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BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 15, 2006

Thomas Bjorn

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

GORDON SIMPSON: Thomas, ten years ago we wondered who Thomas Björn was who won the title here. Now we all know very well. Could you celebrate the anniversary by doing it all again?

THOMAS BJÖRN: Well, there's a chance, obviously. I set out today of giving myself of winning the golf tournament tomorrow and I've succeeded in that. There's no secret, just go out and play golf tomorrow and do the best you can and see if it's enough when the day is over.

But the last two days have been good. Struggled a bit coming in here. I had a week off last week and didn't really find the game. In the Pro Am I played poorly on Thursday, went to the range on Thursday afternoon for a couple of afternoons and started really thinking about what it is I need to do with my golf swing.

It's improved a little bit yesterday. Yesterday I was probably not as good on the greens but today I played really well. Played solid golf, and that's a good thing to take into tomorrow. The game was solid and hopefully it will stand up tomorrow and be good enough.

GORDON SIMPSON: Your putts on 16 and 18, some long ones there that really kept the momentum going.

THOMAS BJÖRN: Yeah, I missed a couple short ones on 14 and 15. You know, with the last three holes here, you can get yourself into a bit of trouble. I hit a poor drive on 16. Actually it was a pretty good shot and just clicked the top of the tree and got away with it and got lucky.

I holed a putt on 17 and two good shots on the last. It was one of those putts I really couldn't see the line myself and I had to get a bit of help from my caddie, and hit it spot on and leaves me one shot closer or whatever it is and it gives me a good chance for tomorrow.

Q. How long was the putt on 17?

THOMAS BJÖRN: 17 was probably 18 feet and 18 was probably 25 feet.

Q. Is this place special to you, or just special?

THOMAS BJÖRN: Well, I think it's both. It has a huge place in my heart. It will always have for anybody that tells you that it's the most special one, it's the one that sets you on their way. So obviously it's very important to me.

But I think all of the players come here and enjoy it very much. I don't think we play a finer venue on The European Tour to be honest. That's my opinion. I think when it's like this, it has not been a links style golf course like this very often, but when it is like this, it's spectacular. You don't find you don't find any place like it anywhere. It's very special. You know, this tournament deserves good weather, and this year it got it.

Q. A lot of top players seem to be struggling to make birdies?

THOMAS BJÖRN: I don't know. It's a tricky golf course. If you're not spot on your game, you can get yourself into trouble coming over. With all of these big run offs on a lot of the holes, it's just a bit of a it's a little fiddly in places and you've got to be on your game.

On this golf course you've got to take on a lot of golf shots. You've got to take on the second shot on the 3 and you've got to take on the second shot on 13 and a lot of guys have taken on the shot on 14. Sometimes you've got to stand up and say: I'm going to take on this shot and go for gold. If you're not spot on your game, then you get into trouble taking on those shots. So that's what it needs to be to do well on the golf course.

Q. You played the final round in 1996 with Jean Van de Velde. Could you have imagined the careers you would both have?

THOMAS BJÖRN: No. I think when you come out on Tour, you know, you have all these little things you want to do. You want to win a golf tournament. In time, you want to make a challenge for the Ryder Cup Team and all these things. You know, when you come out on Tour, you're more hoping than knowing anything, and it was the same for me.

You know, I came out after a strong year in '95 on the Challenge Tour, and you don't really see yourself you almost want to have two or three years into getting your way into playing on The European Tour. And all of a sudden I was pulled in; I won here, and in the three years after I came on Tour, I was in the Ryder Cup Team and I didn't know when was hitting me. It happened very fast for me.

You know, when I think back, I feel like I've been out here for 15 years or 20 years, and I think a lot of people feel that way about me because I made that Ryder Cup Team in '97, but I had not been out here a long time. I've been in that part of golf where, you know, every week, there's something to play for every week. And I thought, you know, being a Danish golfer, you didn't really think that that was possible. But, you know over the years it's change the dramatically and now we've got some good players and they find themselves trying to win golf tournaments every week instead of just being part of the fact.

Q. What's it like being in position

THOMAS BJÖRN: Well, I think that's exactly the way you look at it. You know that's something that's out of your hands and sometimes you're going to win and sometimes you're going to win them very hard. We know as players that you can't win them all and they slip out of your hands sometimes. And you've got to just take that in your stride. Golf, I think for a player, it's all about putting yourself in the position, and the more you put yourself in position so many times, the more chances you get and some of them will go your way.

There are a lot of guys out here that can play very good. Sometimes you play the best golf of your life and you finish eighth, and sometimes you play poorly and you win the golf tournament. That's just the way the game is a little bit. And you can't really get too hard on yourself if they slip by you. You've just got to play on to next week.

And you've got to remember, you sit here on Tuesday and Wednesday, and we all talk about next week, we all talk about what's doing to happen next week, next week, next week, and all of the sudden you sit here on Saturday night and it's about tomorrow. A lot of the players come in and use this as preparation for next week and all of the sudden there are going to be a few guys there trying to fight it out and it becomes about tomorrow.

But, in the overall picture, it's about giving yourself chances. It's about playing good golf on the weekend, and sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. Whoever wins tomorrow, who whoever finishes second, whoever finishes 10th will go on to next week and try again, and that's what it's all about. You can't get caught up in one week because golf is over many years and we have long careers and sometimes it's not going your way and sometimes it does.

Q. You made winter changes for 2007 and 2008. Even if you don't win, is this okay?

THOMAS BJÖRN: Not at all. Not at all. When I get in this position, there's only one thing I want to do, and that's win golf tournaments. That's what it's all about for me. You know, that's what I'm going to try to do tomorrow but I'm, you know if it doesn't happen, I'll go on to next week and be happy that I played two really good rounds this week and be happy that my golf is developing in the direction I want it to.

When you set out early in the year and say I'm going to do this for a long, long time, it's very easy to get caught up in the moment. And I can't get caught up in the moment because I'll also forget the things that I have to work on. So I still have to go out tomorrow and work on the things that I have been working on all year and see if they hold up under pressure because that's the only way I'll learn to hold up under pressure. So I've got to try it out and see how it goes.

Q. You will be with Darren tomorrow. An emotional day?

THOMAS BJÖRN: All of the things that go on with Darren, it extends way beyond golf and the game of golf and any golf tournaments and whatever happens tomorrow with Darren, Darren and I will be great friends on Monday. But, you know, I know Darren well enough that he will go out and try and win this golf tournament. That's what we'll be doing for those hours tomorrow, Darren and my friendship, no matter what happens on the golf course, we'll be friends after we play golf. It's not it's difficult to talk about. It's difficult to talk about those things, and I'm there for him as a friend and I've been through the whole ever since we became friends, I've been there for him as a friend, doesn't matter what it is. That will extend after tomorrow.

GORDON SIMPSON: Good luck tomorrow, and thank you very much for coming in.

End of FastScripts.

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