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SENIOR BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

July 23, 2004

Bill Longmuir

PORTRUSH, NORTHERN IRELAND

SIMON WILSON: Nice round of golf.

BILL LONGMUIR: As I said yesterday, I love the links golf, yeah. I mean, you know, it's horses for courses. I do like the wind and I know it's tough for everyone. I don't like the rain very much, but it was very interesting, some of the shots you have to hit, some of the clubs you have to hit, such big yardages or small yardages, just incredible. No, it was tough. I can't have enjoyed it.

I've always liked playing yeah, I've always had the ability to hit fairly flat shots, which makes you feel a bit stronger in windy conditions. I tend to drill the ball in low all the time. It works well here, but it doesn't work so well in America, for instance. I go to the States and I'm trying to hit the ball up in the air. So it's a totally different type of game for me. But, no, I really enjoy this type of golf and the wind.

Q. Inaudible?

BILL LONGMUIR: No, there were a couple out there that were just incredible. 17, for instance at the end of my round I had 99 yards to the front of the green. The pin was 130 and I put the ball back in my stance and I really killed an 8 iron; it was a good club short. I probably only hit it 115, 120 yards. It was playing very well, nice shot. There on the last, you know, I had 178 yards to the front and I was thinking about hitting a wedge shot. I actually hit a 9 iron in the end. It's a huge yardage, 178 yards to hit a wedge.

But it's bizarre, you know, you go from one to the other and you've got to make that adjustment. It's almost as if you can throw your yardage book away and go back to the old days using your eyes, that's the way I was brought up to play, and I'm using my eyes a lot. Normally we go strictly by the yardage.

No, it was good fun. It was a better finish for me today. I mean, yesterday I was disappointed with my finish, three 5s. I didn't feel as though I hit it that bad, I just questioned myself on a few of the shots and let it slip away. Today I was pleased with my finish, par on the last three, they are not easy.

Q. (Inaudible.)

BILL LONGMUIR: With us, it was quite funny going down 17. We had to let Bob Gilder through behind me and I walked probably 50 yards with him and I said, "Welcome to Britain in British conditions."

He says, "Goddamn it, the fairways are 25 yards wide, you hit it down the middle and you're on an upslope playing into the wind." It really made me laugh. He says he's just not prepared for this.

We're used to it, aren't we? I've played a lot of links golf in my day and I've just sort of I suppose I can make the switch pretty quickly. It's always going to catch you up, I'm not saying I fancy my chances or anything, but obviously, I like windy conditions.

But it's tough for everyone. You get it slightly wrong, 16, I hit a lovely 4 iron in, I had probably 178 into a stiff breeze. And I was probably four yards from being in the bushes in the back and I hit a great shot. That one drilled just straight through the wind. It's very, very difficult. You know, if I was hitting in that bush, there's no way to drop. I certainly would have had to go back and hit another one.

It's a dangerous course, this. There's lots of various ways you can go badly wrong at the drop of a hat.

Q. Need a bit of luck?

BILL LONGMUIR: You do, always need luck in windy conditions, I suppose. And most golf courses, but you do, yeah. Luck in terms of reading the conditions correctly.

And also luck in terms of seeing a player play right in front of you the same shot, because you then see it straightaway. You can be lucky and unlucky with that, can't you. But if you see the image first, it's a picture in your mind and you can hit the shot.

SIMON WILSON: You birdied the second?

BILL LONGMUIR: Birdied the second. I hit driver, wedge, 2 putted.

Bogeyed the fourth. 2 iron off the tee, 156, hit 9 iron and I can't remember where I hit it. I hit 2 iron into the trap off the tee and I played out of the trap and I had 156 left. So, you know, I just pitched it out, basically and knocked it on and 2 putted. Third shot was a 9 iron.

11, I hit 9 iron to about eight feet.

12, I hit lob wedge to 3 wood and then lob wedge to about two foot.

I bogeyed 14. Yeah, instead of that's a great hole, put the tee up a little bit today and it played longer. I had made a decision, I was watching a guy in front of me having a terrible time. It fell into the trap hitting down the wrong side, and once you're up that slope and sidehill lie, tried to play it left handed, it played it right handed, I watched every shot. I thought, I am not going there. Of course that does a negative thing to you, as well, because I pulled it left of the green. The greens before a little bit slower today probably due to the water on them I hit a really good putt but it came up eight foot short and I missed it. I was disappointed. Little punchy 3 iron.

Q. (Inaudible.)

BILL LONGMUIR: Yeah, I played with Bob Charles today and he likes the wind. He's a good links course player, you know, he's rubbing his hands together saying, "Let's get it to 25 miles per hour." I think it was blowing like 20 miles an hour today, so I was told.

If it blows, I'll be quite happy with that. It's going to be difficult for everyone but I feel a bit more comfortable with it.

End of FastScripts.

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