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BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 11, 2007

Luke Donald

LUSS, SCOTLAND

GORDON SIMPSON: Welcome back to the Barclays Scottish Open, and the honeymoon is over, literally. Time to get back to work now the next two weeks and fairly high on your list of priorities I would imagine.
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I usually wouldn't take three weeks off without touching a club, but I guess you only get married once, or hopefully only once. (Laughter)
But no, I think the positive side is I feel very refreshed and got a little bit more of an appetite for the game and excited to be back here. This place has been quite kind to me the last couple years. So you know, the game feels actually pretty much where I left off. So not too rusty and looking forward to this week.
GORDON SIMPSON: So how was the wedding bash on Santorini?
LUKE DONALD: Yeah, everything went amazingly well. I think everything we envisioned came to life, and it was a great wedding. I think everyone had a lot of fun. So all went well that week.
GORDON SIMPSON: I'm sure there's a few tales to tell but never mind.
LUKE DONALD: We had three or four days really. We had a boat cruise, a traditional Greek dinner which is where we did plate smashing on Friday. And we had a grooms dinner, a brides dinner, and then the wedding was on Sunday. So it was a good bash.

Q. Any players come?
LUKE DONALD: Sergio was there. David Howell came as well, because he was too injured to play golf, so thought he could pickle his liver instead!

Q. Will the time off be a factor?
LUKE DONALD: Well, time will tell. But you know, just on the range, the ball-striking feels fine. I think I've got to put in some good work the next few days on the short game. That's usually where you lose a little bit of touch and a little bit of feel. But no, these greens are not overly quick. I think to get the pace right this week, it's not going to be too hard.
So I'm not too worried. I think, you know, it's nice to have a refreshing break now and again. I usually wouldn't have chosen this period to do it, but you know, still, I think I'm going to be fine.

Q. How long does it usually take you to get back after some time away?
LUKE DONALD: The first couple of times I played, you know, definitely you lose your timing a little bit and you feel a little bit rusty. But it really only takes a few days really to get back into it. Just a bit of repetition on the range, hitting a lot of golf balls just to get that timing and that feel back.
In the past I've taken longish breaks in the winter, especially when I first came on Tour. I was taking five, six weeks and coming back fine, so not too worried.

Q. Anything from that period not to worry about -- been a while since you have won.
LUKE DONALD: That's right, yeah. It does feel quite a long time and hopefully want to amend that soon. I think if anything is disappointing about this year is I haven't won. I've come very close two times and second is almost more disappointing than missing a cut sometimes; you get so close.
Staying patient, staying there, focusing on what I need to do and hopefully the wins will come.

Q. Is there something different from last year you can improve?
LUKE DONALD: I like this golf course. I think it suits my eye quite well. Even though we're in Scotland, it's an American-style golf course and feels similar to some of the courses I play in the U.S.
I can't really think back to last year what I needed to improve. I'm trying to think back -- I don't remember. I kind of snuck up the leaderboard a bit on the last day and was surprised to finish as high as second. But I just think you've got to take your opportunities when you get them around here. There's quite a few opportunities for birdies, and play those par 5s quite well.

Q. What courses in America does this remind you of?
LUKE DONALD: Well --
GORDON SIMPSON: Not many with a loch, is there?
LUKE DONALD: Just has that feel, I suppose because of the big, wide open fairways, the kind of sectioned-off greens. I'm just trying to think where there might be -- not really a Muirfield Village. It's a course I enjoy very much. I think it's a very good design. I think Tom Weiskopf, right, did it? I think he did a great job.

Q. I forgot to ask you this earlier - What is the toughest par 3 in Britain?
LUKE DONALD: You did ask me that. I think I said 16th at Carnoustie.

Q. When is the last time you played there?
LUKE DONALD: I played there back in early May. I had a day for RBS, one of the R&A days. Caught a reasonable day, it was quite chilly, but the course didn't look like they were setting up with huge amounts of rough. It looked like they were going to let the weather dictate scoring this year rather than how it was in '99.

Q. Other people that have played there, they say the fairways are the same width as they were in '99 but the rough is not as tough.
LUKE DONALD: There are a few differences. One hole, the 6th, was very different in '99. The lay-up area was squeezed in to around 12, 15 yards at max. And remember, that hole you're hitting drive and a 2-iron just to lay up where you would be hitting a 7- or a 6-iron for your third shot. You had to really squeeze in between that, there's a little stream on the right and they brought the rough in from the fence. I think a few holes were definitely a little bit more narrow.

Q. Have you ever played a course as difficult as that?
LUKE DONALD: I suppose you don't really think about it too much because that was my first major championship. I was just there, just try to have some fun and nothing really to lose. I played poorly the last four holes both days, and was 8-over par for the last four holes over the Thursday and Friday and I missed the cut by two shots.
But I got to play with the eventual winner, Paul Lawrie. I was paired with him in the first two rounds.

Q. Did you think he would win at that point?
LUKE DONALD: No, I think he was probably five or six shots back at that point. He played nicely. He played very solidly and looked like he was very adept at playing in those conditions, windy conditions. But I don't know, I guess --

Q. You wouldn't have put money on him?
LUKE DONALD: No, you wouldn't have guessed that he was going to win.

Q. How did you finish?
LUKE DONALD: Two doubles on 17 both days. I don't think I found the fairway off the tee. I hit it left in the stream both times. Just a mixture of bogeys I think.
Tough finish. Good finish, though.

Q. Have you played there in the Dunhill?
LUKE DONALD: I played the Dunhill two or three years ago.

Q. Played well?
LUKE DONALD: No, I think I played it well that year. I had a chance to win that year actually. Finished third in the end. Lost by a shot.

Q. Any reason you seem to play well here?
LUKE DONALD: I don't know really why I play here. Just the holes seem to suit my eye very well. Some of the greens are quite sectioned off. You have to be pretty accurate with your irons. There's some run-off areas where you have to have good distance control.
I've just always been very steady around here. I've never had had too many holes where I've struggled on. So far the last two years have been very good. I've had two chances to win.

Q. Has the wedding ring been a problem?
LUKE DONALD: No, problem, first hole I tried, it was fine. I guess I'll have to keep it on.

Q. (About timing of event).
LUKE DONALD: I'd rather this was a week before, a week earlier. Have a week off between, for this and The Open and go up to either The Open venue or play some other links golf courses. I think for some reason, if I don't have a good Open Championship, I might have to consider not playing this week just to try something different.
GORDON SIMPSON: Well, you are playing this week and if you win, you might have to come back as defending champion. Thanks very much and have a good week.

End of FastScripts

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