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European Tour: Eddie Pepperell Talks Opening Round 69 at Omega Dubai Desert Classic

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 23: Eddie Pepperell of England plays his third shot on the sixteenth hole from a bunker during Day One of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 23, 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

European Tour professional Eddie Pepperell speaks to the media following the opening round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic about early week hole in one, changes in putter stroke and other changes

European Tour: Eddie Pepperell speaks with media following round one of Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Q. An opening round of 69, 3-under par. Sum it up for us?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: That was good. It was the toughest I’ve ever seen this course play, and I watched the coverage earlier on. I watched you speak to Joost, actually, earlier on, and it’s a difficult day. Rough is very, very thick and greens are firm and fast, and you’ve just got to, frankly, flush it, and if you don’t, you’re in trouble. I did a pretty good job of that after a start. It was a bit ropey to begin with. I wasn’t surprised at that because I made a few changes this week.

Q. One of the changes, going to the claw grip. Tell us about that?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Yeah, inspired a little from Lee. I must say, I’ve been struggling with the greens. I’ve never been a good putter on Tour, but for me, it’s about not being a terrible putter. My good results tend to come when I’m just not horrific on the greens, especially inside five feet.

Full Leaderboard: Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2020

So I was watching the golf last Sunday and I couldn’t believe how comfortable Lee looked on the short putts, especially. I thought, I might as well give this a try. I was very good today inside six, eight feet. So I’m optimistic. Best I’ve putted for a while.

Q. Other changes?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Last year was a funny year for me. I’ve gone back to doing the drill that I did for a couple of years, and I’ve done probably a couple of thousand since Friday in Abu Dhabi, and it’s given me a strong swing feel. When I’ve played well in the past, I’ve had that same swing feel.

I think knowing that and the putter today was good for me, considering I’m usually horrific on Thursdays, as well. I hope we get better from here.

Q. It’s been an interesting day to watch that scoreboard, people going up-and-down. How have you found it out there with your opening 69?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Yeah, I’m really happy with that. It was clear early on it was going to be very, very challenging. It’s the toughest I’ve ever seen this course play by a long way. The rough is brutally thick and the greens are very firm and fast. If you’re not in the fairways, you’ve got probably no chance.

I drove the ball pretty well for the most part and I did a lot of things really well and I holed a lot of nice par putts to begin with and holed out nicely for my birdie coming in. I played a good round of golf today and proud of that, if you know my record on Thursday, but it was I imagine fun to watch. The course has gone from being a 5-under cut to, I suspect, being a couple-over cut.

Q. Beginning of the season, a lot of guys are trying to find momentum and rhythm back and you have some new sticks in the bag, coming through the way you did today, obviously something you’d be very happy with?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Yeah, listen, really, since I’ve tested with them, I’ve loved them. I think that if I start swing the club well, I think they will be really, really good for me. I have just haven’t been swinging it well. The last couple of events, end of last year have been poor. At least I didn’t run out of balls today.

Q. Congratulations for your hole-in-one early in the week. Unfortunately we didn’t get it on camera, and of course a happy belated birthday to you. These things come in threes. Did you get a chance to celebrate yesterday?
EDDIE PEPPERELL: Yeah, me and my girlfriend had a nice kiss.

January 23, 2020

Dubai, UAE

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team UK

European Tour: Robert Macintyre Speaks With Media About Late Start to 2020 Season

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 22: Robert Macintyre of Scotland in action during the pro-am event prior to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 22, 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

European Tour professional Robert Macintyre speaks with the media ahead of the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic regarding struggles with injury and his late start to the European Tour Season.

European Tour: Robert Macintyre talks to the media prior to season debut at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic

CLARE BODEL: Welcome to Dubai. The season, a slightly delayed start for you. How are you feeling now? Are you looking forward to this week?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: I’m feeling good. I’ve had a bit took of rest I think, to say the least. I was hoping it was going to be last week to start, but things happen for a reason and it’s good to get going this week.

CLARE BODEL: You didn’t play this tournament last year during that fantastic rookie season, but what have you made of it so far? How is the course looking?

ROBERT MacINTYRE: It’s an absolute brutal test. You’ve got to keep the ball in the fairway. If you don’t, you’ll probably be home early.

It’s a pretty fair test. If you drive it well, if you play well, you score well. I see that like any golf course, but this week there’s a premium on driving the golf ball, and that’s hopefully where my game’s at.

Q. How is it this morning, and how is the wrist, the hand, and the 18 holes today?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah, it was good. I just needed more time. I felt last week my speed was down, hitting bad shots I wouldn’t normally hit, and this week, I’m hitting some — I feel my speed’s back. Like even the week when I was trying to prepare for Abu Dhabi, I was sluggish. Whereas this week, I feel like the speed’s back, and if I’ve got the speed back, I’m using my driving to my advantage.

Q. I saw that when you hit that drive on 18. Did that convince you everything was good to go this week, 325 yards?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: That was one of the good ones. But no, my big test was hitting shots that were hurting me. I had done that on Tuesday, Monday night, Tuesday morning. Hit the shots that were hurting me on the chipping green, and the real test was going to go in the rough. I had to test it. If it hurt, I wasn’t going to play, and I just had to accept it. I just had to go for it. So I went in the deep end, just hit it and if it hurt; but no, it’s been grand.

Q. Were you able to hit it full throttle?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: If I can’t play my — if I can’t compete, I won’t play. There’s no point. I’m not here just to make up the numbers. If I played last week, I was there, I was going to finish close to last. It’s just as simple as that. I couldn’t compete.

Whereas this week, I feel that I can go out there and give it enough go.

Full Leaderboard: Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2020

Q. Will you be able to practice as much as you would want to, or will you be taking it slightly easy?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: Slightly easier. I just don’t want the same problem. But I’m going to go — after here, I’m going to go out there and get my TrakMan numbers. So back to normal.

Q. Is David still here?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: He’s here. He goes home after this week. We’ll be doing some good work in the last few days.

Q. It’s good to see you again. I know you sound very optimistic, but you had an MRI back in September, and you had an MRI last week. What was the indication from the MRI, and if there’s nothing sort of diagnosed as a problem there, does it still worry you, first time you pick up a club, and there’s pain and you’re on painkillers and have your wrist strapped; does the bigger picture concern you?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: It is in the back of the head. I’ve been taking painkillers since The Open, before the first round of The Open. So the reason I took six weeks off — I could have taken longer and come back and had the same problem.

But I think I done the right thing by not playing. I’m not worried about — if the pain comes back, then we’ve got a problem. We’ve got to go and look into it deeper, and still looking into it deeper, whether it’s technique or whatnot.

But no, I can’t worry about if I go here this week and worry about a sore hand, which could happen, then I’m as well back home in Oban and sit on the couch. I’m just going out there, playing golf full throttles as a normally do and see how we’re going.

