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DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN HOSTED BY THE RORY FOUNDATION

May 20, 2016

Danny Willett

Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Q. Not the fireworks of yesterday's 65 but another under par round. How do you reflect on this one?
DANNY WILLETT: Not bad. Hit it good in places and scrappy around there. It was cold this morning. Balls are flying miles. Windy, as well, at times, gusty. A couple obviously sneakier flags today, I think they set the golf course up a bit. Obviously Marc's score is fantastic. He shot 66 and it was a great score.

Q. We spoke yesterday about the fact that it's your first time at The K Club. Is your strategy for the course evolving with each round you play?
DANNY WILLETT: Yeah, I think we've got it pretty much nailed, apart from 17 from the front tee box. I think everybody seem to be struggling with that. I don't know if the run-outs or wrong or what they are, but just seem to keep smashing it into the right-hand trees.

Apart from that, yeah, it's one of them that the wind has been pretty consistent all week. So we know now, playing it now in the same wind for four days, so roughly what you're going to do off each tee. It's a good golf course. You have to get your ball in play off the tee and then know when to attack some of the flags. And some of them that are a bit sneaky with a bit of the slopes and a bit of the water, you have to stay away from. It's a great place to come play golf.

Q. You've made your way into the world's Top-10, you've won your first major. What do you think you're capable of achieving over the next decade or so?
DANNY WILLETT: I have no idea. I really don't. It's one of them, you're a kid and you practise you work hard, and you do what I've already done and it's just now more of the same. You kind of re-evaluate things and make sure you don't get too complacent. We've worked very hard to get where we've got, so don't stop working hard and hopefully you can knock a couple in.

Q. Your wife and son have arrived. Daddy duties this afternoon?
DANNY WILLETT: Daddy duties last night. We might do a little bit, but again depends on the weather. But would be nice to spend a bit of time.

Q. 71 today, your thoughts?
DANNY WILLETT: Not too bad. Pretty steady, scrappy at times. The golf course is tricky, you have a lot of the crosswinds. Obviously in the morning, the ball is not going as rough. The rough is a little bit juicy. Key is hitting fairways, and if you don't, you find yourself out of position and you're going to have to get up-and-down for par.

Yeah, dropped a couple of silly shots out there, but yeah, not too bad. 8-under par, you're tied lead, whether or not it's going to be that at the end of the day, I don't know, but in a pretty good position heading into the weekend.

Q. Some of the other players were talking about the pin placements today. A little bit tricky, would you concur?
DANNY WILLETT: A little bit trickier than yesterday. It was one of them, because of the weather conditions that were forecast yesterday, I think they kind put them a little bit simpler, and we got a bit fortunate in the afternoon with no rain, but still very windy.

And obviously this morning was forecast gusty winds and a couple of showers, so I think they tried to get back at us a little bit and try to set it up. Marc score today, a fantastic round of golf. A little bit trickier, but as Marc showed, if you hit some good golf shots, there's a score out there.

Q. How would you feel about going head-to-head with Rory on Sunday?
DANNY WILLETT: It would be good fun regardless who you're up against. Warren is a fantastic player, and obviously Rory is there, as well. If I can be somewhere there or thereabouts come Sunday, that would be great.

Q. What would you take away from today's round?
DANNY WILLETT: A little bit scrappy but grinding out quite nicely. Pin positions a little trickier. There were some gusty winds out there, which a few of the front flags and back flags, plays a few little tricks on you, whether or not you go for it or you play it relatively safe. A little bit trickier today but tied lead going into Saturday.

Q. Aside from the physical stuff with everything that's happened the past couple months, how have things changed for you inside the ropes?
DANNY WILLETT: Nothing really. Apart from obviously inside the ropes, it's me and Johnny still and I guess you put your own expectations somewhere else, but I'm trying not to. Other people's expectations obviously, think you're able to come out and win every week because you won a major, but we know that doesn't happen.

Just inside the ropes, it's nice, because it's that time where it's me and Johnny and we've done all our preparation, and we can just go and try to play the golf course.

Q. What's it like for to you have your family this week?
DANNY WILLETT: It's nice, first time we've been together, so they flew in last night. Yeah, it was nice to see Little Man and see Nic and my mom and dad have also flown in, as well. It's great, get to relax a little bit this afternoon with little man and go back to doing daddy duties.

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