2008 Mayakoba Golf Classic Interview Transcript: Esteban Toledo

Interview Transcript: Esteban Toledo

Feb. 23 2008
Transcript by ASASP Sports

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: I was very relaxed, hearing all of the people cheering for México, and it kind of got me going. I eagled the 13th hole. I think that got me going, too, and the holes coming in, I birdied the 18th hole, that kind of got me going again.

Tomorrow is going to be a tough day, but I think I can pull it off.

Q. Have you ever had an experience like that in golf?

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: Well, no.

Q. It's kind of unique.

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: When Tiger and I played in 2002, I believe, in Michigan, I think half of the nine holes it was for Tiger, and then when I caught up with them, they were all kind of pulling for me. So pulling for the underdog.

Q. This is more, "hey, this is one of our own."

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: They know I've played the TOUR for so many years and they know I have the game. They believe I can win. I believe I can win. That's the only reason I'm here.

Hearing all of the people, it's huge for me. They want to see someone win again, and I just feel great.

Q. For some people it would be pressure, but for you it seems to be motivation.

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: I don't care if it's pressure. Hey, I'm going to go out there and play my best, and they know that. As long as I try my best and they know that, that's all I care. You know, obviously I want to win, but it's just I've got to give a show to the fans, that's the most important, and if I can do that, then I can win.

Q. Were the galleries different today than the last two days?

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: The last two days, they were okay, but today they all followed me. They all wanted to see me playing well, and I think that they got what they deserved. Tomorrow I think more people are going to follow me.

Q. Were they scoreboard watching when they say you were making a move?

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: It happened to me once back in 2000 when John Daly was in Mexico City, and Daly was in front, and he was still huge, but I ended up winning and hopefully it happens the same tomorrow.

Q. Outside of a major, is this the tournament for you to win?

ESTEBAN TOLEDO: It would be the greatest thing that could happen for México is for me to win here. It would be fantastic. On the other hand, I've made 145 cuts, and I need 150 cuts. So it could be huge tomorrow, if I can win, then there will be less pressure for me in my life. But it's going to be an exciting day tomorrow.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Media Contacts

The Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancún is dedicated to assisting the media in covering this historic event. For more information on press releases, press conferences or attending the event, please contact the Mayakoba Golf Classic's media directors:

Veronica Muller
Media Director - Latin America
Mayakoba Golf Classic
+52 (998) 185-1585

Lee Patterson
Media Director
Greg Norman Production Company
(704) 553-4790

About The Mayakoba Golf Classic

The Mayakoba Golf Classic made golf history when it became the first PGA TOUR event to ever be contested outside of the United States and Canada in February 2007. Today, the Mayakoba Golf Classic remains “Mexico’s Only PGA TOUR Event” as it prepares to enter its sixth year. The event is regarded as one of the finest on the PGA TOUR by players, their families, sponsors and the TOUR itself. With a purse of $3.7 million USD, the Mayakoba Golf Classic boasts the largest amount of prize money of any golf tournament in Latin America. Held annually in February, the tournament features 132 professional golfers participating in four rounds of stroke play competition at the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, in the Riviera Maya-Cancún regions of Mexico. Johnson Wagner, a five-year veteran of the PGA TOUR, claimed the title in 2011, winning $666,000 USD. Other past champions include: Fred Funk (2007), Brian Gay (2008), Mark Wilson (2009) and Cameron Beckman (2010).

About Mayakoba

Mayakoba is situated just south of Cancun on Mexico’s prized Caribbean coast – the Riviera Maya. A mere 40-minute drive from the towering hotels of Cancun, visitors will discover a completely different experience. Here, nestled in a lush natural paradise, lies Mayakoba—a truly unique resort destination. Mayakoba is comprised of three luxury hotels, each featuring a range of culinary and spa experiences. An 18-hole Greg Norman championship golf course, El Camaleón, managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, offers players an ever-changing terrain that moves gracefully from mangroves to the sea. Created to harmonize with the unspoiled tropical forest, Mayakoba is connected with a series of lagoons enabling guests to wander effortlessly from place to place through the resort using the “lanchas” (covered boats) as well as a network of trails. Mayakoba, a luxury destination like no other where you are immersed in unspoiled natural beauty and the mysteries of an ancient civilization.

