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VOLVO MASTERS

October 25, 2006

David Howell

SOTOGRANDE, SPAIN: First Round

GORDON SIMPSON: David, you're here, but more in mind than body I think. Still ailing a bit your injury, I believe.

DAVID HOWELL: I haven't hit a shot. Shoulder is poor. And I've got a big decision to make, really, and struggling to make it. Don't know whether I'm going to be well, I just don't know what to do really at the moment. I'll probably hit some balls later today and see how it feels. See how it reacts in the morning, but my chances of playing are 50/50 at best.

So, you know, it's not the position I want to be in that the all, and to not try at all is going to be very difficult decision to make at this stage. And I'm obviously in with a chance of winning the Order of Merit, still a possibility, but I'm not fully fit. Haven't hit a shot in ten days.

GORDON SIMPSON: When did you last hit a ball?

DAVID HOWELL: The Frys.com in America. Yeah, it's an awkward one to make. Sometimes my head is stronger than my heart and sometimes my heart is stronger than my head.

GORDON SIMPSON: Very depressing coming into such an important event.

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, it is a bit, I was out there seeing everybody swinging out there on the range happily. It's the Volvo Masters, very frustrating, I'd like to be out there myself hitting balls. I pulled out of the Pro Am because I didn't think I had any chance of making five rounds of golf.

GORDON SIMPSON: When do you think, you'll leave it to the last minute? You're due to go off late tomorrow.

DAVID HOWELL: I'm due to go off late tomorrow, which is why I pulled out of the Pro Am, which gives me another 27 hours of recovery time.

But I do think I need to hit some balls to see how it reacts. I don't want to just go out and play tomorrow and then I have to withdraw anywhere. I'd rather try and make the sensible decision for numerous reasons. My heart is telling me I want to have a go and could possibly sneak in top three or top two but my mind says it's very unlikely in the state I'm in. I'll leave it to the last minute. I haven't spoken to David Garland, but if I withdraw late, the guys can play a threeball at the back of the field I'm assuming. Hopefully it won't mess everybody else up too much. But obviously I have to make a decision for myself, and I'm struggling to make the right one, and I'm not sure what the right one is to be honest.

Q. Are you better than you were a week ago?

DAVID HOWELL: I am better than I was a week ago. Last Monday I could lift my arm there (indicating partial bend) hurt, and now I could get it, probably got 80 percent of my movement without pain. But very concerned, if I go out and play with the state the muscles are in around the shoulder, if I tear something, then I'm out, the rest of the year gone.

Although, this is the season ending tournament. Obviously there's plenty more big events to play in. I wouldn't want to be having two months off injured. I also want to win the Order of Merit. So I'm struggling to make a wise decision, which probably would be to go home and just admit that I'm not fit and it just a little bit beyond me.

But I've got to leave it and give myself every chance. You know, live in the hope that maybe I could feel a little bit better tomorrow, nudge it around level par and hopefully the shoulder improves rather than deteriorates and I'm still in the tournament and things might progress. Obviously all these are not overly likely.

Q. How many other events do you have this year?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, I'm defending Shanghai, I'm due to play in Japan, Million Dollar, Tiger's event, and Luke picked me for the World Cup. I have quite a lot of nice big events I'm due to play in. I'm not trying to look beyond this week. Winning the Order of Merit would be a massive achievement, and also winning the Volvo Masters obviously.

But, you know, all things point to the fact that there's going to be a very difficult task not being fully fit against a great field.

Q. When you say you could nudge it around level par, have you got a way of playing that doesn't hurt?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, it's not like I haven't hit a ball in ten days so I don't know. I've played with similar conditions in terms of my shoulder before. It just affects my performance. I'm sure I could go out tomorrow and play and whether I play well or not is a different matter. I'll probably get it around. I don't think I'll suddenly break down on the 5th and not be able to swing a club. The worst my shoulder has been this year was at the PGA on Sunday. And I was fine on Saturday, I woke up Sunday on the range, and I haven't been right since. That was as bad as it's been for a long time and I couldn't play. I shot 81 and that really was which I having drivers down the fairway or trying to. I was severely injured and should have withdrawn really and obviously I'm concerned that if I play I'm going to end up in the same state.

Q. Was there one shot that brought it back on again?

DAVID HOWELL: No, I just haven't been fully right since then. We patched me up the next week, Val did a great job in the physio and we managed to pitch up at the NEC and I shot it was funny, I shot a good first round, and you think things might be all right and then it deteriorates, or my game deteriorated and I finish 40th and you think, I shouldn't have bothered. Then I pitch up in Germany and nearly win, and then the following week I couldn't hit a shot or eight days. That was more neck than shoulder.

The Match Play I was totally unprepared for and lost. And then the Ryder Cup worked out well. I've had enough good things still keep happening to think, well, I can keep going and then I had to play in America. Probably should have hit one shot and just registered an event. That's what my physio wanted to do, so I didn't feel quite that bad and sure enough I was doing all right.

Q. So you flew to America knowing that you might not get through it?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, they wanted me to hit one shot and advise the U.S. Tour that would they rather me do that or rather give me some sort of medical, they said no, we can't give you a medical, we'd rather you just tee off. They accepted that, but that's not my style. I didn't want to go and take advantage of their rules really.

So I gave it my best shot and Sunday morning I just had to withdraw. So I've had about ten days' rest now. It's better but I'll probably need three weeks off. If I don't play this week, I'll get three weeks off and I don't win the Order of Merit.

GORDON SIMPSON: Has it been causing you a lot of mental anguish trying to reach that decision?

