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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 18, 2013Peter HedblomPERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for joining us, another good round, leading the golf tournament. Give us your thoughts on the day first. PETER HEDBLOM: Well, yeah, it's been two great days. But my golf is strange right now, because I hit really good shots, and some really poor shots, but my putting has been good. So it's great right now to be leading. MICHAEL GIBBONS: I think we all know your situation, Pete. You know your situation.  Do you believe in fairy tales? PETER HEDBLOM: Definitely. I love fairy tales. Like I told you on the way down here, one of my best friends on Tour, or my best friend on Tour, Michael Johnson, 2009, he was like me, way back and needed to win‑‑ '08, actually, I think he needed top three in Castellón in 2009, which was his last tournament, and he won it, beat Martin Kaymer. That was a fairy tale story. The best thing with that story was the week after, he had holiday‑‑ he had already booked a holiday with his family. Winning your last tournament, having a holiday with your family booked‑‑ so I don't have a holiday booked next week, but in two weeks' time I have one. MICHAEL GIBBONS: You've won before, you must believe you can do it now in this position, halfway. PETER HEDBLOM: It's been a while. 2009, my last win, but I know I have the game to do it. Right now it's just‑‑ right now would be good. We'll see, I think the closer you get to Sunday, it's going to be harder. I don't really have anything to lose. If I want to play another year, full year on Tour, I need to win. So you just have to go for it and have fun. Q. Does your situation going into this week change your approach to this week? Have you been more attacking than you might normally be? PETER HEDBLOM: No, I don't think more attacking. But I don't really think about missing. I mean, you still have to play‑‑ this golf course, you have to play smart. If you miss on the wrong side, you can make bogeys on every hole, so you need to play smart. But I try to‑‑ I think maybe earlier this year, or when I'm playing poorly this year, I've been thinking, don't miss it right, don't miss it left. Right now, I'm just trying to go for the shot and hit it and not think about what happens if I hit a bad shot. I think that maybe is what I need right now, swing through, and then we'll see what happens, where the ball goes. But at least I'm trying to hit one shot‑‑ if I wasn't trying to miss it on the right side, but at least now I'm trying to swing hard at it and hopefully that it goes the right way. Q. Birdies on the par 5s, is that okay, the long game? PETER HEDBLOM: Is that what I had, five birdies? Well done, Pete. No, I mean, actually today, I should have birdied 11. I hit a really good 3‑wood just short of the green and hit the worst chip‑‑ you definitely would hit it closer than I did. I hit a chip 20 feet short from an easy distance. You would probably get it to 19 (laughter). So I should have birdied. This course, it's playing tough. And the par 5s you had chance to make birdies on and maybe even an eagle. I didn't birdie the third hole, which was pretty short today. But still, 5‑under is good. Q. What's your record like leading at the halfway mark? What's your track record like? PETER HEDBLOM: I don't know if I led so many times after two rounds. But I'm pretty sure‑‑ my record is pretty good actually. I know when I won my first tournament in Morocco, '96, I was leading after two rounds and won the tournament. Malaysia when I won my third one, I don't think I was leading after two rounds; I was leading into the last, I think. Gleneagles, I don't know. I think I was pretty close there, as well. I think my record is pretty good. I actually feel‑‑ I think I'm better when I'm up in the lead than trying to shoot a low score to try to get into the lead. So I don't know, I think I'm a better par putter than a birdie putter. I think it suits more when you have the lead, if you shoot 1‑, 2‑, 3‑under every day, the last two rounds, it's going to be pretty good. Q. And with the forecast, a bit of rain the next couple of days, how does that sit with you? PETER HEDBLOM: I mean, I think for me‑‑ I actually like it like it is now. I think I like a fast course. I've always been better on fast, hard golf courses, like this one is playing right now. I think that suits me. Hopefully it doesn't rain too much. Q. Can you just talk us through what it would mean if you do win here and retain your card, in terms of your career, how much would that mean to you? PETER HEDBLOM: Well, yeah, it's hard‑‑ yeah, it would be unbelievable. Like I said, the last two years, I've been really down deep somewhere and trying to find the game. It's especially hard when you know you have a game and you know you can compete with the best players. Then do you it for five holes, you do it for nine holes, you do it for 18 holes but not 72 holes. It's been hard. If I can do it this week, it's very hard to ‑‑ but it would be unreal. It would mean a lot for me and my whole family. Q. Have you been in this particular position before where you've had to win a tournament in order to keep your card? PETER HEDBLOM: No, lucky enough not. (Laughs). Maybe last year actually but not this chance. I mean, last year I lost my card, so probably‑‑ in Hong Kong, I was sure it was my last tournament; if I won that, of course I would have been the same, but probably I didn't need to win it. But now, being up in the lead and having the chance, it's the first time, yeah. Q. Is there any family or friends over with you in Australia? PETER HEDBLOM: No. I have a local caddie, Jules, who is a member on the course. He's a really nice guy. He calms me down on the course and we have a lot of fun. It's good. Q. Is it important for you now to not think about the card so much as to think about the tournament? PETER HEDBLOM: Yeah, like I said yesterday to someone, asked me the same question a little bit. If I think about it‑‑ of course I think about it. But it's almost harder sometimes when you need to finish like top seven; you need to finish top seven to keep your card or something. Now I know I need to win‑‑ or, I don't know, maybe second is enough. I don't know. Do you know? MICHAEL GIBBONS: You need to win. PETER HEDBLOM: I need to win, yeah, thank you. (Laughter) I was hoping for second. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Makes it easier for you. PETER HEDBLOM: So I don't really have anything‑‑ if I have a good tournament, if I finish third, fourth, that would be of course good, but doesn't really mean anything right now. I need to win. And I think that actually calms me down a little bit. I don't really have to play for second or third. Just have to play for the win and that's probably a new situation for me, playing in the lead and knowing that a win is what I need to do. And I think that's going to be easier right now than it is when you know, if I have a good tournament, that would be good enough, a good week. But it would be a good week, but still, I need to win. Q. Are you confident that you can maintain that mind‑set for another two rounds? PETER HEDBLOM: Confident; I'd be lying if I said that. But I mean, today at least I felt a little bit more pressure today than I did yesterday, and I still felt like I was hitting a lot of good shots. I played very similarly yesterday and today, maybe a few better shots today. But we'll see. I mean, I haven't been in the situation, so we'll see. Hopefully I have a chance to have a chance to feel it on Sunday. I mean, that's the key now; tomorrow, to have a chance to keep myself up there in the lead or around the lead. Q. If you don't win, what do you do then? Have you already got contingencies in place just in case? PETER HEDBLOM: I have a guy who is going to come down and chop my head off (laughs wickedly) and that's it, I'll have no more head‑‑ no, I haven't really thought about that. You know, life is good. I mean, I have a great family, I have three great kids, and if I wouldn't do it‑‑ I mean, I still have my family and my great friends at home. It's not going to be‑‑ I mean, that's what I mean. It would be harder for me if I would have to finish like Top‑10. Then you feel like poorly if you're leading and not doing it. Winning a golf tournament is very hard, and now that's the only thing I need to do. I think it actually calms me down, like I said, that that's the only thing I can do is to win. Second is no good. MICHAEL GIBBONS: I'm sure we all join you in wishing you the best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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