|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPJanuary 26, 2012Robert KarlssonABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Q. Fascinating round; what was it like to play? ROBERT KARLSSON: I must say, I'm very proud of myself, managed to turn something that wasn't very good into something very good on the scorecard and very happy with that. I think I have a little bit of work to do on the range this afternoon. Q. How good are these greens? ROBERT KARLSSON: I don't think I've ever seen greens quite like this. The speed is nice but they are so true. Q. You joined the PGA Tour for the first time last year; at the end of that season, how did you feel that went? ROBERT KARLSSON: It was quite a big change for the family. We moved from Monaco over to America and took a bit of time to settle in. Looking forward to doing better on the golf side. Q. What's the schedule for this year, both sides? ROBERT KARLSSON: The way it looks, the U.S. Tourfrom when I leave here to the U.S. Open. I'm here over the summer and then come back here for four tournaments. It works quite well, actually. Q. Tell us about your Christmastime and NewYear'sEve. ROBERT KARLSSON: I haven't been in Sweden, first time for a long, long time. So actually stayed in America. I changed clubs this year to Adams, so I had a bit of work to do over the Christmastime. So I hit a lot more balls than other years so sort of kept the golf going a bit more, and NewYear'sEve we were actually down in New Orleans, which was good fun. Q. It's not your first tournament this year; you played last week. Tell us about your game today? ROBERT KARLSSON: It wasn't particularly good off the tee, but I managed to keep it together. I holed a lot of good par putts and when I got the chance, I knocked them in. So I'm very, very proud of myself to turn something that wasn't particularly good into a good scorecard, so it was a good round. Q. Bogey‑free back nine for you. Tell us about the course conditions and the participants; the field is quite strong? ROBERT KARLSSON: I don't think we are going to play many tournaments this year that's going to be a stronger field than this. I think we are 1, 2, 3, 4 in the world here. So it's a pleasure to play here, and the golf course is set up fantastic. It's a difficult test. The rough is very thick but the fairways and greens are fantastic. This year, there's a lot of thick rough, but it's difficult. But I made a lot of great up‑and‑downs and managed to put in a round that was not particularly good off the tee into a score that was good. I made a couple of bogeys in the beginning, but I hit in the rough second shot on No. 10 and just couldn't get up because the rough was wet in the morning. There's no chance to reach the green and where the pin was‑‑ I had a good putt that just missed. I missed probably a 2‑footer on 12. But from then on, I was putting well and pretty spectacular. Q. Seems by and large the scores are more modest than normally. ROBERT KARLSSON: I haven't been here for a couple of years but the course is way tougher than I've ever seen it because it's way more rough and there's a whole bunch of new tees out there and a few new bunkers as well. I think they have cut the rough slightly different and different shapes in the fairways, so it's definitely tougher than I've ever seen it. I think that's the general consensus by the players in general, as well. Q. And I guess that fits a tournament of this stature now? ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah, we have a strong field here this week. Q. Did you winter well? ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah, I had quite a short winter. I was only four weeks off and with changing equipment this year, I had a bit more time where I hit balls and kept it going a bit more. Q. You tend to move around a bit, trying to chase the sunshine in terms of practise, but you have to put those clubs away at some stage, as well. ROBERT KARLSSON: I had four weeks where I was practising but didn't play, just wanted to get used to the new equipment. I have a more balanced schedule this year and I'm happy with the way things are looking. It was quite a long season last year. It was not easy, first year on the U.S. Tour, you want to make sure you play your 15 over there pretty quickly, and I did. And I was in three in the FedEx and ended up playing 18 I think over there and I think 14 here. Quickly adds up with a couple of World Cups and things like, that Nedbank, and I think I played 32 weeks, which is a little bit too much. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|