup. The last four or five holes, I think they are built for The Ryder Cup, especially for the spectators. A lot of drama will be going on on 16 and 18 for sure, those holes, when you have water involved.
And of course it would be nice to be part of The Ryder Cup here, because I have done well here always and it would be nice to play one of the biggest events that you can play in my sport on a golf course where I have very good memories on.
STEVE TODD: We have spoken over the last few weeks about the changes you've you been making in your game, is there some more positive signs last week in Germany?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, a practised with my coach a lot last week, so that was nice. I was playing good golf last week. I just didn't make a lot of putts, especially on the weekend.
So I feel like my game is getting together again, and I can play well again. I just need to be a little bit more successful on the greens, and then I think I can win tournaments again.

Q. Are you as comfortable as Abu Dhabi on this golf course?
MARTIN KAYMER: If I feel the same? Abu Dhabi is my home golf course. I really enjoy being there. But here in France, obviously I finished well a few times.
But I have fantastic memories from this championship. I won a Challenge Tour tournament here when I became professional and I think in my rookie year, I finished in the Top-10 in The French Open. In 2009, I won, and last year I finished in the Top-10 again.
Yeah, I consider it a golf course that I really like, and it suits my eye. But it's tough to compare it to Abu Dhabi. You know, I won there three times and finished second in the year where I didn't win. So it's tough to beat Abu Dhabi.

Q. Being in the world golf No. 1 for nearly two weeks, did it change something in your life as a golfer?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I definitely had a little bit less time to practise and a little less time for family and friends, because I had to do a lot of media. I had a lot of different requests that I haven't gotten before that I was not used to have. But my management and my family and me, we are trying organise everything as good as possible, and it was fine. It was just a matter of getting used to it. If it were to happen again that I would become No. 1, I would know what to expect and it would definitely be easier for me.

Q. I saw last night the video of you and TaylorMade; is it a fake?
MARTIN KAYMER: HUGO BOSS.

Q. You were hitting balls everywhere, in the street --
MARTIN KAYMER: No, I did it.

Q. If you can talk a little about the course and the challenges that is presents?
MARTIN KAYMER: This golf course, it's a very difficult golf course. Obviously the last, I think couple of years, they made it longer. The greens are always fantastic, so it's definitely possible to shoot low scores. But it all comes down to the last -- I think the last, five, six holes. You can make birdies, but you can make double-bogeys, as well.
So you have that long par 5, 14, which is tough to reach. But obviously if you reach it, you can make a three or four there, but you've got 15, 16 and 18 where anything can happen. I remember last year, I was not too far away to win the golf tournament. I think I was only three or four shots behind the leader going into 15. And obviously I was trying to win the golf tournament. I was playing very aggressive and I made double-bogey 15 and double-bogey 18, so that can happen, too.
But I think it all comes down to the last four holes, especially on Sunday afternoon, when you have a little bit of pressure and you want to win the golf tournament.
STEVE TODD: That was a major part of The Ryder Cup decision, that would be a fantastic finish.
MARTIN KAYMER: If you have a look on 15, you can see if you are behind the 18th green and behind the 16th green, the par 3, there I can see already the thousands of spectators there. So I think that is fantastic for The Ryder Cup, and just I think it doesn't get better. It's like on Valderrama, the 17th, it's fantastic, those spectators to see players coming in.
But here, that golf course, you can see even more holes. You can see 18, 15, 16 and 17, all those holes, you can see them, so that's obviously ideal.

Q. What do you think of the new No. 7, the tee has been moved?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, I played it yesterday from all the way in the back, and from my opinion, it's a little bit too much, because you don't -- you can't reach -- if it we don't have downwind, you don't reach the fairway and that becomes a little bit too much then I think.
If they can use the new tee, but if they put the tee all the way forward, that will be fine, and then we gain 20 yards and then we can get it on the fairway.
But before that, it was a fantastic hole, because it was -- now you have to hit driver. Before, it was about 2-iron, maybe 3-wood, and you could run out, so it was a little bit more strategy involved.
So now it's always about, okay, I hit driver, left side, boom.
So I liked it before a little bit more.

Q. I know you are like all players and you want to win every major; which one would be the next one you would win?
MARTIN KAYMER: There's only one, and that's the British Open. That's the only major we have in Europe and that was always one of my dreams to win the British Open, preferably in St. Andrews. But Royal St. George's sounds good to me, too.
STEVE TODD: Thank you very much.

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