	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

November 5, 2011

Zhang Xin-Jun

SHANGHAI, CHINA

CALVIN KOH: Well done, 64 today and 10-under for the tournament. Take us through the 10-under for the tournament.
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, today I have very good iron play and putted very well. I hit a lot of greens in regulation and therefore, I can hole a lot of birdie putts today.

Q. I would like to know, and I'm sure everybody else in the room knows, but I would love to know when you started golf, and did you play other sports, as well.
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Just purely golf.

Q. And at what age?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: 2004. I'm a rookie this year.

Q. Minus four yesterday and minus eight today, does the course suit the way you play?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, not really, just because of the rain, the greens become softer and I can attack the flags much easier. I can hold a green easier.
The greens were slower today, and therefore, I could hold a lot of putts. The way I play -- other golfers playing around me, I usually hit a lower trajectory and I can hold it today, just because of the softer greens.

Q. Well, I see the media saw you practising these days and trying to hit different shots, shot-shaping shots. Is that the way you play, has it changed, that you have a more different variety of options?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, I'm playing still the same way, but I'm trying to gain more experience on different tours, professional tours. And I'm trying to learn how to handle the hazards and difficulties, and trying to improve in the future.

Q. I saw you yesterday, you hit a few balls into the bunkers and didn't really handle the game very well. But today is like a different person. So what did you adjust to your game?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, first of all, the driving was not really good yesterday, but I can do it better today. Because of the injury on the first day, I tried to cope with it, minimise the swing a little bit and make some adjustment. Now I can handle the game better today.
Today I hit minus four for the front nine. I'm trying to forget about the passion of having 4-under on the front nine and trying to become a new player, a new start on the back nine and become another 4-under. So I try to make less pressure for myself and handle the game much better.

Q. Is your brother helping you as a caddie, is he making a good help on your game?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, I usually use my brother as my caddie and he helped me a lot on club selection, on reading the greens, and he did a very, very good job. I should give him credit on helping me to play the game.
Also, we are friends and coaches around me -- my coach is here, actually in the media centre, and he's helping me a lot and giving me a lot of support and encouragement for the game.

Q. The 16th green on Sheshan is a short par 4, and a lot of players here this week are trying to get on in two, but you've been using the driver every day, and you have made an eagle and a birdie and a par for the past few days. The first day you made par because you drove to the hole and hit it left of the hole, and then you made it up-and-down and saved par. But yesterday, you made an eagle just because of your driver, you have more confidence on the driver.
ZHANG XIN-JUN: And today, even though I made a drive left of the hole, I made a really good recovery and made a save -- made a birdie today, I feel very, very confident with my driver, actually.

Q. You've watched or seen this week, or other weeks, presumably, a lot of good golfers from around the world. Who do you admire? American golfers? European golfers? And is there any particular player that you have copied?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: There are a lot of world-class golfers here today at Sheshan, and a lot of my favourites, actually. There are a lot of people, golfers, that I really admire very much, like Lee Westwood and Adam Scott. They are my idols. I enjoy very much playing with them. It's like a learning process for me. I have gained a lot of experience throughout the tournament.

Q. Well, since you have been playing with a lot of leading players in the world last week at Shanghai, and what sort of experience have you gained from the two weeks of tournaments? Has it helped you a lot?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, last week I didn't adjust very well, especially for my mental adjustment. But this week, I can handle myself much better, and also, it's a very good momentum for me to get prepared for the World Cup with Liang Wen-Chong together, and I have gained a lot of confidence and I have learned a lot from the tournament this week.

Q. Minus four yesterday and minus eight today is a really, really good momentum to carry you through the game tomorrow. So what sort of secret behind the momentum?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, it's a lot of friends and my coach give a lot of support and encouragement. And I try to stay relaxed for the tournament and not giving myself a lot of pressure.
And also, it's a lot of help for my coach this week. He helped me a lot on mental and skill level, and helped me on training for me all through the tournament this week. And also, I would like to thank you for not giving me a lot of pressure and letting me relax and stay cool for the game.

Q. You seem to enjoy the pressure, do you mind if we set up fans and teams all the way through the round?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Yeah, I'll be pleased with it.

Q. Every country and its psychologists have their own ideas on dealing with golf pressures. Is there a special sort of Chinese way of handling pressure? You seem quite a calm people?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, I'm trying to play cool, and trying not to compare with others. I will stay focussed on each and every shot of my game and not be affected by others. I try to play my own game and stay cool and not giving myself a lot of pressure.

Q. You told us that your idol is Adam and Lee Westwood, and it might be possible that you play with them tomorrow. What do you think about that? And also, you've been playing very well with your partner today and then you have a big lead over him. What do you think about that?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, I try not to give myself too much pressure and try to be playing every shot, stay focussed, and it will be my honour to play with either Adam Scott or Lee Westwood. It's absolutely my honour. And I will try to stay focussed on each and every shot on my game.

Q. You might be pairing up with foreigners tomorrow, and will you check with them when you play with them, and what sort of content will you talk about during the game?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, I would like to talk to them if I can speak English, and then absolutely nothing about golf.

Q. You've been playing very well as a rookie, and then what sort of plan in the future in the next few years?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Well, yes, it's a very good rookie year, but I'll try to stay in China for local tournaments and probably in the future I will try to play in Japan or The European Tour.
Next year I'm planning to try to get a Tour card for the Japanese Professional Golf Tour.

Q. You wouldn't want to talk golf with these other players. What are your other interests? Do you like cooking? Football? You tell me.
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Okay, I have no idea about what I would chat with other people, but for cooking, definitely I will be interested because I don't know cooking at all.
And then if I were going to chat with other players, I don't know, I really have no idea what I would say with other players while we are playing with them.

Q. What are your hobbies?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: I'm a fan of snooker.

Q. You have been playing very well since from your amateur stage, and now you're playing very well in your rookie year. If you have choices on the Japanese Tour, European Tour and PGA Tour, what would you like to choose?
ZHANG XIN-JUN: Definitely the PGA Tour on the United States.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297