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IRISH OPEN

May 17, 2007

Simon Dyson

ADARE, IRELAND

GORDON SIMPSON: I think everyone said you've got to drive the ball well and the fact that you shot 68, suggests you did that today.
SIMON DYSON: Yeah, it been the best part of my game all year to be fair, and yeah, you really do have to do it here. I played with Notah Begay and he missed a few fairways and all of a sudden he shoots 81. It's very easy to do that here, very easy to do. I mean, I don't remember how many fairways I missed but I think I only missed two in the thick rough and all of the rest I had pretty decent shots in. So, yeah, definitely the key.
GORDON SIMPSON: There won't be many scores under 70 today, so how will that stack up with your best rounds this year?
SIMON DYSON: Yes, definitely one, if not "the"; to the drop a shot on a course like this, you have to be playing well. There's a certain -- there's definitely a certain part of your game that has to be done, and then it was pretty much my driving and iron play that was pretty good today, so I never got myself in trouble much at all.
GORDON SIMPSON: Peter Hanson was the only other person who didn't make a bogey, and you both shot 68.
SIMON DYSON: Exactly. He's obviously played well to shoot that as well.

Q. How has your form been?
SIMON DYSON: I seem to be playing pretty good, I got off to a bad start this year than I did last. I just haven't won one yet. I'd won one yet by this point but I've been knocking by the door. I set myself a goal of Top 10s last year and had four Top 10s and set myself six this year and I've had five under, so it seems to be -- game seems to be in good stead and I seem to be following on from last year.

Q. Have you played anywhere tougher this year?
SIMON DYSON: No. No, definitely not. Definitely not. I mean, there will be a lot of guys playing today who don't feel played that bad and shot like four or five over. It quite easy to do that.

Q. And will that lead to chattering in the locker room or will players generally turn around and say, yeah, that's how it should be playing?
SIMON DYSON: I don't know. I mean, it's like if you go in the rough, I mean, you can get severely punished; whereas, sometimes you don't have to hit a bad drive to get that badly punished. I think someone was saying, it's set up a lot like Loch Lomond but Loch Lomond is a lot more forgiving fairway-wise, they are a lot wider. Maybe if it's that penal it should be a little bit wider.
I think everyone is just enjoying the challenge of playing such a tough course. Every course the rest of the year won't seem that bad now.

Q. Have you ever played one tougher on The European Tour?
SIMON DYSON: No, probably not. A lot of people said like Carnoustie that was tough, wasn't it, how many years ago, seven was it. But on The European Tour, no. I don't remember playing a course that played as tough as that.

Q. Was the wind a factor?
SIMON DYSON: It got windy. It picked up on about 11 and that's what it started blowing quite a lot but it wasn't, like I said in the interview before, it wasn't a penal wind. It helped you on a few holes and yeah, I think the if the wind blew the wrong direction it could be a monster.

Q. Have you played the U.S. Open at Pinehurst? In terms of difficulty, how does that compare?
SIMON DYSON: Very similar. Very similar. I mean, I played terrible there. I mean, I drove the ball really poor but yeah, it was very similar, undulating greens. The only thing with that was the greens were a lot firmer so you have less -- a smaller area to land the ball in. But driving-wise, it was exactly the same, very demanding, just like this one.

Q. So you if were to play at Oakmont, for example, this year, would you feel better prepared to having played this?
SIMON DYSON: Absolutely. Absolutely. Most you play courses like this, the more you prepare better when you come to U.S. Open-type courses. I've only played in one, but hopefully I can play in this one, as well.

Q. Having said that, is some of your goals obviously getting in places like the Top-50, play more majors, you said the goal of six Top-10s, but I presume you've got other ones this year, as well?
SIMON DYSON: Yeah, they were set right at the beginning of the year, and obviously I want to reassess what I've got to do.
Yeah, Top-50 is definitely a goal. I got to 70. I don't know where I am after last week, probably moved down a few. But yeah, they are where you want to be, don't you, playing in the big events -- in the US PGA, and the qualifying in a couple of weeks, Walton Heath. So hopefully I can get to play in that one, as well. A lot of doors open for you if you're in the Top-50.