Q. You talked about this being a brutal test, and it looks as though your day buy in the event is coinciding with the course being toughened up. Can you talk more about that?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: It’s just there’s a lot of doglegs, not so much with trees, but the fairways kind of — they kink it where the driver is landing. I hit a few good drives today that ran through the fairway, not into the deep stuff, but through the first cut into the second cut, and even then, you can’t hit anything more than 7-, 8-iron. It’s as thick of rough as I’ve played in since probably U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills. That rough out there, if there’s not a ball-spotter spotting the ball and you’re 300 yards away, you’re struggling to find it.

Q. Rory made some comments at the end of last season that he felt some of the courses have been getting a little bit too easy. Your first year last year is maybe too difficult but how do you find the courses in general?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: I found them all right. I drove the ball well last year, so a lot of golf courses weren’t — I was making them easier than they probably were. But I thought they were good tests for my first year out.

Challenge Tour was a wee bit more generous. I turned up in Abu Dhabi at the start of last year, and I was — I played the first two rounds with Richie and I came off on the Friday and I go, “Richie, is that how hard the golf courses are out here?”

He goes, “Well, you have to drive it well here.” That made me realise, I’ve got to improve the driving, and that’s what I’ve done.

Q. Last time you were in Dubai, you won Rookie of the Year, a title you can only win once. What are your aspirations going into the new year? What sort of goals are you set, maybe trying to qualify the Masters, but in the sort of bigger 2020 picture?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: I’ve not looked further than April if I’m being honest with you. I’ve just got one goal, Top-50 in the world by April, and if I do that, then I think my start of the season would have been as good as the end of last.

I’m just going out there, play aggressive, play free and hopefully pain-free.

Q. You still got it strapped up?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: Yeah. Again, I don’t know if it’s doing me any good. I’m just doing it because —

Q. Psychologically?
ROBERT MacINTYRE: — in my head, I’m saying, this is strapped up, it’s strong just now, just give it a go.

CLARE BODEL: Thank you.

January 22, 2020

Dubai, UAE

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team South Africa Team UK

European Tour: Amateur Phenoms Josh Hill and Jayden Schaper Preview Omega Dubai Desert Classic

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 16: Josh Hill of England plays his second shot on the 8th hole during Day 1 of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 16, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

15 year old J Englishman Josh Hill and 18 year old South African Jayden Schaper talk about their experiences on the European Tour so far at such a young age and also preview their expectations for this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic

European Tour: Amateaur Phenoms Josh Hill and Jayden Schaper at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Q. Just ask both you guys how you’re feeling coming into this week. Very exciting for both of you?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Yeah, I mean, just excited to be here. Great opportunity. Obviously last two weeks, a bit of a different feel, but yeah, I mean, I’m just excited to be here and give it a go.

JOSH HILL: Yeah, obviously last week was a bit disappointing, but excited to come back here.

Q. Obviously South African was pretty impressive and what do you take from that?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Getting a Top-10 in the SA Open is a pretty nice achievement. Give myself an opportunity over the weekend to get the win is pretty cool.

Yeah, I mean, come off that great experience playing an event like that. I’ll approach this week the same. Shouldn’t be too much different between tournaments.

Q. Josh, what did you learn from Abu Dhabi, and have you put that into practice already for this week?
JOSH HILL: Yeah, I missed a lot of fairways, which you can’t do around there. You can’t score well around there. I just put a new shaft and driver, so hopefully that will improve it. I played nine holes yesterday and it did, so hopefully keeps going that way.

Full Leaderboard/Tee Times: Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2020

Q. From what I’ve been hearing, the rough is pretty juicy, more juicier than Abu Dhabi. Is that how the course is set up?
JOSH HILL: I don’t know. I feel like it was a bit better than last week. I think because the greens are a bit firm that they can’t really put them as thick as last week, otherwise it would just be so hard to stop the ball. But I don’t know, I thought it was better than last week to be honest.

Q. How big was the Junior Players Championship for you? You’ve won 11 times, I was just going through your stats, and 11 times in the last 104 weeks, and I think the biggest must have been the Junior Players Championship, isn’t it?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Yeah, so the Junior Players was pretty special to go out and play TPC Sawgrass. I mean, you watch THE PLAYERS Championship every year and it’s one that every player wants to play in. To be able to play with Junior Players in that and with my idol, Rory McIlroy, yeah, it’s pretty special to go out there. The golf course is unreal. Not too often you get to play a golf course like in conditions like that.

Yeah, it was a pretty good win, and yeah, just experience playing tournaments like that gets you to a place like this.

Q. You just mentioned your ideal being Rory McIlroy. What about the South Africans? You have such a good system for juniors and I know guys like Ernie, they are so much more involved over there. I’m a little surprised that you didn’t mention somebody like Ernie and said Rory.
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Rory is just something special. From even off the golf course, it’s pretty special to watch him off the golf course and on the golf course he’s just magical, his swing, the way he approaches the game and obviously South Africa we have so many great golfers. Obviously Louis Oosthuizen being one of them, I look up to him. Yeah, I played in the SA Open two wreaks ago with him in the first two rounds was pretty special.

Yeah, there’s so many people to look up to, and I see Rory as a guy that I want to go up and kind of compare my game to his and just work towards that. Again, Louis, he’s an unbelievable player. He is definitely one of the best from tee-to-green that I’ve seen, and yeah, I was just fortunate to play with him.

Q. For both of you, playing two huge events, is there any little bit of information or advice that you’ve taken from anyone that you’ve played with or that you’ve spent a little bit of time with, whether or not it’s practice or during the tournaments itself?
JOSH HILL: Well, not for me. It was mainly just all the practicing and with Brooks and stuff like that. But yeah, obviously I’ve got some stuff from people but the biggest thing was from Brooks, from being world No. 1, hearing from him was great.

JAYDEN SCHAPER: Yeah, going back and playing with Louis two weeks ago, he basically said, you know, just keep doing the same and have fun and with my team my dad my coach, we just approach it the same as any other tournaments. He said it’s the same 14 clubs in the bag, same golf course, just different field. That’s the way I’m looking at it. Nothing should change how you approach the game because how you’ve been playing to that point is what got you there, so nothing should change.

Q. How have you found the increased media attention?
JOSH HILL: I think you’ve got to learn it. You always get media. You’ve got to fit it around your practice which is a good lesson to learn, but I don’t mind it. Just do it and then go out and do what you need to do on the golf course.

JAYDEN SCHAPER: I agree. Media is a big thing for us when you’re just coming up. Obviously it’s a big thing coming up. Yeah, we’ve been exposed to quite a bit of media obviously back at home, trying to get us to get used to moments like this, so it’s not something that we’re not used to, but yeah, I mean, just between practice and going out on the golf course, yeah, kind of used to it, so quite normal.

Q. Have you set any specific targets this week?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Basically, everyone wants to come out and go for the win. Obviously that’s what you want to do. But I mean, I’m just going to take it one step at a time, one shot at a time and one hole at a time and I’m just going to take it as it comes and enjoy the experience overall.

