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THE ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

January 14, 2009

Sergio Garcia

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Sergio, welcome. If you would comment on how your preparations for '09 are going and we'll take some questions.
SERGIO GARCÃA: They are good. It's been quite long, the ball is pretty much rolling on the fairways. Yeah, should be good. It looks like it's going to be windy and it will be tougher, but we are looking forward to it and I'm looking forward to getting in a good rhythm and get some good emotions.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Even if I wasn't, there is. I think that any time you start something new like The Race to Dubai is, like it happened, for example, with the FedExCup in the U.S., it's very exciting. Fortunately for me, I won the HSBC and it's the beginning of The Race to Dubai and we still have a long way to go. We have to keep playing well and hopefully have a good chance come November.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Well, still a long ways to go. I'll try to play a couple here and there in Europe throughout the whole year. But I don't know. I wish I knew what I was doing in the next three or four months.

Q. Will you play more events?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Definitely. I'm not so sure about the summertime, but throughout the year, I will be playing a bit more. You know, I've been playing around 12 events probably the past three or four years, 12, 13, something like that.
So I'm planning on probably playing somewhere around 15 this year if I get the chance. So we'll see how that works.

Q. Just to follow up, I know you talked to a lot of the U.S. Tour players about coming to play --
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yes, I think there are some coming next week, too, for Qatar. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, but it's good to see at least some of the guys that play on the U.S. Tour are going to be more interested and you know, any time you get good-quality players like that coming and playing on your Tour and joining your tour is always great, not only for golf, but for the Tour itself.

Q. Do you think that The European Tour might --
SERGIO GARCÃA: Hopefully, but unfortunately I can't predict the future yet, working on that. That would be great. Hopefully we'll see that happen one day.

Q. Maybe play --
SERGIO GARCÃA: Same thing. I can't predict the future, but like I said, it would be great. It would be something very exciting for all of us.

Q. During the off-season, the break that you had, was it all fun and games for you, or was it very hard work?
SERGIO GARCÃA: No, I worked a little bit. I've been carrying a little tendonitis on my left wrist, so I tried to rest it a little bit and started practising early last week. Tried to get ready for this little stretch we have going.
I still feel a little rusty. I definitely don't feel like my game is near where it should be, but I'm working on it. So hopefully by tomorrow morning, I can get going.

Q. Did you need a break? Were you exhausted? Or the way you finished 2008, was it annoying that you had to stop?
SERGIO GARCÃA: No, I needed the break. Like every year when it comes around late November, December, you're always looking to relax a little bit and making sure that you re charge the batteries and you're looking forward to starting the year.
If you play too much, you know, I might have been fine by now, but then it might get to March or June and be fed up with it. You have to realise that the year is very long, so you've got to be ready for it.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: It could be. I have to play very well. But it's not something that it's a do-or-die thing for me.
I think that I do have a chance if I get going the right way. But you know, I'm not going to look too much into it. I'm just going to give it my best, and if it happens, great. If not, you know, being close to it, it's a nice thing to achieve. But you know, we'll see what happens.

Q. Have you found what you have to do to get there?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Keep playing well, pretty much. Playing well just sorts out everything.

Q. Of the four major venues this year, where do you think you have -- which is one which is exciting you the most?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I've always said that the Open, the British Open, is the one that drives me the most. I enjoy all four of them. But there's no doubt that the one that I really am always looking forward to playing is the Open.
You know, I've done well at the U.S. Open, too, and at the PGA. But you know, without a doubt, the Open is the one that sticks in my mind.

Q. Which one are you really looking forward to playing this year?
SERGIO GARCÃA: The Open. I love Turnberry, it's a great golf course. Like I said before, you know, I just love that championship.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: What do you mean, like saying I need to win four times this year or five times? No, I wouldn't say anything specific. I mean, obviously one of the goals is to win a major. So I guess that's probably the only place where I'll set up kind of a goal and try to get on that.
Other than that, I'll try to play as well as I can at any tournament and try to win it if I have the chance.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I've just done better in the other three than I've done at Augusta. I don't know, I just haven't done well there. I've had a couple good finishes. But consistency-wise, I've done better in the other ones.
I don't know in. I guess it's just one of those things.

