Hot on the heels of the Top-3 Victor Perez (-10), Gavin Green (-9) and Graeme McDowell (-8), are Renato Paratore (-7), Dustin Johnson and Francesco Laporta at Tied-fifth at -6 as Martin Kaymer shoots 64 after first round 73.
Excerpts of interviews:
Renato Paratore (Italy) 68-65 (-7) – Tied-4th
Thoughts on an impressive second round of 65?
Today I played really solid more or less, everything, also short game and long game. I just had two, three drivers a little beyond the left. I came back good in that hole. I made good up-and-downs, but it’s been a good round, yeah.
What was the difference today from yesterday?
Well, the wind. The conditions yesterday were terrible, really, especially the last six holes starts to blowing more. So I think the round has been three shot less.
Do you feel 68 was a very good score yesterday afternoon (Round 1)?
Yeah, it was really good score, like today.
What’s pleased you particularly about your play so far this week?
I’m driving good, the ball, far. So it help me to have short clubs this week, and the putter today was rolling good. Yeah, putting and driving.
How close are you to your best?
I mean, I just keep improving and these two days I played like I wanted, so I’m happy about that.
Going into the weekend, currently three shots off the lead, how excited are you about that?
Really excited always to be in contention, so yeah, I can’t wait to play this weekend.
Dustin Johnson (US) 67-68 (-5) – T-8th
On the second round?
It was a bit more challenging today with the wind. I felt like I played pretty well. I hit a lot of good putts that didn’t go in the hole, but that’s how it goes. I mean, yeah, I’d like to play a little bit better today, or shoot a little bit lower, really. I played all right considering the conditions. It was pretty tough out there, especially the last nine holes.
But I felt like I kept giving myself chances, and that’s all you’ve got to do.
Yeah, that’s probably about the highest. I missed quite a few short birdie putts.
On his back nine:
Yeah, I played really well. Other than the drive on 18, I hit a lot of good shots. Just a little bit of lack of focus obviously. For the most part, I felt like I drove it really nicely. Hit a lot good shots. Gave myself a lot of looks at birdie.
On how he is placed heading into the weekend:
I’m a few back, but you know, nothing a good score tomorrow can’t take care of.
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it (defending the title). I feel like I’m playing well enough to give them a run. See what happens tomorrow.
Francesco Laporta (Italy) 67-68 (-5) Tied-8th
Rounds of 67 and 68. Very different conditions it seems out there. What was the difference between playing on this course in those two days?
Yesterday was a lot of wind and today actually was a bit different, the wind. It was from another direction. I was expecting like less wind this morning, but it was windy. Some holes play longer, and the course is in beautiful condition. Played solid both, two rounds, and now hope for another good weekend.
When you look at the two ways it’s been set up the last couple of weeks, Dubai with the setup, the rough, what the tour went for, the style of course, and this one this week, which one do you prefer, and why?
Actually I didn’t play in Dubai. Actually I was second reserve.
I tried the course. It was really tough.
Actually I prefer this course. You have to hit it pretty straight from the tee shot. The greens are not easy to read it. So I think this is why the score is not low. I definitely prefer this one.
Your career, it’s an amazing achievement what happened the end of last year, the two late wins to be No. 1 on The Challenge Tour, and now starting your season out here, what’s the biggest difference between the tours?
Actually the courses are pretty different. On The Challenge Tour, the course are much more shorter. Like perfect for my game because I don’t need to drive it that far. You can really feel the difference, and so many good players. You have to play very good, and every shot counts here. Yeah, it’s a big difference compared to The Challenge Tour.
Martin Kaymer (Germany) 73-64 (-3) – Tied-18th
6-under par, what was the difference from yesterday?
Well there, was very little wind in the morning when we played. I played very solid yesterday. Made a couple mistakes yesterday and they got penalized really bad. Today I played solid and didn’t make many mistakes, and coming in the back nine, I think I only made 11 putts on the last nine holes.
So that really helped, and it was a big difference to yesterday.
Nice start to the season, an 8th and 16th, and some really encouraging performances last year. Where are you with your game at the moment towards it being where you really want it to be again?
I feel really close because I have a plan now. The last two, three years, I didn’t really have a plan what I wanted to do, where I wanted to be, where my golf should be at one stage.
And right now, I changed a few things over the winter with my driving because I was never happy the way I drove the ball. It was straight, but it was never long enough to compete, really, on the big events. Because if you see the guys these days, they hit it 300 yards carry and stuff like that, and I need to change something. I did that and I’m very happy the way I drive it right now.
My irons, they always have been good. And I worked a lot on the short game, and today it really paid off. It’s just a matter of having a plan behind what you want to do, and sometimes it sounds really silly, how can you not have a plan, but sometimes you get so stuck in an environment that you forget actually what you are doing. You just go from week-to-week-to-week. I just took a break, reflected a little bit, because I was really not happy where my game was going, and then I changed.
You mentioned that you wanted to hit the ball further; we all want to hit the ball further. How did you do it?
For me it was a matter of ball position. My regular shot was always a low fade, and I can still do this, but I needed an extra gear of maybe ten, 15 yards in the air, so I put the ball further left, which was really weird at the beginning, because, you know, visually, when you look up, you think you aim so far left, so you need to get used to that.
I took two or three weeks in Florida. I hit a lot of balls into the left forests and trees. But you need to work through it because it’s the right thing to do. You need to hit poor shots at the beginning and then slowly you will manage your way around, and you will get used to the vision and stuff like this.
So I just launch it higher now and I can get it to 300, 310 in the air, which I was never able to do.
