He finished the year as the second best-ranked Spaniard in the World Ranking (22nd), only preceded by Sergio García, after the best season of his career, in which he scored two victories, the most resounding of which was the Race to Dubai, the World Championship held in the emirate.
Alvaro Quiros, born in Guadiaro one January 29 years ago, is, above all, a modest boy who continues to enjoy his friends and the simple things in life. He says that winning a major is hard to imagine, but we already know that he is humble and does not like to boast about his possibilities.
-You have a passionate love affair with the Emirates. In 2009 you won the Qatar Masters, last year you were third in the Dubai World Championship and this year you won twice in Dubai: the World Cup and the Desert Classic. Why such good results in those places?
-Well, I think without hesitation that the courses we play in Dubai, although they are not quite my style, have a design that I have settled in well. In general, they are courses that require hitting the ball with a lot of spin, as the greens are usually hard and fast, and that’s something I don’t find difficult to do. Besides, they are usually played in windy conditions and the distance is a factor to take into account as well.
-From the 2007 season to the 2010 season you have been winning one tournament per year, and in 2011 you have achieved two and finished for the first time in your career in the top ten in the winnings list (sixth). Is this a sign that he is starting a new, more winning streak in his career?
-I don’t think it’s the beginning of something new. Since I’ve been in the Tour I’ve improved year after year and that’s what happened in 2011. Every year I’ve been able to improve things and I think I still have room to keep improving, so I want to think that 2012 will be a year to keep progressing.
-If things don’t go wrong (you are now fourth in the qualifying list for the tournament, where Sergio and Fernández-Castaño are also among the top ten), you will be one of the players under Olazábal’s orders in September’s Ryder Cup in the United States. Are you looking forward to making your debut in that competition?
– I think that the qualification for this tournament is too far away to think that it is already done, considering that there are nine months left with four Majors on the way and especially considering that we are not even at the halfway point of the qualification.
-Your best finish in a major was eleventh, in the 2010 British Open. Do you see yourself already with a chance of winning a major?
– It’s hard to imagine. I don’t think there are many players in the world who can positively affirm that they are ready to win a major. It will probably take a few more steps before I can start thinking that I’m ready to fight for a major.
-You still lead the statistics as the biggest hitter on the European Tour, with an average drive of 312.7 yards (286 meters) in 2011. Do you think your career would have been different, less successful, if you didn’t have that physical power?
-I am the player I am thanks to many things, one of them is undoubtedly my power, and it is a great help, but as we can see it is not the only thing necessary to be a good golfer. One of the proofs we can find today is that the world number one is not a long player. It is always good to have the power I have, but I think I would trade some of my power for a few more putts per round.
-Contrast this leadership with the position you occupy in the statistics for the driver’s fairway finish, 189, with a hit rate of 51.2 percent. Is there a way to combine power, that is, distance, with greater accuracy?
-On numerous occasions the statistics are not a real number, and by this I mean that in my case I find numerous occasions that even though I know that it is not possible to hit the fairway it is profitable to hit the drive, since I will have an easier shot than from the fairway going out with an iron or a 3 wood. My strategy is in balance, I do not have many problems to hit the shots that I plan to hit to the green, so the statistics do not show totally how well I hit the drive.
-After Tiger’s fall from grace, we are missing a star as amazing as the Californian to cheer up world golf. Do you think that, now that he has won after two years of drought, he could start the comeback or Woods will never be who he was again? Do you see any ‘heir’ in the making to succeed him?
-I think Tiger will play very well again, although I don’t think he will be the player we knew before. Like any sportsman, he has had a very sweet moment in his career that is difficult to match after some operations on the same knee and a personal past that has undoubtedly marked the golfer he is today. Regarding an heir, there will always be a number one, maybe not so spectacular at the time of playing but effective to impose himself to the rest.
-Do you think we have Luke Donald for a while at the top of the World Ranking, especially after becoming the first player to close the season as number one in the American and European circuits?
-Luke Donald was the first player to be crowned number one on both tours officially, but Tiger would have achieved the same thing six times if he had simply been a member of the European Tour having played the minimum number of tournaments, which suggests that it was simply a technical issue that kept Tiger from that record. I think Luke is a great player and will remain number one for as long as his short game is as exceptional as it is now. His numbers on and around the greens are impressive, but the question is whether he can continue season after season at that same level in that part of the game.
-Your best result on the American Tour was sixth in last year’s prestigious The Player Championship. How has your experience so far on the PGA Tour turned out in general? Would you like to change of scenery and play more on the American Tour instead of the European Tour?
-I do not play the American Tour, only the qualifying events for both tours, that is, the World Championships and the four majors except for The Players, so I could not know for sure at what level of the regular American Tour I am, although I do not rule out an attempt in the future to check that level.
-Talent is necessary to be a good golfer, but also, and more so in today’s times, a good physical and technical preparation. What is your training plan in this regard? What is your usual day like when you are not in competition?
-My training days vary depending on the time of the season I am in; in preseason I usually work more on the practice street and a little more load in the gym and then once in season I reduce the time on the practice street and reorient the physical training to this time.
-You have won more than 6 million euros in prize money on the European Tour, and in the Dubai World Cup you won the most important prize of your career, 922,000 euros. What is the biggest treat you have given yourself with so much money?
-I don’t think I’ve given myself any whims; I’m a BMW ambassador in Spain and thanks to them I drive a great car, I don’t usually travel except for work, I wear normal clothes, no big brands… I’m a normal guy.
-Finally, when do you think Spain will start to emerge from the crisis?
-I am not an expert in the matter, but I believe that the new government is taking different measures to the previous ones taken by the old government, so we will see if that is the formula to get out of this problem in which all Spain is immersed. Unfortunately, I know of many cases of friends and acquaintances who are having a very hard time, struggling to make ends meet, and that is not pleasant for anyone.
Leave a Reply