He ended the year as the second highest Spaniard in the Official World Golf Ranking (22nd), only topped by Sergio García, after the best season of his career. He won twice, including the grand finale of the Race to Dubai, the World Tour Championship held in the emirate state.
Born in Guadiaro (near Sotogrande) on 21 January 1983, Ávaro Quirós remains, above all else, a modest young man who still enjoys the company of his oldest friends and the simple things in life. He says that winning a major is hard to imagine but a genuinely humble nature deters him from boasting about his possibilities
–You have enjoyed a passionate idyll in the Emirates. In 2009 you won the Qatar Masters, in 2010 you were third in the Dubai World Championship and last year you won twice in Dubai: the World Tour Championship and the Desert Classic. Why such good results in that part of the world?
–Well, I think that without a doubt the courses where we play in Dubai, even though they might not be completely suitable for my style of play, are designed in such a way as to make me feel pretty comfortable. In general, they require you to hit the ball with quite a lot of spin, as the greens tend to be hard and fast, and that’s something I don’t have to work too hard at. We also usually play in windy conditions and distance is another factor to take into account.
–From 2007 to 2010 you won one tourna- ment a year, and in 2011 two titles and, for the first time in your career, you finished in the top 10 of the final money list (sixth). Is that a sign that you have entered a new, more successful period in your career?
–I don’t believe it’s the start of something new. Since joining the Tour I’ve improved each year, and that’s what happened in 2011. Each year I’ve been able to improve and I believe I can improve even more, so I think 2012 can be a year when I continue to improve.
–If things don’t change too much, you will be one of the players in José María Olazábal’s Ryder Cup team competing in the US in September (at the time of going to press, he was fourth in the qualifying list, with Sergio García and Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño also among the top 10). Are you keen to make your debut in this event?
– I believe the qualifying for the event is too far off to be thinking that it’s all done and dusted, especially with nine months to go and four majors along the way. We’re not even at the halfway stage of qualifying.
–Your best finish in a major so far was 11th in the 2010 British Open. Do you believe you have a chance of opting for the glory of winning a major?
– It’s hard to imagine. I don’t believe there are all that many players in the world who could positively claim they are ready to win a major. Almost certainly I need to take another step before I can start thinking about being ready to fight for a Grand Sam title.
–You continue to lead the statistics as the biggest hitter on the European Tour, with an average of 312.7 yards (286 metres) in 2011. Do you believe your golfing career might have been different, less successful, without that physical power?
–I’m a player who appreciates many things that I have been given, and one of those is without a doubt my power. It’s a big help but, as we know, it’s not the only thing needed to be a good golfer. Proof of that, for example, is in the fact that the current world number one (Luke Donald) is not a big hitter. It’s always good to have the power I have but I believe I would change some of that power for the opportunity of sinking one or two putts more a round.
–In contrast to that leadership in the driving statistics, your position in the fairways hit rankings is 189th, with a percentage of 51.2 per cent. Is there any way of combining power – or distance – with better accuracy?
–On many occasions the statistics don’t represent the real story, and in saying that what I mean is that many times in my case, even knowing it’s not possible to hit the fairway, I’ll opt for the driver because I know I’ll have an easier shot than if I were on the fairway hitting an iron or 3- wood. My strategy is about balance: I don’t have too many problems hitting drives that reach the fringe of the green, so the statistics don’t completely indicate how well I drive the ball.
–After Tiger’s fall from sporting grace, the game is missing such a dominant star to brighten up the world of golf. Do you believe that, now he has won after a two-year drought, Woods can make a successful comeback or will he never be the same player again? Do you see any “heir” in the making to succeed him?
I believe Tiger will once again play well, though I don’t think he’ll be the player we knew before. As with any sports star, he has had a very sweet moment in his career, which is difficult to match after various operations on the same knee and a personal past that has, without a doubt, marked the golfer he is today. As far as an heir is concerned, there will always be a number one, perhaps not as spectacular on the course but effective in beating the rest of us.
–Do you believe Luke Donald will remain number one in the world for a while, especially after becoming the first player to top the European and US money lists in the same season?
–Luke Donald has become the first player to be officially crowned number one on both tours, but Tiger would have achieved that six times if he had been a member of the European Tour, simply by competing in the minimum number of events. So it was just a technical issue that prevented Tiger from setting the record. I believe Luke is a great player and will continue to be number one as long as his short game remains as exceptional as it currently is. His statistics on and around the greens are impressive, but the question is: can he continue year after year at the same level in that aspect of his game?
–Your best result on the US Tour has been sixth, in the prestigious The Players Championship last year. How has your experience been so far, in general, in US PGA Tour events? Would you like to have a change of scenery and play more on the US Tour, at the expense of the European Tour?
–I don’t compete on the US Tour, only in the events that count on both Tours – that is, the World Golf Championships and the four majors, apart from The Players – so I can’t know with any certainty at what level my game would be for the whole US Tour, though I don’t rule out the possibility of testing my game over there in the future.
–Talent is needed to be a good golfer but also, especially in these times, good physical and technical preparation. What is your practice schedule in this respect? How does a normal day pass when you are not competing?
–My practice days vary depending on the time of the season: during the pre-season I tend to work more on the practice ground and a little in the gym then, when the season has begun, reduce the time on the practice ground and reorientate my physical training.
- You have won more than six million euros in prizemoney on the European Tour, and in the World Tour Championship in Dubai the highest prize of your career, €922,000. What is the biggest indulgence you allowed yourself with so much money?
-I didn’t really indulge myself at all. I’m an ambassador for BMW in Spain and thanks to them I drive a great car. I don’t tend to travel unless it’s for work, I wear normal clothes, not the top brands… I’m a normal lad.
-To conclude, when do you believe Spain will start coming out of the crisis?
-I’m not an expert but I believe the new government is taking some different measures to those adopted by the previous government, so let’s see if that’s the formula for solving the problems that all of Spain is immersed in. Sadly, I know of many cases of friends and acquaintances who are going through a really bad time, battling to get to the end of the month, and that’s not pleasant for anyone.