JOSH HILL: I agree. I think if you don’t aim to win, you’re preparing to fail. Aim for the win and just go out there and have fun and see where that leaves you.

Q. You played this golf course quite a few times. What do you like about it and how much has it suited your style of play over the years?
JOSH HILL: A lot of tee shots, like 8, for example, such a great view, it always makes you smile before you hit the tee shot, which I think helps you a bit.

Q. But the kind of doglegs, you have so many on this golf course, does that fit your eyes?
JOSH HILL: Yeah, I think so, because when I try to hit it hard I like to hit a massive hook. I find it fun doing that. So yeah, there’s a lot of holes which are doglegs right-to-left, so it suits my eye a bit.

Q. How did you like the golf course? You’ve played a couple of rounds.
JAYDEN SCHAPER: So yeah, so yesterday was my first day here. Just went out and played the front nine to get a look and a feel of what the course has to offer, and yeah, I think it suits my game pretty well.

Obviously you’ve got to hit the fairways. The rough is up. So yeah, I had quite fun around the greens yesterday around the rough, and I’m pretty sure it’s not impossible to play motivate of the putts. I think chipping is one of the strong points of any game.

And I’ve heard the back nine is more of a drawer’s paradise, so I’m happy to go out there. I can shape the ball both ways pretty easily and that’s basically what I’ve been working on with my coach. Yeah, if I just trust my game and I go out there, I’m pretty sure I’ll do what I need to do.

Q. Have you got a new nickname?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Oh, yeah. There’s been quite a few nicknames. Two weeks ago was the “Shaper,” my surname, but yeah, I’ve got so many different nicknames.

Q. Was “Clutch” one of them, as well?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Oh, yeah, Junior Players, given a few by my mates. Obviously when I’ve had the lead back home a few events, I kind of keep my cool and don’t let go.

Q. What would you prefer for this week?
JAYDEN SCHAPER: Probably the “Shaper” would be a nice one. Obviously I like to shape the golf ball both ways. I don’t know, it’s pretty catchy.

Q. Have you spent a lot of time watching this tournament, like following it?
JOSH HILL: Yeah, a fair bit. I remember when Tiger came here how big the crowd was. It was probably like eight-deep and I was so shocked. I remember being on my dad’s shoulders just watching it from perfect view rather than behind people.

Q. What age would you have been then; do you remember?
JOSH HILL: Four, five.

Q. And what about further on down the years, have you spent much time taking it in?
JOSH HILL: Yeah, I’ve watched a bit of it, but I think I’m — yeah, I’ve watched a bit but not too much. I don’t know, probably playing this week with my friends at clubs, so yeah, I haven’t really done much.

Q. Would you have believed that a few years down the line that you would be playing in this?
JOSH HILL: No, but I mean, it is obviously a dream come true now. Hopefully I can keep on going with it.

Q. Is Steven going to be on the bag again this week? Did he do a good job last week?
JOSH HILL: Yeah, did he a very good job. In between shots, we laughed probably a bit too much. But it was quite nice, laughing with him, especially as I know him so well, so yeah, he’s definitely on the bag this week.

Q. And Toby is taking it well?
JOSH HILL: Yeah, Toby’s done well. It was hard to tell him but he took it well. He said he’ll be down here on Friday, which is nice. So hopefully I’ll see him.

January 21, 2020

Dubai, UAE

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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Team UK

European Tour: Tommy Fleetwood Meets With The Media Ahead of Omega Dubai Desert Classic

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 19: Tommy Fleetwood of England looks on during Day 4 of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 19, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

European Tour professional Tommy Fleetwood speaks to the media ahead of the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic previewing what he expects and also speaking on coming up just short at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Champion where he finished in second place behind winner Lee Westwood.

European Tour: Tommy Fleetwood talks 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic

CLARE BODEL: Well come to the Emirates Golf Club. You started with a great tied second place last woke in Abu Dhabi. You must be feel coming good coming to the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic.

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, last week was good. Spoke a couple of times, there’s a bit of unknown when you come back out. Last week, I think Thursday, I struggled Thursday I struggled, but in a good sense that I saw my tendencies come out. I saw I struggled a little bit, practiced and moved on to the next day and got better throughout the week and by the end of the week. The way I played and the way I hit my irons over the weekend, you know, I was struggling to actually build a lot of confidence and I felt really good.

You know, first week out, it’s easy to say like when I’ve done well for a few years, but it’s more the weeks where it can build a lot of momentum, but it’s not something that you put too much pressure on or look at too much. It’s just a week to build on, and it just happens to be a very big week of the year now with it being a Rolex Series Event and lucky enough to play well the last few years.

Full Leaderboard/Tee Times: Omega Dubai Desert Classic 2020

CLARE BODEL: Obviously there’s something about this part of the world that suits you. You’ve won a couple of times in Abu Dhabi, had a couple of Top-10s here and played well at the DP World. What is it about playing in the desert that you like?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think most players feel very at home when they come out here. There’s so many events now in the Middle East or the UAE; for me, you always start the year out here and hopefully you end the year here. It’s not a given but generally we always end the year in Dubai.

You get used to the golf courses. That’s one side. But I just think as I’ve been playing better, I think there is certain — there’s certain players or there’s certain like styles of golf that fit and people do well around. I’ve not always done well in the Middle East. I feel like I’ve grown to improve, and actually I feel comfortable and it is such a great place to play golf.

I always feel like when we get to this stage, you’re throwing yourself into the game and it’s the first couple of weeks out and you can practice and you feel like you want to be here and you feel really good.

By the end of the year, it’s a great thing to have such a great event and yeah, just always feel like I’m very into golf when I get here.

CLARE BODEL: Is it important, do you think, for momentum to have a good start in the desert? Obviously you won in the region before going on to win The Race to Dubai. Does that help?

TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It definitely helps. I don’t want to put too much pressure on it because the year goes quick, but it is a long year in general. You know, so when you play good or bad, I think it’s important to keep the same attitude, so just because you’ve done well last week, doesn’t mean you come into this week feeling great, everything’s fine. You want to prepare and play this week like you missed the cut last week almost and make sure you’re pushing. There’s things everybody wants to improve. There’s things that people have worked on over the winter that really you’re only going to find out how it goes when you get under pressure.

So you know, you don’t want to put too much pressure on it but clearly people like Shane, myself, Sergio, Danny, they have won majors after winning early on, and in particular, last year Shane and myself, and ’17, I ended up winning The Race to Dubai. It clearly makes a very nice difference if you do well.

Q. You’ve probably grown up — trying to be respectful — you’ve probably grown up reading about Lee Westwood winning victories around the world. The fact he’s won over four decades, what does it say about his longevity in the game, and as a fellow Englishman, would he be an inspiration to people like yourself?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I think Lee — I think longevity, it’s going to be like the standard word used for him now. I think the thing is, you know, just because he’s — what is he, 47, 46? His swing hasn’t changed since he’s about 20 and it’s been working fine for the last three decades, so it might as well work in this one.

