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HONG KONG OPENDecember 3, 2013Jason HakMiguel Angel JimenezZhang Lian-WeiGuan TianlangFANLING, HONG KONG Q.ﾃつ This is your first look at Hong Kong Golf Club, what do you think of it? GUAN TIANLANG:ﾃつ Yes, of course, I've played many golf courses in the world but this is a very, very special event for me, and as Mr.Zhang quoted, this week, the course condition is in tremendous, wonderful, top‑notch quality, and I'm very, very looking forward to enjoy the week here today this week. Q.ﾃつ Jason, you've played as an amateur three times, made the cut on each occasion, but you're now a professional.ﾃつ What are your goals this week? JASON HAK:ﾃつ Well, I've just been pro for a couple months, not been long.ﾃつ But my professional life has been quite interesting.ﾃつ I'm still‑‑ it's always my pleasure being back here, and always my favourite tournament to play.ﾃつ I don't have much expectations.ﾃつ I'm just still always here to be learning and to get my experience, and still enjoy my short and young professional life. Q.ﾃつ Miguel, we have to congratulate you, you've just become the captain of team Europe for next year's EurAsia Cup.ﾃつ You must be pre proud and excited. MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Yeah, I'm very proud.ﾃつ That's what happens with age, now, you get start to age and now led the way for the new era who are coming to play‑‑ don't means that I cannot play because if I play well, I will be there too, playing, also. But now is the time to be vice captain and now captain for EurAsia Cup and it's an honour to defend Europe against Asia coming March.ﾃつ It will be great. Q.ﾃつ Miguel, you've won here three times, we know you love the city, and you love the golf course, but can you tell us why? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, first time I'm coming here in 2004, I'm winning the tournament and I come in playing very well at that moment. But since I get here in Hong Kong, I like the city and especially I like this Fanling golf course, it's a great golf course, old‑fashioned golf course.ﾃつ It's a course where you have to play and keep concentrated and have patience and that is the spirit of the game. You know, of course, when you hit it long, always much easier, but this golf course, you need to be very precise and very intelligent in your game, and that's what I like about this golf course and that's why I like the place. Q.ﾃつ And this year, it's in the best shape ever, isn't it? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Yeah, the golf course is in super shape, fantastic.ﾃつ The balls roll very good, nice and firm greens, and super conditions, yeah. Q.ﾃつ You were part of the Hong Kong Men's Silver Medal Winning Team At the National Games, could you talk about that experience, especially with you now being a professional? JASON HAK:ﾃつ Yeah, first of all, it was my pleasure and my honour to play to be part of the team.ﾃつ It was like close to a college event in the U.S. and I felt like my team was very‑‑ we stick together really well and we were like ham‑and‑egging, and we didn't have too many shots counted over par, so it kept us into the tournament. And by just playing it, it's a different feeling, playing for your country, just like in the Asian Games and like other sports and like Olympic Games. So it definitely felt different.ﾃつ You're more pumped up and you cheer up your teammates.ﾃつ So it's definitely a great experience, and I don't think much people get to experience it.ﾃつ So I felt very lucky to be part of it, so thanks. Q.ﾃつ Much has been documented about the lack of title sponsor for the Hong Kong Open this year.ﾃつ It's also competing against another couple of big events, the Nedbank, and I think Tiger's tournament in California, which some players who have previously played here before have opted to play there.ﾃつ How important for you is it that the Hong Kong Open continues to be a strong tournament and an illustrious tournament; how important is it that it gets a sponsor and also that some of the big names in golf continue to come here? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, first of all, it's a pity, no, that we don't have more weeks in the year to fit the calendar.ﾃつ It's very, very tight.ﾃつ And at the same time now, with new tournaments coming‑‑ well, it's the Nedbank, now it's a tournament who is coming bigger and make more field and make a bigger field.ﾃつ Also, Tiger's tournament coming the same dates is making very, very tough to fit everything. I have to say thanks here to Fanling to all the members to keep this tournament after losing the UBS for last year and I hope that for next year and the years to come, another title sponsor can come for the Hong Kong Open.ﾃつ I think the Hong Kong Open, after 55 years, the tradition, it will be‑‑ I don't know how to say, it will be sad if it disappears. And I thank for the effort to keep the Hong Kong Open alive and I hope next year we have Hong Kong again with a title sponsor, and hopefully coming back all the top players.ﾃつ It's difficult, and when you have to choose sometimes the places when you have to play tournaments like that, like this week have two in America and South Africa, it's tough for the players to make decisions to play, and we can understand that, also.ﾃつ We are professional golfers and we are trying to do what we think is best for us sometimes. On the other hand, I like coming here.ﾃつ I love to come here, and if you say, are you going to come, of course I'm going to come here, I love the place here, yeah. Q.ﾃつ Just taking on from that question, in the past, so many big names like you said have come here, Monty, Bernhard Langer, and you've played against them, Rory McIlroy last year; their absence does it make it easier for you?ﾃつ Do you think it will be easier for you to win? MIGUEL ﾃδ¨GEL JIMﾃ窶ｰNEZ:ﾃつ Well, it make easy when you play well.ﾃつ Doesn't matter who is in the field.ﾃつ Of course, you know, it's very important for the tournament to have all the big names.ﾃつ I say before, sometimes it's very tough when you have different tournaments in the same week. But you never have to think the tournament is easy or because the big names is not coming you're going to win.ﾃつ No, it's not.ﾃつ You win a tournament when you hit the shot by shot and then hole‑by‑hole, and at the end, you make less a score than the rest. With the spirit and the beginning of the game here in China with Hak, and Zhang, we know each other for a very long time already, and I always said he's the leader of the golf in China we have here with the new spirit coming up.ﾃつ Hey, they are great players.ﾃつ If not, they would not be here, with the amount of other players on the golf course. I think a win is always tough.ﾃつ You need to always give 100 per cent what you have.ﾃつ Doesn't matter what is in the field. Q.ﾃつ What is your strategy to be competitive in Fanling? ZHANG LIANWEI:ﾃつ I am the China Open champion and Macau Open on my belt and I'm waking for the Hong Kong Open title on my biography, and then I'm looking for a tier to compete this week, of course.ﾃつ And even though I'm the age of 48, I still want to play here at Fanling because I enjoy it very, very well here at this golf course.ﾃつ It looks easy, but it's very, very challenging.ﾃつ It's very, very tough, and I would like to let Miguel take a rest this week and would like to take the title (laughter). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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