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UBS HONG KONG OPENNovember 18, 2012Miguel Angel JimenezFANLING, HONG KONG PAUL SYMES:ﾃつ Well, Miguel, many congratulations.ﾃつ Your third win here.ﾃつ What is it you love so much about Hong Kong and this tournament? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Yeah, well, as you know, this is a great place and I love to come here every year, since 2004, I never miss a year.ﾃつ Well, I like the place, I like the city and especially I like the golf course. It's a golf course that is not the length is the most important thing.ﾃつ As you see, you need to play the game and you need to keep focussed, keep patient with the rest of the game and I feel very comfortable. PAUL SYMES:ﾃつ Just give us your reaction maybe to becoming the oldest winner of a European Tour event.ﾃつ How do you keep going and keep winning? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, this is maybe the olive oil in my joints, and the nice Rioja wine and those things keep yourself fit and flexible, no?ﾃつ (Shrugging shoulders). Well, the most important thing, I say I do what I like to do in my life, and golf has given me all of this pleasure.ﾃつ Winning now, as you say, the oldest winner on the Tour, 48, my goodness, 24 years I've been on the Tour, I've been around; next year will be the 25th. But I still love it.ﾃつ I still love it and I think that is fantastic, to love what you're doing, and enjoy yourself, keep fit, keep working myself a little bit and stretching a lot, and that's the main thing to keep the body to compete with the new guns, you know. PAUL SYMES:ﾃつ Very important tournament coming up next week in Dubai.ﾃつ It would be great to go there in great form and confidence high. MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ The game, hitting good and playing well, winning a tournament the week before gives you more confidence, of course, for the last tournament of the year.ﾃつ It's very important, too. But you know, as I say, the most important thing that happens now is this one and the one I win this week.ﾃつ Next week, you need to start from zero, and as you say, you give yourself confidence and that what you are doing is the right thing, and we hope to be in good form next week also and stay on the weekend in contention. Q.ﾃつ You had the four birdies in a row, 7 to 10.ﾃつ You 3‑putted for par at the par5, the 13th.ﾃつ After that, were you concerned at all, were you just thinking fairways and greens, or were you still trying to make birdies? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Of course, you are trying to always to make birdies.ﾃつﾃつ You want to make as many as you can, and there is a lot of tension there. As you say, these four birdies in a row, it puts you there and bring a lot of confidence.ﾃつﾃつ And playing so well all the week, and especially today, I had chances for birdie on the first and second, make a birdie on the third and chances off and on the fourth, fifth, sixth and at the end, 7, 8, 9, 10 I make birdies, and these four holes it puts you there. And another chance on 11, another chance on 12, quite long.ﾃつ Then 13, just on the edge of the green, but a very long putt the first one.ﾃつ And then hit a good putt for a metre and a half and missed that one, and then I make a putt there. But still playing solid and I know that what I have to do is just keep solid, keep focussed and keep doing what I'm doing all day and that's hitting the fairways, hitting the greens; and if you have a chance to make birdie, you make it.ﾃつ And if not, you know, that's the thing (laughter). Q.ﾃつ Your second shot on the 18th hole was the most important shot, because you need to put it on, you're one ahead.ﾃつ So what was your best shot?ﾃつ Was that your best shot of the day? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ That shot is very good, but also on the tee, you have a tense tee because it's quite narrow there, surrounding the trees and you need to put the ball there. Every shot is very important, especially when you see someone is 14‑under par and just ahead of you and you have a one‑shot lead and you need to keep focused and every shot is very important. As you say, that last shot to the green on the 18th, I hit a three‑quarter 8‑iron there, 139 metres to the hole, a nice perfect shot there. But it's very important, and very important on the tee because you have to be on the fairway, and if not, you smell like a bogey if you don't go in the fairway on this hole. Q.ﾃつ Because we remember that hole, a bad experience for you, so we were worried for you. MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Thank you very much for worrying for me (laughing).