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HSBC WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP

September 15, 2006

Colin Montgomerie

VIRGINIA WATERS, ENGLAND

GORDON SIMPSON: Okay, everyone, Colin, 72 holes down, 72 to go, how are you feeling at this moment?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yeah, I'll take 144 holes and that's a win. I tend to leave these a bit close, you know.

Before most of you were up, I was 4 down this morning. I was 4 down before nine o'clock. (Laughter) That wasn't very good. That wasn't the script at all. He offed a flyer and I wasn't on any cylinders at all and found myself 4 down. I won this game by getting back to level in the last 12 holes of that morning round. That was very important to get back, and the very next hole after you're 4 down, Christ, the next hole is most important. I either go back to three or go to five. Five, I think that would have been it. But three was a different ballgame.

And I birdied 7 and 8 this morning it get back to two. And I thought, if I can just get in at level, I'll feel I'm 1 up. I know exactly what I did. I got in at level for the 18 holes and I felt 1 up on the first tee this afternoon, and that's what I had to do. You know, he's had a lot of wins around here, obviously, in a row, defending champion and a good win yesterday. So it was a job on.

But I managed to just stay ahead this afternoon. I was never down this afternoon, when I won the second, I was never down, and that was most important. Even on the last, we both were on the bunker on the left and he was very unfortunate actually. One of us had to play first out of that bunker and I was about two inches closer than him. So it was his shot first and I had marked my ball and was told to recreate the lie as best I could, which of course I did. If I had played first, I would have left it in the bunker as well. It's a new bunker, the sand is heavier than most and I left it in there, and I think I'd done exactly the same thing if I had gone first. I hit the ball harder knowing what it expect.

But it was a good putt I holed there. That was a good 10 foot putt, up the hill, left to right. That was a very good putt to hole. I felt if I had missed, he had that for a half and hit it straight into the hole and on we go to the 37th hole. I had to get it in myself and managed to did it. That was a good victory, very good victory, and I'm very tired.

Q. Can you talk about the risk in playing that shot on 17 this morning?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, it was a big risk, not really any risk apart from, one, well, my golf club; and two, if the golf club had gone off, there were far too many people around with that type of shot to be hit and it could have ricocheted anywhere and gone anywhere. So it was a very risky shot this morning. But I managed to get away with it, if you like, but the club obviously clattered the tree and the shaft's taken place, so that was fine.

Q. Were you not worried about your own risk?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No. The shaft goes before any problems, the shaft will just break. My hands are okay. Hands are okay. The club would just break.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of great victories; that said, Wentworth, where would you rank this one?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: That was tough today, you know, 4 down early on, you know, that's a struggle. That's a long day ahead now. You've got to get back in, but not just get back to level, but to get up again. You're not 4 down, you're 5 down. It's a hell of a place to be.

So that's always good when you're that far down, at my age I suppose, oldest in the field, you have a long day ahead, it's going to take everything you've got here. That was very good for me today, very good.

Q. Back to the 7th this morning, did he hit first into that green, because I believe he was inside you, wasn't he?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Yes, he was inside me, and I believe I hit after him. He hit first and I hit second, yes. He was inside. I was about 15 foot and he was about 12 foot this morning and I holed my putt and he missed, and that was crucial. Because if I had gone 5 down, I think that would have been it.

Q. You must feel you've got a decent chance of making a story today.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Better than yesterday. I don't know where he is, has he gone back to Orlando? (Tiger) there was talk about him going home, wasn't there? (Laughter).

Q. Was it about mental strength when you're 4 down, or was it digging deep physically, which one is it?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Mental. More mental I suppose. Physically just about make it. But mental, to actually, you know to get up and come on, this is good, I'm playing defending champion here, and he's 4 up and every hole he's gaining confidence, and every hole he gains, he's swinging the club better and better, and that was difficult, yeah. But it's more mental.

My legs are very tired, and I've got to try and get home and have a math at home or something because I was struggling. I've got a job on to play Paul Casey tomorrow. He's going to be a way, way past me off the tee. I know how far he hits the ball. But I have to get to the greens ahead of him tomorrow, but the only way I'm doing that is from the fairway. If I hit the fairways, I have a chance, but I didn't hit enough fairways this afternoon.

Q. Luke Donald said yesterday he was slightly concerned about the possibility of four long matches this week.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: God, he's 22 for God's sake. (Laughter) Different generation for God's sake.

Q. You don't have a concern?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: No, no, no. I've got Monday off. That's fine.

Q. What happened to your tee shot on the ninth?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I hit it straight on the river line, and that's not in play. (Laughter) so I decided to when I walked up there, I didn't realise it was actually the river line, he's in the middle of the fairway, I thought I'm not walking back down there and back again, another 400 yard walk, so I said, I'm in the doing that again so I gave him the hole.

Q. How far was

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: It doesn't really matter.

Q. You got a good break at 18 this morning when you hit the tree in the bunker?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I did.

Q. Is that the sort of break that can win matches?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: Of course. You win by one hole, that's a break. But, hey, you know, you take it as it comes. I got a break at 18 again today with him playing first. But he hit a couple of bounces this morning, and.

Q. When you say getting up at 8:00 and 4 down before we woke up?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I didn't get up at 8:00. I got up at 5:00.

Q. But how much does two early starts rather than an early/late start make a difference to the routine of a man about town like yourself?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I am no man about town this week. (Laughter).

Q. Sleeping alone?

COLIN MONTGOMERIE: I'm sleeping alone. (Laughter) and I'm getting my Chinese bloody takeaway, again, and that's me. And I'll be doing exactly the same as I did again last night. My man about town boring life.

GORDON SIMPSON: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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