|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN HOSTED BY THE RORY FOUNDATIONMay 29, 2015Graeme McDowellNEWCASTLE, NORTHERN IRELAND Q. 5‑over par total, good enough for the weekend do you think? GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, it's going to make the cut, unless something ridiculous happens. That will play the weekend, which is important to me. Feel like I'm turning the corner with my game and it's important to get four rounds in when you come to a tournament like this, especially The Irish Open, having a lot of fun out there. I've hit a lot of good shots. It's been two weeks of really bad play on the greens for me. Bad week at Wentworth with the putter and it seems to continue this week to RCD. I've just not converted anything around the greens and have no momentum and it's really tough to make birdies when you're not holing the putts. Nice to hang in there, birdie the last and give myself a couple rounds under the belt this weekend. Q. Good to hear you describe it as fun. Looked very difficult again condition‑wise? GRAEME McDOWELL: Yeah, when those little squalls are running through, it's brutal, it really is. There's a lot of luck, a lot of fortune involved. Depends where you're at on the course when they do come through and it's difficult. I say it's fun because the crowds are fantastic and you know the response that we are getting walking on the greens. It's a lot of fun. Rory has done such a great job building this event to the level that it's at this week, and just fun to be here, fun to play it, and like I say, looking forward to play the weekend. 5‑over par is only going to be seven or eight shots within the lead. Depending what happened with the weather, get out there, shoot a low one in the morning, you never know. Q. Important to be here at the weekend? GRAEME McDOWELL: Very much so. Not just because it's the Irish Open and I want to be here; because my game's coming around and I want to keep testing it. I want to keep hitting shots. I need a card in my pocket for another two rounds. So really important to birdie the last there and to play this weekend. I'd have been really disappointed to be going home tonight because I felt like I hit a lot of good shots the last couple days and I felt it slipping away from me the back nine with some really clumsy putting. It's been a little bit like that the last couple weeks. Last week at Wentworth I putted unfortunately and I'm struggling again this week. Two rounds this weekend will be important for me. Q. Do you think the course is set up too tough? GRAEME McDOWELL: No. The course is what it is. It's a difficult golf course. These are very unusual conditions. It's been a strong, persistent wind, very cold and wet. Tough squalls coming through. It's been tough conditions. You play any golf course in this type of conditions, it will be difficult. I wouldn't criticize the course setup, I really wouldn't. I think it's a tough course played in tough conditions. Q. What can you achieve seven or eight shots back? Is it still winnable? GRAEME McDOWELL: It's absolutely still winnable. I'll need a bit of fortune with the weather, and I'll need conditions in the morning to go out and go low and for the wind to get up for the leaders this afternoon. I'll need to play well and I'll need a little help, as well, but anything is possible from here. I thought we could slip in and play another two rounds, who knows what could happen. Things were getting a bit away from me in the back nine.  I hit probably one of my best short irons of the day on 11 over the back and didn't get it up‑and‑down and 3‑putted the par5 from just short for a par, and I 3‑putted the next and kind of started to get a little frustrated with myself and couldn't get it going. Tough coming in there, 15 was playing really long and they are just tough conditions. It's a tough golf course in really, really tough conditions and more important for me to get into the weekend. I need as many rounds under my belt as I can right now because I feel like I'm turning the corner. I just need to keep testing myself. And of course it's the Irish Open. I wouldn't want to be sitting home this weekend. Q. Do you feel anyone who makes the cut is in for a go at it this weekend? GRAEME McDOWELL: We'll need a little help from the weather. The guys further down the leaderboard in this type of golf course, if we can get out there and get a couple hours calm in the morning, it's very scorable and you can make some birdies and you can really make an impact on this leaderboard. Anything is possible but we'll need a little bit of help from it the weather. Q. Looks like Rory may not make it. Do you feel for him? GRAEME McDOWELL: I feel for him on a lot of levels. He's not exactly having a rough year so I'm not going to feel for him too bad. To have done what he's done this week and build this tournament up to the type of level that it's at and attract the best players to come to Ireland and Northern Ireland, it's such a big responsibility. I'm sure no one will be more disappointed than him. But he's No. 1 player in the world and a fantastic role model and he's great for Irish and Northern Irish golf. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|