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NISSAN IRISH OPEN


May 20, 2005


David Howell


MAYNOOTH, IRELAND

DAVID HOWELL: Played lovely. Obviously, you know, nice to have two good rounds together straight after the disappointment of not finishing last week off, and hopefully I can give myself another chance.

GORDON SIMPSON: Was there an element of feeling a bit flat when you came here, or was your game good enough to make you realize you could get back into shape this week?

DAVID HOWELL: No, I was more p****d off then flat. You know, the more people you speak to, most people trying to take the positives out of it and at the end of the day, no one beat me that week other than it took an extra hole to do it.

So just got to go down as a great week and you've got to try and take the positives out of it. And I did find that hard on Sunday, but you wake up Monday and that's the great thing about this game, you go on to another tournament and a new week. I'm delighted, as I say, to put two good rounds together to help get over that already.

GORDON SIMPSON: Your back nine was a key to that today.

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, I was struggling along on my front nine there, swinging it poorly, quick, out of time, not really doing much right to be honest with you. Just told myself to hang in there. I sort of almost the next nine holes, these are a big nine holes, I could have easily knocked myself out of the tournament today. And the way I played the back nine, I got myself right in there, so that was a very big nine holes.

Q. Could you elaborate a bit on your swing changes?

DAVID HOWELL: I've worked, I've talked to you guys over the years, I feel like I've changed my swing an awful lot. I made another big change, going from Wednesday last week, working on the club face open and then closing it on the downswing, and obviously with some success last week. But come to the real crunch last couple of shots and then I dropped back into some old traits, a bit more body movement and just didn't quite didn't quite hold up, very frustrating.

You know, I guess mid iron play is my weakness. Short game is probably my strength and when the pressure was on, I guess it did show up.

Q. Did you think about not playing this week?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, just not an option not to play the Irish Open for me, in fact, any tournament in Britain, really, I want to be part of. But doubly important this week, as I said earlier to get out here and put some more good scores on the board.

Q. What will you do differently next time?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, I can't see how I can do anything different. I can just keep practicing and hopefully next time well, have a two shot lead on the last. But what can you do? You keep putting yourself in the position and next time, you'll be more accustomed to it. It won't guarantee I'll hit good shots, who knows, but the more you do it, the easier the feeling becomes. It's been a long time since I had a par at the last to win a golf tournament. Although I've been consistently up there in pressure situations a lot of the time over the last few years, when it really peaks, you've got to hit a decent 5 iron at the last to win the golf tournament, and that's as much pressure as you're ever going to feel really. Unfortunately I didn't quite polish it off.

Q. Is that how you saw yourself

DAVID HOWELL: You've got to take the opportunity. You've got to stand up there hit a decent shot and make 3 and win the golf tournament. It's as straightforward as that. And I get another couple opportunities after that and I didn't hit a decent shot once.

I was certainly harsh on myself, certainly. Especially coming off the run I've had where things were going my way, birdie, birdie, eagle and chip in, and I had four shots to 17 and got away with it. And to chip in, you think, well, this is going to be my day, golfing gods are with you. You just do your bit and put a decent swing on it. I was basically disappointed to not be able to do that, to not hit a decent shot out of three with the same club, the same conditions. I was, you know, really disappointed.

Q. What are the old traits and body movement?

DAVID HOWELL: When I swing it best, I'm nice and balanced over the ball and I just turn away and harken back to how I swing many years ago, I've been trying and trying to get rid of it. It's almost like I lean back into my heels, which was fine in some ways when I did it every time, but now I'm trying to get rid of it and it's got less and less. If I then move as I used to, then, you know, I'm not used to it as much. It's a tricky one, really. And the pressure is when it's going to show up most.

Q. What did you do Sunday night?

DAVID HOWELL: We went out, had a few beers, you know, talked about things and had a good night's sleep, to be honest with you. I did play a lot better the next day. Went to the gym the next morning and had a good work out and then went to work on my wedge play and straight back on the course, really and trying to improve.

Q. How much of a relief would it be if you could win this year?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, obviously, if I'm going to I've got to win a tournament sooner or later. I will win one sooner or later; I'm convinced of that. I'm playing that consistent golf that it will happen.

The sooner the better, to my liking, obviously. The great thing is, when I first won in '98 and '99, very strange, the fact that I won two tournaments close together, but I didn't really have the game to be as consistent a player and a really consistent winner on the Tour, multiple winner year in and year out. But the way I'm playing now, I am giving myself a few chances. Not guaranteed to happen at all, but I feel like when I do start to learn when I win one, I can learn from that, and then I'm going to have a lot more opportunities. And hopefully now I'm in a position where I can win a lot of golf tournaments.