I think he’s in a really good place himself at the moment, and it’s a different inspiration now. Because you watch him play as a kid, and now you know, as well as he is a competitor, I class him as a friend and somebody that we can speak to and great to hang around with and learn off. I think we’re all lucky to have Lee out on the Tour and absolutely if you can aspire to somebody, Lee is a fantastic person, looking at his career and the way he’s played and how good he’s been for a long time. It’s very, very impressive. I think he’s a great person to have around.

Q. Just as a follow-up to that, obviously we know the role Lee had at The Ryder Cup in France, and got a long way to go to get back as a player, but how much of an achievement would that be if he could do that?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: 100 per cent, yeah. I loved having him around. He was the vice that was around me for two or three rounds, and he had a very calming influence. I guess when you’ve been there for ten, you’re pretty used to it and he knows what he’s doing. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be on The Ryder Cup Team. I think we’d all love to be there. As a player, I think he’s got a lot to give.

Of course people, it’s going to be something people talk about now that he’s won the first event of the year, and I actually thought he would be on The Ryder Cup Team about six months ago. I think he’s been playing consistently really, really well for a year and a half, two years, and with a win, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be on the team.

Q. I missed the tee time over here, so I don’t know if you’ve been asked about this or not, but second at the DP World Tour Championship, second in Abu Dhabi; you must be sick and tired of being bridesmaid in the UAE?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It’s better than third. You know what, sometimes — I think one thing that I am learning is that — I think the great thing is, and the positive thing is, I’m putting myself up there now, and last year, I looked at the year and it was clearly frustrating that I had not won an event when I felt like I played some great golf.

Sometimes people just play better. You know, Jon in DP World played the best golf — he played the best golf throughout the year, really, and deserved to win The Race to Dubai. He played the best golf that week. I came up one shy last week; Lee was the best player on the weekend.

You know, there’s plenty of times that’s going to happen, but I’m not going to crumble at this at the moment. Of course, it’s so easy to look at, I missed the cut on Friday or I could have done this better. The great thing is that I’m there or thereabouts and if I can keep going that often enough and keep doing the same things, eventually get it will be my turn. I’d like to be the one that wins, but also, I’d rather be the guy that’s second or third or fifth and if I can keep my golf consistently, and if this is the level I’m playing at more often than not, then it’s a very, very good thing.

Q. Is there something about desert golf that you really like? Is there something technical about the golf course or something that really suits your eyes?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Not really. No all honesty, Abu Dhabi has felt like a hard golf course for me for a long time. I think after 2017, I turned up in 2018 and felt like it suited me a lot better but even this year there’s shots that just don’t fit my eye that often and I feel like I could do better on this course. I feel this course, I almost feel more comfortable on it than Abu Dhabi, but I haven’t played anywhere near as well on it.

I’d like to feel that the way I work and how I try and improve certain areas of my game, that generally most golf courses I feel like I’ve got a chance of competing on and doing well on. So just so happens that the Middle East has been very kind to me at the moment.

Q. Do you ever take much of an interest in the field at the start of the season? Obviously it’s been new names coming about, a 15-year-old this week, new young talent every week. Do you take an interest or do you just carry on?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: No, I’m very self-focused, really. I love the game and I love following the game when I’m kind of not playing, if you like. I still enjoy watching it on TV.

But I think, yeah, I just think any time I come to play, it’s how do I get the best out of it. I don’t really look at rankings too often. I just think there are extra things to think about that get in the way. Players, to be honest, there’s so many new players coming through, I think so many different dynamics to the Tour these days, I think last week is a prime example of how strong the standard is. That golf course, and the way Friday played, the cut nearly went to 2-under around this golf course, and that’s an unbelievable standard.

So guys are getting younger I guess, and new faces that are coming out that are hungry and talented. It’s always changing, but all I can do is improve myself, really, so I try and stick to that.

Q. You just said that you love playing golf in the Middle East and your record is pretty impressive here. When you do win at the start of the year, is there a temptation to add a couple of events as the year goes along?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I guess so — our schedule was done and started before Christmas and we’ll pretty much stick to that. There might be one that comes out or one that gets added it in. It really won’t change much.

I guess I’m getting used to the notion the last two years; trust yourself to play well when you decide you’re going to play and not just bulk up and play. I’ve always been somebody that plays a lot, and I think that as you get better and as more things arise, if you take this year, for example, hopefully there will be a Ryder Cup.

Hopefully there will be an Olympics and hopefully I’ll get all the way through to the end of the FedEx. You know, hopefully I’ll be at DP World in a chance to win in The Race to Dubai, and I think there’s so many things that go on in the year and I think it’s important that you trust yourself and you’re going to do the work and you’re going to play well when the time comes and not just get carried away with just trying to play all the time and hope for a result, if you like.

That’s something I’ve done in the past. Maybe that’s the wrong way of putting it, but it’s just different, and as my career is progressing, hopefully it keeps going in the right direction, and it is about knowing exactly what you’re going to play and not changing it and backing yourself to play in those events.

Q. What is an ideal stretch for you? Is it two weeks, three weeks, four weeks?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Honestly, I don’t really have one. I think more than four is getting a bit carried away, and I’m not somebody that likes to play one week on and then two or three weeks off. I definitely like at least two, but no more than four and then take it from there.

Like you say, so easy if you play well for three weeks in a row, so easy to carry on because you know you’re playing well. But yeah, it’s going to run out eventually, so you need to rest up.

Q. I was going to ask you about the major venues this year. Apart from Augusta, what do you know about the other three venues? Do you feel as though when you go to majors, you have the talent to be a Major Champion?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I hope so. I’ve been very close. Things could have gone either way in one or two majors in the past.

I haven’t played St. George’s, ever, and I’ve never played Winged Foot, but I know they are obviously very classical U.S. Open and an Open venue. I played Harding Park; I played that in the match play and enjoyed it. Actually played well that week and obviously Augusta is Augusta.

The majors are the toughest tests and that’s it. They challenge every part of our game. They challenge your mental side. They challenge patience and if you’re up there with a chance to win, they challenge how ready you are to go on and win those events. Unfortunately it’s not happened for me yet, but like I say, hopefully my career is progressing in the right way to eventually become a Major Champion.

Those are really the events that change your life or change your career. They can definitely add to your career. Any time they come around, like I say, it’s a test, really, because everybody wants to win those ones. You can put so much emphasis on, which is actually right, and some people are better at winning than others. I think last year, preparation, I got a couple of things wrong; disappointed but you learn, and hopefully I’ll be better at that this year.

You’re talking about second-place finishes in the last couple events in the UAE or second-place finishes in the in majors, the positive thing is they’re second-place finishes, I’m up there plenty of times, and hopefully it’s just a matter of time and eventually it will be my time and I would love to get one whenever that is.

CLARE BODEL: Thank you, Tommy.

