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BMW INTERNATIONAL OPEN

August 30, 2006

David Howell

MUNICH, GERMANY

KLAUS WAESCHLE: Good morning and welcome to the first press conference of the BMW International Open 2006. We welcome David Howell, welcome here in Munich, defending titleholder. And very important, how do you feel, if everything goes right, to write history, to be the first player on The European Tour to lead the Order of Merit from the first to the last tournament?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, obviously it would be a wonderful achievement, but I have to play a bit better than I have in the last couple of months if that's to happen.

So I'm looking forward to trying to take a step in the right direction this week and hopefully win three BMW tournaments in a row, and increase my lead at the top. That's obviously the plan.

KLAUS WAESCHLE: You just talked about an injury when you entered here which handicapped you, so what happened exactly and how do you feel in the moment.

DAVID HOWELL: It was the neck and shoulder combined in the last day of the PGA two weeks ago, which was a bit of a blow, and it had been steadily progressing throughout last week. But it's still not quite behind me, so you know, a bit frustrating, but I think I'm on the right track and hopefully I'll be fully fit just as soon as possible.

Q. You did something to your knee as well at the PGA, didn't you?

DAVID HOWELL: I did. I lined a putt up on the 10th, I don't know if it was Friday or Saturday now actually I think it was Saturday, and as I got up, I just strained a muscle just to the left of my kneecap. It's just getting more ridiculous as the years go on now, now I'm getting injured lining up my putt; I don't think I should plan a Senior Tour career, that's for sure, but that cleared up in a couple of days, and I would just say that the shoulder and neck seem to be improving as well. Hopefully just in the nick of time.

Q. Are you planning on playing before the Ryder Cup?

DAVID HOWELL: I have next week off and then I'm obviously in The Match Play. So I'll take it relatively easy next week depending on how I play this week and how my body feels. A bit of practise to be done, as well, and we all seem to be in top form. So just a case of getting the balance right in doing some good constructive work next week and also getting some rest.

Q. Will you attempt to take more time off or you play better when you're fresh anyway, don't you?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, there's not many weeks at the moment that you can take off, really. I'm obviously fighting for the Order of Merit, so I'm not likely to pull out of the World Match Play. I'm obviously defending this week and this is a great event to be at anyway, and we just had a major and a world tour event. So next week would be the only conceivable week off before the Ryder Cup anyway.

Q. How worried are you about turning up at The K Club in one piece?

DAVID HOWELL: I'm not worried about my health. I think I'll be fine by then. Like I said, if I'm not injured once every six weeks, something is wrong, and I probably got this one out of the way just a couple of weeks before the Ryder Cup which will be good. I think I'll be fully fit by then and hopefully, you know, in good form as well.

Q. How would you say your golf has been this year when you've been healthy and not injured?

DAVID HOWELL: Inconsistent really. I had a strange year compared to last year where I was unbelievably consistent and to be very patient for the win to come along this week last year. This year was different, obviously play played some nice golf at start without any great results really over in America, and picking up the BMW Championship obviously was a huge thing. And then I've been in a very inconsistent since then, so a very different year.

But I've won, what, two big tournaments, including the HSBC so it's going to be a great year no matter what happens. Obviously I would have liked to coupled that with being as consistent as I was last year. I'm working hard, trying to get my swing back on track, but you know, hold my hands up and say I haven't played great for the last two or three months. It's been very frustrating after two or three years, with my golf pretty much in top form. It's been quite a tough period and a little bit of a shock, as well. But it certainly brings you back down to earth as we know this game always does.

Q. Your place on the Ryder Cup team has been secure for a long time, but other guys still have some work to do this week. Are you surprised that Jose Maria Olazabal has decided not to come here and finish off the job?

DAVID HOWELL: I'm not sure to be honest with you, I haven't really been inspecting the list to see what's been going on. If he's in ninth or 10th place I'm not sure

KLAUS WAESCHLE: 0.27 in front of Monty.

DAVID HOWELL: I'm sure Jose Maria has had a good look at it and feels safe. History does show that a couple of people have taken the last week off and missed out. I'm sure if I was in his situation I'd be playing, but Jose has got much more experience than me. So he's probably right and I'd be the one here fretting and struggling to keep hold of my place and it will probably all pan out in the end anyway. He loves the Ryder Cup more than anyone in Europe. So I'm sure he's doing right thing to play well, and he's obviously pretty convinced he's going to be there.

