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Living Golf
Interview with Martin Kaymer; Ko Crushes the Field; Interview with the Duke of York
Aired October 04, 2012 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SHANE O'DONOGHUE, HOST: The miracle of Medinah, the spirit of Seve, the glory of golf -- welcome to LIVING GOLF and Medinah.
On this month's program, how the cup was won.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAEME MCDOWELL, TEAM EUROPE: I'm sure Seve is up there right now having a couple of cervezas, enjoying this one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONOGHUE: Plus, tips from two of the heroes of Medinah, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer on how to make those crucial putts.
Also, eight years younger than Rory and already a winner -- the remarkable Lydia Ko.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYDIA KO, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I said, mom, I'm going to win this, I'm going to win this. And she said, no, you can just go to the finals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONOGHUE: And Britain's Duke of York and golf and the royals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DUKE OF YORK: What I am about is enabling young people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'DONOGHUE: Everyone here at Medinah knew they'd witnessed one of the greatest sporting dramas of all time. It was written in the stunned, dead eyes of the Americans watching on by the 18th, in the wild joy of disbelief of the European, as Martin Kaymer stood triumphant on the green.
No one had ever seen it before. Very few had imagined it possible, but it happened.
Here's the story of that thrilling climax in the words of those who played their part.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IAN POULTER, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: We think it was a great win. Obviously, it's a tough match. You're playing Tiger and Stricker, two -- two very solid guys. Tiger has been two of my three defeats in this -- in this Ryder Cup. And I didn't want it again. Justin was there to back me up at the right times. And, um, it was a pretty special win.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in a hole from the water. We've got to try and stop that this afternoon.
RORY MCILROY, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: And, you know, this afternoon, it was great to be a part of. You know, we -- we couldn't really have much going early on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we could do what the Americans done to us in '99, turn that 10-6 deficit around and somehow win it. It would be a pretty special day. We know it can be done, so we've just got to go and do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was tough. It was definitely tough losing. No -- nobody wants to lose. But, you know, they -- they played better than we did today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's unbelievable, I think. I mean Seve (INAUDIBLE) helping up there today. With needed all the help we can get.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before we (INAUDIBLE) I want to present you with this wonderful (INAUDIBLE). You make sure you get it on time to the (INAUDIBLE) next time, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) is big enough so you can see the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What -- what we've done today -- what we've done for the week is just -- is just memorable. And do you know what, I'm grateful for Olie (ph) for picking me to come and play. And the least I could do is bring him four points.
MCDOWELL: Incredible for Seve, for Olie. I'm sure Seve is up there right now having a couple of cervezas enjoying this one. Something happened last night when -- when Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy won that last point. They buried the last six holes. Momentum has swung our way and we managed to keep that momentum going today. And, you know, an incredible per -- performance. So I had a loss of (INAUDIBLE) my point. But you know what, who cares, 14-and-a-half, 13-and-a-half, Europe (INAUDIBLE) a couple (INAUDIBLE) again. Special stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How good does it feel, Merve (ph)?
There was incredible pressure, an incredible moment, and you delivered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I think that it's the way Graeme felt, you know, two years ago. It -- it's a feeling that -- that I've never had before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we feel for you.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) I am German (INAUDIBLE).
O'DONOGHUE: (INAUDIBLE) just the quickest word, to sum it up, because this has been an historic day for you.
JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL, CAPTAIN, TEAM EUROPE: Well, it's just, you know, one other day that we go down in the history books. It was a tough week. I think that things didn't go our way at all the first two days. But these guys believe in theirselves and, you know, managed to win the trophy.
O'DONOGHUE: Emotionally, for you, what was it like, certainly today, because of what you needed to do, what you wanted them to do and what you were telling them that they should do?
OLAZABAL: Well, emotionally, it was a tough one. Yesterday, everyone believed that, uh, we could do it. When we looked at the pairings, I thought the matches were well balanced and they -- they believed in themselves.
O'DONOGHUE: And the final question, in terms of your career with the Majors and everything that you've achieved, your association with Severiano Ballesteros, but you and the team, do -- how does this day compare?
OLAZABAL: This is number one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) your reflections after what was not the predicted win for Europe?
BILL ELLIOT, "GOLF MONTHLY": Well, it -- it -- it was so totally unpredictable. I mean even the most optimistic (INAUDIBLE) last night. And after a few beers, I went (INAUDIBLE) single (INAUDIBLE). And being as wildly optimistic as I could be, I did not see Europe getting more than six points at the singles today. So to get eight-and-a-half is -- it's just -- it's just unbelievable. I -- I -- and it completes, of course, a perfect summer of sport for, if not Europe, certainly for the U.K. following after the Olympics and the (INAUDIBLE).
GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI, ESPN:
Well, Team USA is getting used to this, aren't they?
I mean this is seven out of nine now. And it was six out of eight coming into this thing. And -- and it's, um, it's not like Team USA played horribly. There were just moments in this match, Martin Kaymer making, one of the most history putts in Ryder Cup history, six feet. But it must have felt like 600 to him. What Justin Rose did. Team USA got beat. I don't think they lost it.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'DONOGHUE: Of course, very few men will know what it's like to stand over a six foot putt on which rests the Ryder Cup, the intense silence of teammates, opponents and tens of thousands of spectators creating a level of pressure under which even the strongest could crack.
Well, Martin Kaymer now does and he withstood the test.
So how does he hone a putting stroke that can stand up when the real moment comes?
By borrowing a drill from his teammate, Luke Donald, that's how.
O'DONOGHUE: Welcome to Hot Shots here on LIVING GOLF.
We're alongside Martin Kaymer at his home club, just north of Scottsdale in Arizona.
We're going to talk about the work that goes into preparing yourself to putt to your best.
MARTIN KAYMER, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: As I try to prepare for golf tournaments, you know, I need to work on my putting (INAUDIBLE). I have a few -- a few drills. You know, for example, there's -- there's this one drill here that I use so that -- that the ball restarts online, because in the end of the day, you know, if you have a long putt or a short putt, the main thing in putting is that it starts where you aim it.
O'DONOGHUE: You have the help of your caddy, Christian, when you're at tournaments.
But how do you work with when it comes to this area of the game?
KAYMER: I have a (INAUDIBLE) coach. He helps me pretty much in all the areas, tipping, pitching, bonker, putting, as well. But Christian is a fantastic help. You know, he's a good putter. And, obviously, Luke Donald is a good putter. So Christian, um, should be a good putter, too, the same family.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYMER: No, he -- he helps me, though. And he actually introduced me to the -- to the drill here. I take a fairly straight putt and I put one stick, where my ball is -- is going to be. I put the -- the second pin behind the hole. That this line, that string, is pretty much the -- the line where the ball should roll on. You put down the ball right underneath the string so that the string is right in the middle of the golf ball. Then you place the putter behind the ball, keep (INAUDIBLE) on the putter always, on the line of the string, my back swing and my -- and my follow- through. And if I have read it well, it will go in.
OK, I'll -- I'll have a go on that one
O'DONOGHUE: (INAUDIBLE). I think I have a handle on what you're -- you're teaching me.
KAYMER: There you go.
O'DONOGHUE: Yes.
KAYMER: Right in the middle.
O'DONOGHUE: It works. Another great Hot Shot lesson from Martin Kaymer.
Thanks, Martin.
KAYMER: No problem.
O'DONOGHUE: So we've seen how Martin does this in practice with that tip from Christian. Well, Christian's younger brother, Luke, who is like Martin in that they've both scaled the heights of the world rankings. And you use that technique with the knitting needles and the string, but you can't bring that out on the court, can you?
KAYMER: Well, I wonder where Chris got that technique from.
(LAUGHTER)
KAYMER: Obviously, he was my caddy for -- for eight years and did a great job. But, you know, putting is really the one part of the game where amateurs should be able to catch up the most. Putting is just a simple motion that, really, you know, everyone, with correct guidance, should be able to improve considerably.
O'DONOGHUE: So talk us through those fundamentals with regard to what you go through mentally and physically to get this thing in the hole.
KAYMER: Right. Well, there are three main fundamentals that I think about. It's very important to get your eyes tracing straight lines to the hole. So you don't want your head cocked this way. You don't want your head cocked this way. And you want your eyes just a little bit inside and behind the ball, OK?
The next thing you really want that I focus on is having my arms really just hang, OK?
So they're hanging directly beneath my shoulders. That really has a big influence on the path of my stroke.
And the third thing I think about is the grip. The grip in putting is very different than when you're hitting full shots. In full shots, you want it in the fingers because you want to create some hinge and create power. Obviously, you don't need power in putting, you need the blade to stay on a straight line and not move around so much.
So in putting, I like to get the grip running a lot more down the palms of my hand. It allows you to swing the arms and the putter is not moving around too much.
Those are the three main things that I think about. And I think if -- if people get their setup correct, you're a long way, um, ahead of the game.