January 21, 2020

Dubai, UAE

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European Tour: Lee Westwood Revisits Last Week’s Win and Previews Omega Dubai Desert Classic

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - NOVEMBER 17: Lee Westwood of England acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during day one of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 17, 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

European Tour professional and 25 time winner including last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship speaks with the media ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic, talking last week’s win, preventing injury, and the Super Bowl.

European Tour: Lee Westwood previews 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic

BRIONY CARLYON: We welcome our latest winner from The European Tour, Lee Westwood, to the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic.

It’s great to have you here this week, but question on everyone’s mind is how you celebrated on Sunday night.

LEE WESTWOOD: I think because I had not had a drink for nearly two weeks, it affected many he really quickly. So I was a really cheap date for somebody, after about four beers, I felt I was flying. I just went to the sports bar and watched Liverpool beat Man-United with Thomas Björn, so he was pleased. A few beers, a few pints of Guinness. Went back around 3.00 for a chicken shawarma some chips, watching the 49ers. It was a perfect day, really, round of golf and watching the 49ers get into the Super Bowl.

BRIONY CARLYON: We spoke a few days ago, 25 wins on The European Tour, and obviously how much that meant to you, but have you had time to process its in past 24 hours or so?

LEE WESTWOOD: I think the more you win, the more you get used to getting back to being on an even keel, really. A lot of people, if they are won early in their career, they struggle to bring themselves back again, but I’ve won a lot of tournaments and I’ve won weeks back-to-back.

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Obviously over the years, I’ve had to really kind of evaluate everything, take it all in, process it, if you call it that — I hate that term — and then get ready for the following week.

Yesterday I came up, hit a few balls, but being here, letting people congratulate me, kind of being around, being present and getting that out of the way, let’s me focus on this week’s tournament quicker.

Q. I would imagine you’d been inundated with people congratulating. Any in particular?
LEE WESTWOOD: All of them, really. Anybody who’s texted me, they are all my friends and they obviously are all very special. Everybody from Gary Player and Greg Norman to Ronan Keating and Robbie Williams. It’s a fairly broad spectrum of friends I’ve got. You know, got like 150 WhatsApps to reply to, 70 text messages and 30 e-mails. I love all the congratulations, but by the end, I was sending the thumbs-up back (laughing).

No, it’s great. I’ve got a lot of good friends, friends from years ago when I was at school sending me e-mails, and that’s really nice.

Q. Not just from golf, larger than sport —
LEE WESTWOOD: It’s nice, kind of — I don’t know how to put it, like you say it wasn’t just golf. People, you know, nearly 47 and he’s hanging in there and still got the drive, four different decades.

Yeah, it’s obviously a big achievement because nobody’s ever done it before. I’m proud of that, and you know, come back down for this week and get focussed on trying to play well again. I might play great and not win this week. But obviously playing great is a priority.

Q. I think I’m right in saying that you’ve been fairly focused in terms of not suffering from various ailments and injuries.
LEE WESTWOOD: I really have.

Q. How have you addressed that? Is it exercise or what you eat or whatever it is?
LEE WESTWOOD: I tell you, what I just spoke to Helen, my fiancé, she’d tell that you my diet could be better, and there’s times when I drink a little bit too much.

But over the years, I’ve worked out a lot and I’m very fortunate to play practice rounds with people like Greg Norman and Nick Price, Nick Faldo in the early years and Gary Player and just obviously impressed upon me working out. I don’t so much need to be skinny, but I’ve always concentrated on maintaining the areas of my body that take a battering, knees, back, shoulders, I’ve done a lot of exercise over the years on them to try and prevent injury, really, rather than getting an injury and then having to fix it. I’ve only really been out once and that was when I tore a calf muscle, basically.

Q. You see various injuries nowadays, ailments.
LEE WESTWOOD: I think also the way I swing it — well, without knowing, I was fortunate when I was a kid that I played lots of different sports. I didn’t start playing golf at five years of age, so I played lots of different sports, rugby, football, cricket. I was a good runner. And all those kind of give me a base, a physical base to work from.

I was just a strong lad growing up and pretty fit. Then I started playing golf at 14. I do sometimes worry about these kids who start playing golf at the age of five now, because golf, you’re bending over, you curve your spine that way, you rotate, as well. It’s not the ideal movement for a six- or seven-year-old kid. You’re just going to end up.

Q. Do you think five is too young?
LEE WESTWOOD: I think, yeah, it probably is. Mentally, you’re not ready for golf at that kind of age. It’s a pretty draining sport mentally, and certainly look at my son, if he’d taken it up at a young age, he wouldn’t have enjoyed the game as much as he’s enjoying it now. He just started at 13, 14 years of age, which I did.

Yeah, I’ve been lucky with injuries, but I’ve also done the work when it’s needed, going to the gym in my late 20s. I probably should have gotten there earlier, but just didn’t switch on quick enough. So I got in the gym around my 30s which coincided with getting to No. 1 in the world and I did a lot of hard work with Steve McGregor kind of from 2006-ish to 2012, which is going to be a good foundation. I’m back working with him again.

So you know, doing a lot of leg strength and flexibility, and a lot of work on my back to try and pull my posture into line. In golf, you’re always like this (hunched over) you need to open them up.

Q. From a 23-year-old who won in 1996, there was so much show of emotion, you running after the ball when you made that long putt at the Scandinavian Masters to the celebrations now, just tell me, how much has the celebrations changed, and also, how much has the week after winning, say, your first tournament, if you just look back at it, and now after winning the 25th tournament, the week after, players go through a lot of highs, highs almost, not any lows. But what have been your experience?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, that putt — I don’t have quite that energy anymore.

But yeah, you’re right, the following weeks used to be difficult. I took the week off, actually, after winning Scandinavia and I came back and missed the cut. It was difficult. Your first win, you’re obviously in a dream world and it’s very difficult. You’ve not had that experience before, so you don’t know how to handle it. It just comes with experience and winning more tournaments. Now, you know, it takes me — it took me, you know, a day. My drinks are a bit more grown up and my celebrations, as well (chuckling). No more shots.

Q. And nobody has done the UAE quadruple, when I asked you in Abu Dhabi, as well. Is that something that’s a thought as you go into this week?
LEE WESTWOOD: No, I didn’t even realize it happened to be honest until people started talking about it. It’s not something that even registered with me. But obviously it’s nice to do it, and I think as a golfer, you just — you should just focus on the bare facts, break it down trying to play well that week. If you’re good enough and you play your best game, then you’ll have a chance of winning out here.

Q. When did you hook up again with Steve?
LEE WESTWOOD: About March last year. I had a sit-down with him. Didn’t really fully commit to it and didn’t get into it, but he’s always trying to get me back into the gym and doing stuff like that. If somebody pushes me to something, I just kind of shut off, and I think now he’s kind of learning to just tease me in there. I went on holidays, Thailand over Christmas and the new year, and went in every day. Maintenance stuff, exercise work, shoulder blades, more flexibility in my shoulder. It’s all based around just trying to swing the golf club and injury prevention, really, and he obviously said gaining a bit of weight, it’s easy to turn fast, when you don’t have to shift all this fat around.