Q. I've heard more than one person over the years said that they would not be surprised if you played well enough to make the Ryder Cup Team within the next one or two times; is that something you think about?
SIMON DYSON: I haven't thought about it much to be honest even when I was -- after winning last year when I was pretty close, I never really thought about it. I just thought keep doing what you're doing and if it it's good enough, it's a bonus isn't it. Like a lot of guys started thinking about it when they were on the line of getting in and it affected their game and so I was trying not to think about it and try to let the results get me in.

Q. All of the changes you made last year to win, you're talking about nine, Top-10s since then, a couple of wins, are you still sticking to the discipline?
SIMON DYSON: I didn't last week but that was -- I kind of went down there just to relax and prepare for these two weeks anyway.
Yeah, it was funny you should mention that, because I was on the phone to my dad last night and that was one thing I said I wanted to get back into, get back into the gym and build myself up a lot better. Because obviously I had a good year last year and to have a better this year this year I have to put even more work in and I'm not doing that at the minute. I did that at the beginning but now that I'm playing a lot of events, it kind of slips away from you. I'm focusing on playing a few more less events and then getting myself fitter for the bigger ones, as well.

Q. Any Guinness this week?
SIMON DYSON: Haven't touched one, which is good because I'm staying with Anton Haig, so it's good to keep him out. I have a little bet with Chubby that I can keep him out, so I'm trying my hardest. I'm cooking for him every night. We're in a house by the 7th, so I'm the chef this week.

Q. Are you back on the regime again?
SIMON DYSON: Absolutely. It's a big tournament, a couple of big ones next week, so you want to put all your focus into them. So that's what we are doing.

Q. Should you just talk about what you did before the changes? You smoked and drank during the week?
SIMON DYSON: Yeah, exactly, go out, you're a 24-, 25-year-old lad earning money that you never dreamt of, and you're seeing the world; it's very tempting at times. It was pretty much what a few of my mates did, Ken, and Nick Dougherty and they just changed their attitude. I mean, Nick was one, and all of a sudden he's the one going to the gym and earning a million quid a year, and I'm like, I want a bit of it now I think. So, yeah, that's pretty much what I'm doing.

Q. So you've no mates to go out with ?-
SIMON DYSON: Yeah, it gets very lonely it does. Yeah, pretty much that. Just wanted a piece of what they were getting.
GORDON SIMPSON: Showing a bit of discipline.
SIMON DYSON: That's it, showing a bit of discipline and all of a sudden you go out and drink as much as you want --
GORDON SIMPSON: I think it's called maturity, isn't it?
SIMON DYSON: I think it is.

Q. How did you know that when you cooked for those lads and he can -- when you've gone to bed?
SIMON DYSON: I stayed with G-Mac in Dubai and cooked for him every night and he shot 67 first round, 68 second round. And then he went out for a bite to eat and shot 76, so I cooked for him Saturday night and he shot 69. Graeme McDowell, G-Mac.

Q. How much was your dad an influence?
SIMON DYSON: He was always the one saying give it a go because they had obviously put a lot of time and money and effort into getting me into like the top amateur events and to where I was. And then he knew that I wasn't putting all of many my time and effort into being the best player that I could be and everyone was like saying, "Oh, bloody good player, Simon, but just a bit short."
So he was always saying to me, "I just wish you would give it a go." And after what happened with Dougherty and Ken, I just thought, well, why not. I've had a nice four years and earn a few quid; could probably earn a fortune and enjoy it even more.

Q. What's more important - money or titles?
SIMON DYSON: If you had asked me that two years ago, I'd probably have said the money, but now it the titles, definitely. There's no better feeling than when you stood there and holing the winning putt and everyone is applauding you and you're over there with the trophy. It's a fantastic feeling.

Q.So last weekend was just a blip?
SIMON DYSON: Yeah.. I was in bed half nine on Friday night after I shot 78, whatever it was but just a one-off. You've got to do it occasionally I think. People probably focus too much on golf. If it's not going for them, you do need a blow-out occasionally and that was my one, for the year.
GORDON SIMPSON: So what's on the menu tonight?
SIMON DYSON: Well, we're all off very early tomorrow, so I'll go and have a look and see what's nice and easy to cook for them, so we'll see.
GORDON SIMPSON: Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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