U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

June 13, 2008

Luke Donald

Q. Even par, Luke, a round you'll take?

LUKE DONALD: I certainly didn't play as well as I did the front side. I played a little bit looser on the backside and missed a few drives to the right. But sometimes you're going to get those patches where you're not quite in control of the ball and you have to grind out and make some good pars. And I did that pretty well on the back nine. Overall I think I was pleased with 71.

Q. How much different did the course play this morning than yesterday?

LUKE DONALD: Well, the greens are a little bit more friendly in the morning, they putt a little bit smoother. You can control the ball a little bit better into the greens, but other than that it wasn't too different.

Q. You must like the position going into the weekend. How much better do you feel you are able to compete and go all the way this weekend?

LUKE DONALD: I think every time you get in these situations you learn from them and get better. I'm happy with the position I'm in. I don't know what the guys are going to do this afternoon, but certainly a three or four under par round out there if you play well. But hopefully I'll be in a good position coming into the weekend and I'll be looking forward to the challenge.

Q. How much of a comfort level did you have coming to this event knowing this course?

LUKE DONALD: I've been excited to come here since I found out we were coming here. I had a couple good finishes a few years ago. Having that familiarity and being able to kind of draw on those good memories is something that has helped me this week. So it's a course that I feel reasonably comfortable in and I think that my golf is showing that.

Q. You haven't come here the last few years, is that because of your schedule in Europe?

LUKE DONALD: Yes. This year I went to the Middle East, it worked out that way. I can't remember two years ago.

Q. How much different does the course play now than when you played before?

LUKE DONALD: The rough in places, if you fall off line is a lot thicker. There's certain places you can get where you're just advancing the ball five, ten, 15 yards sometimes. Ian Poulter couldn't move his ball on one hole today. And the other difference is the green speed and the firmness. They're a little bit firmer this time of year, and a little bit faster and that makes it a little bit more difficult to get to some of those pins.

Q. Robert Allenby said these are some of the worst greens he's played on ever?

LUKE DONALD: I didn't think they were quite that bad. But poa greens in the afternoon, are going to get bad in the afternoon with 156 players or whatever it is this week. They played better this morning, that's for sure.

Q. Why didn't this happen at Oakmont last year, it's essentially the same type of greens?

LUKE DONALD: I have no idea, maybe it's to do with the soil. I'm not really an expert on greens.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LUKE DONALD: I don't know, I have no idea. They were pretty bad at Winged Foot, I know that.

Q. (Inaudible.)

LUKE DONALD: I made a nice 2 there. I hit a good 6-iron that just kind of stayed on the top shelf and that was the difficult part is to -- you've got to land it only just over the bunker to kind of get that hop forward and managed to make a nice putt from about 15 feet. It's a very tough pin to get to. Even if you hit it close, which you have to kind of stay left to hit it close, you've got a tricky downhill putt. It's hard to make a two there.

Q. We understand he walked off at 15, what was going on?

LUKE DONALD: No idea, he just said he was off so he left us. He just said good-bye and good luck.