Q. Do you like it?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yeah, I do. I do like the place. It's a really tough golf course, and it's gotten really, really difficult throughout the years. It seems like every year we go there, it seems to be a bit harder. You know, unfortunately I haven't perform the way I would like to at the Masters, but hopefully I'll be able to change that.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yes, definitely. I played great and I loved the course. I thought it was a great experience for me to have the chance of being out there in a wonderful championship like the U.S. Open is and having the chance of playing with Tiger on last round and everything, in the last group. So I'm looking forward to going back there and you know, see if the course is changed at all from 2002 and see how different it can play.

Q. It was a big learning experience and a tough environment.
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yeah, at the same time, like I said, throughout that week was a great learning experience. It definitely made me a much better golfer and it made me handle the hard moments a little easier. It was a lot of positive things that came out of that week.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I don't know, I've played well on this course before. I haven't played a lot of them but I've played a couple and done okay. I guess I like the Emirates Club in Dubai. I enjoy all three to tell you the truth. I think it's just a great stretch to come and start the year, and that's one of the reasons why I decided to come and commit to all three.

Q. Inaudible?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Well, I don't know yet. It looks like I might, but it's not a certain thing yet. Still a long way to go.

Q. Have you played much --
SERGIO GARCÃA: I've got to look into it and make sure it fits in the schedule. So hopefully it will. But you know, I can't really tell you for now.

Q. Are you staying in the Emirates Palace hotel?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yes.

Q. Is it the most luxurious hotel you've stayed in?
SERGIO GARCÃA: It's definitely the biggest. (Laughter).

Q. What do you like about it?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Definitely not the walks. It's very nice. It's got a great gym. They treat you extremely well. The rooms are huge and very comfortable. So it's just a nice hotel. The only downside of it is that the rooms seem to be spread out so much that if you get the wrong room, you might get a good workout just getting to your room.

Q. If you stood on the first tee as the No. 1 golfer in the world, do you think that will make a difference psychologically?
SERGIO GARCÃA: For me or to the rest? I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Q. What do you think?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Probably not. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter where you are and you know what you're capable of. There's some courses where you feel more comfortable than others. You know, hopefully it will for the right thing. We are talking about a lot of possibilities here, that, first of all, have to happen.

Q. As world No. 2 --
SERGIO GARCÃA: No, not really.

Q. Any differences you might have had with Padraig after the fallout of Carnoustie with Padraig, have you managed to sort that out at The Ryder Cup?
SERGIO GARCÃA: Yeah, don't get me wrong, I think that this has been kind of taken a little out of context. Padraig and I, we get along fine. You know, we just, like we both said, we are not the closest friends. Likes I have guys that I get along better on Tour, like Camilo might be or Luke Donald or some of the guys.
But you know, we get along fine. So there's nothing more to it than that.

Q. It was very revealing, at Valhalla broke the ice --
SERGIO GARCÃA: Did I say that? I don't think I say that.

Q. When you said that, it sort of broke the ice.
SERGIO GARCÃA: No, I don't think I said that. Might have thought it, but I didn't say it. (Laughter).

Q. The fact that you have been in such pressure situations, that's not conducive to a very close friendship.
SERGIO GARCÃA: Like I said before, there's guys that you connect with more than others. You know, you can't do anything about it. It's like everything. I'm sure you get along better with some guys, some people, than others. There's no reason for it. It just comes naturally. That's just pretty much what it is.

Q. At the players' meeting last night, it was decided that The Ryder Cup captain would be announced in two weeks' time; what are your thoughts about that?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I think that there's a lot of possibilities for Ryder Cup Captaincy. I think it's fine. I don't think there's any hurry on it. It's not like The European Team is going to be done this week or anything like that.
I think it's fine. I think they should take the time they need and make sure that they are comfortable with their choice, and just move on from there.

Q. Have you spoken to him about it at all?
SERGIO GARCÃA: I did see Jose back in my home course in December, and I don't know, I think that he wants to be a captain. I'm not sure if he wants to be a captain for the next Ryder Cup, because he still feels like -- and we all feel like, he still has the game. It would be nice to have him as a teammate more than the captain for 2010, but we'll see what happens.

Q. In your opinion, why do you think he's delaying --
SERGIO GARCÃA: I think it's not that. I talked to him and he said he would love to be on that Ryder Cup Team, but as a player, not as a captain. Two years from now, I think it might be a different situation for him, but I think we all feel like if he's healthy, he still has a great chance of making that team. So I would rather have him as a teammate than as a captain in the next Ryder Cup, if I could choose.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Sergio, thanks for joining us. Good luck this week.

End of FastScripts

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