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DEUTSCHE BANK PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE

July 30, 2006

Robert Karlsson

ALVESLOHE, GERMANY

NICOLAI LAUDE: First of all, congratulations to a fabulous week.

ROBERT KARLSSON: Thanks very much.

NICOLAI LAUDE: Impressive demonstration of your game.

ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah, thanks.

NICOLAI LAUDE: How are you feeling? Has to be fabulous, isn't it?

ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah, it's a bit hard to describe but it's been I don't know, it's been I don't know how to say it, to say easy doesn't it's not the right word.

But I pretty much felt like I was in control of what was happening out there and it felt fantastic. I mean, when I was over the shot, I pretty much had a good idea what I was going to do and didn't get caught up in future shots, the previous shots, and that's the key to playing.

NICOLAI LAUDE: 25 under par is the best score so far in this championship, by far the best at Gut Kaden. Was this course easy or was your game so good?

ROBERT KARLSSON: Obviously this year with all the hot weather, there wasn't much rough out there, but you've still got to do it. It's never, ever easy to go 25 under, but it was doable this week.

NICOLAI LAUDE: It seems like you're an expert on low scores; in Wales you also did a record score, put a record score together. When you win, do you it right, don't you?

ROBERT KARLSSON: Well, I don't really know what to answer on that. (Laughing) Definitely my wins have been on low scoring courses. But if you look on it this year, I finished fifth in Ireland, which was one of the highest scoring as well. So I don't want to put it down to only low scoring courses.

Q. What happened with your drive on the last?

ROBERT KARLSSON: I tried to take it down the left side and I hit a bad shot. I hit a couple during the week and that was one of it.

Q. Your chances for the Ryder Cup, how do you feel about that you, didn't want to talk about it much, but now?

ROBERT KARLSSON: It's not much to talk about. It's something that I might get in it. I'll probably get in it the way it looks now. I have no idea what it looks like. Obviously it would be fantastic to be in it. But that's sort of a bonus for playing well. Come September, that will be something to think about.

But right now, it's more tournaments to come and I think I've got to start to understand that I've won this one first before the Ryder Cup.

Q. My apologies for continuing this theme, Robert, but I remember you telling us in Wales just before you won at Celtic Manor that 1999 had almost finished your career. You were about to give up tournament golf a couple of years after that because you were so low. There must be a good feeling now without having to wait until Monday, as you said yesterday, that finally it's going to happen for you now after all those years of hurt, really.

ROBERT KARLSSON: Yeah, you've got to put it into perspective. First of all, I didn't want to stop playing golf because of Ryder Cup. That's very important to make clear. That had nothing to do with that.

But 2000, I played very poorly, and I felt very lost on the golf course. That's why I wanted to stop. It had nothing to do with the Ryder Cup, first of all.

But now it feels like finally I know after so many years why after so many years of feeling like I should be able to play good, now actually doing it, and that's a fantastic feeling. I actually know sort of you can never, never solve the mystery or anything like that, but I definitely understand why I played bad. I put too much pressure on myself and focused on the wrong things.

And now I'm just trying to keep it simple and do the one shot at a time, and I'm actually able to do it, not only talk about it. I'm actually out there on the 70th hole today and still trying, the next shot is the most important one I have and it's been that way the whole week. Those are the things that are important. All of a sudden now the game is coming together and that's a fantastic bonus. But the most important thing is actually to feel like I know what I'm doing out there, and I'm really enjoying playing golf and that's the most important thing.

Q. The Swedish soccer team lost in the World Cup to Germany and now you won in Germany; is that a revenge?

ROBERT KARLSSON: It's 1 1 now, isn't it?

Q. What will you do with 600,000 Euros?

ROBERT KARLSSON: Well, that's a good question. I don't know.

Q. Lee Westwood got off to a good start with a birdie on the first and that closed the gap to one, but after you birdied 3, also and he double bogeyed the 4th, is that when you felt more relaxed and gave you more breathing space?

ROBERT KARLSSON: That was actually the toughest period of the round I felt was right after he double bogeyed it, because it's so easy to get caught up in, "now I'm probably only so many ahead." So I would actually say almost the opposite. It was easier when he was closer in a way. It was easier for me to really be focused on what I was doing.

But him dropping those two there, it's easier to get ahead of yourself. So I had to remind myself to keep playing, keep playing, keep playing; new shot, new shot, new shot, because there's so many holes to go and he came back again.

He got closer after nine, ten holes, but I hit some key shots there and I never dropped any shots until it was sort of too late for him. But I mean, I thought I thought when I went out that he's won this tournament three times, two or three times and I was like, uh oh. I just had to focus the whole week on my game and that's why I managed to keep so steady the whole week. So that was the key to it.

But it was great, of course, to play with one of the absolute top European players and play this well in this situation. It's a fantastic boost.

Q. When you lost your feeling for the golf in 1999, did you put some stress on psychological training for you, and how much is it now in your game, how much percentage?

ROBERT KARLSSON: It was 2000, first of all. Then I tried to I tried too hard. I wanted so badly to really play well and that was definitely golf is only mental, outside, because if you don't feel relaxed and happy on the golf course, you have no chance, no matter how good your swing is. I mean, you have no chance.

So I would say most of the 156 players this week had a good chance to win this tournament when they are on. But you have to be on for four days in a row, and that's the big issue with the game, I mean, to be able to stay focused for four days, because it's quite difficult. You have four nights in between, three or four nights in between, and so a lot of things can happen in those hours; if you're playing well or if you're playing bad, as well. So if you can really get focused on what you're doing right now if you look on how I've practiced and stuff, I keep it very, very simple. I'm a tall guy, so I need to keep posture and balance and aiming in shape, and that's about it.

The rest is only to do things that make me enjoy my game off the golf course and on the golf course and with my family and to keep the whole package in check. And that's super, super important. I mean, I cannot stress how much the family means in this situation. They have been home now for two weeks and I know my wife has done she's having a great time with the kids and it works out. I feel happy out here when she's back with the kids and I talk to the kids. I feel they are happy and if that wouldn't work either, it wouldn't be so easy for me. The whole thing is so important.

NICOLAI LAUDE: Thank you very much, Robert, and enjoy whatever you will do with the 600,000 Euros.

End of FastScripts.

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