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OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUPNovember 22, 2011Louis OosthuizenCharl SchwartzelHAINAN ISLAND, CHINA SARAH GWYNN: Welcome to the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup. Just describe your first impressions of the place. CHARL SCHWARTZEL: It's great to be here. We've heard so much about Mission Hills and all of the golf courses it's got. You know, we pretty much are dying to see the course we are playing. We arrived‑‑ I arrived late, late yesterday afternoon, and Louis last night. We just figured that we've had quite a long stretch up until now, and a day of taking it easy is sort of what we thought would be good for us. Today we just hit a few balls, hit a few putts and we'll play a Pro‑Am tomorrow and see what the course is like. Very excited to be here. SARAH GWYNN: Must be fantastic to be representing South Africa. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: It's definitely an honour representing South Africa and this tournament. I think it makes it a bit more special playing with Charl. The two of us since junior golf wanted to play in this and probably imagined playing it together, because we played in so many amateur and junior team events. You know, it's really‑‑ just I think we are going to have a good team this week, have a lot of fun. On the course, it's completely different to what we are used to every week playing a tournament. So, yeah, a bit of a nice taste of team event last week at The Presidents Cup, and now hopefully he can show me a few pointers this week (smiling at Charl). Q. You two grew up playing amateur golf and junior golf, so you probably know each other very well. Can you talk a little about each other, what kind of player you are, what character, personality? CHARL SCHWARTZEL: You know, obviously we have come a long way. I played with Louis when I was‑‑ for the first time when I was ten years old. You know, those days, he was slightly older than me and I was excited to play with him. He was a bit better than I was. I still remember, since then we have played for South Africa together, we have represented them in junior golf and amateur golf. We have won the Junior World Championships in Japan before together with two other friends of ours. We have actually gradually, as the years have gone on, we have played so much golf together that we have probably become best of friends, even off the golf course. You know, for us to play together, yeah, it's almost in a way things that we probably dreamt of as juniors. It's an honour to represent South Africa, and I think for both of us, we are really looking forward to this week. Q. What's your first impression of Hainan and the Mission Hills Resort? And you haven't played the course yet, just the range, right? Have you seen a bit about the golf course? LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: No, our caddies walked this morning, and I think they are on their way out now to do the back nine. I only got here last night, and it was pitch black when I arrived, so I can't really say anything. But what I've heard of it, it was really special, especially all of the golf courses. And tomorrow will be nice to see what we are playing. But like Charl said, he's doing an eight weeks' stretch now, and I've just come off four weeks, so just a nice day away from the golf course was a good idea I think. You know, just hit a few balls. So we haven't really seen anything of the golf course. So tomorrow will be our practise round. Q. What I want to ask, you took part in The Presidents Cup last week, and Ernie Els and Retief Goosen played with you. They once won the World Cup before. Did they tell you any advice for you to prepare for the event this week? CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No, I didn't actually speak to them about this week's event. We were more involved in last week's Presidents Cup. We're the guys‑‑ we're all out to try and win for the first time in a couple of years. I know Ernie and Retief won the World Cup in Japan. I should have actually asked them, thinking about it now, how did they do that? (Laughing). I didn't get any advice off them to answer your question. Me and Louis will try and do our own little part of history here. Q. Both of you are Major winners. Who gets recognised more when you are travelling around the world or in China? LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: Charl! Charl! Charl! (Laughter). CHARL SCHWARTZEL: No, we are not in a competition, so we don't look at things like that. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: (Grinning). Q. Just wonder, do you two talk about having this a little bit of a tough look with the mustache and goatee, and because of the team event? LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: Yeah, I don't know what it is, but it's‑‑ CHARL SCHWARTZEL: We are trying to psyche our playing partners out. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: It's a little bit of a team thing going here. Q. So you're trying to scare each other. CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Not each other, hopefully not. The guys we are playing against. Q. So it's something maybe‑‑ CHARL SCHWARTZEL: It's a little team spirit. Q. During The Presidents Cup, the International Team didn't do very well in the foursomes. We have the foursome for two days. How do you see the foursome between you two, what kind of chemistry you have, and is that an advantage for both of you since you know each other so well playing since junior golf? CHARL SCHWARTZEL: Yeah, I mean, we, the International Team, struggled very much at foursomes last week, and even the years before. But from my point of view, it just depends on which partner you get. I mean, it all goes about the chemistry between the two players. I'd played many foursomes golf in my life as an amateur, and we were good at it. Q. With Louis sometime? CHARL SCHWARTZEL: We never played foursomes golf together. I had another mate, there was three of us that used to be good mates, and I used to play with him. But I think a lot goes about how you understand each other, and I think with the International Team, because you're playing out of so many different countries, a lot of times you'll get to that week of The Presidents Cup, and you haven't seen a person for a very long time, you don't know him that well, and you get drawn with him to play foursomes and it becomes a little bit difficult. Where me and Louis, we know each other's games. We play almost every single week, we play a practise round together. So I know how far he hits the ball. I know what he likes, what he doesn't like. You know, and I think that's part of a big deal‑‑ it's a big advantage. Last week when I played with Geoff Ogilvy, I think we had‑‑ our games were very similar, and we actually played really well together. Me and Retief, we didn't particularly play that well together, because I don't think our games were sort of this‑‑ it just didn't click together. But I think me and Louis, we know each other's games well, so I don't think it will be a problem this week. Q. Are you two planning to go out of the resort, maybe try some local restaurants, seafood? Are you adventurous? LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN: I think we'll see how the week goes. It's pretty much if you're in a tournament week, you focus on one thing tournament‑wise. I think our wives might probably tell us what's going on in town or wherever. Yeah, we'll see how it goes. I mean, we might go and do something one night going into town. But I think when Thursday comes, we are going to be pretty set on just the golf. SARAH GWYNN: Guys, thanks very much for coming in and good luck this week. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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