LO: Hello Everyone. It’s been a slow start even with the win I had earlier in the year and I have been struggling with a few injuries but the last few weeks have been really promising and I look forward to try and kick it off this week.
Q: We just watched the Masters at Augusta. How do you prepare for a tournament of that scale?
LO: It’s always tough going to the Masters. It’s a tough tournament and you need to make sure every part of your game is in good shape, especially your irons. You need to mentally prepare yourself because you know it is going to be really tough and everyone is going to have holes where they struggle. You just need to keep focused and patient and hopefully you make it through the week.
Q: Are there areas in your game that you personally would like to improve?
LO: I think we are never satisfied and we always want to improve every part of our game. I think the short game is very important and there is always room to improve and get better.
Q: You are the British Open Champion of 2010. That must have been a great experience for you. Can you tell us how it felt to win the Open?
LO: Yes it was great and especially on St. Andrews. Even going into the week I was not playing that great but as I got into it, everything seemed to come together. I played really well. To win at St. Andrews was really special and to win the Claret Jug is something everyone dreams of.
Q: In golf, you must have had a role model. Who was your Role Model and why?
LO: Being South African you always admire what Gary Player did for the game but Ernie Els and Retief Goosen were the two guys that we watched growing up on television. I was a really big fan of Ernie Els and I was in his foundation for three years before turning professional. Ernie was definitely one of my role models and we are good friends now. It is still great playing with him in tournaments.
Q: Well I am sure you know that Ernie Els came last year to the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters and now you will be coming as our star player this year which is a great thing for us. Are you looking forward to coming, Louis?
LO: Yes. I am really looking forward to coming. I have heard so many good things so it will be good and I can’t wait to see what the golf course is like.
Q: Have you ever been to Indonesia before?
LO: No. Never been and am really looking forward to coming.
Q: Have you heard great things about Indonesia?
LO: Oh yes especially from the players who have played there who say that it is a great spot. Like I said, it’s going to be a whole new experience for me and it will be nice to see what it is like.
Q: Well we are all looking forward to you coming as well Louis. This year you are going to be up against Victor Dubuisson, Thongchai Jaidee, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Bernd Wiesberger and many other greats on the Asian Tour. How do you stand your chances of winning the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters?
LO: Golf is a funny thing. You really need to be focused. It doesn’t matter how you are playing or where you are playing. You need to be focused for every shot to play well. So I am going to go there like I do with any other tournament and be really focused and try to win the event. First of all you need to get your preparations ready so when you step out onto the golf course you are ready for the challenge and you take it shot for shot.
Q: Have you been following the great golf talent in Asia? Obviously, there are many great Asian golfers out there. What are your thoughts on Asian golfers and is there anyone you are looking out for or following? LO: Asian golf is very strong and you could see that with the recent Eurasia Cup. Whenever we play in Asia we know that the Asian players are going to be a big threat and you need to play good golf. Thongchai is a good friend of mine as well and a great player so he is always expected to do really well.
Q: If you could share one golf tip with the average golfer, what would it be?
LO: One thing I always tell my friends at home is that they do not spend enough time practicing, especially their short game. They just want to go out and play. You see everyone standing on the driving range when they practice hitting golf balls but you don’t really see people practicing their chipping and putting. The short game is where the game is being won.
Q: I think all of us are guilty of that. There was a famous golf book by Dr Bob Rotella “You Drive for show, you putt for dough (the money)” correct?
LO: (Laughing). Yeah there you go.
Q: We have a lot of up and coming Indonesian golf professionals. We have in fact twenty Indonesian golf professionals playing in the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters and four Indonesian amateurs. It is nerve racking for them to play against big players such as yourself and other greats on the Asian Tour. You have been doing this your whole life. If you could share a tip for our Indonesian Golf professionals and Indonesian Amateurs about competing in events like this, what would it be?
LO: I think the big thing is you have to enjoy yourself while you are doing it. One big thing is that golf is a great game. You don’t need to worry about what the other guy is doing. You need to stay in control of what you are doing and play the golf course. A lot of times I see youngsters going out and trying to beat the guy they are playing with or they try to shoot a really low score even when they are not hitting it well. All of us have those days when it is almost a damage control day because you are not hitting it well. So you just try to get a decent number on the score board. My tip for any young professional starting out is that it is very important to stay in your own game and don’t try anything funny or anything out of the ordinary.
Q: Are you making any special preparations for the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters and for playing in a tropical climate?
LO: Coming from America last week, the weather is a bit thick for me. It’s really humid and really hot so I have to take in a lot of fluids and have a lot of caps. Golfing wise, I am not really preparing for each of these events. I am just going to try and get my game into a good position on the practice days and try and win the tournament. Hopefully when the tournament comes, I will be focused enough and be ready to go.
Thank you very much for your time. On behalf the media and everyone here, we are all looking forward to meeting you in person at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters from April 24th – 27th at Royale Jakarta Golf Club. LO: Thank you very much and see you next week!
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