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December 5, 2014
SUN CITY, SOUTH AFRICA
Q. Thrilling round of golf?
LUKE DONALD: It is, it's been a while since I've gone really low. I've been seeing some signs of a lot of improvement in the last few weeks and some lower rounds in the mid to high 60s but obviously nine birdies around this place is a great round and something I was very pleased with. I felt very in control. It's been a while since I felt like that. It was nice to play a solid round.
Q. Well, that control meant there were so many approach shots that gave you opportunities, and the putting was superb, wasn't it?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, it was nice to hole some. But I think everything starts for me when I can feel like I can drive it in the fairway and then give myself some opportunities, and then I'm not scrounging around trying to make pars and get up‑and‑down.
So I gave myself a lot of good opportunities today. Didn't put myself into too much trouble, and yeah, obviously when the putter is warm, it's always one of my best weapons in the bag. So it was nice to roll in a few today.
Q. I appreciate you weren't really that far back, but did you anticipate being a leader at the halfway stage?
LUKE DONALD: I didn't really think about it to be honest. I just wanted to go out and kind of feed off a solid back nine that I played yesterday. I got off to a slow start.
And there's been a little bit of a running kind of theory: I've been getting off to slow starts in tournaments. And to shoot 3‑under yesterday was important for me to get in red figures and kind of get in touch with the leaders and kind of bring that game to today.
Q. You've said repeatedly throughout the year that it's a work‑in‑progress. Does this mean the work is actually bearing dividends, but for the round and indeed potentially for the tournament?
LUKE DONALD: I think so. After a very poor first round at Dubai, I shot 76; myself, my coach and my caddie had a good talk. It was a little bit, I've been doing the work, but I think mentally I had not made that adjustment. I was trying to expect the golf to be good, and that would make me happier on the golf course and it needed to be the other way around.
So a little bit of a mental adjustment really helped, a good talking‑to from my coach and my caddie, and since then, I've played some really solid rounds.
Q. It was by this tree on the Thursday you came out and photographed‑‑ tell us about the encounter with the about a boon?
LUKE DONALD: We were walking up 13, saw one hiding in the tree, and got to my ball and suddenly Shane said, "Watch out!" And I turn around and thing is galloping towards me. I jump out of the way. My facial expression I'm sure was caught on camera and probably on the Internet already by now. Gave me a little bit of a fright as he strolled right by me.
He didn't really pay any attention to me in the end but gave me a bit of a fright when Shane said, watch out. They are big and strong and you wouldn't want to mess with them, that's for sure, so I got well out of the way. Jumped pretty high.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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