ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP

October 4, 2023

David Howell

Quick Quotes

Q. 722 events on the DP World Tour. You must be very proud of this milestone?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, it's amazing, really. Kind of something that's built over the last year when other people have mentioned what a milestone and achievement they thought it was.

I haven't really given it so much thought to be quite honest. But once the likes of Mark Roe, Sam Torrance, other people I respect started to talk up what an amazing achievement they thought it was, then I kind of bought into it.

So yeah to get to that number here at the Old Course at the Dunhill Links is absolutely incredible, so really chuffed to be here.

Q. You look forward to be hitting that kind of number but do you have a number in mind if you're not satisfied already that you would really like to hit?

DAVID HOWELL: No, I haven't. Listen, I would love to be out here playing golf on the DP World Tour for as long as possible if my game is up to it. Of late, it's not been so good. So that opportunity will get taken away from me through a lack of brilliance sooner rather than later unless I start playing some good golf again, and that's the way I think it should be. Your career on the main tour comes to an end or you fight and come back. We'll see where things go. I'm proud of what I've achieved so far.

Do I want it to come to a grinding halt? Of course not. But that's the nature of professional sport and it's up to me to try and stay out here longer by playing some good golf.

Q. One of the most prestigious events, here at the Home of Golf, has to rank highly?

DAVID HOWELL: Oh, indeed, you don't get many chances to win at St Andrews as a professional golfer. I played well in the Dunhill. The first one I had a good chance to win. I finished third. Bogeyed 17 and had an opportunity. I think I had three chances to win early on.

2013 was special. I was playing with Ernie, and Ernie had always just got the better of me. I played my first-ever professional event, the South African Open in Cape Town, I played with Ernie. He didn't win but he beat me by one. I always thought at some stage, I might just nip above him and steal a tournament playing with him, and sure enough, that's the way it panned out that day. Ernie didn't play so well, and I was having a storm around the turn and eventually things fell in my favour.

To win on a picture perfect evening, on the most famous of 18 holes in what felt like a comeback win for me. I had two years of good golf and had not managed to get in the winner's circles, and to do it here was an incredible, incredible moment for me. It was as good as it gets.