Q. So team Westy would be Steve, Ben, Phil, Rocky, Helen?
LEE WESTWOOD: Helen, who was caddying for me that week, yeah. I try to bring them all together, and so we’re all singing off the same hymn sheet.

Q. You obviously talked about the Ryder Cup on Sunday, but have your other goals changed for this year as a result of how well you played last week and the win, obviously being in the majors, in particular?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I didn’t really have any goals. My goal is simply, you know, this is the work with Ben, the goal is to work on the mental side of the game because I feel like that’s where — that part of the game, if anything, has been lacking and that’s going to enable me to play my best more often.

So I’ve been working on that part of the game, and it is basically just go out, try my best, have fun, and just control what I control. You know, the movements in my golf swing and stuff like that. I know if I get it in the right positions on the golf plane, I hit the ball straight, and you know what, shock; if I hit the ball straight and starts holing a few putts, I’m talented enough to win tournaments, and if I win tournaments, I move up with the World Ranking points and move up the Money List and start qualifying for World Golf Championships and majors and possibly at the end of the year, The Ryder Cup Team, who knows.

Q. In Abu Dhabi, if we really look at the entire tournament, first round was not your best round?
LEE WESTWOOD: I played well the first round.

Q. Just looking at the scores. But what I wanted to ask you is that I saw you on a few holes with Eddie and Poulter and you were really having a blast and you were really enjoying the round, even though those two or in the really playing as well?
LEE WESTWOOD: They struggled a bit. But to answer Martin’s question, my goal is to just go out there and have fun and if I’m playing with two lads that are friends of mine and that I get on with, and I love Eddie’s sense of humour; and I’ve always gotten on with Poults and you know what Poults is like, he’s like a peacock out there, bouncing around, chest out, and he just makes me chuckle and he gets me in a good mood.

You know, first two rounds of the year, nobody we’re just out there really breaking ourselves in for a year. I played solid over the first two days, and then obviously played better over the last two days, you know, started holing a few more putts. My stats were pretty good over the first two days. I hit a lot of fairways. After three rounds, I hit as many fairways as anybody, so it wasn’t like the first two rounds was a bit scrappy or anything.

Q. Get a text from Padraig?
LEE WESTWOOD: I haven’t, no. He’s probably trying to not put too much pressure on me, not that he could.

Q. When you have played as much as you have, and when you have won as much as you have, is there anything else that you look forward to in your career, and what’s kind of the legacy that you’d like to have?
LEE WESTWOOD: My legacy, I don’t want — when I die, I don’t want people to sit down and golf be the first thing they mention about me. I want them to focus on other things. You know, he was a nice lad or you know good fella and you could always go towards him. He was never nasty to people. He always tried to do the right thing, and then he won a few golf tournaments.

Q. 49ers is your team?
LEE WESTWOOD: Since the late 80s, Jerry Rice — they only showed one game a week in England. Channel 4.

Q. Can I ask you one last question? Of all the 18 holes over there at Majelis, which one is your favorite and why?
LEE WESTWOOD: There’s a lot of good holes on this golf course. I think 6 is probably the toughest hole. You know, you’ve got to hit the fairway, narrow green — well, it certainly helps if you hit the fairway. But I think 18 is a cracking finishing hole. Always provides excitement.

But I think as far as looking at a hole, the 8th is one of the most spectacular holes, and also with the new tee on 9, 9 is going to be one of the sneaky hard holes again this week. Got to hit the fairway. I mean, I haven’t been out there yet but I like the way everybody is talking about it. They have added a little bit of length. It’s just a golf course that I’ve always enjoyed playing. Whenever I’ve come out here on holiday, I’ve come here and I’ve always enjoyed playing this golf course. Obviously you look the results, you’d say it suits me.

BRIONY CARLYON: All the best this week.

January 21, 2020

Dubai, UAE

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European Tour: Matthew Fitzpatrick Talks Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and 2020 Season

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 19: Matthew Fitzpatrick of England lines up a putt on the on the eighteenth green during the final round on Day Four of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 19, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

European Tour professional Matthew Fitzpatrick speaks with the media about his hot start to the 2020 season as well as recapping his performance at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in which he finished in a tie for second place with a score of -17 under par.

European Tour: Matthew Fitzpatrick recaps Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

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Q. A final round 67 here in Abu Dhabi, and the incredible Rolex Series performances that you bring continue. How do you feel about today’s performance?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Good, yeah. Apart from one missed putt, wouldn’t take a shot back, and to come off the golf course, that’s a great feeling, despite not enough to win, it’s been a great week.

Q. It’s very rare that we see you not have two great putting days in a row. It looked like after 2,3, and 4 we were going to see one of those days today?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: Yeah, definitely. Front nine I felt like could I hole everything and managed to hole one putt for par, which was nice to keep a bit of momentum going.

Yeah, just on back nine, just couldn’t make a thing. It was just one of those days, but hey, that’s golf. I’m delighted. It’s a great start to the year, and sort of you’re always a little bit nervous when you come into the start of the year after taking so much time off. So to come back and play as well as I felt I have done is a positiv,e.

Q. You took a share of the lead after 4 and I’m sure would you have noticed on the leaderboard Tommy making a run today. At what point did you think things weren’t turning for you after the turn; that you might pull something or stick to the process?
MATTHEW FITZPATRICK: That Tommy Fleetwood, he’s so annoying. He just comes from everywhere, but yeah, he’s definitely one of those, I have to stick to what I was doing; and he’s probably the most disciplined golfer I’ve ever played with, just picking targets and sticking to them and not even being tempted to be greedy, really.

January 19, 2020

Abu Dhabi, UAE

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European Tour: Tommy Fleetwood Talks Closing Round 63 at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 19: Tommy Fleetwood of England tees off on the 16th hole during Day 4 of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 19, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

European Tour and PGA Tour professional Tommy Fleetwood speaks to the media about his final round 63 and his 29th birthday. Fleetwood finished the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship with a final score of -17 under par and in a tie for second place.

European Tour: Tommy Fleetwood revisits closing round 63 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Q. You’re 29 years old today, one more than that number to the turn, 63 to close. Tell us about it.
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: It was good, really good. Felt like the whole week, really, gradually got better. Felt like I struggled on Thursday. Had a really about practice session and played really good Friday when it was really tough conditions. Felt like I played so good yesterday and hit a couple of ropey drives and missed a couple of putts and 5-under was really the worst the could have been and then today just got out and played great, really.

It’s weird, a little disappointed on the last, just got the tee shot way, and even then, the last, the wedge, can’t seem to get it right all these years. But you couldn’t really complain about 63, final day.