Q. You've talked in the past about wanting to be one of Woosie's Ryder Cup rocks, can you see yourself not just fit, but getting the game back in time to be one of the leading players?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, well, I hope so. I mean, I'll be the first to say if I was playing as I have the last couple of months, during the practise sessions if Woosie has been watching might not think of me as that. Golf, form is temporary, as they say, and I'm pretty convinced that come the week, I'll be ready. And if I am, then hopefully Ian will see me as someone that he wants to play on Friday morning.

But that being said, the Ryder Cup is as much about sort of sacrifice; it's not about personal achievement, and you do whatever has to be done for the team to win. So anybody who is not playing great I think is always happy to put their hands up and sit a match out. So if I'm in that situation, I'll be happy to do that, but I'm not planning to be in that situation, so we'll just have to wait and see what comes along.

Q. When do you start getting worried building up that you haven't found your game, and will you be worrying about things like that, or are you quite confident that everything is going to be fine for the week?

DAVID HOWELL: I was playing pretty poorly going in and I ended up hitting a 6 iron that was the shot of the year and was everybody's hero, so that little bit of history shows me that it's match play, it's different. I played some awful golf last week and shot 67 on the first round which would have beaten Tiger on two of the three days.

So 18 hole match play, there's no rhyme or reason to it sometimes who wins. It's not to be comfortable playing if you're not playing well, I know that from experience; you want to be comfortable with your game. But over the years I'm sure there's been plenty of people that turn up at Ryder Cups in top form and still play. I'll work hard next week if I'm able to, my body, and who knows, I might have won this week and the World Match Play by then and I'll be everybody's first choice to play on Friday morning.

So we'll have to see what happens. But I'd certainly like to be absolutely ripping it now and totally healthy and really looking forward to it; that could be the case, and I could injure myself next week. We take what we've got.

Q. How important do you think it is to have a strong Irish presence on the team at The K Club, and secondly from what you've experienced at Oakland Hills, how do you view Paul McGinley as a team player?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, which one shall I tackle first? I think the Ryder Cup in Ireland would be absolutely fantastic if there weren't any Irishmen on the team, and I think it will be obviously that little bit better. It's going to be great support there. It's not needed for there to be three Irishmen on the team for the Irish crowd to come out and support the European Team fully. That being said, obviously they will be that much more excited if they do have two or three players on the side. It's going to be a wonderful event. Paul was enormous for the Ryder Cup in the last couple of years, and it would be a great shame obviously if he wasn't there.

I'm pretty sure he will be, you know, come the moment, Paul will be ready to play in Ireland and is looking forward to it for a long time. He's had a tough year, he's had his trouble with his health and his knee and things as well, so come that Ryder Cup, when that comes around, I'm sure he'll be there and he'll be rearing to go, and there will be plenty of Irish there to cheer him on.

Q. Just to follow up, obviously, you think Darren Clarke possibly should play or would be a contender for the team?

DAVID HOWELL: Everyone would love to see Darren on the side at the end of the day, but you know, obviously Darren is in a situation that no one, I'm sure if anyone has ever been in the situation with his personal problems, obviously just so close to the Ryder Cup, I don't know what his mentality is, whether he wants to play or not. You hear rumours, but that's all I know, however Ian is thinking, I don't know, so I really can't come on the situation. I'm going to sit firmly on the fence, and I'm sure between the two of them, they will come up with a decision that they think is best.

Q. The American side were in Dublin during the week for two days of practise. Were you impressed by that effort, to make the effort to come over?

DAVID HOWELL: Very much so. Just goes to show how much they care about, you know, winning back the Ryder Cup. Their captain is obviously really getting the troops together. And I believe ten of the guys were always going to go, and he managed to convince Tiger and Phil to change their plans, which just goes to show how much they care about the thing.

And I also believe that with I think the four rookies that a few people have been surprised have made the team is probably just an advantage for the U.S. side. They are going to be so excited and so much positive energy flying around the team room. I know what it was like with four or five rookies on the last time for us, and that worked out very well and to our advantage. I think it's just about to turn the corner where they are obviously very intent on righting the last two or three Ryder Cups, and taking the trophy home, and that's when they are going to be at their most dangerous.

So it's going to be a very tough match to win I'm sure.

KLAUS WAESCHLE: Among the 12 names, is there one you one person you would like best to meet on the Ryder Cup Sunday.

DAVID HOWELL: Well, not really, I don't look at it as that. It's a team collective thing. You know, beating Tiger is just as important as beating Vaughn Taylor or whatever, it doesn't matter who you play, a point's a point, you've got to win that point, so not really.

KLAUS WAESCHLE: Thank you very much, David Howell, good luck here for the tournament, have some fun today with the Pro Am.

End of FastScripts.

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