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THE SENIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

July 24, 2009

Don Pooley

SUNNINGDALE, ENGLAND

RODDY WILLIAMS: Don, it probably seems like a long time since you started your round, but well played out there. You're in contention and a few shots behind Fred at the moment.
DON POOLEY: Quite a few. Fred played great, and he's a very good front runner, so it's going to be very tough to catch him. But I need to play awfully well the last two days to have any chance.
I'm happy with the way I've been playing. Both days I hit the ball well, I putted well. The first day, I missed a couple of shots that cost me, and I hit a lot of good putts that I misread that didn't go in. I seem to be hitting my line pretty good, so that's always a good sign in putting.
But I love this golf course. It's a fabulous golf course. Wish we could build them like this in the States. This is just a wonderful golf course.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Have you played it before?
DON POOLEY: Never seen it till this week. You've got options off the tee. You've got options into the green. You've got to think your way around. You've got to know where the trouble is. It's just a great test I think.
RODDY WILLIAMS: How difficult was it with the delay?
DON POOLEY: You know, the delay hurt my -- I hit a perfect drive on 14, and had an easy shot into the green, and then had that two- or three-hour delay and came out and hit a horrible second shot and made par on the hole which hurt, and bogeyed 18 which hurt. But other than that, I played solid all day long.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Obviously Fred is running away with it at the moment at this stage.
DON POOLEY: Fred is going to be tough. This is a great golf course for him. He hits the ball great. He putts it well. It's just a great course for Fred, and he's probably playing very well, too. But it's a good course for a lot of people. It's just a great golf course.

Q. He's gone 36 holes without a bogey. Is that pretty impressive?
DON POOLEY: That's just wrong. That's very impressive. (Laughter).

Q. Are you suggesting that the courses you play on a week-to-week basis are a lot easier than a test like this?
DON POOLEY: No, not easier necessarily. It's just different. A lot of the courses we play in the States, length is a big factor. And out here, length helps, but it's not even close to the most important thing. And a lot of times, we play courses in the States that length is one of the most important things, and I don't like that kind of golf.
We have a lot of courses that are ball-strikers golf courses like this, but you know, length is too big of a deal now. They are building the courses too long I think today. And this is just a wonderful course. And this would be a fun course to play day-in and day-out.
You play some of those really long, new, fancy courses, you play them once, and you go, okay, I've done that, I don't need to do that again. I think that's just the wrong way to build a golf course.

Q. Does it play short, for you guys?
DON POOLEY: I don't know what the yardage is here, but it doesn't play short because you're having to hit utility clubs off the tee or 3-woods. You have to keep them out of the bunker. So I'm hitting a lot of longer shots into the green because I have to hit something less than a driver off the tee.
If I wanted to risk it more off the tee, I could hit a shorter shot in. But then you're bringing in all kind of trouble. But that's what makes the scores so good. So it isn't length that makes a good golf course.

Q. With Fred being so far ahead, is taking the driver off the tee something you might look to do over the weekend?
DON POOLEY: I kind of have a game plan for this golf course that I think is the best way to play it. You know, I'm not going to change my plan yet. The last nine holes on Sunday, I probably would change it if I needed to do something fantastic. But it's too early not tournament to change your game plan just yet.
RODDY WILLIAMS: How often have you played in The Senior Open Championship? You've won the U.S. Senior Open.
DON POOLEY: I played Turnberry twice. I played Portrush, and this one. I think four times. And I played four regular Opens.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Enjoy coming over?
DON POOLEY: I love it. I wish I had started sooner. I started in 1988 but wish I had started sooner. I love playing over here.

Q. So this is your first non-links?
DON POOLEY: That's correct, non-links. I love this one. I can't believe they are not all like this, but this is a great one.

Q. Take us through your birdies on the back nine.
DON POOLEY: Birdied 10. 10 was a good birdie. I hit a 3-wood off the tee and I hit a 5-iron. They had a sucker pin over there to the right, and hit the 5-iron about 35 feet left of the pin and made a long putt there.
11, I hit a sand wedge on about 15 feet and made that one.
16, I hit a 6-iron about 25 feet and made another good, long putt.
17, I hit a 6-iron about a foot away, tap-in.
And then I felt asleep on that iron on 18. Killing me.

Q. I didn't see the shot. What happened there?
DON POOLEY: I had to hit a hard 7-iron and I started my downswing a little too quick, and I hit it off the chunky toe into the bunker and didn't get it up-and-down.

Q. Where would winning this week stand in terms of the U.S. Senior Open?
DON POOLEY: This is a major, this is a big major. This would be right up there with it. The U.S. Senior Open is the biggest major we have in the U.S. and this is a worldwide major. This is a big deal. I would love to have back-to-back trophies. That would be quite an accomplishment.

Q. A big one back there next week?
DON POOLEY: There's another big one, yeah. It's unfortunate that they are back-to-back.

Q. How different will that course be to this one?
DON POOLEY: Oh, it's completely different. Crooked Stick, you've got to keep the ball in the air all the time. Here, you can keep it on the ground. But you've got to hit it in the air.

Q. How many practice rounds did you have here?
DON POOLEY: Three. I played three days. I didn't play all 18 every day, but I played over two rounds total, but I played all three days. I was kind of tired.
You know, it's a little bit of a tough trip over here, so I didn't play all 18 the first day when I arrived, but I like the course so much, I practiced a little more than I normally do just because I like being out there.
RODDY WILLIAMS: Thank you very much indeed. Well played and good luck the next two days.

End of FastScripts

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