Full Leaderboard: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2020

Q. You know how the final few holes are playing. Is 17-under going to be a little shy?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I don’t want to call it, you never know, but I’m pretty sure. I think Lee obviously looks like he’s playing really, really good, and with sort of — yeah, the way the last four holes played, I think 15 is a nice wind for that pin and it’s always a pretty flat green, and 16, 17, 18, you’re hitting tee shots downwind. Looks like Lee is playing great. I’m happy to have put a weekend’s golf in and it’s a nice start to the year.

Q. Incredible 63 in your final round. You must have felt disheartened that every time you’re making tremendous strides through the field, Lee is making birdies matching yours?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think you just concentrate on what you’re doing and every time, every week we play, somebody is going to play great golf and at the moment that’s Lee. I’m very, very happy with my weekend, felt like I played some really good golf.

At the end of the day, golf is very, very difficult and there’s so many top, top players now, I think this week shows the standard when the cut was nearly 2-under and it felt so difficult, and then you always look at the winning score. The winning score is better than what you think it is and to have another good result in these events is great. Just happy with my own performance, and if Lee goes on to do it, then fair play to him.

Q. Is there one part of your game you’re most satisfied about coming back, new tournament, new season?
TOMMY FLEETWOOD: I think the week’s been satisfying in a way that I struggled on Thursday, and I think after — I’ve been practicing really well, and Thursday, got out there, didn’t play as well as I wanted to. I said after the round, I think it was good in a sense that the tendencies showed up, I can work on them, come back the next day and try again. As the week progressed, my prep’s been good and my iron play has been brilliant, especially over the weekend, I feel like it’s been as sharp as it has been for the last year and years gone by.

Putted well over the weekend. So the game is progressing. My short game this week, I didn’t make many bogeys; that’s something to be happy with. It’s always the first week of the year, and you never quite know what’s going to turn up, so happy that I performed, happy with how I feel and it was nice getting the juices flowing really, on the last, knowing that I could post a score.

January 19, 2020

Abu Dhabi, UAE

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European Tour: Lee Westwood Speaks Following 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Victory

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 19: Lee Westwood of England poses with the trophy after the final round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on January 19, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

PGA Tour and European Tour professional Lee Westwood speaks with the media following his 25th European Tour victory and 44th victory overall coming at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

European Tour: Lee Westwood talks to the media following Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

CLARE BODEL: Lee, second Rolex Series win, your 25th European Tour win; 40-something worldwide; you’ve won in four decades —

LEE WESTWOOD: That’s the one.

CLARE BODEL: That’s the one. Pretty good day?

LEE WESTWOOD: Very good. I felt pretty comfortable all week, and not sort of wanting to say how good I felt, I’ve been swinging, but more trying to keep a lid on how good I felt I’ve been putting.

I don’t know why it is, I put in a lot of hard work with Phil Kenyon and I’ve been working with Ben Davis on the psychological part of it, but I really felt quite calm on the greens this week and rolled a lot of good putts. That was the key to winning, really. You’ve got to putt well to win any tournament, but especially these in the desert because the greens are so immaculate, you know that everybody is going to hole their putts.

It was great, and like you say, four different decades. Feel really old when somebody says that, don’t you. Luckily most of you have been here throughout, so I know you’ve all aged, as well. Looking at hair, for starters.

CLARE BODEL: Talking about being one of the more experienced gentlemen on Tour, you said that one of your ambitions now is to make The Ryder Cup Team again. Is that something that’s now at the forefront of your mind, as you beat three young pups who were also amongst it to second place?

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LEE WESTWOOD: It’s not only an ambition, it’s only come to the forefront of my mind, that now I’ve got a chance to make The Ryder Cup Team. I thought I was done in The Ryder Cup to be honest as a player. I’ve played ten, and I really enjoyed watching everybody else suffer in the last one.

You know, now I give myself a chance to play, so yeah, I’ll just play week-in, week-out, just to see. I’m not going to increase my schedule or anything like that. I’m just going to play week-in, week-out and see where that takes me. But I’ll be playing in all the big tournaments again. The World Golf Championships are all on the calendar now and obviously every major, so who knows.

CLARE BODEL: And just a bit about this tournament, a place that you’ve played quite a few times over the years. How special is it to win here in Abu Dhabi?

LEE WESTWOOD: It’s great to win. I’ve played well here in the past. Obviously a couple of years ago, Helen caddied for me, the first time she caddied and we finished Top-10, and the first time I ever came, I finished second I think to Martin Kaymer, tied with Henrik.

So it’s a golf course I’ve always felt like, yeah, it suits me, but you know, just never really quite putted well enough, but this week certainly did. What did I make, four bogeys all week? That’s pretty good golf.

CLARE BODEL: Certainly a good week.

Q. The four decades thing, you’re the first to do that. You think of the names who haven’t done it, Ernie —
LEE WESTWOOD: I can’t see it being five (laughter) but you never know, do you.

Q. How much pride does that give you?
LEE WESTWOOD: It gives me a lot of pride to set new sort of targets for everybody. That’s what sport’s about, isn’t it. I’m surprised I’m the first one to do it.

But you know, I’ve been out here a long time, this is my 28th season. So yeah, I’d like to add a few more to that. But I think it just shows the level I’ve played at for such a long time, longevity in sport is difficult to achieve.

And obviously I kept myself supremely fit a finally tuned athlete over all those years and paying off now. I feel as healthy now as I ever have playing golf. Don’t groan too much when I get out of bed in the morning to put my socks on; you know what that’s like.

I’ve got like a new commitment to the gym. I was in there this morning and I did 40 minutes’ cardio, trying to get a bit of weight off, just so my body functions a bit better in the golf swing.

If I’ve got that kind of drive, then I feel like I can continue to move on like this.

Q. And the tears, you’re not really known for your emotion but they were obviously flowing on the 18th.
LEE WESTWOOD: It’s Tim Barter; every time I talk to him, he makes me want to cry.

No, I think it’s to do with handling my emotions really well on the golf course, and when it’s all over, that’s the time it just releases and I can let myself go. It just happens to be that Tim’s always there (laughing.)

CLARE BODEL: Quickly, hate to tell you, but you’re not the first, but you’re in a very elite group along with Des Smyth and Mark McNulty.

Q. On the Senior Tour or European Tour only?
CLARE BODEL: We’ll work it out.

Q. You’ve talked to us a lot in the last couple of years about just going out there, and there is still a massive competitive drive that is still coursing in your veins.
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, Ben has instilled in me the fact that I’m playing the game I love for a living, and I should enjoy it, and sometimes it gets to the point where you don’t enjoy it enough.

You know, we’re lucky to be doing what we’re doing, and a lot of people are far less fortunate. I’ve tried to go out, if things are going wrong, I don’t really lose my temper anymore. I’ve never been a club breaker, but I don’t really get wound up too much. I’ve become much more analytical and less emotional on the golf course.

He’s tried to impart that on me, and I think that’s just spreading through my whole game and my putting everything, and I’m on a very even keel; and if the ball doesn’t go in, the ball doesn’t go in. The only thing I can control are the movement and the actions I’m doing to roll it on line to the hole. It might hit something or I might misread it, but I brush it off and move on to the next, and it’s served me well.

