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CIMB CLASSICOctober 23, 2013Nicholas ThompsonKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA CHRIS REIMER: Welcome, Nick Thompson. Your first trip to this event, first trip to Malaysia. Maybe some comments about coming to the CIMB Classic as an official event and what you've enjoyed so far about being here in Kuala Lumpur. NICHOLAS THOMPSON: We've been treated first class and everything has been great, from the accommodations to getting over here to the service, the people. Everything has been really good. I played the golf course yesterday, and it's in really good condition, and excited to play. CHRIS REIMER: Obviously your sister had some success here at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club a little over a week ago. When I came to find you on the course yesterday, you said, let me guess, you want to talk about Lexi. We'll just go ahead and get it over with, but it's rare that a brother and sister would compete not only just on the LPGA Tour and on the PGA TOUR but at the same resort. Talk about her success and growing up with two good golfers in the family. NICHOLAS THOMPSON: It's a pretty exciting deal. Actually there's three good golfers in the family, and unfortunately I'm the least talented. But it's pretty cool. I mean, we had the opportunity in 2012 to do the same thing in Dubai, where she won at the end of 2011 and I played the beginning of 2012 and played well there. She won here two weeks ago, and I look forward to trying to bring a title home and making a great story. Q. Is Asia becoming more and more a part of your schedule do you think? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: Yes, I can definitely see it, coming over for maybe‑‑ once or twice a year for a stretch of a couple tournaments. I could definitely see that in my future. But I mean, I plan on playing the majority of my golf on the PGA TOUR in the States. When I get the opportunity to come and play in a great event over here like this, I definitely will. CHRIS REIMER: Your first trip to Asia you played at HSBC. NICHOLAS THOMPSON: I played at HSBC in '07. Q. I don't know if you heard that Lydia Ko announced today that she's turning professional. I wonder if you had any thoughts on that. Obviously it worked out for your sister, but she is very young. What do you think? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: Well, congratulations to her. She's played unbelievable, and she's very deserving of turning pro no matter what her age is. I know she's proved herself over and over against the ladies, and she's obviously proved mentally that she can do it and physically. So it's the same case as my sister, where it's time. They're mature beyond their age and they're ready to go. I mean, she was ready to go earlier. I think my sister turned at 15. How old is Lydia, 16? She was ready at like the same time as my sister. I don't know exactly why she didn't, but I mean, congratulations to her, and she's going to have a good career. Q. Why does it work for them and it didn't work for Michelle Wie? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: You know, that's a good question. I mean, I can speak for my sister. My sister came from a golfing family. My parents knew with me‑‑ when my sister turned pro, I had already had five years on one of the two either PGA TOUR or Nationwide Tour, and they saw what it was about and how it was and how to go about it best, and I think that helped prepare them to help prepare her. But I mean, my sister had really no intentions of chasing men's events or anything of that nature. She just wanted to focus on playing a smaller schedule and she turned professional right away because she wasn't technically an LPGA member, and I think that was really good in the fact that that got her foot wet. She didn't just jump in headfirst and play 24 events that year. She played like eight or nine, ten, whatever it was. I don't even know. But it was a very small, limited schedule, and I think that helped dipping her toe in the water and getting her ready for it, because she's still learning. She's learning to play a full schedule, travel overseas multiple times a year. It's getting better and better, and you're only going to really see good things come out of that. She's going to get better and better. Q. Can you give one reason for the success of you and your sister. NICHOLAS THOMPSON: Hard work, and we've driven each other. Q. Can you be specific about the hard work, please? Is it about hitting thousands of balls or‑‑ NICHOLAS THOMPSON: No, it's not about hitting thousands of balls. It's about playing around day in and day out good competition. I mean, between me, her and my brother, we have unbelievable matches at home. We've played a lot of golf together, and we've driven each other. When she needed a little help, I'd give her a little help. Otherwise, I mean, we're just all competitive people. We were kind of raised that way. I don't like losing to her. I know she doesn't like losing to me. So it just drives you harder and harder. Q. Was it a question of constant playing? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: A lot of playing and short game. Not so much beating golf balls on the range, but short game, wedges, chipping, putting, and playing a lot. CHRIS REIMER: With the competitive nature, there's a difference between competitive and wanting to beat each other and wanting to outdo each other, but there's not as much jealousy. NICHOLAS THOMPSON: No, there's no jealousy whatsoever between all of us. It's more a fact that you want to win. I don't care‑‑ it's not because it's my sister, it's because it's another golfer. I don't want to get beat by anybody, let alone my sister. Q. Did you all start playing at the same age? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: No, I was a little bit late to the game. I was like 11, 12. I was a baseball player growing up, and then took up golf because I wasn't a very big individual growing up. I gained size in my freshman year in college, and they started when they were like three and four, because I mean, I was at the golf course all day. They just kind of followed in my footsteps. Q. Curtis is always on the golf course? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: Oh, yeah. He's a junior at LSU. He's got another year and a half of college and college golf, and then hopefully he'll make his way right up here. CHRIS REIMER: Talk about the course, being out there yesterday. What do you like about it? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: The golf course is good. The fairways are a little soft but they're in really good condition, and the greens are quite firm, but they roll really nice. I mean, there's a fair amount of rough out there, some trouble to be had, and I mean, you can play the golf course very strategic and safe or you can just put the pedal to the metal and get after it if you want. I mean, that's just difference, golfer. Q. Does it compare to golf courses you've played around the world? Where would you rank this particular course? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: It's a very good golf course. It's not quite as long as some of the golf courses we play, but you are kind of forced to lay up a little bit further back on a handful of holes, so that makes it play‑‑ actually for the approach shots in that makes it play longer than the 6,950 or whatever it says on the card. Q. How do you prepare for the weather conditions? NICHOLAS THOMPSON: Well, living in South Florida is a good preparation for the weather conditions here. It's hot and humid there and rains in the afternoons. CHRIS REIMER: Good luck this week. Thanks for coming in. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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