O'DONOGHUE: All right, let's see you just stroke this one.
I'm over reading it, but that's a good thing.
KAYMER: Yes, you're missing on the pro (ph) side.
O'DONOGHUE: Yes.
Martin Kaymer and (INAUDIBLE) and our Hot Shots this month on LIVING GOLF.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'DONOGHUE: Coming up on LIVING GOLF, the next generation -- the 15- year-old making history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYDIA KO, AMATEUR GOLFER: I had to go there and I thought, oh, I shot 500.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'DONOGHUE: Welcome back to LIVING GOLF.
Now, while we were all gripped by the drama here at Medinah, thousands of miles away, in Turkey, another young talent was adding the latest chapter to her rewriting of history. Fifteen-year-old Lydia Ko crushed the field to win the individual title at the World Amateur Team Championships just months after becoming the youngest ever winner on the LPGA Tour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'DONOGHUE (voice-over): Every now and then, a player comes along with the potential to (INAUDIBLE) a generation. Over the past few months, we've witnessed the fruition of one such outstanding talent in the women's game.
When Lydia caught the golf bug at an early age, her parents cast about for a pro who could help shape her game.
GUY WILSON, COACH, N2 INSTITUTE OF GOLF: I remember working in the pro shop one afternoon in Oakland. I mean back in -- back then I was trying to, obviously, build a client base and -- and get as many clients as I could to try and, you know, to earn a buck or two. So four lessons a week was -- was sort of money -- money to my eyes at that stage.
KO: I was really short then, so I think my mom went in and said, can you coach my daughter?
But he couldn't see me, because I was shorter than, you know, the desk at front.
WILSON: She was amazing around the green, did some crazy shots and hit it pretty much exactly where she wanted it at the time. But it was just really short, because she was, you know, only that tall.
O'DONOGHUE: Lydia's success on the amateur scene led them to come up with a plan.
WILSON: Four years ago, we started making goals, sort of half yearly goals and then yearly goals and then -- and then long-term goals. And, obviously, being number one in the world is the goal of every golfer. And she just keeps ticking off those goals a lot earlier and then we -- than we had suspected.
O'DONOGHUE: No more so than in 2012. After becoming the world number one ranked amateur the year before, Lydia set her sights on the most prestigious tournament in women's amateur golf, the U.S. Amateur.
KO: I said, "Mom, I'm going to win this, I'm going to win this."
And she said, "No, you can just go to the finals."
And I said, "No, I'm going to win this."
O'DONOGHUE: But this was to be just a prelude to an even more remarkable achievement -- victory in the Canadian Open, making her the youngest ever player to win on the LPGA.
KO: That day, on the last round, I had no idea what I was shooting, so, yes, I had to go there. And then I thought, oh, I shot 500.
(LAUGHTER)
KO: So there was -- it was strange.
STACEY LEWIS, WORLD NUMBER TWO: I was really impressed. You know, you kind of never know what you're going to get playing with a 15 or a 16 - year-old, but, you know, she's very mature beyond her years. And she -- she's just very naive, almost, even, how good she is. I don't think she even realizes how good she is.
WILSON: And I talked to her and asked her, do you realize that you've done, last week, what most of these other players will never ever do?
They -- they grind it out and work so hard year after year after year after year to try and win an event on the LPGA Tour and -- and you've done it already.
And she, you know, just shrugged her shoulders and said, oh, really, OK.
O'DONOGHUE: Jiyai Shin played with Lydia in the final round in Canada. She says Lydia's career and background really helped them connect on the course.
JIYAI SHIN, 2012 WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPION: I know she's from (INAUDIBLE), but she's Korean, too. So she should be a great Korean, also. So we (INAUDIBLE) English and in Korean and we really enjoy. I really enjoy to play with her and I really enjoy watching her play.
KO: When somebody looks at me, they're not going to go oh, she's a (INAUDIBLE) they're going to go oh, she's from Asia somewhere. So I guess those kind of things, they will reference me of a Korean.
O'DONOGHUE: And Lydia is determined to represent her country at the Rio Olympics and to maybe pick up a major or two on the way.
KO: If you say that you're going to the Olympics, everyone is going to go wow, and it's not -- it's only like three players or something. So not everyone gets to go there. You get to watch, but not everyone gets to compete there.
WILSON: With the way that she just jumps into an environment and just plays the course like it is just another golf course, I don't think the fact that it's a U.S. Open or a British Open really fazes her too much. It's just another tournament. So, you know, it wouldn't surprise me if she does is that, you know, in the next couple of years.
