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CIMB CLASSICOctober 23, 2012Gaganjeet BhullarKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA THE MODERATOR: Gaganjeet has won two titles on the Asian Tour this year, and he's playing in his first ever CIMB Classic. Can you tell us your thoughts playing in the CIMB Classic this week? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: First of all, it's my pleasure being a part of the 59 field in the PGA TOUR event. This is the biggest event I'm ever going to play. I've played in the British Open in 2009, but apart from that, my first PGA TOUR event. It's a great appreciation by Asian Tour, Top 10 players on the Asian Tour are part of this tournament. I just played 18 holes golf in the morning, and trust me, the golf course is in a very good shape. The greens are fabulous, the golf course is just lush and really looking forward to play good golf the next four days. Q. And you were playing in Macau two weeks ago? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: Yeah, I'm playing good this season. The second half I started off well. I finished second in Malaysia, and then I won in Taipei, and another victory in Macau. Obviously, the game is kind of coming back. I'm striking the ball really good. I was just struggling with my short game in the first half of the season and even in the last year. But I tried to figure out something, something technical in my short game and kind of trying to improve that part. Obviously, the last few weeks I've been really good, and come off to a good start and hoping for some low numbers this week. Q. This is your first time playing in this event this year the CIMB Classic. Your feelings of being here this week amongst some of the best players in the world? Tiger Woods is in town. GAGANJEET BHULLAR: Yeah, today when I was playing the back nine, I was on the tee box and I saw Tiger Woods. He was standing right behind the tee box waiting for me to clear it. Obviously, as I said, it's a good appreciation. It's a reward for our hard work. The Asian Tour is growing every year, and it's a great opportunity for we guys who show our game to the next level. Obviously, this is my first time. I have seen the golf course on television a few times. I remember I was playing the PGA first stage last year in Florida, and watching my buddies playing here. It was quite a different feeling. I wanted myself to be here. But, I guess golf needs a lot of patience, and my game came back at the right time. Good to be part of this field this week. Q. Was it intimidating having Tiger watch you tee off? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: I don't know if I should say yes or no, but I think a bit. Yeah, because he's here with all the golfers in the world that really look up at Tiger Woods, especially on the tee shot. Suddenly you see Tiger Woods standing right behind your tee box, obviously, it's kind of intimidating. But everybody's at the same level, and at this tournament everybody wants to win this tournament. Let's see. I mean, obviously, Tiger Woods is a legend, and a living legend. What he has done no one else has done in this generation. I think all of Asia is getting excited to see him this week. Q. The first two winners of this tournament were from the PGA TOUR, and this week we have ten of the best Asian Tour players here. Do you think we could for a chance on Sunday see an Asian player maybe win the tournament? Is it a possibility? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: It is. It is. Golf is no longer only PGA TOUR. If you look at the Ryder Cup or a few of the big tours, players are coming off from all over the world. I played with K.J. Choi a few weeks ago in Korea, and he was telling me golf is a global game now. Anybody from any country can come and win a big tournament. Obviously we have ten top players from the Asian Tour this week. It could be anybody's week, especially playing on the Asian soil. It's a benefit for Asian Tour players because we have been playing in this kind of atmosphere for the last few years. Yeah, I think at the end of the day it's just what's going on in your head on Sunday afternoon. If you're good enough, obviously, it's an opportunity for us, and let's see how we take this opportunity. Q. You said you struggled to keep your form. What was the turning point for you? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: There were a few technical errors in my swing, which I kind of sorted out. My putting, I think my posture was giving me a lot of troubles. I sat down and had a long chat with my coach and started working with him in the off‑season. I think that was the break. I got that quite luckily. I think it is all in the head at the end of the day. Mentally if you're comfortable on the green, that is a place where you win or lose a tournament. Q. I think you are leading the fairways hit category as well on the Asian Tour. Has that been a big part of the change that's led you to this good form that you've had these last two months? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: I always feel that for a golfer driver is an 18 cut, and your putter is a password for that. So if you know the combination, you can make millions out of it. And I've been lucky to find my feel on the driver. Last year was struggling a bit, but I've changed my driver, I've changed the shaft, so I'm starting hitting my driver really good. I guess driving is one thing without which you can't win a tournament on any tour. No matter how good you are with the iron play, you need to be on the fairway. There is no point hitting it long and missing the fairways. At the end of the day, you have to drive and going to the pins only from the fairway. So driving is definitely an important key factor in this game. Q. What about the course? GAGANJEET BHULLAR: I think a lot of factors. Today I played here for the first time, and I realized the greens, the targets really small. You really can't miss the greens. If you focus on greens in regulation, you'll shoot a low number, because if you're in the middle of a green, you'll be leaving yourself like a ten‑footer for birdie. Feel of the greens are quite slopy, so you have to make sure you miss on the right side of the green. But I think as far as length is concerned, the golf course is not that long. There are just a few driver holes. The rest, I think players are smart enough to play with a 3‑wood or 5‑wood off the tee. Q. You exceeded the $1 million earnings on the Asian Tour after winning Macau. You get a chance to double those earnings. GAGANJEET BHULLAR: Yeah, that is definitely on my mind. Yeah. I saw my name on the career earnings list on the Asian Tour website. That was quite encouraging for me because back in 2004‑05 when I was a kid I used to look at this category and used to see names like (Indiscernible). It's good to see your name on the million dollar list. It is inspiration for all the golfers. I'm sure that will keep on inspiring me for the rest of my golf. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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