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BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN

August 28, 2004

Thomas Levet

MUNICH, GERMANY

THE MODERATOR: We welcome to Thomas Levet, an extraordinary round of 63, one stroke behind the course record, but just equalling the course record. I think you are happy with the round?

THOMAS LEVET: Yeah, just you know, it's one of these days where everything clicks together. You know, I got lucky once on 14, but not very lucky on 16 because I hit a good shot off the tee and I didn't perform the birdie I should have made from that spot.

All in all, when you shoot 9-under, not much wrong in the game, so it's pretty good.

Q. You said the putt on 1 and 18 could have gone in?

THOMAS LEVET: Yeah, just a few putts that could have gone in, you know, nine of them actually or ten of them. I putted really, really solid today. Even if I stayed short on the last, it was still on-line, so it was still a good feeling. It's nice to be in there with a chance for tomorrow.

Q. How much is the pressure off you because you know you are in the Ryder Cup?

THOMAS LEVET: You know, after the Open, it was pretty secured already. There was not too many chances the guys could catch up with me, so after the Open the pressure was finished almost. I didn't even think about it because I had such a big lead over the guys, more than a win's difference on some of the guys. I knew some of the guys were not playing NEC, as well, so my lead was extended in that. After the Open, it was almost over for me. The bookies know, they stopped taking bets on me on the Ryder Cup that day; so it means something.

Q. Has that allowed you to enjoy and relax in your golf?

THOMAS LEVET: No, you know, I take it tournament after tournament. I don't think about the Ryder Cup selections until -- you just look at it. You know, if I'm in the team or no, it doesn't change the way I am on the golf course or the way I play. If I think about all of these things, then I have to think about the food I give to my fish in the evenings, you know. Then I've got to think about brushing my teeth in the morning and all of these things. You know, it's a lot of things. I just try to make it simple and stay on the first tee and try to hit the fairway and the next shot hit the green and try to make the putts. That's what I do from January till December, and that's the way I play the best. If I think about too many things, I probably miss every cut.

Q. But it must be good to be playing at this time with the Ryder Cup just coming up.

THOMAS LEVET: Yeah, it's a good feeling to know that I'm not far off good form. And even though I didn't make the cut at the U.S. PGA, it's because my ball moved on a little putt from ten inches; it moved and I got a stroke penalty and I missed the cut by a stroke. That wasn't very lucky.

Last week at the NEC I played solid, as well. I wasn't too lucky with some ball placements in the rough, but I played solid golf, as well. So, nothing is far off and my game is pretty solid on every compartment. So I'm all set for the Ryder Cup and actually, I'm looking forward to it. I'd like it to be tomorrow.

Q. You had quite a slow start to the tournament, what do you put down the difference to your play today?

THOMAS LEVET: There is always one day you come back from a bad night. On Wednesday night, I went to bed around 10:00. I could not go to sleep. I was not feeling like sleeping, so I watched TV a little bit. At 11:00 I turned off the TV and tried to sleep, still not. 12:15, finally around 12:15, I go to bed, I fall asleep. And then I wake up and I say, "oh, ready to go." You know what time it was? 2:00. I slept one hour and 45 minutes. I could not get back to bed and I teed off at 8:15, so I was very tired. It's very difficult when you have headaches; it's hard to concentrate.

The game wasn't far off, I just didn't make any putts that day and I got very lucky with one or two bounces that's all. It's the only difference. When you play the way we play, on a course like today where the greens are good and you have a lot of rough, just a little bit off in concentration can cost you four or five strokes, so that's the only difference. But there was no panic from that first round, because plus one is never too far and I was still in the cut. So it meant, you know, I wasn't too far from being okay.

Q. You just said out there you like pressure, the more pressure the better. What advice would you give to Paul, who says he's nervous thinking about tomorrow?

THOMAS LEVET: Yeah, it's good to be nervous today. It's going to be good for his confidence. But the way he plays and the way he's always played, I mean, I wish I could play foursomes with him because I won't put it in the rough, you know. It's going to be a lot of -- if our 10th man is Paul McGinley, it means we have a strong team. It's a really solid team and he doesn't have to worry about tomorrow because he can even win the tournament because he plays good enough. He's actually in front of everyone. The guys behind have to be careful not to be beaten by Paul McGinley. He can really, you know, the shots he played on 16, under the circumstances, the shots he played on 16, that 3-wood on the green, that tells you that he's ready for it.

Q. You say you've been pretty sure of your play since the Open Championship, which means the people are France are also aware of that situation. What impact has it made on the people back home that you are in the Ryder Cup Team?

THOMAS LEVET: You know, we don't have that many players as you in France, so it's not that big. But it's actually, I see the papers and I look at, you know, people are asking for interviews, I'm going to have a busy week next week being probably Thursday and Friday will be only French press. It's going to be big. But we still have in France, they wait and we become bigger when they know you've won the tournament. So, it's not that big as you, of course, but they are speaking about it here and there, so it's not too bad.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Good luck for the next and the last round tomorrow.

End of FastScripts.

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