It’s nearly two weeks since the Ryder Cup. What are your thoughts looking back on it?
It was a new experience for me. I knew there was this consideration of us being rookies and we were going to be intimidated, and that’s also what the Americans tried to do before we started. I know I was a rookie for the Ryder Cup but I’ve been a professional for 11 years. The first time I played in America was 2010 so I didn’t feel like a rookie at all. Yes, I was rookie for the Ryder Cup but I was rookie for the Masters this year and for the US Open six years ago, but it was more of a first time feeling than a rookie itself.
Did you feel much pressure in the build up to the competition?
I didn’t feel like there was any pressure in the build-up. Every single minute of the day was planned. We couldn’t spend as much time on the golf course preparing like we would for a normal event, as we had lots of other things we needed to do. We played 18 holes on the Tuesday, and 9 holes on Wednesday and Thursday. It was cool because it was a team event. We were all friends before we got there, but we are even better friends now from all the bonding.
What was it like being out there at Hazeltine with the adrenaline of playing in such a big tournament?
I think I got a slightly gentler experience because I didn’t get to play Friday morning when it’s the most intimidating, because the Ryder Cup hasn’t started and some people get to play the first shot. I went there on Friday to watch my teammates play. I felt the crowd and I got a feeling for what it was.
Win-Half-Win for Rafa this week. #TeamEurope pic.twitter.com/HrKcDZBfli
— Ryder Cup Team EUR (@RyderCupEurope) October 2, 2016
After the morning guys teed off, we had time to play some of the holes. Before I actually teed off for the Ryder Cup itself, I had already played the same holes a few hours earlier as mental preparation. It did help me. I got a feel for the crowd, I knew what to expect, because I had seen all my teammates perform. Justin Rose who was the one to hit the first shot must have had different pressure to what I felt. I saw him do it. I had time to think, to practice, before I eventually went out to play later.
A lot was written in the media about the hostile behaviour of the American fans. What did you make of it?
I don’t have any past Ryder Cup experiences to compare the hostilities. I’d never played Ryder Cup before this year. My teammates said it was worse than other years, but I still feel it’s the minority of the crowd. But maybe that minority was much worse than previous years and that ruins the reputation of the rest. The majority of the crowd was fair and they were rooting for their team which is normal, like European fans do in Europe. Of course they are going to tease you a little. Some guys went over the line and started saying rude comments; those are the ones that are unnecessary.
What was a better experience – the Olympics or the Ryder Cup?
They are difficult to compare. I mean I will always say Ryder Cup because that was my childhood dream. I never dreamed of being an Olympian, it was just a bonus I got two years ago when they said golf was going to be part of the Olympics. I didn’t know what to expect or what I was going to feel. None of us golfers have spoken about the Olympics because nobody knew about it.
The Ryder Cup is the premier golf event in the world and that had much bigger golf significance and had much more emotional attachment for me.
I loved the Olympics too, getting to share a building and moments with some of the best athletes in my country. Also, being able to see them train and how they prepare for their own sports was really cool.
How hard it is going back to play a normal golf tournament after the Ryder Cup?
It was really hard. I said it as a joke afterwards that the Ryder Cup has ruined the rest of the tournaments for me. You go from team spirit, from fighting for whom you play with, from trying to do your continent proud and knowing its one of the most viewed sporting events in the world. You go from that to playing a regular event, which is also really big; but it’s kind of like football players playing a normal league match compared to the World Cup final. It wouldn’t be so special if you didn’t have the other. If everything was that special then it wouldn’t mean so much.
