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

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP

May 26, 2006

David Howell

VIRGINIA WATERS, ENGLAND

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Thanks for coming in, David. A very fine afternoon's work. You must be a happy man.

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, delighted. Quite apprehensive going out to be honest with you, the wind gusting up and saw Nick had got to 8 under and Luke was 6 under at one stage, and I said I didn't think I would be sitting here at 11 under at the end of the day, and I guess one of best rounds of golf I've played.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: As you say, wind is difficult, your back, makes me wonder what we can expect when you are fit and comfortable.

DAVID HOWELL: Maybe about 76. Yeah, as I said yesterday, my back, it's an issue after the round, I can't practice too much, as much as I would which is probably no bad thing and it's not really affecting me on the course so that's not a worry. Just had a good day. Didn't start off too well. Didn't play the first three holes particularly well at all, and then it just really clicked and things went my way and when I hit a poor shot, just gave myself a birdie chance, 15, for instance. Hit a poor shot, looked for the world I was going to make 5, ended up making 3 and sort of tried to ride the crest of that wave right to the end and played the last two very aggressively and managed to make two 4s.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Just run through your card. You started at the 3rd with a bogey.

DAVID HOWELL: Missed the green with a 4 iron, hit a poor putt for par.

Then actually missed a 5 foot putt for eagle on 4.

Then hit a 2 iron to the 5th which is one of the holes that's playing extremely difficult and very different from last year, holed a 20 footer there for birdie.

9 was into wind and delightful birdie there, driver and a 3 iron, surprised myself. That was about 30 feet.

10, 7 iron to ten feet.

12, I hit two nice woods on to the front edge of the green and 2 putted.

15, as I said, I sort down the right a little bit and managed to get a lie and slice a 6 iron around the trees to 20 feet.

Then knocked it onto 17, just on the fringe on 18, as the fringe was a bit boggy.

But actually I holed I hit a poor chip at the last. I hit it three and a half, four feet past and would have left a real bad taste in my mouth had I not birdied the last. So one of those flush putts you feel that, yeah, it was going to be a great day, anyway, but I would really have been annoyed if I had not made a 4 after my second shot. So I was delighted to finish with that nice second shot on the last.

Q. With what kind of mentality do you have to have with the back?

DAVID HOWELL: No, I mean, I don't want to make too much of my back at all. Yesterday afterwards, I didn't hit any balls, where normally I would have done, went and saw my physio. I'm okay. I can give it a good whack. It's not affecting me on the course. Absolutely no excuses. Should the weekend go badly, if my back has been like the firs two day, it will be nothing to do with that. It's fine.

Q. Any stigma from that?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, Mr. Green I think has got different issues, but very surprised having broken a bone myself if he manages to get there.

Q. You said there it was only last year when you finished fourth that you finally got the hang of this place. What was it, where did it click, where did you start to feel that you can play here?

DAVID HOWELL: I'm not sure, really. I guess just over the years, my early days in this tournament, it was the big tournament I would play in each year and maybe that got to me a little bit. And then I've obviously got better over the years, as well. So I'm more equipped to play the course anyway. Got more experience and I'm a better player. It just took me a few years to produce a decent result here. And obviously, you know, following on from last year's fourth place with this performance so far, things are starting to feel I'm starting to feel slightly more at home here.

When I played at The Match Play, I lost in the first round. That was another couple of niece rounds of golf. I'm feeling more and more comfortable on this course all the time.

Q. You said that this was one of the best rounds you've played David. What are the ones you would compare it to?

DAVID HOWELL: When I won my first tournament, I think I shot 5 under par in an absolute gale at New South Wales. I still think that's the best round of golf I've ever played. I was 11 under par for two rounds I think and way in front of most people. I think that's the best round I've ever played.

And this would come I think this would have to come close behind it. It was really tough out there. The saving grace is the course is so soft. You can get away with it. You can get away with it a little bit. The ball is just going to stop dead where it lands. It don't get me wrong. It was difficult out there and I played really nicely.

Q. You were laid back, but do you get more annoyed now when you don't perform as you know you can; you said you would be annoyed on the last?

DAVID HOWELL: Sorry. I'd be annoyed if I missed the putt?

Q. Do you get more annoyed now because you know what you're capable of when you don't perform?

DAVID HOWELL: No, not really. I've taken more and more things in my stride really. Again I'm getting to the stage where if I just play as I generally do, I do nicely in tournaments. So I guess I'm slightly less stressed about my golf, my coach might disagree. I'm comfortable in my position to be honest with you. I'm not more if I play poorly, no.