KO: I hope so.
(LAUGHTER)
KO: I think majors, I really want to win the U.S. Open. You get to play with professionals and that's an honor and a (INAUDIBLE), as well. So, yes, I'm enjoying every moment. And I'm trying, at least.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'DONOGHUE: New Zealand's Lydia Ko.
Still to come on LIVING GOLF, the Duke of York and the Ryder and Junior Cup stars of the future.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'DONOGHUE: Welcome back to LIVING GOLF and Medinah.
Of course, every player who starred on this stage developed first through local, then national, and ultimately, international competition.
It is to give today's juniors precisely that invaluable experience that the Duke of York Young Champions Trophy started 11 years ago, attracting junior champions from more than 30 countries.
LIVING GOLF'S Amanda Davis went to this year's tournament to meet up with the duke at Royal Troon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The -- the fantastic thing about the (INAUDIBLE) this year is that it is truly international. It's a great opportunity for players from countries that we may not necessarily consider golfing nations.
HRH THE DUKE OF YORK, ROYAL TROON GC: No, you wouldn't. I think the leading girl at the moment comes from Slovenia. So new -- new -- new golfing countries, as far as we are -- most people are concerned. But we've got people as far afield as Mexico, we're -- we've got people from the United States. We've even got one young person who's come all the -- one young lad who's come all the way from New Zealand.
What I am about is enabling young people. And by enabling young people, you give them the opportunities that they would otherwise not have. Players don't necessarily have access to the right advice. And so we bring the -- the advice together in one place and give it to them over the -- over the -- during the -- during the course of the week.
GAVIN HALL, USA: This is my first links course and the first time overseas. So it's been a lot of fun and, you know, I've definitely learned a lot these last three rounds. And, you know, competing in weather like this can only make you better. So I've -- I've taken a lot out of this. And, you know, hopefully, my game gets better after this, too.
MATTHEW MARQUEZ, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: But I'm from the Caribbean, so I haven't seen the sun in a while. But it's really fun. It's my first time playing links courses and the first time to Europe, so it's been a great experience.
DAVID: You obviously love your golf.
How did you get into it in the first place?
THE DUKE OF YORK: Oh, it was very simple. I played as a -- as a -- as a boy at home, um, and then stopped. Um, and then I was um -- made the flight commander of HMS Campbeltown back in 1999. And, um, almost was a bonding session, we went off to the driving range. And I hit that one shot that makes you want to come back.
DAVID: You think, in this day and age, there should still be clubs that don't allow women in?
THE DUKE OF YORK: It depends on what, um, your view is. I don't particularly have a view one way or the other. And -- and -- and I'm not going to enter the debate. I believe that golf is about what goes on out there, on the golf course, not what goes on inside golf clubs. That's a matter entirely for the golf clubs and for -- and for -- and for their memberships. And I'm not going to enter that little fray.
DAVID: Do you think golf does enough to help itself in terms of its image?
A lot of people, despite those numbers of people playing, a lot of people still see it as an elite sport.
THE DUKE OF YORK: It does not make any difference who you are. When you pick up a club, you are reduced to the same level as everybody else. There's no elitism in that sense. The concern that -- that -- that -- that I have is less about those, but more about enabling young people to see that this is a game that is -- that is worth taking part in. It is a game in which you can participate and it gets you out, it gets you into the fresh air, it gets you exercise.
DAVID: The next team event for golf we've got coming up is the Olympics in 2016.
What impact do you think that will have?
THE DUKE OF YORK: Well, I think it will have a very positive impact. And the reason I think it will have a positive impact is because many countries who haven't yet had the opportunity to play golf or haven't got the finance, will be -- be able to get finance because it's done -- finance for sport, in many countries, is -- is delivered through the IOC mechanism. And so I think it's a step in the right direction.
DAVID: It's been (INAUDIBLE) with the Jubilee, with the Olympics.
What has it been like to be (INAUDIBLE)?
THE DUKE OF YORK: I think you can safely say that the Olympics changed the global impression the rest of the world has of Britain. There isn't another nation that could invite its monarch to jump out of a helicopter at 9:30 at night into the Olympic Stadium.
DAVID: Did you know about that in advance?
THE DUKE OF YORK: I'm sworn to secrecy and I can neither confirm nor deny.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'DONOGHUE: Well, that's it for this edition of LIVING GOLF.
Don't forget, all our reports are online and you can keep across what we're up to on Twitter.
But for now, from the scene of one of the greatest Ryder Cups in history, good-bye.
END
