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QUINN DIRECT BRITISH MASTERS

May 10, 2006

David Howell

WISHAW, ENGLAND

Q. How is the back?

DAVID HOWELL: I haven't hit any more than about a seven iron in the last month. I have been hitting about 35 shots a day. I have been progressing really nicely over the last week and my back is probably about 85% of its best, which is not good anyway. It is improving nicely and I think I will be fine. I will go on the range this afternoon with my coach an work my way up through the full bag. Possibly play nine holes and see how I feel tomorrow.

Q. What exactly was the injury?

DAVID HOWELL: It wasn't related to last year. Just wear and tear on my body, I played seven weeks out of nine and with a bit of travelling in the middle of that. Just strained one of the joints down the bottom of the back. L-5 as they term it in the lumber region and that was causing pain at the top of the hip. That needed some adjustments from my osteopath and plenty of rest and treatment and here we are.

Q. Are you surprised how long it has taken to mend?

DAVID HOWELL: I didn't realise it was anything that would be this long winded. My health team wanted me to take three weeks off but I was very surprised I wasn't able to play Wachovia last week which was a bit of a blow as it messes my schedule a bit later in the year. But can't play if you are not fit.

Q. What does this event mean to you?

DAVID HOWELL: I have a couple of scores to settle this week and next week after missing out in play-offs. But being off for a couple of months is not ideal preparation. My goal this week is to try and put four rounds on the board and come through in better shape than the start of the week and anything better than that is a bonus. I can't come in expecting to be able to compete with the boys who are fully fit and healthy and have been playing the last few weeks. But stranger things have happened. I have played well after a lay-off before so hopefully it will work out that way for me again.

Q. At the Masters you weren't thinking this is anything to worry about at all?

DAVID HOWELL: I wasn't but it did progress to be quite bad on the Sunday. When we restarted I got down to the seventh after being on the range and I was waiting for ten minutes for the hooter. It started seizing up and I was quite concerned about whether I would get through the day. But once I started swinging it warmed up and it wasn't too bad so I don't want to make any excuses for my form. I was in bad shape that Sunday evening and flying home it wasn't great at all. I didn't think it was anything too bad because I hadn't done anything dramatic. It really was wear and tear which came on gradually. You fear something when something goes suddenly like last year but that wasn't the case at all. It is frustrating but hopefully that is my injury for the year out of the way at possibly not the worst time.

Q. Are you getting a complex about injuries?

DAVID HOWELL: I am very injury prone. My body doesn't cope very well with what I do. I am always going to get injuries and niggles. A lot of the guys are in the same position and others are lucky enough to play for 25 years without much problem at all. I am not of that mould. I just look at it as a weakness in my game. Some guys can't putt, I can't play many weeks without an injury. But it is very frustrating and you do fear something is going to crop up at the wrong time but you cannot legislate against that and I just keep working hard and doing the right things. I am working hard in the gym and I am employing numerous people to try and keep me fit. I am investing time, effort and money to try and keep me on the straight and narrow.

Q. Does the fact you came back so strongly after the injury last year help?

DAVID HOWELL: I can sit there when I have my month off and think I am not going to come back as a bad golfer. I don't feel I have to hit 300 balls a day to stay where I am. I have progressed gradually over the years and have got to a top 20 in the World Rankings and play nicely most times I play. I am not concerned and sometimes it gives you a break from the daily grind of hitting balls. You are able to come back and it is like having a blank piece of paper to start your picture with. You try and get your set up as good as you can. Get the basics right and often you come back swinging better than you were in a run of events. My game was just trailing off coming into the Masters and whether that was my body or faults creeping in again I am not sure but hopefully I can start with a blank sheet of paper and start winging nicely for the next few weeks.

Q. So it could be a good thing?

DAVID HOWELL: You never know - it was last year. I wouldn't have swapped even though I messed up two majors - I won two events at the end of the year and had my best year ever. So I wouldn't swap what happened last year. At the end of the day though you want to stay fit and healthy. It is not easy to deal with mentally but I am getting used to it. This week I have no expectations but as soon as my body is back to 100% then I would expect to play as well as I have done.

Q. Missing Wachovia - how has that affected the schedule?

DAVID HOWELL: I was just going to play the Barclays Classic the week before the US Open and now it looks like I am going to have to play the Booz Allen the week after as well. I possibly would have had a week off. Now it is debatable whether I can play in France as that would be four in a row and I am trying to steer clear of playing four in a row. Have to see how I feel and how my body is. It is starting to mess things up a little bit. I am two or three events behind in America than I would have liked to have been.

Q. What different things are you doing in the gym?

DAVID HOWELL: Nothing different to the last two or three years, just working very hard in balancing my body. Trying to take away the stresses that golf puts on the body. I have been working hard and it is improving but I am not the specimen I should be yet but I am working towards it.

Q. What was the last tournament you played in?

DAVID HOWELL: The Masters

Q. When was the least season you had without injury?

DAVID HOWELL: There hasn't been one. There has always been at least one season with injury. I played injured for a long time around the turn of the century. I had a year long problem. I was a bit naÃƒÂ¯ve at times about the effect not being fully fit had on me. I just went about playing my golf and doing the best I could. I was not until, well not rededicating myself but became more professional and I looked into all aspects of my game that I realised I was playing injured a lot of the time and it was having a big effect on my game. It has been a big help to me being fitter in general. I am still being plagued by the little things which keep me out for a month or two.

Q. Not too much harm done in terms of Ryder Cup points?

DAVID HOWELL: Very fortunate. I would have been a lot more stressed had I not had the start I have. Pretty sure that is going to take care of itself over the next few months and I am in a good enough position not to miss out. That is still my goal to make the team and now, without being complacent, I feel I can concentrate on other things without worrying about that and try and get myself in as good a shape as possible for the week for that week. Two years ago I was just grinding away trying to get in the team.

Q. Since your injuries are fairly regular, have you got a hobby or something you do when you are out?

DAVID HOWELL: Not really. Going to see my physio every day and doing my work in the gym but with a bad back you cannot do much so all other sports are out of the question. Not really, I have just been dossing around.

Q. You don't gamble?

DAVID HOWELL: No, not as much as some. I did go to the horses one day. I was as good as John Daly at gambling but for lesser amounts.

End of FastScripts.

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