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BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP


July 16, 2004


Colin Montgomerie


ROYAL TROON, SCOTLAND

Q. Colin, obviously not the best of finishes, but if somebody had said to you right at the very start that you'd be three off the lead at halfway you'd have taken that?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Of course I would. I did okay there today. The last hole, the mistake was made off the tee shot really and then I thought the ball was going to fly on the second shot, but that's beside the point. You have to birdie 15, 16, coming in there to play the back nine. To play 1 under was a good effort. The crowd, fantastic support I've got out there. I've said I was looking forward to this tournament, and I have. I've done well, as sort of well as I was expecting to do, to be honest. I know this course as well as anybody. And I'll do okay at the weekend, I'm sure.

Q. Does everything feel under control?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, it does, yeah, very much so. Funny way to finish, because I was walking up last, just getting my applause, as everyone does at the last, and Thomas is 180 yards behind me and didn't even know his ball was out-of-bounds, and neither did I. It was sort of a peculiar sort of end. But never mind, these sort of things happen and we'll go off tomorrow afternoon and we'll see what we can do.

Q. Does an ovation like that on the 18th hole bring a lump to the throat?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, sure, especially when it's at home. I used to live less than a hundred yards from here. Of course it does, and you know it is emotion in some circumstances. I just didn't hit my first ball hard enough, and I left myself a very, very difficult second one, but not to worry.

Q. Do you want it to blow tomorrow, Monty?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No. Not necessarily, no. I'd like the weather to remain the way it is, which is benign really for here. It's a lovely summer's day, to be honest. We might be wearing sweaters, but it's our summer. But it's a joy. I'd much prefer the weather to stay the way it is, thank you.

The support out there was incredible. You must have heard the cheer on 15 from here, and also 16 was amazing, too. So it was just -- I'm obviously disappointed at the finish on the last by 3-putting. My first 3-putt of the championship. But the mistake was made off the tee shot on the second shot. I thought the second shot would fly a little bit more than it did. It left me a very, very difficult two putt. But these things happen, and I would have taken 69 at the start of the day. I did well to come back at 1 under after dropping a shot at the 9th.

So all in all I'm very happy with my position. They know and I know that I know this course better than anybody and I'm in a very good position, very good position.

Q. With the crowd behind you and knowing the course as you do, you've got to be pretty happy going into the weekend?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah. Just to repeat myself, I know this course better than anybody and I'm in a good position for the weekend.

Q. (Inaudible).

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I've got two more to come until Sunday, wherever I am.

Q. The harder it blows, would that suit you?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, to be honest with you. The conditions, if they remain the way they are will be fine for me personally. I've never performed well in any sort of windy conditions, really, on Tour or in Opens. So I prefer it to remain the way it is, which is a breeze, to be honest here. Although wearing sweaters, this is a nice summer's day here really.

Q. (Inaudible).

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Well, I tell you, when I didn't make a birdie on the last hole at Sunnydale and you said I would be three off the lead at halfway here, I'd have accepted that, I'd have assured you, because I never thought I'd even be here, so everything was a bonus. I knew once I got here and the way I was playing, I had a chance, and I still do. So it's good that I have put myself in a position to have a chance.

My name's gone under Ernie Els on the players to play with tomorrow. So I have a 50/50 chance to play with him. So I hope I do, actually. I usually play quite well with Ernie. And obviously he's the guy to watch off the top leaderboard, him and Phil, who's had a great day today. And if I'm playing with a guy I have to watch, that's actually quite good. I do hope I play with Ernie tomorrow. But that's not up to me, that's up to other players coming in.

End of FastScripts.
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