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OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERSDecember 14, 2011Lotta WahlinDUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES THE MODERATOR: So congratulations. Current leader. Can we have your reactions to that? LOTTA WAHLIN: Well, I'm so happy. I finally had a good round, finally able to make all the putts.  I'm just so happy. THE MODERATOR: What was going right out there? Was it sinking the putts, approach play. LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah, I didn't really make any mistakes, and I was just playing very solid, and like made all the putts pretty much. THE MODERATOR: When you were going around, were you aware of all the other people's scores? Did you know that last putt for birdie would put you in the lead? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah, I saw that on the leaderboard, so actually I said to my dad, who was caddying that I want to make this one to be the leader. But otherwise I was just looking and saw that they were like 3‑under, 4‑under, 5‑under, and I wanted to beat them. THE MODERATOR: And do you think 6‑under is going to be good enough tonight to probably be, if not overnight leader, definitely amongst the top three? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah, should be. Normally it's like the best score. I mean 66 is always a good score, and so I think it should be. I don't really care, actually, but I hope so, of course. THE MODERATOR: Just tell me a little bit, Bethan was telling me about a couple years ago that you got over skin cancer, and things like that. LOTTA WAHLIN: Uh‑huh. Yeah. THE MODERATOR: Could you just explain what happened to you, and how much coming back and doing well really means to you? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. Well, I got this in 2009. Actually when I was here in Dubai, the doctor called me. So I just went back home, and it was just a birthmark, which I had here. They removed it, and everything has actually been fine since then. I just have to be very careful with the sun to use like sunblock, like 50. And I'm not going to Australia or Portugal, the sunniest countries to try to avoid the sun as much as possible. And it made me ‑‑ you know, golf is not so important anymore. If I have a bad round, I'm still disappointed, but it's not like the end of the world like it used to be. So that's like the good thing. But also I started to think a lot, and it was very difficult. THE MODERATOR: So it's taken you quite a long time to really re‑find your game, your best game? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. Actually I played in Sweden last year, the Swedish tour, and I played good golf. But then when I got here this year, everything was kind of new again. I felt like a rookie. There was so many players, and the Swedish tour is a very good tour, but it's still a big difference to here. So it's been taking a while to get used to it. THE MODERATOR: But now, with this round you feel you're back? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yes. THE MODERATOR: Excellent. Good luck tomorrow. LOTTA WAHLIN: Thank you very much. Q. Just one followup. LOTTA WAHLIN: Sure. Q. In terms of the putt, maybe you can talk about like on the last one, how long was that putt? LOTTA WAHLIN: Six meters. Q. And maybe the rest of the round, were there other moments where you hit a really long putt or were they mostly easy putts? LOTTA WAHLIN: No. Well, in the beginning they were quite easy, but then on 7, the par‑3 I made eight meters downhill. It was just one of those days where you make everything. Q. And like you said, I was looking at your numbers. You've had a pretty rough spell. I don't know about making cuts or whatever, but a lot of pluses in there. LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. Q. To have a round like this, does that mentally make you think okay now I can carry three more rounds and end this? LOTTA WAHLIN: No. I don't think that way. I'm just very happy to have such a good round. And really, it feels so good, but the thing is I don't really feel a very big difference from the game I played like last week. Sunday I shot 78, and I wouldn't say that was a big difference and now I shot 66. It's just there was more margin. But of course, I'm very happy to know that I'm able to shoot a low score. Q. Great. Good luck tomorrow. What's your father's name? LOTTA WAHLIN: Mats. Q. M‑A‑T‑T‑S? LOTTA WAHLIN: Only one T. Q. And your mother is here? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yes. Q. As well? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yes. Q. What's her name? LOTTA WAHLIN: Gun. Q. And just, you missed ‑‑ so you said they called you when you were in Dubai. Was that 2009? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. Two years ago. Q. So last year was the year you didn't really play much? LOTTA WAHLIN: No. I just played twice last year. Q. But do you have a card for a winner's exemption? LOTTA WAHLIN: I do next year as well. Q. So that includes next year? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. Q. So you've got no worries? LOTTA WAHLIN: No. No. That's been actually good. That's why I played a lot on the Swedish tour in the beginning of the season, played like four or five events there. And I mean I felt that I could do it since I still have my card here next year. Q. So what are your expectations now? LOTTA WAHLIN: Want to do the same thing tomorrow and then Friday and Saturday. No, I mean I just want to go out and have fun. I had a lot of fun today and I just want to do the same thing and hopefully I'm going to score well as well. Q. Skin cancer is what you had? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yes. Q. So basically when they removed that, they basically took care of it? LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. It was just a birth mark, and that one had malignant. Q. I guess it would be your upper left shoulder? LOTTA WAHLIN: No, like here. Q. Neck? LOTTA WAHLIN: I don't know what they call it. Q. Okay. So there's no problem since. LOTTA WAHLIN: No. Just ‑‑ I just have to be careful. I mean I have that kind of skin which is quite sensitive to the sun, but otherwise I didn't get any ‑‑ Q. I mean as a golfer, that must be kind of strange to be told to stay out of the sun. LOTTA WAHLIN: Yeah. It is. And that's actually, you know, I thought is it really worth to be out on the golf course in the sunny countries or is it better that I just quit playing golf and do something else, but I still have to live my life and golf is my life, or a big part of my life. So I just want to keep on doing that, and I can still be very careful. I can have those sleeves. I often have them when I'm practicing, like I was here practicing in March and I have those sleeves. There are ways to avoid the sun. And I still want to play golf. Q. What would it mean to you to do well here in Dubai, considering two years ago obviously this place might be associated with a bad memory. LOTTA WAHLIN: Definitely, yeah. Because three years ago I couldn't play because my knee was like so swollen, so I couldn't play. It was hurting a lot. And the next year I got skin cancer, and last year I wasn't here.  So it would mean a lot, yeah, to finish well here. Q. Were you sort of worried about coming back here to the tournament? LOTTA WAHLIN: No. Actually, no. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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