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BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 21, 2009

David Horsey

VIRGINIA WATER, ENGLAND

STEVE TODD: First off the tee this morning in the BMW PGA Championship and clubhouse leader; how do you feel about that?
DAVID HORSEY: I'm very pleased obviously to go out first, a bit of an advantage, hardly any wind and good greens and no holdups.
So, yeah, very pleased to be starting so well and hopefully continue into the rest of the week.
STEVE TODD: Fantastic back nine, if you can just share your thoughts on your round and where you felt the key parts were.
DAVID HORSEY: Yeah, I started off a little bit slow, two 3-putts on 3 and 4, 4 being for par, which was a bit disappointing.
And then just I birdied 6 I think and then birdied -- four birdies on the back nine. I birdied 12, and the last three. So, yeah, strong finish. Back nine is playing downwind today, so it's a little bit easier than the front nine, but you've still got to shoot the score, so I'm very pleased with how I finished.

Q. You had the best round I think on Sunday, 67 was the best?
DAVID HORSEY: I think I did, yeah.

Q. And now you obviously have a good run of form.
DAVID HORSEY: Yeah, like I say, I'm playing quite nicely, I'm holing some putts, and that's what you've got to do in this game.

Q. And in entirely different conditions?
DAVID HORSEY: Yeah, it's quite a big adjustment to going from here to trying to hit it under a table to trying to get it up in the air, it's a bit different.
Yeah, I managed to adjust quite quickly, and hopefully carry on for the rest of the week.

Q. What time were you up this morning, and are you a good early riser, or was it hard work?
DAVID HORSEY: I'm not really a morning person, no, but you have to get yourself out of bad and get yourself motivated. It all comes with the job, you get an early time every now and then, most every week, and 5.00 this morning, it was a bit early, but you're finished by 12 o'clock, so it's perfect. Sort of equals itself out.

Q. Have you played Wentworth many times before?
DAVID HORSEY: I played it in the Tillman Trophy when I was an amateur about three years ago. Did all right there, finished fourth in there, good memories. So, yeah, hopefully continue that form into the rest of the week.

Q. There are some big names out there struggling this morning. What is the course doing? Why would they be struggling?
DAVID HORSEY: The wind has now picked up. The start of the day, the first 12 holes, there was a little bit of breeze, but now it's really picked up and it swirls about around here, I'm sure, everyone says that every year. It's difficult to judge where it's coming from and maybe that's why it's struggling on the greens.
Obviously being first out, the greens are good, early draws, and whether they will be for the rest of the day. Hopefully they will. They seem to be drying up in the past, but yeah, you've still got to play well. You've still got to play well and you've still got to hole putts. The greens are quite slick and if you get the wrong side of them, it is quite tough.

Q. You did well at the Walker Cup; did playing in the Walker Cup make any difference to your transition as a pro, did you take anything from it, or was it just a one-off thing and then you move on?
DAVID HORSEY: I think the only thing I took from it really is I handle myself well under pressure. I think I was top points-scorer there that week, and when the pressure was on, I seemed to rise to it, so that's probably the only thing I took from it, and obviously it was a great experience and a great team and just got pipped in the final.
It was a fantastic experience. A shame we didn't win.

Q. Would you advise anyone to hang on now?
DAVID HORSEY: I think as an achievement, yeah, it's a fantastic thing to have on your C.V. It's a great experience and anyone that wants to play in The Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup is about as close as it gets, certainly as an amateur. The competitive side of it is brilliant, and like I say, it's a great test.
So, yeah, definitely, I did -- well, that's why I hung on as long as I did really, because I wanted to play in the Walker Cup, and it's turned out to be a good decision.

Q. You had a great season on the Challenge Tour. But did you need an early result like Malaysia to convince you that you were going to go well this year as well?
DAVID HORSEY: Well, not just Malaysia. I think the first five tournaments I think I finished top 20 in each one, so it's not as if I didn't perform in those first few events. But then obviously to finish, shooting 64 in the last round in Malaysia sort of boosted my confidence, and maybe helped me believe a bit more that I could win. And that's obviously my goal now for the rest of the year is to try to get myself up there in the back nine on Sunday and hopefully win one.

Q. We tend to see people in here with hats saying Titleist or Callaway or whatever. Can you explain your sponsor?
DAVID HORSEY: Yeah, Morson, they are a recruitment company based up in Manchester, local. Ged Mason is the guy who sponsors me. He's been very good to me. He sponsored me last year, on the bag from The Open last year. He's been very supportive and I appreciate that, with the way the financial market; it's nice to have a sponsor.
Yeah, the reason why he's on the bag is I don't really have any particular manufacturer I use through the bag, so that's the reason behind it.

Q. And what's the pink band?
DAVID HORSEY: Breast cancer.

Q. For any particular?
DAVID HORSEY: My mum was diagnosed back in last year. She's just recovering at the moment.

Q. What's the prognosis for her?
DAVID HORSEY: Well, yeah, she's just had her last chemo yesterday. So hopefully, yeah, she's got I think three weeks of radio therapy coming up now shortly, and hopefully that will be it, but she won't get the all-clear obviously until three or four years down the line. Hopefully she'll recover and she'll be feeling well again by the end of the year.

Q. Can you tell us your mom's name?
DAVID HORSEY: It's Anne Horsey, Anne, with an "e," yeah. She'll kill me if you don't put an "e" on there. (Laughter).

Q. The timing of this is quite poignant in that Phil Mickelson's wife Amy has just been diagnosed with breast cancer as well. Can you give us an idea of the difficulties that you have had in terms of keeping your golf going and keeping your mind on the course when you've had such a difficult time?
DAVID HORSEY: It's been tough. Yeah, it's always been at the back of my mind. My mum has been very strong through it, so she's helped me in that respect, and my dad has obviously been there for her, and that's obviously been a big help, as well, to know she's got someone at home.
Yeah, it's always been the at back of my mind and I do try hard not to think about it when I'm playing and what she would want for me is to go and keep on playing.

Q. Mickelson has announced he will be out indefinitely, as well.
DAVID HORSEY: Yeah, I think from what my mom tells me, it's a lot -- you're a lot more at risk when you're younger when you get it. But my mum was I think she's 59, 58 now, and so she's obviously not quite as at risk as perhaps Phil's wife, or Darren's wife who suddenly passed away.
But yeah, I mean, you just got to be there for her. Just got to support her and hopefully she'll get through it.

Q. Has your golf helped keep her going?
DAVID HORSEY: I think so, it's probably kept her going, she's keeping at home watching the line score and watching on the TV and stuff and hopefully it has kept her going and hopefully I've helped in that respect. She never really talks about it that way but maybe at the back of my mind, it is keeping her going with that.

Q. Are they players themselves? Did you play with them when you were a kid?
DAVID HORSEY: My dad used to play a little bit when I first started but he has a bad back and my mum never played, she never even thought about playing. My granddaddy got me into it back in '98, started playing and got my first membership. My granddad is to blame for me being here playing this stupid game.

Q. Do you have brothers and sisters?
DAVID HORSEY: No.

Q. Very mundanely, can I have the birdies on the last three holes, how you did them?
DAVID HORSEY: 16, I hit rescue just level with the trap, I was trying to leave it short but ended up being level with it and hit sand wedge to about 15 feet and rolled it in.
Then I hit driver, rescue and hybrid to pin-high left on 17 on the fringe and two putts.
Down the last, cut a driver off the tee and 3-wood into the middle of the green and 2-putt.
STEVE TODD: Thanks a lot, David, well done today.

End of FastScripts

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