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ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

September 30, 2011

Martin Kaymer

ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND

MARTIN KAYMER: My season so far as okay. I've had one win so far and the goal is to have another win and finish top three in The Race to Dubai, that would be nice. But so far, it was not as good as last year. But it was okay.

Q. Would you like the wind to blow on the weekend to sort the men out from the boys?
MARTIN KAYMER: There is not really Scottish weather here. I would love to have a little more wind, especially the next two days, playing St. Andrews. I know how it was at The Open last year, how tough it became. But I really enjoy it when it really tough. This is a very scorable golf course today. Usually you are happy if you play something around level par but level par would have been very disappointing today. So I would love to see a little wind, yeah.

Q. You said the last time, you were going to go away for three weeks and work hard on your game; what in particular did you work on?
MARTIN KAYMER: The last two weeks?

Q. Before coming out to play the Dunhill, when I saw you last, anyway, you were going to practise hard for this tournament?
MARTIN KAYMER: Yeah, I was in America the last two weeks. I was working a lot on my short game. But not really on my swing. I was just trying to play golf again, and not thinking too much about my swing, because in the end, it's a game that you play, and it's not a game of perfect.
You cannot play that game in a perfect way. And I was trying to get away of that perfection, just trying to enjoy playing golf and trying to manage to get around the golf course.
And that is what I was trying to do mentally the last two weeks, to prepare myself for those tournaments. Because on those courses here, you don't have to play beautiful golf. It's about hitting smart shots, placing the ball here and there, and trying to score well. It's not about hitting perfect shots on every hole.

Q. Your final round last year was sort of spectacular, everyone chasing and you seemed to go one better; have you played better this year than you have that final round? Abu Dhabi was very good?
MARTIN KAYMER: I think Abu Dhabi was the best golf I ever played in my life to be honest. Last year, the last round was fantastic. It was such a challenge. I remember when he made that eagle on 14 and then I had that long birdie putt and he made that birdie. That is so much fun and hopefully similar things will happen on Sunday and hopefully I can win again.

Q. Do you feel you can go up for the weekend?
MARTIN KAYMER: Absolutely. I'm playing good golf. I just feel very comfortable. Obviously my dad and my brother is here, so once in awhile, we have a very casual chat, just some jokes, and it's definitely some entertainment when they talk about some golf shots and how they want to hit that shot and something completely different happens. It's funny, and I really enjoy that. It's a very comfortable and convenient week for me.

Q. Is it comfortable now that you have the next two rounds at the Old Course, as opposed to coming up here or going to Kingsbarns?
MARTIN KAYMER: It's tough to say if it's an advantage or not. But everyone knows, pretty much everyone who is playing this tournament knows St. Andrews. If it's an advantage that I play the next couple of rounds in a row, I don't know. Maybe. All depends on the weather.
But I was very happy that I was here on Friday, because that is the toughest of all of the three golf courses and to play under those conditions, it doesn't get easier. So I'm still happy with 5-under.

Q. When you became world No. 1, you talked about the difficulties of coping with the increased demands. Did that hurt you with regards to your golf?
MARTIN KAYMER: The thing that you are -- I would say you get a new role all of a sudden. You are all of a sudden the German golf face and you are the best player, the best golf player in the world. A lot of people, they are acting different around you all of a sudden. So it takes some time to get used to that thought, first of all.
What really happened the last five years since I'm professional, all of a sudden I'm No. 1 in the world, it was always Tiger Woods. And then all of a sudden you see your name up there, and people approach you different. They act different around you, and obviously you do a few more things besides just practising and playing golf. And that takes some time to get used to it.
But I think after a while, it is okay, and you can handle it. But the first month or two, it was tough to get used to that thought. Mentally, it was tough and very challenging. But obviously if you have to do a few other things besides playing golf, you do a few more things off the golf course, it takes away the practise time, as well. And then the mental aspect, there are a few things that come together.

Q. So next time you'll be better prepared?
MARTIN KAYMER: Well, now I know what's going to happen. It's not going to be the hype, it's to the going to be as big. It probably would be still big but not as big as it was when I was the second German who became the No. 1 and then the new golf era in Germany started and all of those things. So I think I'm better prepared this time.

Q. Are you impressed with the way Luke has handled it, he's much older than you --
MARTIN KAYMER: He's older but it's still difficult at that position to still keep going and to have goals and keep practising. It feels like every week he plays, he finishes in the Top-10.
It is very impressive because it is not easy mentally. I just read this morning from Darren Clarke that that is his ultimate, to win the British Open, and he doesn't really have -- he never really had other goals than winning that tournament. He struggles to find new goals now. So if you are once No. 1, it doesn't get higher, so it's tough to continue.

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