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THE BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN

July 7, 2009

David Drysdale

LUSS, SCOTLAND

MICHAEL GIBBONS: Davids, thanks for joining us, first interview of The Barclays Scottish Open. Nice to have a Scotsman sitting next to me. It's great to have you here. Maybe just give us your thoughts on the week ahead and going into it.
DAVID DRYSDALE: Loch Lomond is always a tournament I look forward to. Obviously being Scottish, I regard it as the biggest event I play in every year. I've had a couple good showings here in past, and I'm really looking forward to it.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: And the confidence is good, a few good results and playing well.
DAVID DRYSDALE: I'm playing well. A good result two weeks ago in Germany. Last week, made the cut in France and didn't have such a great week, but overall, pretty happy with my game.

Q. (What makes you so comfortable here)?
DAVID DRYSDALE: I guess it's just the fact that you're at home in front of, you know, probably the most knowledgeable crowds in golf. It must just make me focus more I guess, or the added pressure helps me play better golf.

Q. I would guess the level of expectation is now going to be somewhat greater than in past years because of the successes you've had this season. Are you going to feed off that?
DAVID DRYSDALE: Hopefully. I don't think there's anymore added pressure on me. I just want to focus on what I'm doing and don't want to build it up to be anything bigger than it has been in past years. Try to keep as much pressure off myself as possible, and just go out and play the way I know I can play.

Q. (Does the course suit you)?
DAVID DRYSDALE: It's a golf course that shouldn't really suit my game because the fairways are quite wide and it's quite long. You would think the guys, the Alvaro Quiroses of the world are the guys that would do really well around here.
I guess it's just the location, everything about it I like. I like the feel of the greens, the way the holes set up, the way they look off the tee. There's a lot of tee shots that you do have to shape in the fairways and stuff, and it just suits my eye I think overall.

Q. I don't know if there's a short answer to this, but what do you think the difference has been this year in the way you've played and the results you've got from that?
DAVID DRYSDALE: The difference has definitely been my coach, David Downie, has helped me an awful lot. In fact, he started coaching me at this event last year. We've been together a year. And my ball-striking, my confidence has grown from that and putting together consistent results and just become more and more confident really as the weeks go on.

Q. You're at a different level of success the way people perceive you and people in Scotland know who you are, are you enjoying the things that surround that big a level of celebrity?
DAVID DRYSDALE: It's not really been any different other than you guys writing a lot about me in Scotland, obviously a bit more TV coverage when I've been doing well. It's been good fun so far, yeah, long may it continue.

Q. ?
DAVID DRYSDALE: Not really, a little bit nerve-wracking the build up to it.

Q. The past four years, your performances have been the best of any Scot over the four years but at the same time do you feel there are any missed opportunities where you could maybe have done better on one of those on the groundses?
DAVID DRYSDALE: I could have? Definitely. I think it was 2006, I was I think lying third going out the last day, and really had played beautifully the first three days; and if I putted even averagely the first three days, I should have had the lead.
Sunday, I just tried to hit too many good golf shots and go for too many pins, and ended up shooting 3-over I think on Sunday. Ended up finishing 18th, 20th, or something like that.
I've had a couple of good opportunities around here, definitely, but maybe just been too aggressive and maybe wanting it really too much I guess.

Q. Is it right in saying that this Open is the first one coming up you'll compete in; do you remember the first one you played at when you played as a mark for John Daly who is here this week, as well?
DAVID DRYSDALE: I was so excited about it, I got a phone call quite late on the Friday evening from Derek Small who was a pro at Dunbar, saying that I was playing the next morning with Roger Chapman, and originally I thought it was a windup when I first came out.
So went up there, and it was fantastic, it was a buzz and there was still a load of people there at that time of the morning. Daily came in and shot like 81 on the Saturday and was stone last, and found I was going to play with him on Sunday that, was an amazing experience. The first event he had ever played in Europe. Just to watch the guy, he stood on the first hole, crunched it down there like 350 yards straight down the fairway, and you know, it was just immense to watch.

Q. Have you played with him since?
DAVID DRYSDALE: I haven't. Never have done, actually. Came quite close, Belfry in 2002, I think I was a game in front of him going into the weekend but haven't played with him since, no.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: Did you remind him of it, yet?
DAVID DRYSDALE: Have I? Back then 2002 he walks up to me on the range and knew exactly who I was. That's ten years later, quite impressive.

Q. Have you played the course this week, and if so, your thoughts on how it's played?
DAVID DRYSDALE: Played this morning, first time, teed off at half past seven. It's in better condition than I've ever seen it. It normally is in great condition anyways, the greens are as pure as you'd like. They have this new machine, I saw it on the 9th green, it looks like a car jack, they roll it along the green and it's got this little heel, this little ball that tells you how many bumps and bubbles and right along the green. It didn't even take one, they are so smooth, it's fantastic.
MICHAEL GIBBONS: David, thanks for joining us, wish you all the best for the week.

End of FastScripts

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