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, it's pretty stressful, pretty depressing. Obviously thinking about it a lot. Obviously if I made a light decision and go home, then I'd have to live with the decision that I never knew the final event, if I win, I'm in the Order of Merit and I haven't given it a go. That's the tough thing for me knowing that no matter what happens if I win, I win. I think that's the situation. It's a tough call to not even try.

Q. Is it certain that you won't make a decision today?

DAVID HOWELL: I'm going to have a meeting I'm going to have physio after I speak to you guys, I'm going to get my little entourage together and discuss all their views. And I'm probably going to hit balls later, probably hit 40 shots and maybe try to recreate a round of golf and see how it feels in the morning.

I'll probably struggle to withdraw without hitting any balls to see how it feels. So, that's the situation. I don't think I'll withdraw today. I think if a decision is made it will be tomorrow.

Q. That's comforting from our point of view. We're thinking selfishly.

DAVID HOWELL: Yeah, no, I'm sure I won't withdraw today.

Q. How many events this year do you think you've been less than 100%?

DAVID HOWELL: Well, I haven't been 100% since the PGA, so that's six, seven events or something.

But lots of guys play, athletes can only perform 100% two or three times a year, so 90 percent fit is probably good enough. That's the normal. British Masters I was really injured there. I was only 70 percent going into the BMW Championship; but that's the problem. And I was improving and I win by five shots. And that's the difficulty trying to make a decision of withdrawing this week.

I haven't been able to practise as I would like to practise since about June. I limit myself to a hundred shots most sessions, which is ridiculous really. It's my first year trying to play both sides of the Atlantic, trying to win the Order of Merit, trying to play plenty of Europe, and as many people have found it is, it takes its toll.

Q. Is there a little voice in there saying, 'I can't withdraw from this?'

DAVID HOWELL: I've got a voice on each shoulder yeah. One is telling me to go home and stop being ridiculous; the other one is saying, if you go home, you might regret that decision for a long time to come. It's a very difficult situation really. I don't think there's any right or wrong, really. I'm just obviously I'm just very fearful of playing and then having another six or eight weeks off. That's the worst case scenario. And I'm not naive enough to think that me 50 percent fit, not having hit balls in 12 days against a great field has a chance of doing much. It could happen, but it's a slim chance.

Q. Do you know what it is?

DAVID HOWELL: No, I couldn't possibly go through it.

Q. But part of it is part of your concern and aggravation or frustration is not because it hasn't been clearly diagnosed; the way I understand, you don't want to tell it, but you perfectly understand what the problem is?

DAVID HOWELL: I do. And I need to rest. I'm not planning to have at the moment my plan is to basically try and get through the rest of the year as best I can and then I'm going to start very late for me next year, I'm going to have eight weeks off basically and a strong fitness campaign, lots of rest and try to get really in good shape for next year. That's my plan. I know what I need to do and everybody that's involved with me all agree on what I need to do. I just need to get the time to do it.

Q. It's muscular?

DAVID HOWELL: It's posture. I've got a condition in my spine which predisposes me to problems in my mid back which my shoulders take the strain and they get tired, weak, and they are doing the job for sort of other part of the body. Numerous things I need to do including improving my posture, getting a bit stronger bit more mobility in the shoulder area. Lots of things. I think it's going to plague me forever. It's managing that better than I have this year at the end of the day. I'm going to have to play less, be better I try as hard as I can. I just need to do more of it.

Q. Surgery come into it at any point?

DAVID HOWELL: No, it's not surgery. No, it's not that sort of problem. I haven't torn anything. Obviously the worry comes any play this week, I've had minor tears in certain muscles that region before and I know it's two months off basically. I don't want it to happen again.

Q. Might it affect you if you were not a professional golfer?

DAVID HOWELL: No, basically golf and my body don't particularly go together, which is a bit of a bummer. (Laughter) I knew I should have been an English captain, I would probably only play three days a year then. It's frustrating, in all walks of sporting life, some people, Frank Lampard, probably never misses a game, and Bryan Robson was injured all the time. There's no rhyme or reason to it really. It's just the way we're built.

Q. Can you sleep at night or are you uncomfortable lying down?

DAVID HOWELL: No, no, it's not that bad. I have to put my shoulder in quite awkward positions now to recreate the pain. It's not that painful. As I sat here now, I'm not in any pain. Just the golf swing aggravates it.

Q. Is the pain in the golf swing as well? Do you reach a certain point and go 'ouch'?

DAVID HOWELL: No, I'm not flinching well, I don't know now because I haven't hit balls in so many days. Las Vegas or whatever, I just know I'm not in massive pain when I swing, but I'm restricted and my performance is affected. The shoulder is not working as it should do, and can't hit a darned thing straight. Doesn't bode that well when you're on the tightest course in Europe.

Q. Talking your chances down, is there a bit of psychology involved there?

DAVID HOWELL: No. I'm trying to be very honest with myself. You know, if I yeah, I'm just trying to be very honest really as I always am. As I said earlier, I'm sure if things went great tomorrow, I could probably nudge it around level par. I'm a good player, I haven't played for ten days but that's not the be-all, end-all. We play practise rounds after having time off and shoot great scores. Might do better than that. Does it mean it's going to continue for the rest of the week? No. Does it mean my shoulder is going deteriorate? Don't know. It's a tricky win. I'm racking my brains to make the right decision, trying to get the right advice from the people I surround myself with and they have all got mixed opinions as well.

Q. How about some nice bonuses that kick in with winning the Order of Merit?

DAVID HOWELL: They would be few, but not enough to sway my opinion.

GORDON SIMPSON: Thank you. David, good luck.

End of FastScripts.

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