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BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIPMay 24, 2014Thomas BjornVIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND Q. So what happened out there? What was it that suddenly got you going? THOMAS BJÖRN: I got off to a really rough start, and then this golf course is tricky. I had a lot of loose swings early on, and I hit a really good shot on 10 and then I started feeling comfortable about the way I was swinging, and from there on in, I kind of grew a little bit on Thursday on what I did on the back nine, knowing that I can play that back nine very well. Putts just started dropping and all of a sudden you get in that zone or that frame of mind, and everything just goes your way. I mean, I even hit a poor tee shot on 17 and got away with it. It was just one of them days where things roll your way. I'm proud of the way I handled my round. 3‑over after five holes and then to shoot 67 was pretty good. I was proud of my determination and the way I stayed with my golf today. Pit was a bit easier knowing that even though I got off to a bad start, I wasn't far off the lead and just keep going. It was just a remarkable run of holes on the back nine. Q. Having set a course record on the first day, I gather that's a record number of birdies on the West Course. THOMAS BJÖRN: I'm starting to warm to this place (laughing). Q. I liked the look on your face on 17 when you didn't get another one. THOMAS BJÖRN: Yeah, it was kind of more one of, well, you can't hole all of them. It was just getting focused on playing the last hole pretty well. It was just a remarkable run. Q. What are your thoughts into the final day? Everybody will expect you to win from here. THOMAS BJÖRN: Yeah, but there's a couple of names on that leaderboard that you should never count out of your mind. Got to go out and try to play some good golf and try and be aggressive when I can and try and be smart when I don't really need to be aggressive, and try and keep them at arm's lengths tomorrow. You know, if I get a bad start tomorrow, it's very much an open tournament, so just got to go out and try to stay focused and determined on what you're doing, and try and play a good round of golf. Q. You're a man full of surprises, a 62 today and then you give us six birdies in a row, a record in this championship at Wentworth. How did you turn that around? THOMAS BJÖRN: It's hard to explain really, because I wasn't playing very well early on and it was just kind of trying to hang in there. Made a putt on 11 and all of a sudden get on a great run of holes. Golf is a game of swings sometimes and you just have to take the game with the good and the bad. One of my better performances certainly mentally, and in staying calm and staying determined on the golf course. Q. You started off with that double‑bogey at the first and clearly sudden slipped out of the lead, and then I just wonder how difficult it is to maintain your focus and your patience when that sort of thing happens. THOMAS BJÖRN: It was a strange thing, because Shane and I had such a big lead this morning, so you never really felt like you're falling out of the golf tournament and knowing there's a long way to go. It's just a question of trying to hang in and trying to get the best out of it and just see if you can roll in a few putts here and there. That happened, and probably a bit in excess on the back nine. But golf is just that strange sometimes. You can turn the wrong golf swing, and today I felt like it turned with the swing‑‑ I had a good save and a very good swing and then started to feel really good. Q. So how comfortable is a five‑shot lead going into the final round in this great championship? THOMAS BJÖRN: It's a dangerous lead, that's for sure, especially with those names on the leaderboard. You can't take anything for granted in this game. It's very much a golf tournament and you just have to try to do more of the same tomorrow. Q. I suppose after the first five holes, you were probably thinking, what in the heck is going wrong here. THOMAS BJÖRN: Yeah, it wasn't the best of starts, that's for sure. A lot of loose swings, poor shots, bad decisions. The birdie on 6 was important to get me a little bit calmer in my head, and you go on that run on the back nine where things just seem too easy and the holes seem as big as pockets, but sometimes that's the way golf is and proud of the way I handled myself there. Q. And what a championship to do it in, a record‑breaking run; how many times have you done that before in your career? THOMAS BJÖRN: I haven't finished a round off like that after a bad start. I tend to sometimes get on good runs when the swing feels easy and comfortable. Today I didn't feel that comfortable with it, and I still went on a remarkable run of holes on the back nine. We sometimes forget how difficult this game can be and sometimes we forget how easy it can be. Q. Five‑shot lead, comfortable sleeping tonight? THOMAS BJÖRN: Absolutely. You want to be in that position. You work hard and you're determined to get the best out of your golf. You know, this is always a position you want to be, but you've got to be well aware that there's a lot of golf to be played. Q. A five‑shot lead; is there a danger of being conservative tomorrow? THOMAS BJÖRN: There's only one way to play this golf course. I think you've got to play smart and be aggressive on certain holes, and I'll stick to that game plan. That's the game plan I had when I set out on Thursday and I stuck with that all the way through and I'll do that again tomorrow. Q. In the context of your whole career, how big of a day is Sunday? THOMAS BJÖRN: It's up there obviously, but this is a golf tournament and I view it as any other golf tournament. You want to be in these positions; work hard and try and get yourself in with a chance of winning golf tournaments, and it doesn't really matter where it is. This is obviously a big event from the outside world, but as a player, you try and just play it down and stay determined and focused. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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