Yeah, that’s kind of the way I’m trying to play it now.

Q. You’ve shown you’re just a big softy, really.
LEE WESTWOOD: Sorry?

Q. You’ve shown you’re a big softy, really.
LEE WESTWOOD: I’ve always known I’ve been a big softy.

Q. Is that why it means more to you, maybe you thought these days were gone? And even before Sun City, because it had been a few years, hadn’t it.
LEE WESTWOOD: I certainly wasn’t playing well enough and hitting the ball well enough and putting well enough to win golf tournaments.

Yeah, ’98, ’99, 2000, ’98 I think I won eight tournaments in one year, and 2000 I won eight tournaments and year and ’99 I won seven or something stupid like that, and they were coming along like taxis, and I didn’t appreciate it enough, I don’t think, and now I appreciate it and I appreciate all the hard work that has to go into it.

I was working hard back then, but winning was coming easy, and I think that’s just because I was a young man and I was rolling with the momentum of it all.

Q. I think Tim mentioned you’re up to 29th in the World Rankings and that gets you in all the majors and WGCs. What’s that mean to qualify so early in the new season and have the assurance of being in those events?
LEE WESTWOOD: Well, you can make a plan, can’t you. You can schedule a little bit better. I was going to play this week, Dubai and Saudi and then I wasn’t sure when I was going to play again. I know I’m going to play at the Honda in Palm Beach Gardens, but I didn’t know whether I would be going into Mexico the week before and I didn’t know whether I would be in the Match Play.

So I probably — well, I’ll definitely go to Mexico and I’ll play the Honda, and then I might try to get a tournament in between then and the Match Play. I’m playing the week before the Masters in Texas; they have been good enough to give me an invite, and then obviously the Masters.

But I won’t play a massive amount more. I’ll still probably only play 24, 25 times a year. That’s just the way I feel like I’ve got to play now to turn up to a tournament and be in the best possible shape to compete.

I think gone are my days of playing 30, 30 events a year. I am 47 in April and body and mind just won’t take that quite as well.

Q. How do you think about Francesco Laporta? I’m an Italian journalist.
LEE WESTWOOD: I was very impressed with his game. He got a couple of brutal breaks out there in bunkers. He got a plug lie on 13, which is probably the worst lie I’ve ever seen in a bunker. And then he plugged it again under the lip on 14.

But yeah, I thought he’ll learn a lot from today I think. He needs to work on his game a little bit, but I think there’s definitely the makings of a tournament winner there.

Lee Westwood Talks Landmark Victory on European Tour

Q. This is a landmark 25th win for you on The European Tour and 44 professional wins. You had an off-season in Thailand and you tested clubs. How are you going to celebrate this now?
LEE WESTWOOD: I didn’t take my clubs to Thailand. I had no intention of playing golf there. I was just there to relax and a lot of sleeping, and I did have a couple of glasses of rosé and a couple of beers.

After Thailand, I decided to do Dry January, which right now seems a massive mistake (laughter) and I’ll do really well to get through tonight without a drink. Everybody’s offering me one, but I’ve held out so far. Normally you’d see me with a glass of champagne or Corona in hand, but I’ve managed not to have a drink so far.

I’ll give you an update tomorrow whether I’m still committed to the cause. But I would like to. I would like to get right through the next two weeks and then we’ll see. I’m trying to lose a bit of weight, so I can’t really drink.

Q. As impressive as your putting was throughout this week, even your driving was outstanding. I thought it was one of the best exhibition of driving from anyone in the field this week. Just talk to us about the driving aspect.
LEE WESTWOOD: I’ll tell you a little story — my driving was very good this week,, but it’s down to the work I’ve done with Robert Rock.

He sent me a text last night and he said, “Don’t tell me that I’ve actually won something that you’ve never won.”

And I said, “Give me a day.” So I can’t wait to text him (laughter). So now he’s not won something I haven’t won. I’ve got my name on there, as well.

But yeah, obviously the key to playing good golf is getting in the fairways, especially on a golf course like this. You know, work the ball right-to-left and left-to-right whenever I wanted to and I hit a lot of fairways. I think I hit the most out of everybody before the final round. Golf courses like this play easier if you can play from the fairway.

Lee Westwood previews next week’s Dubai Desert Classic

Q. Next week, Dubai Desert Classic, is now the only tournament in the UAE that you have not won. You’ve even won The Race to Dubai. It’s like the UAE quadruple waiting for you to happen over there. How are you looking forward to that now?
LEE WESTWOOD: I’m just looking forward to Dubai Desert Classic, anyway, because I think it’s one of the best tournaments on The European Tour calendar.

I love playing the Emirates Golf Club. Hence, I played well in the past. I finished second a couple of times. A bit unlucky to lose to Miguel in a playoff a few years back.

So I’m looking forward to going back there with some form and you’ll see me on the range tomorrow afternoon working on my swing and preparing properly for Thursday to try and hit that first shot down the fairway and go on from there. Carry the form in from this week.

Q. When you walk on the range next week and all the young guys congratulate you and shake your hand —
LEE WESTWOOD: I’ll have no idea —

Q. What will you say —
LEE WESTWOOD: I’ll have no idea who most of them are. I suddenly realized a few months ago why everyone has their name on their golf bags; it’s for people on me; you walk along there, who is that lad on the range hitting it 330 yards.

I’m always open to people coming and asking questions, yeah.

Q. If you were asked, in a short sentence, what’s the key to winning over four decades?
LEE WESTWOOD: Hard work. Yeah, you’ve got to be dedicated and you’ve got to love it and you’ve got to love practicing. Because there’s no shortcuts. It’s just hard work. You know, when you think about leaving the range in one afternoon, going and sitting by the pool or having a beer or something like that (shaking head) stay on the range another hour.

A few years back, there was Tiger, myself and Vijay were the last three on the range, and it wasn’t a coincidence that the best players are the hardest workers.

Q. Your amazing Ryder Cup career, and then it seemed to end on that jarring note in Hazeltine last time. Just wonder how much you’d relish the chance to put that right in Wisconsin?
LEE WESTWOOD: Yeah, I didn’t really feel that jarred by Hazeltine. You know, I’ve been on losing Ryder Cup teams, and I’ve been on seven winning ones. It’s a big honor to represent Europe in The Ryder Cup.

I was joking when I said, you know, I would love to play another Ryder Cup as long as I’m good enough. I wouldn’t want a pick, but if I qualified, I would definitely play.

So you know, I’ll be trying my hardest, there’s no doubt about that, but you can’t control qualifying for a Ryder Cup Team. You can only control what you do that particular week, and obviously like this week, you win lots of points and it moves you up the list. I’ll just be trying to do the small things right and it will lead on to the big things, like qualifying for The Ryder Cup Team and other things like that.

CLARE BODEL: Thank you, everyone. Congratulations again, Lee.

January 19, 2020

Abu Dhabi, UAE

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports