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SMURFIT EUROPEAN OPEN

June 30, 2005

Retief Goosen

STRAFFAN, IRELAND

Q. So back in the old routine again, isn't it?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Had good back nine which was my front nine, yeah, I played solid. I made a nice eagle on 18, as well. Holed a good 25 , 30 footer there for eagle, so that sort of got the round going.

And then on the front nine never really did anything. All of my birdie putts were really too far away to make anything. So the iron play wasn't all that good on the front nine.

Q. Your caddie said to me: "Ask him about the first tee shot."

RETIEF GOOSEN: First tee shot? Well, every drive I hit pretty much came back toward the tee. It doesn't really go forward at the moment. The course is pretty good considering all the rain.

Q. So how do you feel about the round in general? You say nothing happened at the back nine?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I started off pretty good, birdied 10 and 11 and then birdied 15. So hit a couple of blind shots in the middle of the back nine there, and obviously holed the long putt on 18 and holed a good par putt on the second. So otherwise, overall the round was pretty much just down the fairway on the green and two putts.

Q. How do you feel about the two courses, is there any particular one you like?

RETIEF GOOSEN: They are both very good. Obviously the other course has the trees and the rough. This course you have the thick rough which makes it more difficult. So I think driving is a lot more important around this course than the other course, but the other course the greens are a lot better than this course. These greens are very tricky to putt on.

Q. Why is that?

RETIEF GOOSEN: It's just the type of grass, poa annua grass; it's is known as a very difficult grass to putt on, especially in the afternoon with a lot of heel prints and very soft greens. The grass on the other courses are a different type of grass.

Q. Is the course growing on you?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I've not really been in contention on this course going into the last couple of rounds. So if I can do that, then off to a good start today and keep working on that.

Q. Sneaked up a few years ago and got into second place.

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, when Campbell and Harrington yeah, I was at that stage thinking, well, if there's a playoff here.

Q. Were you listening to it on the car radio or were you at the airport?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, we were listening on the radio on the way to the airport. But luckily they both got it up and down.

Q. You said yesterday, putting, you sorted it out obviously?

RETIEF GOOSEN: Yeah, I holed a few about putts today like I said.

Q. Was it a feel thing or something you actually changed?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I tried a new putter. I'm putting with a new putter today. It's a TaylorMade putter I'm putting with.

Yeah, pretty much an exact copy of the one I putted with, maybe just a bit different feel to it.

Today I hit a lot of good putts, like I say, and that's good.

Q. Did you actually play the fifth, the par 5, off the tree?

RETIEF GOOSEN: I was up against the tree.

Q. Did you play it off the tree?

RETIEF GOOSEN: No, I just swung with a closed club face. Pretty terrible lie, too. So to get on the green was lucky.

End of FastScripts.

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