| You were sidelined for two months after a | | | | page of the sports section or would it still be |
| go-cart injury late last year. How did that | | | | soccer?It would still be soccer, but if I won the |
| happen?It happened in Phoenix. I went to go-cart | | | | Masters there would be a slightly bigger golf |
| track with a few guys. There was a guy behind | | | | article. I would have to win the Masters and the |
| me and a guy in front of me and the guy behind | | | | Ryder Cup in the same year [Laughs] |
| me pushed me at full power into the guy in front | | | | What's your relationship with German two-times |
| of me. I stayed in the car because of the seat | | | | Masters champion Bernard Langer like? |
| belt but my foot was flipped back. I can't really | | | | We played a few times together, and we have |
| remember because the pain was insane. I broke | | | | the same sponsor but we don't talk every week |
| three bones and my big toe was bent under the | | | | or every month. I can't say I have a close |
| others so they had to rebreak it and set it. But | | | | relationship with him. I'm friends with Alex Cjeka. |
| the important thing for me is that my knee was | | | | He's living in Vegas and I'm in Phoenix so we |
| OK. We know from Tiger Woods how long that | | | | sometimes do things together. With Langer, he's |
| takes to recover. | | | | in Florida and he doesn't come to Germany very |
| How disappointed did you feel when you were left | | | | often so I don't see him a lot. I asked him a few |
| off the 2008 Ryder Cup team? | | | | questions during my first year on Tour and he |
| I went to that Ryder Cup a special guest of | | | | would always help me. He took me out at |
| [team captain] Nick Faldo. It sounds a little strange | | | | Augusta for a practice round with Jack Nicklaus |
| but I am so thankful he didn't pick me as a wild | | | | and Gary Player. Those are the things that |
| card because it helped me so much just to be | | | | happen when you know someone like him. |
| there and see what the atmosphere is like and | | | | You had your best finish in a major at the 2009 |
| learn what the whole tournament's about. It was | | | | PGA Championship (T6). Why haven't we seen an |
| a good thing that I didn't play. | | | | under-25 major winner since Tiger Woods? |
| Culturally, how is golf different in Germany than | | | | It's like the Ryder Cup. You have to be ready for |
| the U.S.? | | | | it. You don't know what it feels like to be in the |
| Like day and night. In Germany, we have only | | | | heat on Sunday afternoon to win a major, you |
| Bernard Langer. He's the biggest golf hero we | | | | don't know it feels to have the putt for the |
| have. Obviously I'm trying to do my best to | | | | Ryder Cup. We don't know that. How can we |
| make golf bigger in Germany. But it's a huge | | | | know that when we just turned pro and played |
| difference — you can't compare it. Here in | | | | two or three years on the Challenge Tour and |
| America golf is almost a national sport like baseball | | | | the Nationwide Tour? We don't know those |
| and football. In Germany we have soccer. That's | | | | feelings and how we will react. It's just a learning |
| our biggest sport by far. But golf is growing and it | | | | process. It's just nature that we need the |
| would help a lot if Germany would get the Ryder | | | | experience, so I'm not surprised Tiger Woods is |
| Cup in 2018. The Olympics will obviously help too. | | | | the only one. |
| If you won the Masters, would that be the front | | | | |