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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 19, 2006

Luke Donald

MEDINAH, ILLINOIS

LUKE DONALD: The course played very similar to really the first two days, a little bit wetter in the fairway because of the rain yesterday, but the greens, again, were very soft. You could throw the ball right at the pin. Yeah, I played more solid today than the first two days. I hit a lot more fairways, more greens. I even had some good chances on the back nine that didn't drop.

But all in all, very happy with the round.

Q. (Inaudible).

LUKE DONALD: I've shot three rounds in the 60s. I've gotten better every day. So tomorrow should be fun.

Q. Tomorrow you get to play with Tiger. How do you feel about that?

LUKE DONALD: Well, all the expectation will be on him, I think. He's expected to go out there, play well and win. That's fine. I'll just play my own game and see what happens. But I'm looking forward to it.

Q. (Inaudible).

LUKE DONALD: Well, tomorrow I don't even think about it. I'm just going to try and play my game. I'm not going to watch Tiger at all. Obviously it's going to be noisy, it's going to be a great atmosphere. But I'm looking forward to it, and we'll see if I can hold up.

Q. What are your expectations about being in the final group in the final round of a major?

LUKE DONALD: You know, this is why I practice. My goals for the last two years was to have a chance on Sunday to compete and win majors. You know, I've put myself in that position right now, and this is really the first time I've had a really realistic chance to win a major come Sunday. I did well at The Masters a couple years ago but I really wasn't in contention. You know, I'm mentally going to prepare. I feel mentally and physically prepared. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day.

Q. Tiger said that the course doesn't feel like a major, that you have to go out and try to make birdies. Obviously you're going to have to approach the final round of this major much differently than you would perhaps any other major.

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, there's going to be some people who are four, five, six shots back that are going to get off to fast starts and make a run for it. You know, Sunday there's always a bit more pressure. The scores probably won't be quite as good and the pins might be a little tougher, but you're still going to have to make birdies. You're going to have to be quite aggressive. Pars aren't going to get it done this week. It's just the way the way the course is set up.

Q. What would it mean for you to have this your first major win here in Chicago?

LUKE DONALD: These are the things you kind of dream about, you know, when you're growing up. You know, it would make it that much sweeter if I was able to win tomorrow playing with Tiger in the final round and in Chicago where I've lived for the last nine years. I've got a lot of great support this week, and it's kept me motivated.

Q. You seemed extremely calm out there, often times smiling, relaxed. Is this the most relaxed you've been at a major before?

LUKE DONALD: It's obviously easier when you're playing well. When you're struggling it's tougher to stay that positive. But I felt like I've been swinging pretty well this week, and that's obviously helped. But the two go hand in hand a little bit obviously. If you're playing well, then the mental side is going to be a little easier. You know, I felt very comfortable out there. You know, there were nerves, definitely, at the beginning and the end. But you've still got to have fun and just trust every shot.

Q. Everybody talks about taking advantage of the par 5s with the softness of the greens. Are all these par 5s reachable for you?

LUKE DONALD: Today with the wind direction they weren't. I reached the 5th hole with a driver and a 2 iron, and when I played 7 it was into the wind, so I couldn't get there. And then the wind switched a bit. So 14 switched again, and it was kind of in off the right. The wind, with the way it switched today, I could only reach one of them. But the last two days I've been able to reach three out of four.

Q. Realistically is there anything you have done in your career that can prepare you for what's going to happen tomorrow?

LUKE DONALD: Sure. I've been in position to win Tour events, in Europe, in America. I won the Target Challenge last year in a strong field. But this is going to be more pressure and a little bit different. But I've experienced very similar things before.

End of FastScripts.

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