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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 9, 2005

Luke Donald

SPRINGFIELD, NEW JERSEY

JULIUS MASON: Luke Donald, ladies and gentlemen, joining us at the 87th PGA Championship. Luke is playing in his third PGA Championship.

Luke, welcome to Baltusrol. How about giving us some opening comments about being in town and we'll go to Q & A.

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I'm glad to be back here, actually. I had some good memories and some sad memories the last time I was here. I think it was the 2000 U.S. Amateur. I played well enough to get to the semifinals, but I couldn't quite advance to the final. But I had some good memories playing here, and I'm just looking forward to playing the course again.

Q. Everyone seems to be saying this is a straight drivers' golf course. Is that how you see it and is that how you found it last time, or is it very different from when you played in the Amateur?

LUKE DONALD: Well, the U.S. Amateur was mainly over at the other course, the Upper Course. We only played one round of stroke play here. I have not played the course yet, I'm going to play today and tomorrow. But from what I remember, it's kind of a U.S. Open style kind of golf course. I'm sure the rough is up, and you have to drive it in the fairway because it's a long course and you're probably not going to reach the greens from the rough.

I think accuracy could be a big factor this week.

Q. The first two days in the U.S. Open, you were playing with Tiger, and then at the Open last month with Nicklaus and Watson. Is it a bit of a relief to have a bit of a more normal draw this time, less pressurized as it would?

LUKE DONALD: I haven't seen the draw. Who am I playing with?

Q. Cink and Allenby.

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, obviously those were very high profile groups I was in. I still played well those first two rounds of the U.S. Open and at the British Open. It didn't seem to affect me too much. But those are guys I know, too, Cink and Allenby, and I look forward to playing with them.

Q. I know you played here at the U.S. Amateur, probably more Upper Course than Lower Course, but I'm sure I couldn't say just what kind of memories you have and how it's stuck with you and how it might help you this week?

LUKE DONALD: Good memories. I felt like when I came here, I was probably one of the best amateurs in the world at the time and had a great chance to win the biggest amateur event there is possibly in the world; this and the British Amateur are probably the biggest two tournaments.

When I got to the semifinals I was just playing really well. I was kind of on cruise control, just playing extremely well, winning good matches, and unfortunately I slipped up and James Driscoll played better than me and beat me.

But I have good memories of this place. I'm not sure if he's still around, one of the oldest caddies that still caddied. He used to caddie here, I can't remember his name actually. I'm not sure if any of the members know. But he took me around and did he was very good, and I enjoyed playing here.

Q. Did you stay with a family while you were here? Are you still in touch with the family at all?

LUKE DONALD: I stayed with the Fays, David and Joan Fay. I still see them from time to time obviously on the road, and yeah, we've kept in touch.

Q. How would you describe your form and your game as you come into this final major of the year?

LUKE DONALD: I think my game is fine. I mean, my results in the past few events haven't been as good as earlier in the year, and I'm not sure why. I feel like I'm hitting the ball just as well. It's just I haven't been able to quite put four rounds together, and that's something I'm hoping to do this week.

Again, I'm not sure really why that is, but I still feel like my game is really close, and I played decently last week, just didn't get much out of it. One round I putted well, one round I didn't putt well, and I've been working hard on it. And hopefully if I can putt well and keep it in the fairways, then I'll have a good week this week.

Q. Just to follow up, is there something about your game that suits courses that are a little bit softer, thinking back to Augusta which was pretty wet there, and you've had good results in those circumstances in the past?

LUKE DONALD: The only thing I can think of is obviously a softer course makes it longer, but if you're hitting I kind of pride myself on my iron play, and if I'm hitting a lot of long irons into courses, but if the greens are soft, they're still going to take to the soft greens and I can pitch it on the green and control it more. That's the only reason why I can think I might play better when it's soft.

Q. Somebody mentioned last week you were going to try and meet up with the Walker Cup team before coming here. Did that happen?

LUKE DONALD: It was supposed to happen last week, but they got the dates wrong. They knew I was playing The INTERNATIONAL, and unfortunately it didn't work out. I would have loved to have met up with them. Obviously it's in Chicago where I live, and it would have been great to go out and even watch them this week. But the schedules just didn't work out. I wish the GB&I team all the best.

Q. If you finish the season now where you are in the World Rankings, would you be satisfied with that or not? Is winning tournaments the big thing for you, or are you just sort of happy with gradual progression more than anything else?

LUKE DONALD: You know, my goal was Top 10 this year, and that's what I want to be at the end of the year. In a way I wouldn't be really happy with 15th. It would be a satisfactory year, but I wouldn't reach my goal. My goal is Top 10.

Q. Can I ask a follow up on that, Luke? How close do you think you are? You're obviously on the edge of the Top 10. Realistically do you think you're getting nearer?

LUKE DONALD: I do think that I'm getting nearer. I think obviously it takes one or two good weeks out here to make a jump like that. I feel like I'm very close to playing well and making that jump, and there's no reason why I can't have some I've got some big events still to play with big points, and if I can play even decent, then I think I can make that Top 10 easily.

Q. Having been able to observe Tiger and Jack up close recently, do you have a thought one way or another on whether Tiger, now that he's got ten majors, is likely to catch Jack's 18?

LUKE DONALD: Yeah, I think he definitely could. He's definitely on the right track. You know, he's obviously been playing extremely well in the majors this year after a couple years where he didn't play so well. But it seems like he's got his focus back. He's got his determination back, and there's no reason why he couldn't do that. Obviously he's going to have to play great. He's got another eight majors to go.

But you can never say no with Tiger. I mean, I think he definitely has the ability and the desire to do that, and that could carry him through.

Q. And Tiger talked after the British, he mentioned in his newsletter actually, he couldn't imagine where he'd be when he's 65, having talked about Jack. You're obviously a young player with your career in front of you. Can you offer a few thoughts on that's 35 years from now, where you perhaps see the golf world being that far down the road?

LUKE DONALD: Well, I'm hoping to have 19 majors in the bag and obviously they're going to make a $10 bill or a 10 Pound bill of me. That's my goal.

But I think golf is growing and growing. It's becoming more and more popular. Tiger Woods has helped that a lot. But it's becoming more fashionable with the younger guys.

Golf is one of the most popular sports in the year now, and I think that's good for guys like me.

Q. Why hasn't Ryder Cup success translated into major championships for European players?

LUKE DONALD: Well, Ryder Cup is very team orientated, and I think winning majors is very individual. I think Europeans seem to get that missing ingredient when it comes to Ryder Cups because of the team atmosphere and the team bonding. Maybe they do better when they're playing as a team and not as an individual. That can be my only explanation.

I think we just seem to play better when we have support around us, I suppose.

JULIUS MASON: Thanks very much for coming down to speak with us, Luke.

LUKE DONALD: Thank you.

End of FastScripts.

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