home

jobs

	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

DEUTSCHE BANK PLAYERS' CHAMPIONSHIP OF EUROPE

July 20, 2005

John Daly

HAMBURG, GERMANY

RODDY WILLIAMS: Welcome to the Deutsche Bank Players' Championship at Gut Kaden. On the back of a pretty good week last week at St. Andrews, how are you feeling coming into this week?

JOHN DALY: I feel okay. I hit the ball really well last week. The putter let me down on Sunday pretty bad, but other than that, I did pretty good. I got to see the back nine here yesterday. You know, if you hit driver in the fairway, you can score well here.

RODDY WILLIAMS: What do you think of the course, the back nine here this week? Do you look forward to the challenge that it presents?

JOHN DALY: Yeah, the greens are absolutely perfect here, and it's kind of like putting on greens from home, and the golf course is sort of like golf courses at home, too. There's some tight spots in the back with driver, but other than that, if you can hit the fairways, I think you can score pretty well here.

Q. Tell us about last week, it was a good week; studying the World Rankings, a bit disappointing that you have not moved up a bit further?

JOHN DALY: Yeah, because I haven't played very good in the British Open in a long time, and so I didn't have any points coming off last week. I thought I gained a little bit more than that. But you've got to be a mathematician to understand the World Rankings.

Like I said, I think I had 39 putts on Sunday. Otherwise it would have been just a terrific week if I could have just made anything on Sunday.

RODDY WILLIAMS: St. Andrews, would you say that's your favorite Open venue, having won there as well?

JOHN DALY: Oh, yeah, it definitely is. I love Turnberry and I like Muirfield. The other ones I'm not truly, truly fond of. There's so many irons you have to hit at a lot of British Open courses, and St. Andrews and Muirfield and Turnberry at least gives you somewhat of a driver friendly course if you can take advantage of driving over some of the pot bunkers and stuff there.

But St. Andrews is, definitely. I wish the British Open would just stay there.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Talking about Germany, you're a regular visitor to Germany having played a number of events. What is it about the country that attracts you here?

JOHN DALY: I don't know, I've just got a great I've got a lot of friends from BMW. I'm getting to know the Deutsche Bank people pretty good. They sponsor the tournament in Boston, so they are a regular sponsor now on both sides of the world. We appreciate them in the States, as well as the Europeans appreciate them here. It's a great sponsor. Might have to start doing some banking with them or something.

Q. A lot of the players found the greens at St. Andrews quite difficult; did you find them difficult, as well? Was that the source of your putting problems or do you reckon it was something else?

JOHN DALY: They were very inconsistent, and when the wind blows, some greens are more elevated than others and might be a little quicker. Holes like 9, I'm right there right on the edge of the green or on the green and putting, and that green was putting like a green going downhill. And then you roll around, you get to holes like 13, which was half the speed as 9, and that was the difficult part about it.

The short putts, you know, looked they were not easy to make. I don't care if it was a foot or two or three feet. It looked like the grain was just kind of going everywhere, which it usually does, but it was so dry that some greens were faster than others and it made it very difficult to putt.

Q. Just wondering, where are you living this week, because you have the RV at home, you didn't get it across the Atlantic; are you getting used to hotel rooms again?

JOHN DALY: It's a pretty nice one here.

Q. Bernhard mentioned some pretty wicked pin placements on Sunday. Would you agree with that, as well?

JOHN DALY: I thought the pin placements were tough all week. 5 was a little generous one day, but the other ones were either all over, just barely over the mounds on the front of the greens or right around the mounds. Like 2, we never had we never saw a right pin on 2, and I remember in 2000 and '95, we had like two pins on the right of 2. They were all favored towards that bunker on 15, or should I say 16, and so the pins were very, very tough.

Q. When you look at Tiger Woods and you see the ground he has broken in golf, not so much with the game itself, but also the physical element, do you feel tempted yourself perhaps to embark on a fitness program?

JOHN DALY: No. Jack Nicklaus never did and look how many he won. I'm going on that. (Laughing).

I'm not a work out guy. I don't like to work out. It's just not something every time I used to work out, I threw up after I got done, and that's no fun. They don't let you smoke or drink in gyms, so you know I'm not going to have any fun doing that.