About OHL

Based in Madrid, OHL has over 23,000 employees and an impressive average yearly growth rate of 20% since 2002. In the third quarter of 2010, its net sales amounted to over 3,4 billion Euros. At the same time, OHL is strongly committed to environmental responsibility and in 2003 produced its first Sustainable Development Report. As Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, the chairman of the board of directors and the author of the report, noted, mindful attention to the long-term health of the environment creates a "virtuous circle" that benefits the company, its clients and the globe. OHL's ecological diligence has served it well in México, where strong government regulations are enforced to protect the environment. A presence in México since 1980, OHL employs over 3,400 people there and has built highways, bridges, hotels and hospitals. The tourism complex at Mayakoba, which will eventually include two or three golf courses and six luxury hotels, is OHL's most ambitious hospitality project to date.

About Greg Norman Production Company

The Greg Norman Production Company (GNPC), a subsidiary of Great White Shark Enterprises, is devoted to event management and sports marketing. In addition to the PGA TOUR’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, the GNPC operates the PGA TOUR-sanctioned Franklin Templeton Shootout. The GNPC prides itself on producing events and marketing initiatives that not only reflect the discerning standards of its namesake, but of its clients as well. Through its myriad relationships within golf, media and event industries, the GNPC is fully capable of providing its clients with a wide spectrum of services that will seamlessly build brand equity and generate a unique marketing and or hospitality medium.

About El Camaleón Golf Club

El Camaleón Golf Club at the Mayakoba resort is yet another of Greg Norman’s masterworks. The 7,039-yard layout is unique - not just to Mexico but to the entire world of golf. The course bends through three distinct landscapes—mangrove jungles, limestone canals and stunning, oceanfront stretches of sand. El Camaleón incorporates a cenote, a massive underground cavern, into the heart of the opening fairway. The handsome, Mayan influenced clubhouse rises above the 18th green and features stunning views over the course. The adjoining practice facility and driving range are of international caliber. With Mayakoba’s unique system of lagoons, golfers will be able to step out of their rooms and into a boat, which will ferry them directly to the first tee. El Camaleón is managed by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

About Golf PARa Todos

Golf PARa Todos aims to create a fun-filled, diverse and educational program that teaches about the game of golf and its ideals. The program encourages active participation in the game as a participant and as a fan, and facilitates the integration of golf into the lives of all those within the community. Golf PARa Todos is a community program presented and created by the Mayakoba Golf Classic. In January 2011, the event earned a place in the Guinness World Records by hosting the world’s largest ever golf lesson. The lesson featured 1,073 participants. The inaugural installment of Golf PARa Todos was held in October 2007 at El Camaleón Golf Club in Playa del Carmen. On average, 600 people currently attend each session. A monthly program, Golf PARa Todos is open to people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of golf skill or knowledge. For more information, visit www.GolfParaTodos.org.

Jose Lota, aka Don Pepe Lota, is the official mascot of the Mayakoba Golf Classic. Born in the cenote in the middle of the fairway of El Camaleón Golf Club’s first hole, Don Pepe Lota can always be found at Mayakoba Golf Classic events and activities playing and entertaining children of all ages!

The Legend of Don Pepe Lota

El Camaleón is aptly named for its diverse layout and ever-changing landscape, which bends through tropical jungles, dense mangroves and oceanfront stretches.

About El Camaleón

Mexico's Only PGA TOUR Event

Mayakoba Golf Classic, Golf PARa Todos, Grupo OHL, Greg Norman Production Company, Great White Shark Enterprises, PGA TOUR, Inc., their shareholders, representatives, partners, operators and/or subsidiaries or related companies (Organizers) will utilize your personal data collected herein for informational purposes and database compilation. For more information about the handling of your data and the rights which you may exercise, you can access our complete privacy notice by visiting http://www.mayakobagolfclassic.com/privacypolicy.