BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 12, 2008

Simon Khan

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Simon, thanks for joining us, thoughts on a great round tomorrow and thoughts going into tomorrow.
SIMON KHAN: Yeah, really pleased with the round. When I saw the conditions on the range, I likened it to last year's Saturday, playing with Phil Mickelson. I felt I didn't really deal with it all that well; the conditions, and I knew the pins would be tucked away, and middle of the green 20-foot was a good shot a lot of the time.
So I was really happy. I managed my game, a lot of good solid shots and hit a lot of fairways and greens and took my chances when I had them, so that's the difference. Putting has been a little bit better this week and got a little bit more over the ball, a little bit more closer to the ball which helped in wind a bit more today. Yeah, overall really pleased.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: What's the approach for tomorrow playing in the last group with Graeme?
SIMON KHAN: Yeah, he's a good lad, Graeme. He's playing really well, obviously good week last week.
Yeah, I'm just going to go out and try to play and enjoy myself. That's what I haven't been doing really probably the last year or so, just when I've been in good positions, I've just tried a bit too hard and sometimes you can just push it away when you want it too bad.
No, just going to definitely enjoy it tomorrow, and I'm feeling confident.

Q. Big day for you tomorrow in terms of getting into The Open; how much are you thinking about that?
SIMON KHAN: Yeah, it's definitely in my mind. It's just going to be a great open next week. I played Hoylake a couple of years ago and the fans up there were pretty humorous and good fun. My wife's from Liverpool, so I know the humour. It's going to be a great Open. And my grandparents live in Lytham St. Annes, so I have quite a lot of connection to the area. Yeah, it's going to be a good week hopefully.

Q. Can you expand on playing the third round here with Mickelson last year?
SIMON KHAN: Yeah, playing with Phil, I had a couple of bad irons and started to chase it a little bit.
I was patient today. On 14 for instance, I knew I could get on the green, but there's a lot of trouble around that green, and, you know, my caddie talk me out of it. I laid up the left, and he said with the sand it's going to come back to the hole and he was dead right and showed a bit of experience there, which was great.
Things like that, and also hitting tight pins, hitting to the middle of the greens. You know, I've been on Tour seven years, but even as a veteran, I feel like I can take on some shots, and this week I've just managed my game well.

Q. You seemed to have been trying too hard this year --
SIMON KHAN: Yeah, short game and putting, just when my game is good, I hit a lot of fairways and greens, but I haven't really been holing anything all year. My stats, I don't know what they are like, I don't look at that but I just know the putting has to improve and you don't feel like you have to hit it close all the time.
You know, the putting, I'm working with one of the putting guys -- he just said about my stroke, he said it's one of the best I've seen. So I just had that in my mind, and just makes you -- I've just got to trust it a little bit more and when I do that, I know I can putt well.

Q. Graeme was extolling the virtues of mind gurus; can you refresh us to who you use?
SIMON KHAN: All of the players are familiar with it and it's something you work on, and no one is born like with certain confidence and it's something you've got to build up in yourself.
Yeah, I think, I reckon, well, 90 per cent, there's not many players out here now who don't work on that type of stuff. And yeah, it helps, and you know, probably using some techniques hopefully for tomorrow.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Did you have a psychologist?
SIMON KHAN: I actually see an old coach of mine, Scott Cranfield. I don't see him for my swing; for that side of it I see him now and again.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Simon, wish you all the best for tomorrow. Thanks for coming in.

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