Q. When did you last try?

JOHN DALY: When I was with Reebok in the early 90s. I bought equipment for the home everything and did pretty good for six months. But I got real tight in my chest and my swing was just all screwed up and everything and I said, I'll never do it again. So just not for me.

Q. You say Jack Nicklaus never worked out, either. Do you see the other guys, they do seem to be getting fitter to get more length; they are up there with you, you don't have the same advantage anymore?

JOHN DALY: It has nothing to do with physical; it's a talent these guys have and the technology of the golf ball.

You know, if you go back, if you take, say, a balata ball now and put those guys with me and Tiger and Hank Kuehne and guys like that, a lot of the guys would be 40 to 100 yards behind us. It's just technology of the golf ball and the clubs that are making these guys hit it longer. It's not their workout; they just want stamina.

You know, your mind works in different ways. Some guys work out and they think they are hitting it better and further and playing better, that's fine, but I think it's the technology. Me and Tiger, we've talked about it; Vijay, we've talked about it, we're pretty much maxed out what we can do with the golf ball. But the guys that don't hit it as far are getting a lot more roll, they are being able to carry the ball a little further. So it has really nothing to do with working out, I don't think.

Q. I'm not being smart here, but are you conscious of your weight? Are you conscious of your weight on the golf course if you have to play a hilly golf course or whatever?

JOHN DALY: If I get fatter, I just buy bigger clothes. I don't care.

Q. Doesn't affect your game?

JOHN DALY: No. When I lost a lot of weight before my swing got really fast. No, it doesn't bother me. As long as my kids LOVE me, that's all I care about. This ain't a beauty contest out here, anyway, you know.

Q. Yeah, thank God. What weight are you, can I ask?

JOHN DALY: I have no idea. I know my pants still fit, so that's the only thing I gauge it on.

Q. Two questions, first question, how do you think you will adjust to the wind, to the heavy wind here, and second question, that kind goes with the fitness question from my colleague, I was kind of surprised about the sponsor you have on your chest, Hooters. How did that come along; is that your favorite food?

JOHN DALY: Well, the course here with the wind, there's not a lot of options. You know, you've got the greens are pretty soft, so you have to try to get the balls, flying it on the green as close as you possibly can. With the wind, it's going to make is very tough. You take St. Andrews last week you have 25 options you can land it short, try to fly it on or use totally different clubs whatever you wanted to. But here with the wind blowing the way it is, these are greens that you have got to fly on the green and there's no roll up because it's so wet.

When I started my company in 2000, Hooters was the first place that let me park my merchandise trailer that never charges a dime to park there and carried our permits for us. It's become a great relationship throughout the last five years.

Q. Are we entering another year of Tiger domination? Do you admire the guy for what he's done, having the courage to change his swing and having changed his swing; do you see him being as invincible now as he was perhaps in 2000, 2002?

JOHN DALY: It's amazing what he's done. It's phenomenal is what it is. To have ten majors before you're 30 years old, I mean, I was happy to have two, but what he's doing is just incredible.

And I don't know if he's really changed his golf swing. I think he's changed parts of his swing, because his swing looks same as it did ever since I've known him when he was a little kid. His swing has not changed that much. I think he's either taking it back a little slower or keeping it more square, trying to get it more scare at the top or square on the takeaway. His swing looks exactly the same.

I think what's going on, if you look at his putting stats, when he was not winning as much as he's used to winning, he's making putts. And when you make putts, you're going to win. Tiger probably had under 30 putts every day at St. Andrews last week. I don't think I had any putts in the 2020. All of my putts were around 30, 31, 39 putts on Sunday, and that's the difference. People can look at his swing and talk about how he hits the ball everything, but he hit some shots in the gores, I don't know how many bunkers he hit in, but he does make mistakes. When he wins, he doesn't make mistakes with the putter. Makes a lot of par saving putts. It's phenomenal how he does it and keeps his round going and keeps his going. The putter is what is making him win.

Q. How much would it mean to play in the next Ryder Cup at The K Club?

JOHN DALY: I would love it. I'm trying to do my best to get in that Presidents Cup. I'd love to have Jack he's the captain, I'd love to be playing for him. That's been the goal all year is try to get in that Presidents Cup, and I just can't seem to get there. I think I'm like 20th or 21st on that list, so I've got to work to do.

Q. You were very unlucky the year you won the PGA; you just came a little too late to qualify. Is it something you really miss?

JOHN DALY: Yes, it's something it's kind of been weird because, you know, '91 when I won the PGA, it was the last year that the PGA Champion got in the Ryder Cup automatically. And it's been kind of a, I don't know what you'd call it, kind of a jinx for me to got in the Ryder Cup it seems like.

Hopefully, you know, the way we're doing it now, we're doing it the way the Europeans are. Points don't start until next year, first of the year. So there have been three or four years that were the years it didn't count, the double points, and the second year does where I had some really good years in '95. Then my good play was the years where the points didn't count at double and it hurt me. And now that we are doing one year deals like the Europeans are, hopefully next year I can get off to a good start on the west coast and get some points early.

Q. How proud would you be to represent the United States, and equally, how did you feel when you saw how they were beaten at Oakland Hills?

JOHN DALY: Well, it was tough to watch. I actually turned the TV off. I watched something else. I couldn't watch it.

Our guys were not having fun. Like the way the Europeans do it, they were having fun, they were signing autographs, good camaraderie with the Europeans. Our guys just didn't seem to click. I hope Tom sits back and asks the guys: "Okay, who do you feel more comfortable playing with." Don't just point to them and: "You guys are playing together, go out and win." You can't do that.

I believe you've got to get two guys that have played in matches together somewhere down the line, whether it's a money game or whether it's Wendy's 3 Tour or Walker Cups back in college or the World Cup or something. Put two guys that, you know, are good together that have fun and can win. We all thought the Phil Mickelson and Tiger, that was that wasn't a good match because they are both veterans and should have been playing with rookies, is what we thought.

Q. Do you think it's difficult for two veterans to play together because of all the competition against each other on the golf course, is that what you mean?

JOHN DALY: That, and I think it puts too much pressure on them to get a point. They are favored to win but it puts too much pressure on them. I would believe that Tom learned from what Hal did, and I know Hal feels he made a mistake putting those guys together. But you've got to put the veterans with guys that haven't been there before to help them, and I think they feed off each other a little better. Instead of putting two guys up there and say, okay, you've got to win, which Phil and Tiger are used to winning, but it's kind of stuff when you have two totally different games doing that.

Q. Tom was saying that Ryder Cup pairings are a partnership that is almost like a marriage.

JOHN DALY: Well, if that was the case, some of the Ryder Cup Matches would last longer than some of my marriages. (Laughing).

But no, it's just friends. You've got to play with somebody you enjoy playing with, and you get confidence that way and you get positive vibes. You don't have the pressure, you have to win that match. "Tiger and Phil, you've got to win, man, you've got to get it started and you have to win." I don't care how good they are. It puts a lot of pressure on our top notch guys and Tom won't do that. I don't think he'll do that.

Q. What about someone saying he's too tired to represent his country on Saturday afternoon at a Ryder Cup match?

JOHN DALY: Who is that?

Q. Who was it Chris Riley.

JOHN DALY: He was too tired?

Q. Yes, to play in the foursomes on Saturday afternoon.

JOHN DALY: Yeah, I remember when Tony Jacklin, I think it was Tony Jacklin, and Bernhard, said he was a little tired and Tony said, "No, you're playing too good, go play," and he won.

Even for myself, the adrenaline, even as fat as I am, I can make 36 holes playing in a Ryder Cup, I promise you.

Q. Certainly for your country.

JOHN DALY: Yeah, exactly.

Q. Why do you play this tournament this week?

JOHN DALY: Well, I was invited for one. I love coming to Germany. I played the BMW every year and Germany has always been good to me and I love coming here. This is one of the I think one of best tournaments, you know, two tournaments that I play on The European Tour, or these are two of the best ones for me. I haven't played at all of them, but I enjoy it from the hotels to everything, the food and everything is really good. So I enjoy coming here.

RODDY WILLIAMS: Thanks very much and good luck this week.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297