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EURASIA CUP PRESENTED BY DRB-HICOMMarch 26, 2014Thomas BjornGonzalo Fernandez CastanoStephen GallacherMiguel Angel JimenezKUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for joining us, fresh from the Opening Ceremony of the EurAsia Cup. Miguel, give us your overall thoughts on the first round draw just announced. MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: Well, to me it looks very, very nice. I have my couple s with my fellow competitors here, my partners and very happy. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thomas, your thoughts on your partner and your opponent, please. THOMAS BJÖRN: It's a pretty obvious choice for partner. We get on well. He's a wonderful player, Thorbjørn, and he's got a great future ahead of him. Ever since he came on the Tour, we have been great friends and to take that out on the golf course now is going to be interesting. It's going to be very exciting I think for the both of us. Our opponents, strong players, successful Japanese players. Very strong tour; very fortunate to play quite a bit of golf in Japan and I know the qualities of the players out there, so the worst thing to do this week is to underestimate any of the 20 players here. Everybody is very capable and they will go out, and there's nothing more exciting to play in a team event and play with one of your competitors. I think on both sides of this draw, that's what's come out and I think all four players will be very excited about the day ahead tomorrow. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Stephen, your thoughts, looking forward to it? STEPHEN GALLACHER: Yeah, I know Gonzo very well. Obviously been on the Tour for a long time and played with him a couple of weeks back in America. My family name is Spanish if that means anything, but like Thomas said, we are playing some good players, they play on our tour and the Asian Tour, and the standard over here is very, very high. You know you need to play well if you want to win. It's as simple as that. MICHAEL GIBBONS: If you can give us a sense of the atmosphere on The European Team now? GONZALO FERNANDEZ‑CASTAÑO: Well, it's a good atmosphere on the team, that's for sure.  Miguel knows how to make everybody happy and excited about the week. I don't know, I think it's a very exciting week ahead. This first edition of the EurAsia Cup, I think it's one of those tournaments that we are looking forward to play. There's a lot of potential here in Asia. Golf is growing so fast, and I think this might become one of the biggest and most important events in the world, probably in the near future. Q. Talk about the pressure of playing for yourselves, is there an extra advantage for this type of event that you are not really competing against each other but you are playing with each other? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: Well, this event is different than we are used to playing normally. Normally we play stroke play and you play for yourself. When you play a team event like this one, you know, like this EurAsia Cup, you play a partner; you play for yourself; you play for your team; and you play for your continent. The pressure is different. When you miss a shot and then you miss a shot and, you miss a shot, but when you miss a shot, it's not only you, it's about your family and what it means about it. Q. Are you happy with the rain? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: I don't have any drop on my head yet. Q. Will it make a difference tomorrow? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: On the golf course, probably with the rain it's going to be a little bit softer. The greens are quite hard, and it's going to be good to have it a bit softer. It's nice. Q. How did you find conditions today? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: Conditions very hot, very humid, but it's nice. It's normal here. We know what happens here. When we are coming time after time, you never are expecting it to not be the same, you know. Q. Thoughts on Thongchai and Kiradech, your own game? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: Well, it's going to be a tough match. You know, Pablo and myself, we are playing well and we know how they are playing, and with Kiradech Aphibarnrat, they are playing well, very solid. It's going to be a very tough match.  We don't know what's going to happen. I think to put myself in the first group, I think to see how the rest of the group are doing. Obviously Thongchai is thinking the same thing and we are face‑to‑face tomorrow. We will see, let the golf clubs do the talking tomorrow. Q. Today we had minus 29, unusual score for one round of golf. Do you think the course is easier than other courses that you play on or is it just exceptional play today? And as a playing captain, as opposed to a non‑playing captain, does that put extra pressure on yourself? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: Being a playing captain, you have to take care of all the things, be in the media more than anyone, talking about the matches, talking with the players, how they feel and how they interact with the rest of the organisers of the tournament and that takes even more of you, and when you finish that, there is going to be player and that's what I am, a player. The condition of the golf course is very nice condition. I hear that a few weeks ago the condition is not that good, but we are coming here and I see it's very good, superb, the golf course. Q. How was the queen‑‑ MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: The queen is very queen, no‑‑ (laughter). Very nice, very sympatic, hit it very straight, not very long, very straight and always smiling; nice, good. Q. How many points are you expecting the first day? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: How many points? I can answer I think tomorrow. What I expect, I expect five, but tomorrow I can answer the question when we finish the play tomorrow. What we are doing, if you are asking the same questions to Thongchai, he's going to say five, too. Q. The Ryder Cup captain is in town; does that putt any influence on The European Team? Are there any players that are making Paul McGinley‑‑ making sure that you play for him later on? MIGUEL ANGEL JIMÉNEZ: Paul, he is coming here and he wants to see what is going on in this EurAsia Cup. So many of the players are already qualifying and some of them are going to be qualified are playing here. He wants to see also the new guys and he wants to know with the players that are already in, like Thomas here on my side, and Gonzo is close, Stephen is almost there, too. He wants to see all these guys, how they play. It's for the future and I think it's good to come here. MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thank you and good luck in your respective matches tomorrow. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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