ﾃつ But you know, you see myself, very calm on the golf course, everything is under control, you know (rolling eyes). Q.ﾃつ You've won this tournament three times now, how does this sort of victory compare with those other two wins you've had here? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, every victory is unique itself.ﾃつ The first time I'm coming here to play and I won in 2004, and it was great.ﾃつ I feel comfortable on that week here.ﾃつ Then 2004, that one was OMEGA; then 2007 it was UBS.ﾃつ And you know, playing very well, playing good. And this week, it's the same.ﾃつ It's not fair if I have to compare one with the other ones because I think every one is unique itself because it happened at the moment to prove to yourself how you are. You know, all of the wins, they very important to me, all of the victories that I have in my career, they are very special and here in Hong Kong, all three are special. Q.ﾃつ I know you say you can't compare them but only two bogeys this week; is this the best you've ever played in Hong Kong? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Probably yes.ﾃつ Probably, yes.ﾃつ I make only two bogeys on last two holes on the first round, but I was 7‑under par at that moment and then finish with 5‑under.ﾃつ All the rest of the rounds, no more bogeys, three rounds in a row, and that shows that I'm playing very consistent. Q.ﾃつ Does your cigar and your wine help you to keep competing at 48, and also are you interested in becoming The Ryder Cup captain hopefully next year or the year after? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, everything is important, you know, to keep fit.ﾃつ I have my own style, I like to have my wine.ﾃつ I like to have my cigar, and this week, Ian, every afternoon when we finish, we have a glass of wine before I go home and it helps. Of course, you know, at 48, this is not the end of my career.ﾃつ You see I'm still playing well and I still win tournaments.ﾃつ Well, I don't know what's going to happen in two years' time, if I'm going to be playing there or if I'm going to be trying to be captain, I don't know.ﾃつ Just let the thing happen with time and I'm very happy to be involved in anything with the golf and especially with The Ryder Cup. Q.ﾃつ You played today's round with Michael Campbell, even though he struggled today did that help you, the fact that Michael is very relaxed; did that help you? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ It was very nice to play with Michael.ﾃつ He's a very nice guy and we are friends.ﾃつ We know each other for so many years.ﾃつ It's unfortunate that he don't be at the level of the last three rounds, but it's always nice to play with him.ﾃつ He's a very relaxing guy. Always helps to be comfortable with your partner in the group but obviously the game is what's there and then I started making birdies and that's the breaking point when I made those four birdies in a row is where I make the breaking point to be the top of the leaderboard. Q.ﾃつ Because you're so fond of this tournament, do you think it's a pity, a bit of a pity that we are about to see it diminishing, the status of the tournament?ﾃつ This tournament won't be part of the 2013 European season; it will be played in early December for the 2014 season.ﾃつ It loses its position as the penultimate tournament in the season.ﾃつ So the status of this tournament seems to be sinking.ﾃつ Do you think that's a pity? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, it's a pity that the tournament is going to happen next year and probably not count for 2013.ﾃつ But I don't know how to discuss, what can fit there or not. Of course, the tournament itself, to me is a nice tournament, as you see.ﾃつ I like to come here, we come here anyway, but you know, I am not the one who makes the discussion. Of course I would love to have the tournament on the 2013 schedule, of course.ﾃつ That is something that the people here probably have to deal with, too, and try to fix the tournament inside and not for the 2014. And then in 2014, we will have two Hong Kong Opens, one played in 2013 and one played in 2014, because you are still going to make the tournament for 2014.ﾃつ You're going to have it twice. But, I don't know, I don't know how to answer that thing.ﾃつ To me, the important thing is that you are going to have the tournament, you are going to have a 2013 Hong Kong Open, and then I think it's a pity if it's not going to be counting for The Race to Dubai, but that's something that you have to deal with with the Tour and try to make things happen.ﾃつ Ss. PAUL SYMES:ﾃつ Thank you very much and congratulations. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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