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THE 3 IRISH OPEN

May 12, 2009

Gary Murphy

BALTRAY, IRELAND

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Let's start off with your unique perspective off the week, living so close and actually playing in the tournament.
GARY MURPHY: I think the forecast isn't too great, so it's probably going to be a very testing week. 14-under won the last time the weather was tough. Obviously something similar, but if it plays benign, it could be a bit of a shootout really.
But it's good for me. I only live around the corner, so it's a lot better than going to Shannon, and the money is better, as well.
So no, I'm looking forward to it. I've been playing okay the last couple of weeks, so a little bit of confidence coming in, a bit of form, which I didn't really have coming into the Irish Open last season. Although I did well, I kind of found it during the week. So feeling quite positive.

Q. What do you remember of the Sunday last year?
GARY MURPHY: Yeah, I got off to a flyer of a start. I birdied four of the first six, which it was playing difficult. So the leaders started off with a couple of birdies, coming off 16, was tied for the lead, and then just kind of got my head down and didn't really look at any leaderboards until I finished on 18 which was probably a good lesson.
So just tried to concentrate on the golf and played. Played pretty well, got a bit scrappy coming in and got a birdie on the last.

Q. Did you birdie 8?
GARY MURPHY: No, I bogeyed 8. I 3-putted 8.

Q. (Regarding play that day).
GARY MURPHY: Not really, no. I think I shot level, which around there is not too bad really.

Q. What have you been doing the past five or seven years? Seems like you always have one big finish every year that puts the card away; is that a worry or something that's always at the back of your mind?
GARY MURPHY: No, I don't think you worry about big finishes. Everyone kind of enjoys those. I mean, I suppose to answer your question, my consistency has not been as good as I would like. And I mean, that's something I'm constantly working on.
But it's difficult to be on your best week-in and week-out. I think that's what everyone is striving and everyone's goal. You want to win tournaments and you want to be in a position every week to try to do that, but it's probably more difficult to do the one-off things as you say, and unfortunately that's probably been my nature over my career and that's something I need to improve on.

Q. Was your thinking in the back side that you are a better player than your numbers?
GARY MURPHY: Possibly, but I feel I should be a lot higher on the Order of Merit than I have been over the years, and it's a work-in-progress. Maybe I'll be better in my later years than I was in my early years.
I suppose experience is obviously one thing; a day like today, I'm not going to hit balls three hours in the wind doing silly things, I think. I think less is probably more, and I've been guilty of probably playing too much over the years and turning up at tournaments not really ready to compete, but kind of playing because as you say, you know, stressing about Tour cards and stuff.
But if you look at the top players, they play a lot less than the guys down at the other end. That's probably to do with seven figures in their bank account, as well. I think over the years, I've probably played too much. I have had difficult tournaments this year, and then a big swing the next month; and if you have a good month and it changes the face of the whole season, so a good time to come into form.

Q. Do you set yourself goals at the beginning of each year?
GARY MURPHY: Obviously I have not won on The European Tour yet and that's my No. 1 goal and Top-50 on the Order of Merit is always a goal, as well. Just trying to be more consistent week-in and week-out; trying to have solid week and when big weeks pop up -- I think Marc Warren is one of the few guys that seems to struggle during the course of the year and then wins when he has to; so try to it build up confidence.

Q. How frustrating has it been that you have not won after how many years on Tour now?
GARY MURPHY: It's nine years now. It's a long time, and especially with the Irish guys and the amount of Irish on Tour now, we have more Tour players in France winning; the standard is as high, and it's frustrating as well that I have not joined them.
You know, there's nothing I can do about that, only keep trying and see what happens.

Q. And you worked with Jos last year, and he's still your mental coach; is that right?
GARY MURPHY: Yeah, he's been off the last three months as he's buried two brothers as he's had more pressing matters than trying to stop me going mad. You try everything and try to get everyone on board and have a good team around you, but you know, you are the only one pulling the trigger, so you can have as many guys around you as you want, but it's up to you at the end of the day.

Q. Has it been difficult --
GARY MURPHY: No, I think there's a lot people worse off than me. There's a lot more people in trouble than I am. I'm glad for what I do; it is, it's the best job in the world when you're playing well, and feels like the worst job in the world when you're not.
But I'm thankful that I'm in a position to possibly change my life every week, and I'm grateful for that than living on the slack side of things because that won't get you anywhere.

Q. What is it about the village that makes it a great place to live and also talk a little bit about the golf course?
GARY MURPHY: I've lived in Baltray for eight years. Obviously played the Irish PGA here and so now it's blossomed. Been living here since 2001.
Just great. Even though I am a Kilkennian and I'll always be considered that, even if I win ten Majors! The village is fantastic, it's a great place to be off when you're not playing tournaments. It would be a fantastic course, the area Baltray and Seapoint next door, not equally as good but it's a fantastic test as well and it's just a nice, relaxing environment.
I probably play, on a week off, I play -- I probably play two, three rounds kind of nine holes here and there with fans and just practice. You know, if the weather was better probably obviously it would be more enjoyable. That's the only thing that holds the place back. It's a unique golf course. They don't build golf courses like this because they can't. It's a short course for a links course but it has its own challenges obviously with the weather.

Q. Every Irish player here, including the home region pros, knows every inch of the course, but is that familiarity going to be taken for granted when it comes to a tournament week like this?
GARY MURPHY: It possibly can. I personally think it's no advantage at all. We go to courses now with caddies -- it's only sums, really. I found the last time that I pushed too hard thinking if I wasn't -- shooting 6-under easy and you come to the tournament and you think that you have the 8-ball. And that's the lesson I learned from last time, to not kind of push too much and just let it happen really. I don't think it's any major advantage.

Q. Did you say at the outset that 14-under might win in conditions like this?
GARY MURPHY: It was tough here the last time. There was a constant easterly breeze growing. I think we had the same breeze for four days which made the course play as tough as it did, even though he won by four shots. You know, it was a solid course really, blowing 30, 40 miles a day, but you would be surprised.
The standard since I've come on Tour, the standard gets better and better. My first year on Tour, the cut was level on Thursday and went to 1-over, and now it's level on Thursday and it goes to 1-under. If it it's benign out there, I would not be surprised to see someone go mad.

Q. The way the course is set up for the week, is it designed for low scoring?
GARY MURPHY: They have been unlucky, obviously it was announced late and they treated the course with cut rough, but if they have the greens firm and fast, it doesn't matter. It's still going to be a good challenge. But probably a two- or three-club wind blowing. The course will definitely hold up.

Q. There is a theory that, if the wind does blow, a certain number in the field will go out almost defeated before they start; would you prefer to see tougher conditions?
GARY MURPHY: I would prefer to see it benign and have sunshine and have as many spectators come through as they can and 3 to get what they deserve out of the tournament.
I suppose on paper if it does blow, it should help the local guys more or guys, the British and Irish guys who have been more used to playing in this sort of weather, but they played in Korea, too, and Thongchai Jaidee won, and he's from Thailand. There's so many good players around at the moment that they can adapt to whatever conditions need be.

Q. On your physical, you seem to have been working out, or is it diet?
GARY MURPHY: New Cartel clothing, really, makes me look slimmer.
I think there's a recession going on -- I think they are doing John Daly, actually. No, I've just been applying myself a little bit better and not over indulging at the table like I normally do.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Thanks for coming in.

End of FastScripts

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