Back in '98, '99, I certainly didn't feel like that. But I'm starting to feel more and more that that's the position I'm getting myself into. But, you know, the big thing is I've got to do it.

Q. What do you think is missing?

DAVID HOWELL: Nothing's missing, really. Last week, the pressure just got to me on the 18th tee, just as simple as that. So there's lots of ways to look at it. Joking aside, a two shot lead, you're fine, aren't you. Maybe that's the way I'll do it next time. Who knows? You know, I'll win sooner rather than later, and then we'll see how I did it.

Q. Did you hit that 18th green any day?

DAVID HOWELL: I hit it the second and third round. I hit a very similar in the first round and basically an action replay of the shot I hit on the 72nd hole. So that's the great thing about golf. I can hit that shot any time, not only under pressure, but when it does happen when you really need it, it feels that much worse.

Q. Last week, Thomas talked about finishing can you take any encouragement

DAVID HOWELL: I guess so. I mean, Thomas has won more tournaments than me. Has he won since he lost the Open? I think that was the general story, was it? Which I was surprised at. Thomas has been up there so often of late especially, I didn't realize that was the case.

I can't take much from him winning to be honest with you. I can take something when I do it. You keep saying that you learn from your mistakes, you can, but you learn more from doing things right to be honest with you, especially in golf. Repeat, repeat, repeat the right thing rather than the wrong thing.

Q. The pressure on the 18th, did it show up in any particular way?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, nothing untoward other than, you know, you're under pressure and most people, if you do anything you're going to fall into old habits, either natural sort of body movement, movement patterns. Most people react the same way time and again, I would say, under pressure. They do the same things wrong if they do them wrong and that's certainly what happened there last week.

Q. It�s not often you are faced with a par 3 like that one to finish?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, there's loads of things that are involved. It could have been an easy par 4 to finish and a 9 iron in your hand, or a par 5 that you have to layup on. Every course is different, isn't it. Look at this week, a reachable par 5, it's going to be a tough hole. It's always going to be different when you come down to the final hole, isn't it. You're going to win some and you're going to lose some. That's the other thing, put yourself in contention, you're not going to win them all. Vijay, he missed a 2 footer in the playoff the other week, had a chance to win at Bay Hill. People mess up and which we have to pay attention to obviously, because I was really hard on myself on Sunday, Sunday night, but I have to remind myself that no one beat me. It's happened many times before. It will happen again. But sooner or later I'll do it right.

Q. Was it similar to the pressure of the Ryder Cup?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, pretty similar.

Q. Elaborate, at what point

DAVID HOWELL: Well, your heartbeat goes up tremendously. I don't know what it gets up to.

Q. You feel it pumping?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, that's the main thing, basically and thoughts going through your head, but just try and clear your head. It's just a 5 iron, hit the shot and stay focused. I took my time, trusted everything right, just swung it basically. Simple as that. Your heart rate going up is the main things I would suggest, and when you get in that position and then you get to the green and your hands are shaking, you know, which is nothing I'm not used to. It's happened many times before and I've hit many good putts. The good side to it was the fact that at least in the playoff, you know, when I had a 6 footer to stay in it, you know, I'm a good putter and that set up to the pressure and I hit a good putt.

Q. Would you use a mind coach?

DAVID HOWELL: No. I've had one afternoon. Thought about it.

Q. What would make you decide not to go there?

DAVID HOWELL: Because just the way I've looked at my career and the way I've done, the way I see myself, and for many years I've got I've always felt I've done really well with the actual physical game that I've had. I've always overachieved, that's not the right word what I'm trying to say, but I've always done well. I've always coped with bad things on the golf course very well. I've handled myself very well under pressure many times. The way I see it at the moment, the one thing that falls down is my main swing that I've changed so much. And again last week, to me, I'm making a major change, certainly a thought process on a Wednesday afternoon, I've got four days, but you put that under pressure, four days, trying to think about the club face open and closing it down on the downswing. It's difficult when you have to hit the money shot as they say.

My swing is vastly improved. Do I have to not think about it yet? No. It's not that settled. It's not that ingrained in me yet. I'm getting very close which I will learn from if I keep playing as consistently as I am at the moment. You know, sooner or later, if I don't end up winning a tournament, if it's not next year, four or five more chances, obviously that side of things, I will certainly think about doing. But I think I'm just going to learn I'll do it right sooner or later and I'll hit the shot when it counts, and I'll learn so much from that and take so much from that that I'll be able to do it again and again.

GORDON SIMPSON: Well played again. Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts.

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