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ISPS HANDA PERTH INTERNATIONALOctober 26, 2014Thorbjorn OlesenPERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA OLIVIA MCMILLAN: Thorbjorn, welcome to the media center. Congratulations. A fantastic win for you today. Can you tell us how you're feeling? THORBJØRN OLESEN: Yeah, it's a great feeling. It was very emotional out there. It was up and down and I didn't play my best golf, but I kept fighting and made some great putts there in the end. Yeah, it was a tough day. It was a lot of work, but it was still a lot of fun, so... OLIVIA MCMILLAN: Questions. Q. Early on the back nine when Victor was coming for you, how much pressure did you feel? THORBJØRN OLESEN: Yeah, I got off to a bad start there on the back nine. Made bogey on 10; missed a short birdie putt on 11; and then bogeyed 12. So that was like a three‑shot swing really. Then I saw I was only the one shot ahead, so I knew I had to play some good golf coming in if I wanted to win. I knew the last three holes were very tough, so I was trying to think about just making a couple birdies on the next three or four holes and give myself a little lead. I made some great putts and a great save on 14. I think that was the big moment in the round. Q. Tell us about 14 when you went in the trees off the tee. What was going through your mind then? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Yeah, I hit a few rights from the tee, so I was not going to hit it right again. Pulled it in the trees and not a great lie and chipped it over, and then I was really in really trouble over the green there. But a great flop shot to about 12 feet or 15 feet holed the putt for par. I think that was the key moment in the round. Q. When was the moment you knew you had the trophy? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I think when I hit I tee shot on 18. That's where I felt like now I pretty much got it. I hit a great second shot in there and then gave my caddie the fist pump. So I knew when I was on the green that it was pretty safe. In this wind is and firm greens, you always feel like something could go wrong, so you try to have full focus out there. But it was a good walk up 18. Q. Are you happy the way you withstood the pressure all day?  Did you sleep okay last night? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I actually think I got the best night of sleep last night. I think I'm over the jet lag now, so I think I got six or seven hours straight. That was nice. Yeah, I'm very happy with the way I handled things yesterday and today actually. I didn't play my best golf these two days, and to keep fighting out there and keep believing in myself, I'm very proud of what I did there. Q. I think this could be the third or fourth day that you said you haven't played your best golf, yet you're here with the trophy. Are you surprised? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: No, the first two days I played good, really good. I'm not surprised, but the last two days was hard work. I needed to hole some good putts and needed some great up and downs. There was still some good iron shots out there, but I was not feeling this comfortable from the tee. When you're not feeling comfortable, you can't really go out there and just rip it. It was almost like a controlled shot from the tee. So it was not easy, but I was just really good to keep focused out there and keep believing. Q. As well as a good payday for you, it's pretty important for you for the rest of the season as well. THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Very important. It's been a tough year this year. Haven't played that good of golf. Played pretty good in the desert earlier this year, but after that it's been tough. Played a lot in America. Starting to get used to so it over there, but it's very difficult. Everything about it is most different from the European Tour. I think I used a lot of energy on trying to adapt over there. And then not playing my best golf didn't help, so... But the last two months has been good when I've been back in Europe, and I feel like I've been playing some good golf. So to finish it off here with a great win is unbelievable. Q. What's the plan for you from here? Obviously play the final events. THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Yeah, I'm going to play all four the next four weeks. So, yeah, trying to get up there in the Race to Dubai, higher up. It's nice now that I know I'm in four events. Before this week I was struggling. I was 64 in the ranking and I was not even sure if I was getting into next week. It's a big relief and a big confidence boost to get into the last four events. Q. You already had one European Tour win. How does the feeling compare? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: It feels great. This one feels really good. Not sure if I can remember how I felt after the first one. But, no, this is an unbelievable feeling. It's been two years and there has been some tough periods the last couple years missing a few cuts in a row and struggling a little bit, so this one definitely feels a lot to me. Q. How will you celebrate tonight? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Actually I have a flight early in the morning, but I'll definitely have a few beers. Maybe some other stuff also, champagne, I don't know. Whatever I can get my hands on, I'll drink it. Q. We're not sure yet when or if this tournament will be next year or the year after. You will obviously be keen to come back to Perth.  Be a special place for you now, will it? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Definitely. Like I said, the whole week I really enjoyed being in Perth. It's been great. I'll definitely look forward to get back here and defend my title. Q. Going back to 14, when you hit the shot into the trees, what was your initial thought? And then a follow up from that, were you relieved when you got up there? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: My first thought after the tee was probably, Fuck. (Laughter.) I made a great putt there on the hole before. Oh, fuck it. Yeah I was relieved when I got up there and saw I actually had a swing and a line to the green. Hit it too hard, but it was a tricky shot also. And then I was even more pissed off when I saw the next shot I had. It was a tough lie in the rough there. So there was a lot of the fighting gone on with that hole. Q. And that was the fist pump when you made that putt? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Yeah, that was the key there when I made that putt. That was really big. The putt before also. I made three really good putts there in a row. But, yeah, that par save was huge. Q. Looked like after 18 there was a pretty strong camaraderie between you and the other players. Is that something that makes the European Tour very different to the U.S. tour? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I think so. I think that's one of the biggest differences. We have a lot of good friends here on the European Tour. Also different nationalities. Yeah, with the Danish guys I have a really good relationship, but also with a lot of other guys. So, yeah, it makes it more fun to travel around and to stay in the same hotels and go out for dinners and talk about something else than golf. Where in U.S. it's not that social after you go home, after you go off the golf course. You don't see that many players of the course. Yeah, it's very different. That took me a while to get used to. Q. (Question regarding 14. THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I think I would've played it exactly the same. I think on the 15 tee I was thinking birdie on this hole. That will make me in a very good position going into the last three. I knew the last three holes would be tough and it would be very nice to have a three‑shot lead down the last three. The other three holes you could easily make bogey on. I was just thinking about see if I could make a birdie on 15. So I was trying to be aggressive off the tee. Q. (No microphone.) THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I think 13, 14, 15, when I made those three putts in a row was the big one. 14, that up and down, especially right after I birdied, I wanted to keep it going with a good par. It was very important. Q. What about having your good friend caddying for you this week? How special was it to win with him there? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Yeah, it was great. I've not been playing well, and then he comes all the way out for this week and we're just having fun both on the course and also off the course. It's great to have a really good friend with you all the time, talk about a lot of shit. Just chilling and having fun is very important. Q. Did he have any wise words for you when you were going through the lean patch there today? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I think he was trying to make a few jokes in the round, yeah, a few fun comments to loosen me up a little bit. It definitely worked. So, yeah, it was good. Q. Anything stuck out that you can remember? THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: No. It was mostly in Danish and it's difficult to translate. I don't think it's appropriate either. (Laughter.) Q. Putting this week was fantastic. 24 putts again today. THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: I don't know how many it was today. Yeah, it's been great. I haven't actually holed any long putts this week. But I've been so consistent inside 15 feet. Holed almost everything. I let that one go on 11 today, but I've been very consistent this week and just been rolling the putter beautifully. Having the pace all week has been very good. OLIVIA MCMILLAN: Thank you very much. Congratulations once again. THORBJØRN OLESEN OLESEN: Thank you. (Applause.) FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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