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UBS HONG KONG OPENDecember 10, 2016David HowellFanling, Hong Kong Q. Please tell me how good, stupid question, how good is a 63 around here? DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, very nice. I just snuck through to make the cut yesterday and battled well, birdied two of the last four five holes to make it through and that's always the first thing in professional golf, you've got to be here for the weekend. Someone always makes a move on Saturday morning and it was glorious out there today and sure enough things went my way. I think luck was on my side today. Obviously played some pretty nice golf as well and delighted to finish with a birdie to make most of the round. Q. Eagle 2 at the 10th. That was tasty. DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, great hole, the 10th. They shoved the tee forward today. It's about 275 yards. Just gave it a rip and came up to about 12 feet once again the putt went in to make the most of the gamble off the tee. So things were really going my way. I had holed a bunker shot on 9, as well, and around that turn was a really pivotal stage. I hit it to three feet on seven and 3-putted. Then you fear, is the round going to go the wrong way for you. But holed a lovely putt on 8, a bunker shot on 9 and eagle on 10, and really, things were rolling for me. Q. I know we say this so often. It could have even been better. There even bogeys on that card. DAVID HOWELL: Well, one bogey, and one of them was from three-foot, as you say, and I missed a 4-footer on 15. Hey, things can always be better. I say, on average, luck was on my side today, as well. The putts went in when they needed to. Lovely second putt on 17, which I played poorly. I got the most out of the round in the end and I'm delighted to have made that move here on this Saturday morning. Q. The leaders haven't even taken to the course but you've made such a dramatic move, what are your thoughts? DAVID HOWELL: Well, you know, listen, there's a lot of golf to be played today obviously. I'm going to be way off the lead. But I've given myself a nice chance at a Top-10, Top-5 finish if I play equally well tomorrow. You never know. Some strange things happen. They might struggle, but I can't see it; the weather's perfect, so. I'm going to be way off the lead with a round to go. But I'm in position for a fine finish. Having not played in six weeks, it would be a nice way to start the season with a Top-5, Top-10 finish. Q. When is the last time you put together a terrific round like that? DAVID HOWELL: Long time to be honest with you. I think I must have had a fairly low one in Czechoslovakia probably in about August or something. This whole calendar year has been a real struggle for me with injury. Czech Republic and The Open, really, were the highlights of last season. But yeah, so it's been a while. Q. Is it a foot arch problem you've had? DAVID HOWELL: Not foot arch, but a foot problem at the start of the year and that seems to be -- yeah, I'm struggling a little bit with it. I've got some new orthotic insoles to try and ease my strain through that area of the foot, but I don't think I've got those quite right yet. That as much as anything was a bit of a trial this week to see how the foot was. It's not right by a long way, but hopefully we can find a solution by the time January comes around. Q. It's still not right today? DAVID HOWELL: No, it was terrible yesterday the back nine. But it's not affecting me hitting the ball. I can get around. I've been playing golf at home but nothing down there is right. I ended up thinking, well, if I can play two or three rounds of golf at home, I may as well come out and give it a go on Tour. Glad I did. Q. I know it's the start of a season, but the end of a tough calendar year, as you say. It would be nice to sort of go into Christmas, like you were saying, with a Top-10 or a Top-5? DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, it really would. Everyone wants to get off the new season to a good start and I'm no different. I've been out here 21 -- this is my 22nd season just started. Plenty of experience in the tank but you still want to get off to a good start and get some points on the board and give myself an opportunity to do it. Makes Christmas all the more enjoyable if you can do that. Q. You only really just made the cut yesterday and today you equalled the course record. Where did that come from? DAVID HOWELL: Do you know, you played really nicely on Thursday and could have shot 65, 64 Thursday, just didn't happen. Made a couple of mental errors and didn't hole a thing and ended up shooting level. Yesterday was a real struggle. Mentally I was brilliant and really battled; same score. Played completely different golf for two days but ended up with the same score. Today obviously I played well, thought well and I put it all together. And some putts went in today obviously and a bunker shot. Definitely, I say, things rolled my way a little bit today, and you need when you're going to shoot 63. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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