Q. Predictions for winning score were a few under par. Here you are 11 under par, what do you think now it might be?

DAVID HOWELL: It might still be. I can't count my chickens yet. Obviously I'm in great position but, it is a tough golf course and not sure what the weather forecast is going to be. But I managed to separate myself from a lot of the guys. Obviously Nick is three behind.

Key for me now is to put a good score on the board tomorrow. You know, strike while the iron is hot, really, and hopefully stretch my lead, if I can do that, then I'm going to be in a fantastic position to win my first BMW. That's going to be my game plan, whether I do it, obviously, is a completely different matter.

I had a really good day today, things have gone my way and golf has a habit of sometimes, you know, biting you when you least expect it and I'll be aware that I need to be aware tomorrow that things might not go all my way but to stick in there obviously being in such a great position.

Q. You don't seem to want to make too much of your injury, and it was bad enough for you to withdraw last week, what happened between last week and this?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, we made some headway with it late last week to be honest with you. We looked at my setup and how I was setting the spine up in my swing, and that was one thing that really seems to have helped and that was late last week. That wouldn't have happened if I would have been in Ireland. I wouldn't have made those conclusions.

I just didn't think that it really, the way it felt at the British Masters, I was pushing my luck playing three weeks in a row, with the third being the BMW. Hopefully coming to the end of this injury, but it's not gone yet.

So it was more precautionary had it been BMW last week, I'm sure I'd have had a go but it wasn't.

Q. So it's not going to be with you for a long time; there is reasonable belief that it's treatable and you're on the way back?

DAVID HOWELL: I don't get the impression that it's going to go away quickly to be honest with you. I don't get the impress it's going to go away quickly.

Q. It's not going to be lifelong?

DAVID HOWELL: I hope not. But to be honest with you, although we're making some head way with it, we're all a little flubboxed as to what's going on. My spine seems to be working well in all the tests we do and my strength is good, but I'm still getting pain and aggravation at the end of the day. The thing is every morning I feel better than the night before, and I'm told with a bad back generally is the other way around, so they are all positive signs. But we are not there yet.

Q. Do you get that feeling when you don't play golf at the end of the day?

DAVID HOWELL: Sorry?

Q. Do you feel that that when you haven't played golf bad at the end of the day?

DAVID HOWELL: Rest on its own wasn't getting it better either.

Q. Will you be in pain tonight?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, I'll go for physio. I'm not in chronic pain or anything, but, I know it's not right and at its worst, it's a little uncomfortable trying to toss and turn when I try to go to sleep. Last night I had no problems and I got to sleep.

Q. In your own mind, this would be a bigger win than beating Tiger in China?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah.

Q. Because of the tournament?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, it's a huge tournament. Shanghai was a new tournament. There isn't much history there, or no history great history now, obviously (laughter).

It's the BMW Championship. This is a different ballgame. And the strongest field that Europe can produce. And I'd be very honored to win it. It's a long way to go but hopefully I can give myself a chance.

Q. Any special feelings playing the BMW tournament, you won in Munich last year?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, well, hopefully that's a good omen for me, and if I keep winning these tournaments, then I guess I'll have to suck up the cash and buy one of these cars eventually.

No, yeah, I guess I have got a nice little feeling with the tournament director of BMW, the promoters, nice to see his face around. Yeah, in a small way.

Q. Nick talked earlier about how he often dreams of winning tournaments. Do you have any dreams of that?

DAVID HOWELL: No, not really.

Q. Why am I not surprised?

DAVID HOWELL: No, not really. (Laughter) I've love to. I can't say I've ever dreamt of winning the Open. I dreamt of playing with Seve at my hoe club once, and there was a pitch away or something. (Laughter) I don't know what happened.

Q. Talk us back to the last putt on the 18th, it looked like you studied it for a long time, was it obviously quite a tricky?

DAVID HOWELL: It was a slightly tricky read anyway. That part of the green is very awkward. Obviously the greens are very soft and 7,000 footprints, if you like, but the greens are playing what they are. It was just up with of those ones, it was eminently missable and it would have been a real bad end to the day. So gave myself a talking to and was very pleased when it went in.

STEVEN FRANKLIN: Well played, David. Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297