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SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 21, 2004

Sam Torrance

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND

SIMON WILSON: Sam, thanks for coming in. Welcome to Portrush and the Senior British Open. How is your game?

SAM TORRANCE: Not bad. I haven't played for ten days, so it's a little bit rusty. I think I got a lot of the cobwebs away yesterday.

SIMON WILSON: How familiar with Portrush are you?

SAM TORRANCE: I played it yesterday for the first time. It's magnificent.

SIMON WILSON: And looking forward to a good week?

SAM TORRANCE: Yeah.

Q. This is the first time being in a major in this event

SAM TORRANCE: Played Carden Park, Wentworth, the Junior Tour and the Main Tour and Dunhill.

Q. Inaudible?

SAM TORRANCE: I saw a guy last week because my original plans were to play in America, that was a week off and holiday and I can't get over. But really disappointing because that was the first one last year, lost that one always next year.

Q. Did you enjoy your stint with the BBC last week?

SAM TORRANCE: Yeah, it was fun. It was pretty easy work.

Q. What did you make of Hamilton's win?

SAM TORRANCE: Fantastic. You can't tell. He was brilliant. Third round on the 18th was probably the only time he was in trouble the last two days.

Q. The new technology, the ball inaudible?

SAM TORRANCE: I don't think what you mean lightning up? Yeah, we have evidence, Todd Hamilton, but it's not the equipment. The guy can play. He's got a great track record. Obviously scrutinized now, being British Open Champion. He won three times in Japan, won in America this year, so he has strong credentials.

Q. How do you think the Ryder Cup team is shaping up?

SAM TORRANCE: It's looking good, yeah. Great part about it being five and five, players are playing their way on to the team. You can almost stumble into ninth or 10th, but to play a section, the guys are in the top 5 on both sides of it.

Q. Who would you pick?

SAM TORRANCE: You don't know, really . You've going to have to be it's got to be the right ones, there's no sentiment now. It's the right person for the team is the most important thing, and until we get near BMW, it's impossible to say, really. You could look out if it was now, Justin Rose, Monty are the first two straight to mind, and when it's time or whatever they might not be on the team.

A great example is I picked Sergio Garcia who was my highest ranked player. He was No. 4 in the world and I had to pick him. That was a great situation. That's a waste of a pick really because he should be on the team. I think it's a great method. We'll know better when the teams are picked and see how it settles out. I don't think there will be any alterations but if need be they will make alterations to get the best teams.

Q. What about players like Luke Donald who play so much in the States inaudible?

SAM TORRANCE: (Laughing). Well, I think Luke Donald, it would be hard to make Top 5 Order of Merit, but you're still looking for the best team, you know, of course I'm playing enough here. It's a very difficult one because you have to give preference to the European Tour, but if you're picking five from the World Rankings, you have to let some go. To say there must be 11 events in Europe you could just commit to the last five events, get in the Ryder Cup and say, sorry, changed my mind. Might help the team no. It's a very tricky one. It's almost impossible to give you the right answer, really. I would like to see the best players on the team, and if that means that someone hasn't played 11 events here that is in the team, then I think he should be in.

Q. inaudible playing on the European Tour?

SAM TORRANCE: Yeah, it's a European team. A European is a European. Just because you play somewhere else doesn't mean to say he's not European. On the European Tour, yeah, of course, if you play nine events the guys top in the world, eighth you ask them to play a few events here, is that really going to make that much difference? No. But now that makes it more difficult if you're not in the World Championships.

Q. (Inaudible.)

SAM TORRANCE: Not necessarily. I think the points in America are much higher now in Europe so I don't agree with that at all. I mean, the man who won last week was 56 in the world. If you don't play in America that is actually a lot higher position in my book than 56 because where he's earning points, a quarter of the points available and there's a catch 22 situation because if you have a player in the Top 50 in an event that you're in, the more points, so America just gets more points all the times.

End of FastScripts.

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